Carving out circuits that click into place

An easy and reliable assembly approach, inspired by building blocks, challenges the current fabrication of electronic systems.

Probing water molecules at cell membrane interfaces

Ultrafast laser pulses offer insights into the role water plays in transport through biological membranes.

A novel approach to visualize the 3D structure of individual dopant atoms

Viewing atomic structures of dopant atoms in 3D relating to electrical activity in a semiconductor.

Project will provide reaction kinetics data for deterministic synthesis of metallic nanocrystals

Researchers have published the first part of what they expect to be a database showing the kinetics involved in producing colloidal metal nanocrystals - which are suitable for catalytic, biomedical, photonic and electronic applications - through an autocatalytic mechanism.

Driving soft molecular vehicles on a metallic surface

Soft molecules deposited on metallic surfaces were driven using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) without mechanically pulling or pushing them, but by inducing inelastic excitations with the tunneling current.

Innovative transistors based on magnetically induced movement of ions

Just as magnets attract iron particles in sandpits, permanent magnetics only attract one type of ion in an electrochemical solution, constituting the basis of magnetically controlled electrochemical transistors.

Atomically thin perovskites boost for future Eelectronics

Researchers have developed the world's highest performance dielectric nanofilms using atomically thin perovskites. This technology may revolutionize the next-generation of electronics.

Thermoelectric power generation at room temperature: Coming soon?

Researchers create a thermoelectric material (ytterbium silicide) with a high power factor at room temperature.

Nanowire device detects cancer with a urine test

Researchers have developed a nanowire device able to detect microscopic levels of urinary markers potentially implicated in cancer.

Shape separates substance

Researchers show the phase separation of two substances depends on the topology of the pore.

Electronically-smooth '3D graphene'

Electronically-smooth nature of trisodium bismuthide makes it a viable alternative to graphene/h-BN.

New study visualizes motion of water molecules, promises new wave of electronic devices

A novel approach to studying the viscosity of water has revealed new insights about the behavior of water molecules and may open pathways for liquid-based electronics.

Feathering the plasma nest: Tiny structures help prevent short circuits in plasma devices

Physicists have found a way to prevent plasma from causing short circuits in machines such as spacecraft thrusters, radar amplifiers, and particle accelerators.

Memristors power quick-learning neural network

A new type of neural network made with memristors can dramatically improve the efficiency of teaching machines to think like humans.

Accelerated analysis of the stability of complex alloys

Material scientists have developed a novel process for analysing, for example, the temperature and oxidation resistance of complex alloys that are made up of a number of different elements.

A catalytic balancing act

In a new study, researchers used a new and counterintuitive approach to create a better catalyst that supports one of the reactions involved in splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Making an unconventional computer using conventional technology

By exploiting imperfections in electronic devices, scientists are using existing manufacturing techniques to make the building blocks of quantum computers.

Washable solar cells

A new stretchy and washable organic solar cell has opened up the possibility of textile-integrated solar power.

A catalyst for change in chemical etching

A simple, versatile and low-cost technique for etching nanoholes in silicon could underpin new filtration and nanophotonic devices.

Escaping silicon

An alternative fabrication scheme for microscale semiconductor lasers could expand the applications of on-chip lasers beyond conventional silicon.

Researchers demonstrate high-quality optical microstructures using lithium niobate

Researchers have developed a technique to fabricate high-performance optical microstructures using lithium niobate, opening the door to ultra-efficient integrated photonic circuits, quantum photonics, microwave-to-optical conversion and more.

Researchers map magnetic fields of bacterial cells and nano-objects for the first time

Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that the magnetic fields of bacterial cells and magnetic nano-objects in liquid can be studied at high resolution using electron microscopy.

Nanoparticle gel formation revealed

Studies by a research team utilizing high-brightness x-rays provide important insight into a key question that has long puzzled scientists, namely, why do nanoparticle gels take so long to form after a quench even though the constituent nanoparticles are rapidly diffusing through the suspension?

Molecular mapping made easy

Standardized, freely available method raising interest in forensics, agriculture and microbiome studies.

A particle like slow light

Scientists made a remarkable discovery: Particles known as 'Weyl fermions' were discovered in materials with strong interaction between electrons. Just like light particles, they have no mass but nonetheless they move extremely slowly.

Researchers discover a Valleytronics route towards reversible computer

By harnessing the unusual electrical properties of 2D materials such as few-layer black phosphorus and topological Weyl/Dirac semimetal thin films, researchers designed a versatile all-electric-controlled valley filter and demonstrated, for the first time, a concrete working design of valleytronic logic gate capable of performing the full set of two-input Boolean logics.

