Studying structure to understand function within 'material families'

Researchers are running structural studies using extensive numerical simulations on a supercomputer to study the motion of more than 500 atoms - in an effort to determine the forces on each atom and the total energy via density functional calculations.

Major advance in solar cells made from cheap, easy-to-use perovskite

Physicists boost efficiency of material that holds promise as base for next-generation solar cells.

Chemists develop world's first light-seeking synthetic nanorobot

With size comparable to a blood cell, those tiny robots have the potential to be injected into patients' bodies, helping surgeons to remove tumors and enabling more precise engineering of targeted medications.

Chemistry driven by the sun, for a sustainable future

A group of scientists shows that it is possible, and even necessary for a sustainable future, to drive chemical reactions using solar energy.

New optofluidic technology taps power of diatoms to improve sensor performance

Researchers have combined one of nature's tiny miracles, the diatom, with a version of inkjet printing and optical sensing to create an exceptional sensing device that may be up to 10 million times more sensitive than some other commonly used approaches.

Attosecond physics: A zeptosecond stopwatch for the microcosm

For the first time ever, laser physicists have recorded an internal atomic event with an accuracy of a trillionth of a billionth of a second.

Semiconductor-free microelectronics are now possible, thanks to metamaterials (w/video)

Engineers have fabricated the first semiconductor-free, optically-controlled microelectronic device. Using metamaterials, engineers were able to build a microscale device that shows a 1,000 percent increase in conductivity when activated by low voltage and a low power laser.