Nanostraws deliver molecules to human cells safely and efficiently

Researchers can design the perfect molecule to edit a gene, treat cancer or guide the development of a stem cell, but none of that will matter in the end if they can't get their molecules into the human cells they want to manipulate. The solution could be nanostraws.

Flexy, flat and functional magnets

An overview on the surprising features and enormous potentials of 2D magnetic van der Waals materials.

2-D magnetism: Atom-thick platforms for energy, information and computing research

Scientists say the tiny 'spins' of electrons show potential to one day support next-generation innovations in many fields.

New digital tiles turn bedroom walls into cinema screens

Researchers have developed a set of digital, ceramic tiles that can change colour, pattern, or play videos with a connected smartphone or tablet, turning a bedroom wall or ceiling into a giant cinema screen.

Five minutes in the life of a molecular shuttle

Scientists follow and operate one molecular shuttle-at-a-time, in real time, for several hundreds of cycles.

Eco-friendly waterproof polymer thin-films synthesized using novel method

Researchers have applied a novel method to control the wettability of polymeric substrates, which has numerous practical implications.

Ultrasensitive toxic gas detector

Scientists have discovered a two-step sputtering and subsequent annealing treatment method to prepare vertically aligned WO3-CuO core-shell nanorod arrays which can detect toxic NH3 gas.

A bullet-proof nanowire heating pad

Researchers have made a wearable heater by modifying woven Kevlar fabric with nanowires that conduct and retain heat.

Laser-activated silk nanosealants outperform sutures for tissue repair

Researchers have developed laser-activated nanomaterials that integrate with wounded tissues to form seals that are superior to sutures for containing body fluids and preventing bacterial infection.

Bose-Einstein condensate generated in space for the first time

Physicists put in place groundwork for accurately testing Einstein's equivalence principle.

Don't underestimate the force

Researchers discover weak chemical interactions hold together box of infinite possibilities.

Making a transparent flexible material of silk and nanotubes

Engineeers find that nanotube interactions with silk fibroins hold the key to developing flexible, degradable electronics.

Nanowire-based light detectors work like gecko ears

By structuring nanowires in a way that mimics geckos? ears, researchers have found a way to record the incoming angle of light. This technology could have applications in robotic vision, photography and augmented reality.

Tiny, pain free vaccinations - microneedles and nanoparticles

Microneedles can be used to deliver nanovaccines in a non-invasive and pain-free way and induce effective immune responses.

Scientists discover technique for manipulating magnets at nanoscale

Physicists have discovered a new way to control magnets at the nanometer scale by electric current. This breakthrough may pave the way for the next generation of energy-efficient computers and data centers.

Crystal size of organic semiconductors can be controlled using inorganic polymer micropillar-based solution shearing system

Scientists have developed an inorganic polymer micropillar-based solution shearing system to increase the crystal size of an organic semiconductor with pillar size. Using this technique, the crystallization process of organic semiconductors can be controlled precisely, and therefore large-area organic semiconductor thin film with controlled crystallinity can be fabricated.

Simple, mass production of giant vesicles using a porous silicone material

The technique involves adsorbing a lipid into a silicone porous material resembling a 'marshmallow-like gel' and then squeezing it out like a sponge by impregnating a buffer solution.

New platform based on biology and nanotechnology carries mRNA directly to target cells

Combined platform provides safe, effective passage for therapies treating cancer and other diseases.

Novel quantum dots enhance cell imaging

A new type of molecular probe can measure and count RNA in cells and tissue without organic dyes. The probe is based on the conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, but it relies on compact quantum dots to illuminate molecules and diseased cells rather than fluorescent dyes.

Researchers create scalable platform for on-chip quantum emitters

Nanoscale light sources can now be created with unprecedented efficiency and precision, paving way for new developments in quantum computing and quantum cryptography.

AI and NMR spectroscopy determine atoms configuration in record time

Scientists have developed a machine-learning approach that can be combined with experiments to determine, in record time, the location of atoms in powdered solids. Their method can be applied to complex molecules containing thousands of atoms and could be of particular interest to the pharmaceutical industry.

A USB stick? In the distant future, a little powder should suffice

Chemistry, biochemistry and computer science researchers have joined forces to look for new ways of storing data. In this research effort, they were inspired by nature, where genetic information is stored in DNA.

First single-photon source that works with atomic gases at room temperature

Researchers have developed a novel, promising variant of a light source for the smallest possible energy packages - a so-called single-photon source.

New composite material that can cool itself down under extreme temperatures

A cutting-edge material, inspired by nature, can regulate its own temperature and could equally be used to treat burns and help space capsules withstand atmospheric forces.

