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...
New code mines microscopy images in scientific articles
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Deep learning is a form of artificial intelligence transforming society by teaching computers to process information using artificial neural networks that mimic the human brain. It is now used in facial recognition, self-driving cars and even in the playing of complex games like Go. In...
Physicists discover a novel quantum state in an elemental solid
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Physicists have observed a novel quantum effect termed “hybrid topology” in a crystalline material. This finding opens up a new range of possibilities for the development of efficient materials and technologies for next-generation quantum science and engineering. The finding, published in Nature ("A hybrid topological...
A new coating method in mRNA engineering points the way to advanced therapies
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Medicine can help to treat certain illnesses, e.g., antibiotics can help overcome infections, but a new, promising field of medicine involves providing our body with the “blueprint” for how to defeat illnesses on its own. mRNA therapeutics is the delivery of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules...
Quantum crystal of frozen electrons – the Wigner crystal
Apr 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Electrons – these infinitesimally small particles that are known to zip around atoms – continue to amaze scientists despite the more than a century that scientists have studied them. Now, physicists at Princeton University have pushed the boundaries of our understanding of these minute particles...