Feb 06, 2025 (Nanowerk Spotlight) A transparent leaf bends toward sunlight, its surface gleaming as it splits water into hydrogen and oxygen fuel. This isn't a natural plant—it's an artificial photosynthesis device that moves and adapts like living foliage, marking a shift in how we might harness solar energy for...
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Dusting for stars’ magnetic fingerprints
Feb 06, 2025 (Nanowerk News) For the first time astronomers have succeeded in observing the magnetic field around a young star where planets are thought to be forming. The team was able to use dust to measure the three-dimensional structure “fingerprint” of the magnetic field. This will help improve our...
Unique quantum simulator opens door to new research
Feb 06, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Physicists have built a new type of digital-analogue quantum simulator in Google’s laboratory, which can be used to study physical processes with unprecedented precision and flexibility. Two physicists from PSI’s Center for Scientific Computing, Theory and Data, played a key role in this achievement. How...
a final pure ‘tone’ may reveal interior of neutron stars
Feb 06, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt have identified a new way to probe the interior of neutron stars using gravitational waves from their collisions. By analyzing the "long ringdown" phase – a pure-tone signal emitted by the post-merger remnant – they have found a strong correlation...
Electric control tunes nanopore size for selective molecular transport
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk News) A gate that can be open or shut to allow or block the passing of species on one or both sides applies not only on the macroscale, for example a farm gate used to control stock movement, but also at the nanoscale, where a gate...
‘Living’ electrodes breathe new life into traditional silicon electronics
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk News) High-speed electronic devices that do not use much power are useful for wireless communication. High-speed operation has traditionally been achieved by making devices smaller, but as devices become smaller, fabrication becomes increasingly difficult. Have we reached a dead end? Not yet! A research team at...
Physicists measure a key aspect of superconductivity in magic-angle graphene
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Superconducting materials are similar to the carpool lane in a congested interstate. Like commuters who ride together, electrons that pair up can bypass the regular traffic, moving through the material with zero friction. But just as with carpools, how easily electron pairs can flow depends...
Researchers discover new way to customize living materials for tissue engineering, drug delivery and 3D printing
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Rice University researchers have revealed novel sequence-structure-property relationships for customizing engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling more precise control over their structure and how they respond to deformation forces like stretching or compression. The study, published in a special issue of ACS Synthetic Biology ("Genetically Modifying...
Vitamin crystals generate electricity from movement, enabling self-powered medical devices
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Medical devices that interface with the human body need power sources as safe as they are reliable. While sophisticated electronics can monitor health conditions and deliver treatments, powering these devices without risking tissue damage or immune responses remains a fundamental challenge. Materials that generate electricity...
How dangerous are nanoplastics for babies in the womb?
Feb 05, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Asthma, hay fever or chronic skin conditions: The occurrence of allergic reactions is diverse and on the rise. Among other things, environmental factors during the child's early development in the womb are suspected, which lay the foundation for later illnesses. A team of researchers from...