Alkali metal insertion in graphene observed at atomic level

Mar 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at AIST, in collaboration with Osaka University, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Kyushu University, and National Tsing Hua University, have developed a technique to insert alkali metals into the interlayers of graphene. They have succeeded in directly observing the atomic arrangement of the inserted alkali metal...

Mimicking exercise with a pill

Mar 18, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Doctors have long prescribed exercise to improve and protect health. In the future, a pill may offer some of the same benefits as exercise. Now, researchers report on new compounds that appear capable of mimicking the physical boost of working out — at least within...

Stretch, twist, fold and wrinkle this new generation of liquid metal micro-supercapacitors

Mar 18, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The advent of wearable technology has brought with it a pressing need for energy storage solutions that can keep pace with the flexibility and stretchability of soft electronic devices. Conventional rigid batteries and supercapacitors have proven inadequate for seamless integration into wearables that must conform...

New high-speed microscale 3D printing technique

Mar 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) 3D-printed microscopic particles, so small that to the naked eye they look like dust, have applications in drug and vaccine delivery, microelectronics, microfluidics, and abrasives for intricate manufacturing. However, the need for precise coordination between light delivery, stage movement, and resin properties makes scalable fabrication...

Integrated light as a key to future computers

Mar 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) While computer chips are getting smaller and faster every year, one challenge remains unsolved: combining electronics and photonics on a single chip. Although components such as micro LEDs are available as individual chips and waveguides as tiny fibre optic cables, the materials required are too...

Advancing force microscopy with a novel calibration method for FluidFM micropipette cantilevers

Mar 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A study introduces a novel method for calibrating the spring constant of FluidFM micropipette cantilevers, crucial for the accurate measurement of forces in microfluidic environments. This method addresses the limitations of current calibration techniques, offering a significant advancement in the field of force microscopy. Fluidic...

New research suggests that our universe has no dark matter

Mar 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The current theoretical model for the composition of the universe is that it’s made of ‘normal matter,’ ‘dark energy’ and ‘dark matter.’ A new uOttawa study challenges this. A University of Ottawa study (The Astrophysical Journal, "Testing CCC+TL Cosmology with Observed Baryon Acoustic Oscillation Features")...

Scientists develop a new system to record 2D crystal synthesis in real time

Mar 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Two-dimensional materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) exhibit unique properties that hold immense promise for applications in electronics, sensors, energy storage, biomedicine and more. However, their complex growth mechanisms — inconsistent correlations exist between how the conditions for growth affect the shapes of...