Vanishing friction boost development of nanomachines (w/video)

In tuning friction to the point where it disappears, technique could boost development of nanomachines.

A coherent look at crystalline defects

A lensless X-ray microscope has captured, in stunning detail, the first three-dimensional images of crystalline defects during crystal growth of a mineral, calcite.

A microscopic approach to the magnetic sensitivity of animals

Researchers have succeeded in developing a new microscope capable of observing the magnetic sensitivity of photochemical reactions believed to be responsible for the ability of some animals to navigate in the Earth's magnetic field, on a scale small enough to follow these reactions taking place inside sub-cellular structures.

New model simulates engineered nanoparticles in surface waters

Scientists provide the world's first spatiotemporally explicit model that simulates the behaviour and fate of engineered nanoparticles in surface waters.

Cost-effective risk assessment of nanomaterials may be feasible

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has commissioned the development of a strategy to evaluate the potential for read-across in cases of missing data for nanomaterials, with a focus on fulfilling data requirements in regulatory frameworks.

Engineers show how 'perfect' materials begin to fail at the nanoscale

Crystalline materials have atoms that are neatly lined up in a repeating pattern. When they break, that failure tends to start at a defect, or a place where the pattern is disrupted. But how do defect-free materials break? Until recently, the question was purely theoretical; making a defect-free material was impossible. Now that nanotechnological advances have made such materials a reality, however, researchers have shown how these defects first form on the road to failure.

Visualising nanoscale changes in the electronic properties of graphene

A recent study casts a new light on the electronic properties of quasi-free standing graphene, a material that may find applications in high speed electronics, sensing and electronic applications.

Fabrication of carbon nanotube transparent conductive film with long-term stability

Researchers have developed a technology that dramatically improves the long-term stability of the conductivity of transparent conductive films that use carbon nanotubes.

Water near a water-repelling surface cannot dissolve salts

Researchers demonstrated that water near a water-repelling surface has significantly less capability to dissolve salts - a step toward antipollution surfaces.