Apr 01, 2025 The novel method produces multilayered self-healing films with enhanced durability compared to conventional materials for coatings and flexible electronics. (Nanowerk News) Polysiloxane materials, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based elastomers, exhibit a self-healing capability by the introduction of silanolate (Si–O–) groups. This ability stems from their dynamic siloxane (Si–O–Si)...
Scientists merge two ‘impossible’ materials into new artificial structure
Apr 01, 2025 Researchers have merged two lab-synthesized materials into a synthetic quantum structure once thought impossible to exist and produced an exotic structure expected to provide insights that could lead to new materials at the core of quantum computing. (Nanowerk News) An international team led by Rutgers University-New Brunswick...
Doubling down on metasurfaces
Apr 01, 2025 Researcher have created a bilayer metasurface made of two stacked layers of titanium dioxide nanostructures, opening new possibilities for structuring light. (Nanowerk News) Almost a decade ago, Harvard engineers unveiled the world’s first visible-spectrum metasurfaces – ultra-thin, flat devices patterned with nanoscale structures that could precisely control...
New hydrogel sensor detects blood potassium from a single drop in two minutes
Apr 01, 2025 Researchers have developed a hydrogel-based strain sensor that measures blood potassium from a single drop of serum in two minutes, enabling faster and less invasive monitoring for patients with kidney and heart conditions. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Monitoring blood potassium levels has remained a persistent challenge in medical diagnostics,...
New tool reveals the true threat of nanoplastics
Apr 01, 2025 An international team of scientists is developing an ultra precise, efficient and flexible technique for counting and analyzing nano-scale scourge. (Nanowerk News) While the threat that microplastics pose to human and ecological health has been richly documented and is well known, nanoplastics, which are smaller than one...
Molecular modeling reveals how nanocrystals take shape
Apr 01, 2025 The shape of tiny silver seeds made of fewer than 200 atoms depends on their precise size and temperature and defines the shape of the final nanoparticle. (Nanowerk News) Researchers have long known that the shape of nanoparticles depends on the choice of solvent and temperature during...
Nanoscientists pioneer method to tackle forever chemicals
Mar 31, 2025 New process upcycles hazardous chemicals to graphene. (Nanowerk News) Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led by James Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of...
New spray-coating method builds efficient self-powered photodetectors
Mar 31, 2025 A new photodetector design combines metal-organic frameworks and MXene materials to overcome silicon's performance limits, enabling broad-spectrum light detection without external power. (Nanowerk Spotlight) The efficient conversion of light into electrical signals is essential for many modern optoelectronic technologies, such as smartphone cameras, optical fiber communication, and...
Physicists use quantum entanglement to crack mystery of strange metals
Mar 31, 2025 Physicists used quantum tools to reveal that electrons in strange metals become highly entangled at a tipping point, offering insights for future superconductors. (Nanowerk News) Scientists have long sought to unravel the mysteries of strange metals — materials that defy conventional rules of electricity and magnetism. Now,...
Controlling self-assembly better than nature does
Mar 31, 2025 Applying a magnetic field to rod-like viruses induces them to form disks of tunable shape and size. (Nanowerk News) Seeking to mimic self-assembly processes that occur naturally, RIKEN researchers have demonstrated that the self-assembly of rod-shaped viruses can be controlled by applying a magnetic field (Nature Communications,...