Nov 24, 2023 (Nanowerk News) For decades, researchers have sought improved control over the distribution and activity of therapeutic drugs to minimize adverse side effects while maximizing efficacy. Most approved drugs like small molecules and monoclonal antibodies operate systemically with little innate precision over where they accumulate in the body...
Unlocking the potential of digital manufacturing for ready-to-use microfluidics
Nov 24, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) For decades, microfluidics has held promise as a revolutionary technology, yet widespread adoption outside research labs has remained elusive. Microfluidic devices enable precise control of tiny volumes of fluid for automated chemical and biological analysis, offering potential breakthroughs in medical testing and diagnostics. However, manufacturing...
Magnetic graphene for low-power electronics
Nov 24, 2023 (Nanowerk News) National University of Singapore (NUS) physicists have developed a concept to induce and directly quantify spin splitting in two-dimensional materials. By using this concept, they have experimentally achieved large tunability and a high degree of spin-polarisation in graphene. This research achievement can potentially advance the...
First experimental evidence of hopfions in crystals opens up new dimension for future technology
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Hopfions, magnetic spin structures predicted decades ago, have become a hot and challenging research topic in recent years. In a study published in Nature ("Hopfion rings in a cubic chiral magnet"), the first experimental evidence is presented by a Swedish-German-Chinese research collaboration. “Our results are...
Biomimetic soft robotic design mimics plant twining behavior
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) For decades, researchers have marveled at the remarkable capabilities of biological structures like elephant trunks, octopus arms, and climbing plants. These natural continuum structures exhibit an enviable versatility and adaptability despite possessing no central control unit or “brain.” Scientists have long sought to replicate such...
Synthetic microbots mimic plankton to achieve 3D motion
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) For decades, researchers have sought to emulate the collective behavior of natural systems like schools of fish or flocks of birds using synthetic microscale robots. Such robot collectives could enable a variety of applications, from targeted drug delivery to environmental remediation. However, realizing robust 3D...
Extreme stars share unique properties that may provide a link to mysterious sources
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) An international research team led by Michael Kramer and Kuo Liu from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, have studied a rare species of ultra-dense stars, so called magnetars, to uncover an underlying law that appears to apply universally to a...
Revolutionary breakthrough in the manufacture of photovoltaic cells
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The University of Ottawa, together with national and international partners, has achieved a world first by manufacturing the first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic cells. This innovative achievement is described in more detail in Cell Reports Physical Science ("3D interconnects for III-V semiconductor heterostructures for miniaturized power...
New nanotechnology makes water harvesting from air far easier
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) For over half the global population, accessing clean drinking water remains an enduring challenge. With climate change and development pressures exacerbating water scarcity worldwide, innovative solutions are desperately needed. Atmospheric water harvesting – the extraction of drinkable water directly from humid air – offers immense...
‘Amaterasu’ particle: a new cosmic mystery
Nov 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A high-energy particle falls from space to the Earth’s surface – it is not clear where it came from or even what it is, exactly. This may sound like something out of science fiction, but it is in fact a scientific reality, as evidenced by...