Aug 16, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The global challenge of freshwater scarcity has spurred scientists to explore innovative solutions for sustainable water collection. Among these, fog harvesting has emerged as a promising technique, offering a way to capture water from the air without geographical or hydrological constraints. However, despite its potential,...
Nanoscale discovery enables unprecedented control in single-molecule photoswitching
Aug 16, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Scientists from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Fritz Haber Institute have made an innovative discovery in nanoscale optoelectronics, as detailed in their recent publication in Nature Communications ("Atomic-Precision Control of Plasmon-Induced Single-Molecule Switching in a Metal–Semiconductor Nanojunction"). The study introduced a groundbreaking method...
Chlorophyll-based device mimics retinal edge detection with all-optical modulation
Aug 15, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The human eye's remarkable ability to detect edges—the boundaries between light and dark areas in our visual field—is a fundamental aspect of how we perceive the world. This seemingly effortless task, performed by our retinas, has long been a challenge for engineers and computer scientists...
Method to remove microplastics from water could also speed up blood analyses
Aug 15, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Reporting in Nature Microsystems & Nanoengineering ("Elasto-inertial focusing and particle migration in high aspect ratio microchannels for high-throughput separation"), a team led by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology described a speedier and more precise method of elasto-inertial microfluidics, a process that involves controlling...
Researchers recycle diaper waste into a self-powered weather station using triboelectric nanogenerators
Aug 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore - Mr. Sayyid Abdul Basith, Dr. Arunkumar Chandrasekhar, and Dr. George Jacob – have developed a self-powered weather station using recycled diaper waste in collaboration with Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chennai and University of...
Scientists create material that can take the temperature of nanoscale objects
Aug 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) University of California, Irvine scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes. The team’s results appeared in Advanced Materials ("Sensitive Thermochromic Behavior of InSeI, a Highly Anisotropic and Tubular 1D van der Waals Crystal"). “We found that we can make...
Researchers create ultra-stable gas marbles coated with cinnamon particles
Aug 14, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Bubbles, despite their apparent simplicity, are of significant scientific interest due to their ubiquity in nature and industry. From facilitating gas exchange in oceans to their role in mineral extraction, bubbles are crucial to many processes. However, their inherent instability has long challenged researchers seeking...
The mother of all motion sensors
Aug 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Peel apart a smartphone, fitness tracker or virtual reality headset, and inside you’ll find a tiny motion sensor tracking its position and movement. Bigger, more expensive versions of the same technology, about the size of a grapefruit and a thousand times more accurate, help navigate...
New semiconductor material promises more energy-efficient and powerful electronics
Aug 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Aluminum Yttrium Nitride (AlYN) has attracted the interest of many research groups around the world due to its outstanding material properties. However, the growth of the material has been a major challenge. Until now, AlYN could only be deposited by magnetron sputtering. Researchers at the...
Instant upcycling of marine microplastics into graphene
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...