Delivering pressure with an unconventional crystal interface

Defect engineering and heterogenous interface used to produce strains in emerging semiconductors.

Highly efficient wet-processed solar cells with molecules in the same orientation

This is the first study that effectively demonstrates a method of producing efficient organic solar cells using the wet processing method.

Scientists form atomically flat tellurium

Two-dimensional element shows promise for solar cells and other optoelectronics.

Researchers switch material from one state to another with a single flash of light

Switches like this one, discovered with an ultrafast ?electron camera?, could offer a new, simple path to storing data in next-generation devices.

Nanocrystals arrange to improve electronics

Nanocrystals are promising building blocks for new and improved electronic devices, due to their size-tunable properties and ability to integrate into devices at low-cost.

Photonic plasmon hook: scientists obtain a new class of curved beams for biosensors and nanoparticle control

A new class of curved plasmon beams named as a photonic hook plasmon can be used as a nanoparticle manipulator, as well as in biosensors to study substances in small volumes and plasmon microscopes for benefiting superresolution.

A self-powered heart monitor taped to the skin

Scientists have developed a human-friendly, ultra-flexible organic sensor powered by sunlight, which acts as a self-powered heart monitor.

Scientists create new oil-resistant filter technology (w/video)

The new invention consists of a type of coating that produces thin films of water-loving, oil-repelling molecules on the surface of filter membranes. These metal oxide molecules grab onto any loose water atoms while resisting oil.

Spinning the light: The world's smallest optical gyroscope

Engineers create an optical gyroscope smaller than a grain of rice.

Study breaks Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) distance limit

Using engineered nanocomposite structures called metamaterials, a research team reports the ability to measure a significant increase in the energy transfer between molecules.

Nanotubes may give the world better batteries

Scientists' method quenches lithium metal dendrites in batteries that charge faster, last longer.

Light-bending tech shrinks kilometers-long radiation system to millimeter scale

The DESY accelerator facility in Hamburg, Germany, goes on for miles to host a particle making kilometer-long laps at almost the speed of light. Now researchers have shrunk such a facility to the size of a computer chip.

Researchers discover directional and long-lived nanolight in a 2D material

Researchers have discover squeezed light at the nanoscale that propagates only in specific directions along thin slabs of molybdenum trioxide. Besides its unique directional character, this nanolight lives for an exceptionally long time, and thus could find applications in signal processing, sensing or heat management at the nanoscale.

Revealing the mechanisms behind the enhancement of thermal properties of graphene nanofluids

Researchers describe and explain why dispersing graphene in a suitable solvent leads to the resulting nanofluid having much better thermal properties than the original liquid.

Nanophotonics technology to allow 100-times-faster internet

Groundbreaking new technology could allow 100-times-faster internet by harnessing twisted light beams to carry more data and process it faster.

Probing electronic properties to engineer new materials

Tinkering with the electronic and magnetic properties of new materials can improve the performance and capabilities of logic, memory and energy devices for next-generation technology.

Wood sponge soaks up oil from water

Researchers have created sponges made from wood that selectively absorb oil, and then can be squeezed out and used again.

Just in time for Halloween: Brain-eating amoebae halted by silver nanoparticles

Scientists have developed silver nanoparticles coated with anti-seizure drugs that can kill brain-eating amoebae while sparing human cells.

Researchers design 'smart' surfaces to repel everything but targeted beneficial exceptions

New surfaces create promise of safer implants, more accurate diagnostic tests.

How to mass produce cell-sized robots

Novel technique could lead to tiny, self-powered devices for environmental, industrial, or medical monitoring.

'Mushrooms' and 'brushes' help cancer-fighting nanoparticles survive in the body

Researchers find optimal polymer coating to preserve nanoparticles.

A molecular sensor for in-situ analysis of complex biological fluids

A molecular sensor with a microbead format for the rapid in-situ detection of harmful molecules in biological fluids or foods.

Mussel-inspired defect engineering enhances the mechanical strength of graphene fibers

Researchers have applied polydopamine as an effective infiltrate binder to achieve high mechanical and electrical properties for graphene-based liquid crystalline fibers.

Deformation of nanotubes to control conductivity

Scientists have proved it possible to change the structural and conductive properties of nanotubes by stretching them.

Where deep learning meets metamaterials

Researchers devise new approach to streamlining design of nanoscale building blocks with endless applications.

Extremely thin, stable, and bright: 2D materials for the photonics of tomorrow

Novel, atomically thin materials could be used in the future as energy-efficient and versatile light sources.