Category: Blog

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) From high-speed communication to quantum computing and quantum sensing, the detection, transmission, and manipulation of light (photons) have transformed modern electronics. Central to these systems are photon detectors, which detect and measure photons. One notable type is the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD). SNSPDs utilize...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Covalent bonding is a widely understood phenomenon that joins the atoms of a molecule by a shared electron pair. But in nature, patterns of molecules can also be connected through weaker, more dynamic forces that give rise to supramolecular networks. These can self-assemble from an...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Water scarcity affects billions of people worldwide. While Earth’s oceans hold abundant water, converting seawater into fresh water requires substantial energy and complex infrastructure. Modern desalination plants use processes like reverse osmosis, pushing seawater through specialized membranes under high pressure. These facilities are expensive to...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Bacterial spores are one of nature’s most resilient organisms. These tiny, seed-like structures form when bacteria enter a dormant state to survive unfavorable conditions. They can endure extreme environments, including boiling water, common disinfectants and radiation — conditions that would kill most bacteria. Their resilience...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the University of Waterloo have unlocked the potential of graphene in areas as diverse as vehicles, consumer electronics and environmental cleanup with an eco-friendly ink for 3D-printing. The study appeared in Journal of Materials Chemistry A ("Additive-free graphene-based inks for 3D printing functional...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) An electrospray engine applies an electric field to a conductive liquid, generating a high-speed jet of tiny droplets that can propel a spacecraft. These miniature engines are ideal for small satellites called CubeSats that are often used in academic research. Since electrospray engines utilize propellant...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have synthesized a Bi5--ring, a molecule with five bismuth atoms, and stabilized it in a metal complex. Their discovery fills a gap in chemical knowledge and enables future applications in materials research, catalysis, and electronics. Their findings...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Light-sensitive nanoparticles promise a wide range of applications, for example in the field of sensor technology or energy generation. However, these require knowledge and control of the processes taking place within them. Plasmons, collective electron movements in the nanoparticle which transport energy, are essential in...

Feb 13, 2025 (Nanowerk News) Hydrogels are polymeric materials with three-dimensional network structures containing large amounts of water. They serve as sustained-release drug delivery systems as they can encapsulate various bioactive substances, including drugs, antigens, and even cells. Hydrogels are better drug delivery alternatives than conventional systems, as they are...

Feb 12, 2025 (Nanowerk News) For the first time, astronomers have imaged dozens of belts around nearby stars where comets and tiny pebbles within them are orbiting. A paper describing these results appeared in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal ("REsolved ALMA and SMA Observations of Nearby Stars (REASONS): A population...