Jun 04, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Electron transfer (ET) is a process in which an electron is transferred from one atom or molecule to another. ET is fundamental to electrochemical reactions with applications in many fields. Nanoscale ET, which involves the transfer of electrons in the range of 1-100 nanometers in...
Stable, switchable polarization induced in two-dimensional material through symmetry breaking
Jun 04, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) In their pursuit of device miniaturization, researchers are exploring the untapped potential of two-dimensional materials. These atomically thin crystals, with their unique electronic and optical properties, have emerged as promising candidates for the next generation of ultra-compact, high-performance electronic devices. However, despite the rapid progress...
Skin models as an alternative to animal testing
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Animal testing has long been a fixture of medical and pharmaceutical research, but alternative methods are growing more and more important. Innovative methods allow for research aimed directly at humans — without using animal testing as an intermediate step. TigerShark Science, a planned Fraunhofer start-up...
Nanotransfer printing enhances atomic penetration in vertically aligned carbon nanotubes
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Carbon nanotubes have long captivated the imaginations of material scientists due to their extraordinary mechanical strength, chemical stability, and electrical properties. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), in particular, have shown immense potential for applications ranging from physical, chemical and biological sensors to field emission devices,...
Chemists uncover reversible assembly of platinum nanocatalyst
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Chemists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University (SBU), and their collaborators have uncovered new details of the reversible assembly and disassembly of a platinum catalyst. The new understanding may offer clues to the catalyst’s stability and recyclability. The...
Enhancing nanofibrous acoustic energy harvesters with AI
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) have employed artificial intelligence techniques to improve the design and production of nanofibers used in wearable nanofiber acoustic energy harvesters (NAEH). These acoustic devices capture sound energy from the environment and convert it into electrical energy,...
Physicists take molecules to a new ultracold limit to create a Bose-Einstein condensate
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) There’s a hot new BEC in town that has nothing to do with bacon, egg, and cheese. You won’t find it at your local bodega, but in the coldest place in New York: the lab of Columbia physicist Sebastian Will, whose experimental group specializes in...
New era of femtosecond laser processing of 2D nanostructures
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Laser-based technology is widely used for the development of devices based on graphene and other 2D materials. However, when laser pulses are as short as femtoseconds, new phenomena can arise in laser-matter interactions, paving the way for novel functionalities of 2D materials. In a review...
Toolkit makes protein design faster and more accessible
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, the University of Tübingen, and the University Hospital Tübingen have developed a web-based toolkit to accelerate and simplify protein design without needing powerful computers or extensive protein design expertise on the user’s end. The toolkit benefits...
Paving the way for hydrogen from algae enzymes
Jun 03, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Under certain conditions, some algae are able to produce hydrogen – a much sought-after green energy source. Its production takes place in the unique catalytic center of the unicellular algae and is only possible if certain cofactors of the relevant proteins are present. Researchers at...