Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Can light itself cast a shadow? It may sound like a philosophical riddle, but researchers have found that under certain conditions, a laser beam can act like an opaque object and cast a shadow. The discovery challenges the traditional understanding of shadows and opens new...
Salt-infused sponge harvests drinking water from desert air and generates solar-powered electricity
Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) One-third of the global population lacks access to clean water, with the challenge most severe in arid regions that make up 41% of Earth's land surface. The atmosphere holds vast amounts of untapped water – about 1.3 thousand trillion liters in vapor form. Yet capturing...
Scientists find a new way of entangling light and sound
Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) For a wide variety of emerging quantum technologies, such as secure quantum communications and quantum computing, quantum entanglement is a prerequisite. Scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have now demonstrated a particularly efficient way in which photons can be entangled with...
Deep learning streamlines identification of 2D materials
Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have developed a deep learning-based approach that significantly streamlines the accurate identification and classification of two-dimensional (2D) materials through Raman spectroscopy. In comparison, traditional Raman analysis methods are slow and require manual subjective interpretation. This new method will speed up the development and analysis...
When is a hole not a hole? Researchers investigate the mystery of ‘latent pores’
Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers have explored how a particular chemical can selectively trap certain molecules in the cavities of its structure—even though in normal conditions it has no such cavities. This innovative material with now-you-see-them-now-you-don’t holes could lead to more efficient methods for separating and capturing chemicals right...
Soft sensor materials based on ceramics
Nov 14, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Most people think of coffee cups, bathroom tiles or flower pots when they hear the word "ceramic". Not so Frank Clemens. For the research group leader in Empa's Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics, ceramics can conduct electricity, be intelligent, and even feel. Together with his team,...