Month: December 2023

Dec 14, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Supplying energy to an ever-increasing global population is the most pressing concern of our generation, and yet existing technologies fall short at meeting this demand whilst fulfilling net zero targets. Solar cells offer possible solutions by generating clean energy with low CO2 emissions by a...

Dec 14, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Over the years, scientists have proposed many novel molecular systems for photoinduced electron transfer. In this direction, researchers from Japan have now developed a copolymer-conjugated nanocatalytic system that can drive efficient photoinduced electron transfer. They employed a temperature-responsive ternary random copolymer and coupled it to...

Dec 13, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Metal-halide perovskites represent an emerging class of low-cost semiconductors with promising light-emitting capabilities that could enable the next generation of vibrant, energy-efficient displays. However, difficulties in fabrication, efficiency, and stability have obstructed the path towards commercialization of perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs). Without solving these lingering challenges...

Dec 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and the Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory developed a microscope that visualizes the invisible forces exerted by light at the nanoscale. This groundbreaking tool reveals the intimate tango between light, force, and temperature with...

Dec 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Tohoku University and the University of California, Santa Barbara have shown a proof-of-concept of energy-efficient computer compatible with current artificial intelligence (AI). It utilizes a stochastic behavior of nanoscale spintronics devices and is particularly suitable for probabilistic computation problems such as inference and...

Dec 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A surprising relationship that governs the activity of enzymes—the molecules that catalyze almost all the chemical reactions of life—has been uncovered by three RIKEN researchers (Nature Communications, "Thermodynamic principle to enhance enzymatic activity using the substrate affinity"). This finding could help researchers to select and...

Dec 13, 2023 (Nanowerk News) The observation of biomolecular structures using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the direct visualization of functional conformational dynamics in high-speed AFM (HS-AFM) experiments have significantly advanced the understanding of biological processes at the nanoscale. In experiments, a biological sample is deposited on a supporting surface...

Dec 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Self-propelled nanoparticles could potentially advance drug delivery and lab-on-a-chip systems — but they are prone to go rogue with random, directionless movements. Now, an international team of researchers has developed an approach to rein in the synthetic particles. Led by Igor Aronson, the Dorothy Foehr...

Dec 12, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Protein-splitting enzymes play an important role in many physiological processes. Such proteases are generally present in an inactive state, only becoming activated under certain conditions. Some are linked to diseases like infections or cancer, making it important to have methods that can selectively detect active...

Dec 11, 2023 (Nanowerk News) When water vapor meets metal, the resulting corrosion can lead to mechanical problems that harm a machine’s performance. Through a process called passivation, it also can form a thin inert layer that acts as a barrier against further deterioration. Either way, the exact chemical reaction...