Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) James Cook University researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough that allows them to convert microplastics to a highly valuable material. They published their findings in Small Science ("Instant Upcycling of Microplastics into Graphene and Its Environmental Application"). JCU Professor Mohan Jacob said some plastic waste...
Scientists achieve more than 98% efficiency removing nanoplastics from water
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) University of Missouri scientists are battling against an emerging enemy of human health: nanoplastics. Much smaller in size than the diameter of an average human hair, nanoplastics are invisible to the naked eye. Linked to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in people, nanoplastics continue to build...
Protein reduces toxicity of drug-delivery material made of graphene oxide
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) A new publication has discovered ways to reduce the toxicity of graphene oxide (GO), an ultra-thin sheet of nanomaterial derived from graphite, laying the groundwork to use it as a drug delivery system. Professor Khuloud Al-Jamal, who led the study, said: “Researchers have been incredibly...
AI enhances chemical analysis at the nanoscale
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) “Nanomaterials” is a broad term used to describe chemical substances or materials in which a single unit is sized between 1 and 100 nanometers (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter). They include exotic materials such as carbon nanotubes, silver nanoparticles (used as antimicrobials),...
Ultra-thin, seaweed-based electronic skin rivals clinical devices in vital sign accuracy
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The accurate measurement of vital signs is fundamental to medical diagnosis and treatment. Blood pressure and body temperature, in particular, serve as critical indicators for a range of conditions including cardiovascular diseases, infections, and metabolic disorders. Traditionally, these parameters have been measured intermittently in clinical...
Engineers make tunable, shape-changing metamaterial inspired by vintage toys
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Common push puppet toys in the shapes of animals and popular figures can move or collapse with the push of a button at the bottom of the toys’ base. Now, a team of UCLA engineers has created a new class of tunable dynamic material that...
Wobbly molecules get a closer look
Aug 13, 2024 (Nanowerk News) While new technologies, including those powered by artificial intelligence, provide innovative solutions to a steadily growing range of problems, these tools are only as good as the data they’re trained on. In the world of molecular biology, getting high-quality data from tiny biological systems while...