Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) In the world of wearable technology, the ultimate goal has been to seamlessly integrate electronic functionality into the fabrics we wear every day. Today, we see a range of devices that hint at this potential, from smartwatches that track our fitness to clothing with built-in...
Nature-inspired geometric designs for economical self-assembling materials
Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst has drawn inspiration from a wide variety of natural geometric motifs – including those of 12-sided dice and potato chips – in order to extend a set of well-known design principles to an entirely...
Self-digesting plastic could be better, faster, stonger
Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk News) International researchers have developed a self-digesting plastic, which they say could not only help reduce plastic pollution, but also strengthen the plastic itself. The team developed a biodegradable version of the commercial plastic polyurethane, which is often used in phone cases, footwear, and car parts...
Smart learning algorithm achieves first high-res 3D chemical imaging at one-nanometer scale
Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk News) By exploiting a smart learning algorithm that fuses two microscopy signals, University of Michigan researchers have accomplished high-resolution, efficient 3D chemical imaging for the first time at the one-nanometer scale. “Seeing invisible worlds, far smaller than the wavelengths of light, is absolutely critical to understanding...
Lead-vacancy centers in diamond as building blocks for large-scale quantum networks
Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A lead-vacancy (PbV) center in diamond has been developed as a quantum emitter for large-scale quantum networks by researchers from Tokyo Tech. This innovative color center exhibits a sharp zero-phonon-line and emits photons with specific frequencies. The PbV color center stands out among other diamond...
Tracking the dynamics of biomolecules with optofluidic antennas
Apr 30, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In order to better understand fundamental processes in life science at the molecular level, the precise observation of single molecule dynamics is of utmost interest. However, current techniques based on fluorescence measurements in aqueous solutions are unable to track changes in molecular structure with sufficient...
Switching a 2D metal-organic framework from an insulator to a metal
Apr 29, 2024 (Nanowerk News) An study has found unusual insulating behaviour in a new atomically-thin material – and the ability to switch it on and off. Materials that feature strong interactions between electrons can display unusual properties such as the ability to act as insulators even when they are...
Bacteria ‘nanowires’ could help develop green electronics
Apr 29, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Engineered protein filaments originally produced by bacteria have been modified by scientists to conduct electricity. In a study published recently in the journal Small ("Fabrication of Electronically Conductive Protein-Heme Nanowires for Power Harvesting"), researchers revealed that protein nanowires – which were modified by adding a...
Physicists show that light can generate electricity even in translucent materials
Apr 29, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Some materials are transparent to light of a certain frequency. When such light is shone on them, electrical currents can still be generated, contrary to previous assumptions. Scientists from Leipzig University and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have managed to prove this. “This opens new...
Scientists have found brown fat’s ‘off-switch’
Apr 29, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, the Novo Nordisk Center for Adipocyte Signaling (SDU), the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have found a protein that is responsible for turning off brown fat activity. This new discovery could lead to a...