Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Scientists have long sought ways to propel tiny liquid droplets autonomously, envisioning applications like miniaturized delivery vehicles or microrobotic systems. However, previous methods faced major limitations - they required specialized materials, continuous energy inputs, or could not control the direction and reversibility of motion. Now,...
New method measures the 3D position of individual atoms
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Since more than a decade it has been possible for physicists to accurately measure the location of individual atoms to a precision of smaller than one thousandth of a millimeter using a special type of microscope. However, this method has so far only provided the...
Juno spacecraft measures oxygen production on Jupiter’s moon, Europa
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) NASA’s Juno spacecraft has directly measured charged oxygen and hydrogen molecules from the atmosphere of one of Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa. According to a new study co-authored by SwRI scientists and led by Princeton University, these observations provide key constraints on the potential oxygenation of...
Changes in nanostructure enable the real-time display of colors and shapes
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A groundbreaking technology that enables the real-time display of colors and shapes through changes in nanostructures has been developed. This innovative technology, pioneered by Professor Kang Hee Ku and her team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, has the potential to...
Open quantum system shows universal behavior
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Phase transitions in chemistry and physics are changes in the state of a substance, for example the change from a liquid to a gaseous phase, when an external parameter such as temperature or pressure is changed. "Magnets are a good example," says Professor Dr. Artur...
Like a lab in your pocket
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) When the pandemic started, people who felt unwell had to join long queues for lab-based PCR tests and then wait for two days to learn if they had the COVID-19 virus or not. In addition to significant inconvenience, a major drawback was the substantial and...
Speeding up quantum computing with high-fidelity spin qubit evolution
Mar 05, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Osaka University’s Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN) used the shortcuts to the adiabaticity (STA) method ( a set of techniques designed to speed up quantum processes without inducing transitions between different quantum states, ensuring rapid and efficient changes in a system's...
Spontaneous curvature the key to shape-shifting nanomaterials
Mar 04, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Inspired by nature, nanotechnology researchers have identified ‘spontaneous curvature’ as the key factor determining how ultra-thin, artificial materials can transform into useful tubes, twists and helices. Greater understanding of this process - which mimics how some seed pods open in nature - could unlock an...
Researchers use liquid crystals to control polarization inside laser-written waveguides
Mar 04, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have developed a new way to control and manipulate optical signals by embedding a liquid crystal layer into waveguides created with direct laser writing. The new devices enable electro-optical control of polarization, which could open new possibilities for chip-based devices and complex photonic circuits...
3D-printed skin closes wounds and contains hair follicle precursors
Mar 04, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Fat tissue holds the key to 3D printing layered living skin and potentially hair follicles, according to researchers who recently harnessed fat cells and supporting structures from clinically procured human tissue to precisely correct injuries in rats. The advancement could have implications for reconstructive facial...