Ultrasensitive sensors made from boron-doped graphene

Ultrasensitive gas sensors based on the infusion of boron atoms into graphene may soon be possible, according to an international team of researchers from six countries.

Entering the strange world of ultra-cold chemistry

A new grant funds the study of the unusual chemical and physical properties of atoms and molecules at ultra-cold temperatures approaching absolute zero.

Artificial material mimics photosynthesis

Researchers have discovered an artificial material that mimics photosynthesis and potentially creates a sustainable energy source.

Nanotweezer is new tool to create advanced plasmonic technologies

A new type of 'nanotweezer' capable of positioning tiny objects quickly and accurately and freezing them in place could enable improved nanoscale sensing methods and aid research to manufacture advanced technologies such as quantum computers and ultra-high-resolution displays.

Researchers show how new hydrogel can facilitate microsurgery

Skillful surgeons can do amazing things in extremely small places, but finding better ways to suture tiny blood vessels has been an ongoing challenge for even the best. In new work, researchers show how a new peptide-based hydrogel could one day make that reconnection process easier to perform and less likely to fail.

Soft matter exhibiting angle-independent structural colors

A pinch of carbon black transforms porous hydrogels to materials exhibiting angle-independent bright structural colors.

Sugar-coated nanoworms for better cancer detection

Nanoparticles could aid diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer... if the immune system would leave them alone. A new study shows that inducing crosslinks on nanoparticle surface sugars lets them escape mouse immune system and identifies remaining culprit for human immune recognition of nanoparticles.

Carbon nanotube catalysts for converting CO2 to CO

Converting solar or wind into carbon-based fossil fuels might seem anything but green, but when you start with carbon dioxide - which can be dragged out of the air - it's as green as it gets. The technology that makes it economically feasible isn't available yet, but a recently published paper presents nice step forward in the effort to not just sequester CO2, but turn it into a useful fuel that is part of a carbon-neutral future.

Researchers build nanoscale autonomous walking machine from DNA

Researchers have developed a nanoscale machine made of DNA that can randomly walk in any direction across bumpy surfaces. Future applications of such a DNA walker might include a cancer detector that could roam the human body searching for cancerous cells and tagging them for medical imaging or drug targeting.

Preventing dental implant infections with silver nanoparticles

One million dental implants are inserted every year in Germany, and often they need to be replaced due to issues such as tissue infections caused by bacteria. In the future, these infections will be prevented thanks to a new plasma implant coating that kills pathogens using silver ions.

New imaging technology is advance for medical diagnostics, research

The new technique works by 'coding' individual photons from a pulsing laser with a megahertz radio frequency and then collecting those photons with a detector after they have interacted with tissue.

Magneto-optics on the edge

Scientists have reported on a massive increase of magneto-optical effects near the edges of nano-scale disks, where enhancements of over 1000% can be produced.

Incompressible Electrons

An international team of physicists discovered a condition by which electrons trapped on the surface of liquid helium become incompressible at very low temperatures and under microwave radiation.

Engineers design magnetic cell sensors with new protein nanoparticles

Engineers have designed magnetic protein nanoparticles that can be used to track cells or to monitor interactions within cells. The particles are an enhanced version of a naturally occurring, weakly magnetic protein called ferritin.