May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In a novel study (PNAS, "Threshold Current Density for Diffusion-controlled Stability of Surface Electrolytic Nanobubbles"), researchers of the University of Twente have made significant strides in understanding the behaviour of micro- and nanobubbles on electrodes during water electrolysis. This process is crucial for (green) hydrogen...
Low-temperature pulse irradiation technique enables flexible optoelectronic devices
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The synthesis of metallic inorganic compound thin films typically requires high-temperature processes, which hampers their applications on flexible substrates. A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) developed a pulse irradiation technique that synthesizes a variety of thin films in an extremely short...
Gene therapy relieves back pain, repairs damaged disc in mice
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Disc-related back pain may one day meet its therapeutic match: gene therapy delivered by naturally derived nanocarriers that, a new study shows, repairs damaged discs in the spine and lowers pain symptoms in mice. Scientists engineered nanocarriers using mouse connective-tissue cells called fibroblasts as a...
A golden key unlocks sharper imaging and faster scanning with X-rays
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists have made a breakthrough in significantly improving the sharpness of X-ray imaging and potentially boosting the speeds at which X-ray scans can be processed. This lays the groundwork for both better medical imaging and faster security clearance. Key to the advance is a layer...
DNA origami guides precise nanoparticle patterning for tunable metasurfaces
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Manipulating the flow of light with nanoscale precision has been a grand challenge in optics, as it requires the ability to precisely position building blocks like metallic nanoparticles on surfaces. Such control could unlock a new generation of flat optical components called metasurfaces, which use...
What is ‘time’ for quantum particles?
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) In an amazing phenomenon of quantum physics known as tunneling, particles appear to move faster than the speed of light. However, physicists from Darmstadt believe that the time it takes for particles to tunnel has been measured incorrectly until now. They propose a new method...
Miniature, lab-created human organs to fast-track new disease treatments
May 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Creating tiny, laboratory grown organs is one of the latest developments in the search for new personalised medical treatments — and a new Curtin University-led project is looking to enhance this breakthrough’s real-world impact. ‘Organoids’ are miniature human organs grown in laboratories using a patient’s...
Quantum neuroelectronic devices emulate brain synapses, show potential to mitigate cognitive decline
May 15, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The complex neural networks of the human brain, with their trillions of interconnected neurons communicating via synapses, endow us with unparalleled cognitive abilities. Yet the inevitable march of time takes its toll, as aging and neurological disorders lead to cognitive decline by disrupting the delicate...
Next-generation sustainable electronics are doped with air
May 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Semiconductors are the foundation of all modern electronics. Now, researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a new method where organic semiconductors can become more conductive with the help of air as a dopant. The study, published in the journal Nature ("Photocatalytic doping of organic...
Bio-based resins could offer recyclable future for 3D printing
May 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A new type of recyclable resin, made from biosourced materials, has been designed for use in 3D printing applications. In a study, published in Nature ("A renewably sourced, circular photopolymer resin for additive manufacturing"), researchers from the University of Birmingham showed that high-resolution, 3D printed...