Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk News) For years, scientists have been intrigued by how molecules move across surfaces. The process is critical to numerous applications, including catalysis and the manufacturing of nanoscale devices. Now, using neutron spectroscopy experiments performed at Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and advanced theorical models and computer simulations, a...
Nanoscale movies shed light on one barrier to a clean energy future
Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Left unchecked, corrosion can rust out cars and pipes, take down buildings and bridges, and eat away at our monuments. Corrosion can also damage devices that could be key to a clean energy future. And now, Duke University researchers have captured extreme close-ups of that...
Unravelling the fascinating behavior of water and ice in extreme conditions
Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Understanding water behavior in nanopores is crucial for both science and practical applications. Scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have revealed the remarkable behavior of water and ice under high pressure and temperature, and strong confinement. These findings, published in Nature Physics ("Rich...
Bioinspired MXene-cellulose nanofiber actuator design mimics plant movement
Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) In a significant breakthrough, a team of researchers from China and Singapore has developed a bioinspired dynamic matrix of soft actuators that integrates sensing and actuation functions in a single material system. Drawing inspiration from the intelligent sensing and movement of plants like mimosa, the...
How hidden emptiness can define the usefulness of filtration materials
Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Voids, or empty spaces, exist within matter at all scales, from the astronomical to the microscopic. In a new study (Nature Communications, "Beyond nothingness in the formation and functional relevance of voids in polymer films"), researchers used high-powered microscopy and mathematical theory to unveil nanoscale...
Defect removal of 2D semiconductor crystals
Apr 11, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A study of oxygen molecules interacting with atomically thin layers of materials being developed as new generations of semiconductors could significantly improve control over the fabrication and applications of these two-dimensional (2D) materials. The work, by researchers at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology...
Waterproof ‘e-glove’ could help scuba divers communicate
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) When scuba divers need to say “I’m okay” or “Shark!” to their dive partners, they use hand signals to communicate visually. But sometimes these movements are difficult to see. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano ("Underwater Gesture Recognition Meta-Gloves for Marine Immersive Communication") have constructed...
AI-powered ‘sonar’ on smartglasses tracks gaze and facial expressions
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Cornell researchers have developed two technologies that track a person’s gaze and facial expressions through sonar-like sensing. The technology is small enough to fit on commercial smartglasses or virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) headsets, yet consumes significantly less power than similar tools using...