Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) “DNA, RNA and proteins are the key players to regulate all processes in the cells of our body,” Leiden Professor John van Noort explains. “To understand the (mis-)functioning of these molecules, it is essential to uncover how their 3D structure depends on their sequence and...
Redox-active metal-organic framework anode for Li batteries in freezing conditions
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed a redox-active metal-organic hybrid electrode material (SKIER-5) for Li batteries that remains stable in cold conditions as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. By addressing the limitations of graphite as an anode material of conventional Li...
How particles of light may be producing drops of the perfect liquid
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) The world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator may be producing the world’s tiniest droplets of liquid, right under scientists’ noses. Researchers supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science are digging into this subatomic enigma. Underground at the Switzerland-France border, the Large Hadron...
Polymeric nanocarriers improve crop engineering by delivering proteins across cell walls
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Advances in plant biotechnology have long been frustrated by a stubborn obstacle: the impermeable cell walls that shield plant cells from foreign molecules. Delivering functional proteins into these cells has remained a formidable challenge, stalling progress in areas like crop improvement and stress monitoring. Traditional...
a double-edged sword for aquatic algal life
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) As nanotechnology progresses, the pervasive use of cerium oxide nanoparticles in various industrial applications has led to their frequent dispersal into aquatic environments. These particles have become a routine element of industrial waste, interfacing with vital aquatic organisms like algae. With increasing concerns over their...
For first time, DNA nanotechnology offers both data storage and computing functions
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from North Carolina State University and Johns Hopkins University have demonstrated a technology capable of a suite of data storage and computing functions – repeatedly storing, retrieving, computing, erasing or rewriting data – that uses DNA rather than conventional electronics. Previous DNA data storage...
New nano-device could mean your run could power your electrical wearables
Aug 22, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Your early morning run could soon help harvest enough electricity to power your wearable devices, thanks to new nanotechnology developed at the University of Surrey. Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) has developed highly energy-efficient, flexible nanogenerators, which demonstrate a 140-fold increase in power density when...
Graphene-metal metastructures offer new possibilities for efficient micropropulsion systems
Aug 21, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The concept of laser propulsion, introduced by Professor Arthur Kantrowitz in 1972, marked the beginning of a new era in space exploration technology. Since then, laser micropropulsion (LMP) has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for propelling miniature spacecraft, such as microthrusters, nanosatellites,...
neatly arranging crystal growth to make fine thin films
Aug 21, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Table salt and refined sugar look white to our eyes, but that is only because their individual colorless crystals scatter visible light. This feature of crystals is not always desirable when it comes to materials for optical and electrical devices, however. Metal-organic frameworks are one...
Molecular wires with a twist
Aug 21, 2024 (Nanowerk News) From the high-voltage wires that carry electricity over long distances, to the tungsten filaments in our incandescent lights, we may have become accustomed to thinking that electrical conductors are always made of metal. But for decades, scientists have been working on advanced materials based on...