Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk News) To describe how matter works at infinitesimal scales, researchers designate collective behaviors with single concepts ⎯ like calling a group of birds flying in sync a “flock” or “murmuration.” Known as quasiparticles, the phenomena these concepts refer to could be the key to next-generation technologies....
Carbon nanotube recycling paves way for sustainable materials
Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk News) In a significant step toward creating a sustainable and circular economy, Rice University researchers have published a landmark study in the journal Carbon ("Fully recyclable carbon nanotube fibers") demonstrating that carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers can be fully recycled without any loss in their structure or...
New hydrogel maintains flexibility in extreme cold through nanoscale engineering
Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Developing materials that remain flexible in extreme cold represents one of materials science's persistent challenges. Standard flexible materials become brittle below freezing temperatures because their molecular structures stiffen or water within them turns to ice. This limitation has blocked progress in cold-environment technologies, from polar...
Engineering quantum entanglement at the nanoscale
Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Physicists have spent more than a century measuring and making sense of the strange ways that photons, electrons, and other subatomic particles interact at extremely small scales. Engineers have spent decades figuring out how to take advantage of these phenomena to create new technologies. In...
A new technology to visualize nanocarriers in cells and tissues
Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk News) How can we ensure that life-saving drugs or genetic therapies reach their intended target cells without causing harmful side effects? Researchers at Helmholtz Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) and Technical University Munich (TUM) have taken an important step to answer this question. They have developed a method...
new properties discovered in diamond semiconductors
Jan 14, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Diamond, often celebrated for its unmatched hardness and transparency, has emerged as an exceptional material for high-power electronics and next-generation quantum optics. Diamond can be engineered to be as electrically conductive as a metal, by introducing impurities such as the element boron. Researchers from Case...
DNA nanorobots that can alter artificial cells
Jan 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Scientists at the University of Stuttgart have succeeded in controlling the structure and function of biological membranes with the help of DNA origami. The system they developed may facilitate the transportation of large therapeutic loads into cells. This opens up a new way for the...
Self-recycling polymers lead battle against plastic waste
Jan 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Synthetic polymers are both a marvel and a menace, offering unparalleled utility but wreaking havoc on the environment. Traditional thermosets, prized for their durability, are notoriously difficult to recycle due to their permanently crosslinked structure, contributing to mounting landfill waste. This stark reality has intensified...