How plantains and carbon nanotubes can improve cars

The natural plantain fibres are combined with carbon nanotubes and epoxy resin to form a natural fibre-reinforced polymer hybrid nanocomposite material.

Using light to tune interlayer forces in van-der-Waals materials

Scientists demonstrated for the first time that interlayer coupling in a van der Waals (vdW) material can be largely modulated by a protonic gate, which inject protons to devices from an ionic solid.

Discovery will allow more sophisticated work at nanoscale

New method of fluid gating has implications for drug delivery, power generation and other uses.

Probing the properties of magnetic quasi-particles

Researchers have for the first time measured a fundamental property of magnets called magnon polarisation - and in the process, are making progress towards building low-energy devices.

Metal-breathing bacteria could transform electronics, biosensors, and more

The ability of Shewanella oneidensis to produce molybdenum disulfide nanoparticle - a material that is able to transfer electrons easily, like graphene - is the focus of research.

Research on metallic nanoparticles may lead to improved solar cells

In a new study, a research group explain their outstanding success in harvesting 'hot electron holes'. The results of their work can be used to improve solar cells, photochemical reactions and photosensors.

Solving materials problems with a quantum computer

Scientists have developed a method paving the way to using quantum computers to simulate realistic molecules and complex materials, whose description requires hundreds of atoms.