Jan 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A significant breakthrough has been achieved by quantum physicists from Dresden and Würzburg. They’ve created a semiconductor device where exceptional robustness and sensitivity are ensured by a quantum phenomenon. This topological skin effect shields the functionality of the device from external perturbations, allowing for measurements...
physicists show how to detect higher-order topological insulators
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Just like a book can’t be judged by its cover, a material can’t always be judged by its surface. But, for an elusive conjectured class of materials, physicists have now shown that the surface previously thought to be “featureless” holds an unmistakable signature that could...
Researchers release solar power data software to increase clean energy generation
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A lot can happen to solar panels that are mounted to a roof – from tree branches casting shade over them to a neighbor’s baseball cracking one. Now, a solar panel owner can better understand how their system is performing with a new software tool...
Ultra-thin 2D crystal poised to unlock faster, lower power electronics
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) For over 50 years, the electronics industry has consistently delivered exponential increases in computing power, as predicted by Moore's Law. This trend of constant enhancement has been enabled by the perpetual miniaturization of silicon transistors. However, scientists have long foreseen an approaching limit, as shrinking...
DNA origami folded into nanoscale electromotor
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists have created the world’s first working nanoscale electromotor, according to research published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology ("A DNA turbine powered by a transmembrane potential across a nanopore"). The science team designed a turbine engineered from DNA that is powered by hydrodynamic flow inside...
Using DNA origami to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have used DNA origami, the art of folding DNA into desired structures, to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way. The result opens new avenues for understanding how the Notch signalling pathway works and...
A faster and cheaper way to print metal nanostructures with light
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a light-based means of printing nano-sized metal structures that is significantly faster and cheaper than any technology currently available. It is a scalable solution that could transform a scientific field long reliant on technologies that are...
Black phosphorus propels spintronics with exceptional anisotropic spin transport
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) With modern electronic devices approaching the limits of Moore’s law and the ongoing challenge of power dissipation in integrated circuit design, there is a need to explore alternative technologies beyond traditional electronics. Spintronics represents one such approach which could solve these issues and offer the...
Clutch-stack-driven molecular gears in crystals could propel material innovation
Jan 19, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Gears are an essential component of everyday machines. The ability to shift gears, like in a car, allows for control of the degree or direction of motion generated, making machines more versatile. Now, a team led by researchers at the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design...
Self-powered sensor automatically harvests magnetic energy
Jan 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) MIT researchers have developed a battery-free, self-powered sensor that can harvest energy from its environment. Because it requires no battery that must be recharged or replaced, and because it requires no special wiring, such a sensor could be embedded in a hard-to-reach place, like inside...