New technique allows to visualize defects on the surface of graphene

The technique may ultimately help scientists develop a better understanding of graphene's properties in order to find novel applications for this supermaterial.

Tiny probe could produce big improvements in batteries and fuel cells

A new method helps scientists get an atom's level understanding of electrochemical properties.

Mantis shrimp inspires next generation of ultra-strong materials

Newly discovered structural motif is key to tougher, more impact resistant composite materials for aerospace, automotive and armor applications.

Weak materials offers strong possibilities for electronics

Scientists are investigating materials called topological insulators, whose surface electrical properties are essentially the opposite of the properties inside.

Seeing 'living' nanofibers in real time (w/video)

Scientists observe artificial nanofibers self-sorting into organized structures.

Growing perfect crystals by filling the gaps

Physicists develop new method of crystal production.

Attosecond camera for nanostructures

Physicists have observed a light-matter phenomenon in nano-optics, which lasts only attoseconds.

Supporting responsible development of nanotechnology

Recent reports highlight the continued U.S. commitment to understanding and managing the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanotechnology.

Atome mit dem gewissen Twist

Forscher vermessen erstmals die verdrehte Topologie von Quantenmaterialien.

NanoSafety Group publishes 2nd Edition of guidance to support safe working with nanomaterials

The UK Nanosafety Group (UKNSG) has updated and published a 2nd edition of guidance to support safe and responsible working practices with nanomaterials in research and development laboratories.

Use of nanomaterials and nanoscale products for wastewater treatment

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has published a factsheet 'Use of nanomaterials and nanoscale products for wastewater treatment'.

Fast, stretchy circuits could yield new wave of wearable electronics

Engineers have created the world's fastest stretchable, wearable integrated circuits, an advance that could drive the Internet of Things and a much more connected, high-speed wireless world.

Researchers control protein release from nanoparticles without encapsulation

This discovery stands to improve reliability and fabrication process for treatments to conditions such as spinal cord damage and stroke.

Spin glass physics with trapped ions

Researchers demonstrate how state-of-art quantum simulations with trapped ions can be used to tackle complex computational problems.

Designer nanomaterials caught by laser octopus

New research explains how two-dimensional nanomaterials, called platelet micelles, can be identified using super resolution imaging .

Beating the limits of the light microscope, one photon at a time

The world's most advanced light microscopes allow us to see single molecules, proteins, viruses and other very small biological structures - but even the best microscopes have their limits.

A review on pulmonary effects of nanomaterials

The review is one part of the proceedings of a 2015 workshop organized by the PETA International Science Consortium, at which scientists discussed recommendations for designing an in vitro approach to assessing the toxicity of nanomaterials in the human lung.

Engineers discover a new gatekeeper for light

Finding paves the way for devices that switch quickly between transparency and opacity to specific forms of light.

Electrical properties of superconductor altered by 'stretching'

Scientists have made an important discovery regarding the superconductor strontium ruthenate (SRO), often described as a crystalline analog of superfluid helium-3.

Top-down design brings new DNA structures to life

Researchers describe a new method for designing geometric forms built from DNA. They present a novel variant on a technique known as DNA origami, in which the base-pairing properties of DNA are exploited for the construction of tiny structures in 2 and 3 dimensions.

How nanotechnology can help us grow more food using less energy and water

This idea is part of the evolving science of precision agriculture, in which farmers use technology to target their use of water, fertilizer and other inputs. Precision farming makes agriculture more sustainable because it reduces waste.

Cement inspired by nature

Researchers look to bones and shells as blueprints for stronger, more durable concrete.

Making some of the world's most durable materials corrosion-resistant

Materials scientists fabricate first highly oxidation-resistant boride.

Upconversion nanocrystals to improve imaging and chemical sensing of disease biomarkers

Researchers aim to improve upconversion nanocrystals' composition and atomic structure to expand the library of bright and multicolor upconverters, while also generating fundamental understanding of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale.

Resolving metal-molecule interfaces at single-molecule junctions

Scientists have developed a statistical method that obtains detailed descriptions of metal-molecule interfaces in single molecule junctions and verifies how molecular conformation can influence their performance. Their insights could help fine-tune the capabilities of nanoscale circuits.

Molecular filter is promising purifier for polyethylene production

A new rersearch report reveals a way to reduce the energy demand in one key step of the process for the polymerization of ethylene. It describes how a class of so-called Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFS) can effectively and selectively adsorb acetylene from the ethylene feedstock.

The next generation of carbon monoxide nanosensors

As a tool for CO detection, scientists use extremely small wires: copper oxide nanowires.

Using solid-state materials with gold nanoantennas for more durable solar cells

Using atomic layer deposition, researchers deposited a thin film of nickel oxide onto a single crystal of titanium dioxide. Gold nanoparticles were introduced between the two layers to act like an antenna that harvests visible light.

