Nanomaterial-based catalyst improves drug and pesticide production

Scientists have developed a new catalyst material, graphene containing oriented metal nanoparticles, for organic reactions in the manufacture of drugs and pesticides. Aside from the material itself, the work's main contribution lies in the single-step process by which it is obtained.

Researchers develop flexo-electric nanomaterial

The material has built-in mechanical tension that changes shape when you apply electrical voltage, or that generates electricity if you change its shape.

Refrigerating liquids with a laser for the first time

Scientists used an infrared laser to cool water by about 36 degrees Fahrenheit - a major breakthrough in the field.

3-D mapping a new drug-delivery tool

Scientists have developed a new method that can 'see' inside dispersed cubosomes (dispersed cubic liquid crystalline phases) with unprecedented detail. The breakthrough can help to improve their design significantly for better drug or nutrient delivery.

Researchers test the limits of toughness in nanocomposites

By slipping springy polystyrene molecules between layers of tough yet brittle composites, researchers made materials stronger and more flexible, in the process demonstrating the theoretical limits of how far this toughening technique could go.

A new symmetry underlies the search for new materials

A new type of symmetry operation has the potential to quicken the search for new advanced materials that range from tougher steels to new types of electronic, magnetic, and thermal materials. With further developments, this technique could also impact the fields of computational materials design.

'Tuning in' to a fast and optimized internet

A new filter with the widest tuning span ever demonstrated on a silicon chip could help provide the low-cost flexibility needed for the next generation of high-speed optical networks.