From nanocrystals to earthquakes, solid materials share similar failure characteristics

Apparently, size doesn't always matter. An extensive study by an interdisciplinary research group suggests that the deformation properties of nanocrystals are not much different from those of the Earth's crust.

Stacking instead of mixing improves the energy efficiency of topological insulators

Researchers have found a way to control the desired conducting properties of topological insulators more precisely and reliably than ever before.

Cheaper, high performing LEDs with crystalline nanomaterial

Materials researchers has developed a new type of light-emitting diode, or LED, using an organic-inorganic hybrid that could lead to cheaper, brighter and mass produced lights and displays in the future.

Nanotechnology-based sensor developed to measure microRNAs in blood, speed cancer detection

A simple, ultrasensitive microRNA sensor holds promise for the design of new diagnostic strategies and, potentially, for the prognosis and treatment of pancreatic and other cancers.

Flexoelectricity is more than Moore

Researchers have produced the world's first integrated flexoelectric microelectromechanical system on silicon.

Electrons always find a (quantum) way

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time how electrons are transported from a superconductor through a quantum dot into a metal with normal conductivity. This transport process through a quantum dot had already been calculated theoretically in the nineties, but scientists at the University of Basel have now succeeded in proving the theory with measurements.

Luminescent nanoparticles to image brain function

Researchers are on pace to develop the next generation of functional materials that could enable the mapping of the complex neural connections in the brain. The ultimate goal is to better understand how the billions of neurons in the brain communicate with one another during normal brain function, or dysfunction, as result of injury or disease.

Nanomaterial-based catalyst improves drug and pesticide production

Scientists have developed a new catalyst material, graphene containing oriented metal nanoparticles, for organic reactions in the manufacture of drugs and pesticides. Aside from the material itself, the work's main contribution lies in the single-step process by which it is obtained.

Researchers develop flexo-electric nanomaterial

The material has built-in mechanical tension that changes shape when you apply electrical voltage, or that generates electricity if you change its shape.

Refrigerating liquids with a laser for the first time

Scientists used an infrared laser to cool water by about 36 degrees Fahrenheit - a major breakthrough in the field.

3-D mapping a new drug-delivery tool

Scientists have developed a new method that can 'see' inside dispersed cubosomes (dispersed cubic liquid crystalline phases) with unprecedented detail. The breakthrough can help to improve their design significantly for better drug or nutrient delivery.

Researchers test the limits of toughness in nanocomposites

By slipping springy polystyrene molecules between layers of tough yet brittle composites, researchers made materials stronger and more flexible, in the process demonstrating the theoretical limits of how far this toughening technique could go.

A new symmetry underlies the search for new materials

A new type of symmetry operation has the potential to quicken the search for new advanced materials that range from tougher steels to new types of electronic, magnetic, and thermal materials. With further developments, this technique could also impact the fields of computational materials design.