Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Optical tweezers manipulate tiny things like cells and nanoparticles using lasers. While they might sound like tractor beams from science fiction, the fact is their development garnered scientists a Nobel Prize in 2018. Scientists have now used supercomputers to make optical tweezers safer to use...
The remains of an ancient planet lie deep within Earth
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In the 1980s, geophysicists made a startling discovery: two continent-sized blobs of unusual material were found deep near the center of the Earth, one beneath the African continent and one beneath the Pacific Ocean. Each blob is twice the size of the Moon and likely...
The mind of the machine
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) In a startlingly short time span, artificial intelligence has evolved from an academic undertaking into a practical tool. Visual models like DALL·E can create images in any style an individual might fancy, while large language models (LLMs) like Chat GPT can generate essays, write computer...
How hydrogen treatment makes MoS2 more reliable for various applications
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is a highly versatile material that can function, for example, as a gas sensor or as a photocatalyst in green hydrogen production. Although the understanding of a material usually starts from investigating its bulk crystalline form, for MoS2 much more studies have...
Scientists expand our understanding of biological nanowires
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The movement of electrons across wires is what allows us to use electricity every day. Biological nanowires, microscopic wires made of proteins, have caught researchers’ attention for their ability to carry electrons over long distances. In a recent study published in Small ("Long-Range Electron Transport...
Scientists develop nanocellulose-based aerogel film to keep buildings cooler
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The global demand for cooling energy has seen a surge in the 21st century. Notably, the use of air conditioners and electric fans accounts for nearly 20% of a building's overall electricity consumption. Exploring eco-friendly and sustainable cooling technologies holds promising prospects for combatting global...
Scientists engineer carbon nanotubes for greener hydrogen peroxide production
Nov 01, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used for cleaning and bleaching as a friendlier alternative to harsh chemicals. However, the current method for making it isn't that eco-friendly. The process, called anthraquinone oxidation, uses a lot of energy and heat and produces waste. Scientists are looking for...