Strength and ductility for alloys

Thanks to a new strategy in the development of materials related to steel, high strength and ductility are no longer mutually exclusive.

New tabletop instrument tests electron mobility for next-generation electronics

Researchers have built a tabletop instrument that can perform measurements that were only previously possible at large national magnet labs. The measurements will help in the development of next generation electronic devices employing 2-D materials.

Quantum cycles power cold-atom pump

By periodically jostling many individual atoms, researchers were able to shift an entire atomic cloud without any apparent overall motion by its constituents. The team is the first to test this predicted behavior, which arises in what they call a geometric charge pump.

Diamonds closer to becoming ideal semiconductors

Researchers find new method for doping single crystals of diamond.

Optics breakthrough to revamp night vision

A breakthrough could make infra-red technology easy-to-use and cheap, potentially saving millions of dollars in defence and other areas using sensing devices, and boosting applications of technology to a host of new areas, such as agriculture.

Revealing the nature of magnetic interactions in manganese oxide

New technique for probing local magnetic interactions confirms 'superexchange' model that explains how the material gets its long-range magnetic order.

Powering nanotechnology with the world's smallest engine

In the minuscule world of nanotechnology, big steps are rare. But a recent development has the potential to massively improve our lives: an engine measuring 200 billionths of a metre, which could power tiny robots to fight diseases in living cells.

Developing biological micro-factories with LED

Microalgae consist of single cells but are capable of producing everything from food to fuel with the help of tailor-made LED-lighting.

Ivy's powerful grasp could lead to better medical adhesives, stronger battle armor

English ivy's natural glue might hold the key to new approaches to wound healing, stronger armor for the military and maybe even cosmetics with better staying power.

Light can 'heal' defects in some solar cells

Defects in some new electronic materials can be removed by making ions move under illumination.

Dual-function, graphene-based material good for aircraft, extreme environments

Scientists have advanced their graphene-based de-icer to serve a dual purpose. The new material still melts ice from wings and wires when conditions get too cold. But if the air is above 7 degrees Fahrenheit, ice won't form at all.

Gigantic ultrafast spin currents

Scientists are proposing a new method for creating extremely strong spin currents. They are essential for spintronics, a technology that could replace today's electronics.

Traveling wave drives magnetic particles

New method for selectively controlling the motion of multiple sized microspheres suspended in water.

Researchers create new method to control quantum systems

Researchers have discovered a method to design faster pulses, offering a new way to accurately control quantum systems.

Nanoscale Trojan horses treat inflammation

Nanosized Trojan horses created from a patient's own immune cells have successfully treated inflammation by overcoming the body's complex defense mechanisms, perhaps leading to broader applications for treating diseases characterized by inflammation, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Supercrystals with new architecture can enhance drug synthesis

Scientists have designed an optically active nanosized supercrystal whose novel architecture can help separate organic molecules, thus considerably facilitating the technology of drug synthesis.

New study captures ultrafast motion of proteins

An international research team has succeeded for the first time in observing the structural changes in carbonic anhydrase.

Better understanding interactions between graphene and its environment

The interactions between graphene and its environment have a significant influence on the use of this promising material by the semiconductor industry. Thanks to the comprehensive findings of an international research project, these interactions are now better understood and can be controlled as a result.

Nanoplastics negatively affect aquatic animals

New research investigates how nanosized plastic particles affect aquatic animals in different parts of the food chain.

Engineers take first step toward flexible, wearable, tricoder-like device

The Chem-Phys patch monitors both biochemical and electric signals in the human body at the same time - a first.

Nanotechnology for the nose: scented video games

The NANOSMELL project aims to switch smells on and off by tagging artificial odorants with nanoparticles exposed to electromagnetic field.

Physicists create first metamaterial with rewritable magnetic ordering

Physicists have produced the first rewriteable artificial magnetic charge ice. The research shows strong potential for technological applications from information encoding, reprogrammable magnonics, and also to spintronics.

Nanocarriers may pack powerful treatment for brain tumors

Researchers have found that a lipid nanocarrier engineered to be small enough to get past the blood-brain barrier could be targeted to deliver a chemotherapeutic drug more efficiently to tumor cells in the brain.

Nanotubes are beacons in cancer-imaging technique

Bathing a patient in LED light may someday offer a new way to locate tumors, according to researchers.

Scientists explain how the giant magnetoelectric effect occurs in bismuth ferrite

Scientists have created a theoretical model which explains a previously little-studied phenomenon - a giant electromagnetic effect in bismuth ferrite.

Terahertz Spectroscopy

Spectroscopic system with chip-scale lasers cuts detection time from minutes to microseconds.

Two-stage nanoparticle delivery of piperlongumine and TRAIL anti-cancer therapy

A team of researchers has demonstrated a drug delivery mechanism that utilizes two independent vehicles, allowing for delivery of chemically and physically dis-tinct agents.