Understanding the impact of defects on the properties of MoS2

Researchers have shown that defects in monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) exhibit electrical switching, providing new insights into the electrical properties of this material.

Nanofractionation platform with parallel mass spec to ID cytochrome CYP1A2 inhibitors

New research presents a fast, robust and accurate methodology for correlating compound identity to CYP1A2 potency of inhibitors in metabolic mixtures.

Graphene floating on water does not repel water but rather attracts it

Researchers have demonstrated that graphene floating on water does not repel water, as many researchers believe, but rather attracts it.

Quantum coupling

Physicists link atoms and superconductors in key step towards new hardware for quantum computers and networks.

'Hot' electrons heat up solar energy research

Nanoscientists have discovered new, better and faster ways to convert energy from light into energetic electrons.

Fluorescent nanomedicine can guide tumor removal, kill remaining cancer cells

Scientists have developed a nanomedicine platform for cancer that can help doctors know which tissue to cut out as well as kill any malignant cells that can't be surgically removed.

Killing it softly

Mechanical engineers predict how seemingly disparate disordered materials fail, using 'softness' as a criterion.

Metal printing offers low-cost way to make flexible, stretchable electronics

The technique can use multiple metals and substrates and is compatible with existing manufacturing systems that employ direct printing technologies.

Using the dark side of excitons for quantum computing

New experiments demonstrate a more efficient and scalable method for using dark excitons in quantum information processing.

Micro-spectrometer opens door to a wealth of new smartphone functions

Use your smartphone to check how clean the air is, whether food is fresh or a lump is malignant. This has all come a step closer thanks to a new spectrometer that is so small it can be incorporated easily and cheaply in a mobile phone.

Panning for nanosilver in laundry wastewater

Silver nanoparticles are being used in clothing for their anti-odor abilities but some of this silver comes off when the clothes are laundered. The wastewater from this process could end up in the environment, possibly harming aquatic life, so researchers have attempted to recover the silver.

Electron injection transforms a thin film

Simply applying a small voltage dramatically changes the atomic structure, vital to creating materials for advanced computer memory.

Gilding technique inspired by ancient Egyptians may spark better fuel cells

Approach could make electric car batteries more efficient and cost-effective, helping accelerate movement away from fossil fuels.

The coldest chip in the world

Physicists have succeeded in cooling a nanoelectronic chip to a temperature lower than 3 millikelvin. They used magnetic cooling to cool the electrical connections as well as the chip itself.

WHO guidelines on protecting workers from potential risks of manufactured nanomaterials

The World Health Organization proposes new guidelines to policy makers and professionals in the field of occupational health and safety with recommendations on how best to protect workers from the potential risks of manufactured nanomaterials.

Tailor-made nanomembranes offer a cleaner method for industrial separation

A superior membrane, with a higher pore density, is produced through synthesizing this polyacrylonitrile nanofiltration membrane using an ionic liquid solvent.

Acoustic nanodevice makes piezoelectrics sing to a different tune

New embedded nanotransducer approach allows surface acoustic wave device to transmit signals with six times the speed of most commercially used devices.

Study resolves controversy about electron structure of defects in graphene

Researchers calculated the overall electron structure of the vacancy region of a crystal lattice through the unprecedented use of a hybrid functional method, which yielded results compatible with experimental data.

Using DNA strands to design new polymer materials

Novel particles could be used in applications ranging from drug delivery to soft robotics.

Physicists discover new type of quantum material

Predictions lay groundwork for experiments to create 'Weyl-Kondo semimetal'.

Watching a particle in a dangerous crowd

A new x-ray beam technique tracks atomic-level changes under real-world operating conditions.

Researchers steer the flow of electrical current with spinning light

Researchers used a first-of-its-kind device to demonstrate a way to control the direction of the photocurrent without deploying an electric voltage.

Chemists go 'back to the future' to untangle quantum dot mystery

In a new paper, scientists describe the underlying mechanisms involved in the formation of a widely used class of quantum dots that use cadmium and selenium compounds as their molecular precursors.

Physicists found the temperature at which carbon nanotubes become superconductors

Scientists found out the mathematical method to calculate the temperature at which single walled carbon nanotubes become superconductors and developed a way to increase it thus opening new prospects for superconductive materials applications.

'Negative capacitance' could bring more efficient transistors

Researchers have experimentally demonstrated how to harness a property called negative capacitance for a new type of transistor that could reduce power consumption, validating a theory proposed in 2008.