https://phys.org/nanotech-news/ en-us Nanotechnology. The latest news on nanoscience, nanoelectronics, science and technology. Updated Daily. A researcher has just finished writing a scientific paper. She knows her work could benefit from another perspective. Did she overlook something? Or perhaps there's an application of her research she hadn't thought of. A second set of eyes would be great, but even the friendliest of collaborators might not be able to spare the time to read all the required background publications to catch up. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-chatbot-expertise-nanomaterials.html Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:56:24 EST news620650580 Recent research has led to the development of film-type shape-configurable speakers. These speakers, based on the unique properties of MXene, offer tunable sound directivity and hold immense promise for the rapidly growing field of wearable electronics. The study is published in Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-unveils-shape-configurable-mxene-based-thermoacoustic-loudspeakers.html Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Dec 2023 07:32:03 EST news620638321 When Emiliano Cortés goes hunting for sunlight, he doesn't use gigantic mirrors or sprawling solar farms. Quite the contrary, the professor of experimental physics and energy conversion at LMU dives into the nanocosmos. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-harvesting-solar-energy-two-dimensional-supercrystals.html Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Dec 2023 07:27:03 EST news620638021 There is an ever-present struggle to reduce carbon-based energy sources and replace them with low or no-carbon alternatives. The process of splitting water could be the resolution. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-non-precious-metal-electrocatalysts-cost-effective-environmentally.html Nanomaterials Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:24:03 EST news620580241 From houses to hearing aids, three-dimensional (3D) printing is revolutionizing how we create complex structures at scale. Zooming down to the micro and nano levels, a process known as two-photon polymerization lithography (TPL) allows scientists and engineers to construct objects with microscopic precision, which has wide-reaching implications for industries ranging from medicine to manufacturing. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-3d-printed-materials-precisely.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 30 Nov 2023 10:43:04 EST news620563381 Hafnia ferroelectrics are based on their technical promise and remarkable behaviors, where the peculiarities stem from an active extrinsic mechanism that contributes to their properties from a growing number of new intrinsic features. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-theoretical-approach-ferroelectricity-hafnia-related-materials.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 30 Nov 2023 10:00:01 EST news620560660 In the new study published in the journal International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing on 1 November 2023, researchers from the UK and China reported a novel technique based on a laser-induced hydrothermal reaction (LIHR) mechanism for the growth of binary metal oxide nanoarchitecture and layered-double hydroxides on nickel foams for electrocatalytic applications. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-laser-induced-hydrothermal-growth-electrocatalytic-applications.html Nanomaterials Wed, 29 Nov 2023 16:30:03 EST news620497802 Optoelectronics detect or emit light and are used in a variety of devices in many different industries. These devices have historically relied on thin transistors, which are small semiconductors that control the movement of electrons and photons made out of graphene and other two-dimensional materials. However, graphene and these other materials often have problems with band gap opening and other shortcomings that have researchers searching for an alternative. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-semiconductor-principles-optoelectronic-devices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 29 Nov 2023 11:36:03 EST news620480161 New research has demonstrated the potential for the ADDomer platform to produce thermostable vaccines and reagents to tackle viral infections The study led by the University of Bristol and Imophoron, a biopharmaceutical company developing thermostable nanoparticle vaccines using its ADDomer platform, is published in Antibody Therapeutics today (Nov. 29) under the title "In vitro generated antibodies guide thermostable ADDomer nanoparticle design for nasal vaccination and passive immunization against SARS-CoV-2." https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ability-thermostable-nanoparticle-platform-tackle.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Nov 2023 10:48:03 EST news620477281 Nanodiamonds are 2–8 nm carbon nanoparticles, which can be easily functionalized with various chemical groups like carboxylic groups or drugs. Previous research has shown that actively dividing cells are more likely to absorb nanodiamonds and that epithelial cells treated with carboxylic nanodiamonds lose the ability to migrate across cell-permeable cellulose membranes. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nanodiamonds-block-tumor-metastasis-mice.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:47:02 EST news620473621 Graphene, a material which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms, has been celebrated by many as the "next big thing" in material science. But according to Purdue University researchers, its thermal properties may not be as revolutionary as previously thought. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-graphene-conductor-four-phonon.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 11:14:23 EST news620392460 Recently, Professor Di Sun's group at Shandong University extended the salting-out method (commonly used to crystallize biological macromolecules, proteins, and DNA) to crystallize –COOH-functionalized AuNCs and obtained high-quality single crystals of three novel –COOH-functionalized Au25 nanoclusters, revealing the crystallographic structure of long-pursued –COOH-functionalized AuNCs. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-biomimetic-crystallization-long-pursued-cooh-functionalized-gold.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:55:02 EST news620391301 Recent advances in the development of devices made of 2D materials are paving the way for new technological capabilities, especially in the field of quantum technology. So far, however, little research has been carried out into energy losses in strongly interacting systems. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-fine-tuning-properties-magic-graphene.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:42:03 EST news620390521 The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of being prepared with drug interventions to contain viral outbreaks that can otherwise have devastating consequences. In preparing for the next pandemic—or Disease X, there is an urgent need for versatile platform technologies that could be repurposed upon short notice to combat infectious outbreaks. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-nano-sized-cell-particles-intervention-tool.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:34:04 EST news620390042 Skoltech scientists have found a way to improve the most widely used technology for producing single-walled carbon nanotube films—a promising material for solar cells, LEDs, flexible and transparent electronics, smart textiles, medical imaging, toxic gas detectors, filtration systems, and more. By adding hydrogen gas along with carbon monoxide to the reaction chamber, the team managed to almost triple carbon nanotube yield compared with when other growth promoters are used, without compromising quality. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-triple-carbon-nanotube-yield-solar.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:31:04 EST news620386261 Nanoparticles have unique properties that make them exceptional tools with a variety of applications, from medicine to electronics. One of the lesser-known facts about them is that their surface plays a crucial role in their behavior and functionality. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-ability-molecules-surface-nanoparticles.html Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 09:03:03 EST news620384582 A new kind of "wire" for moving excitons, developed at the University of Michigan, could help enable a new class of devices, perhaps including room temperature quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-next-gen-hard-to-move-quasiparticles-glide-pyramid.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 28 Nov 2023 08:53:04 EST news620383981 A new electrocatalyst made of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and silicon (Si) that decreases the amount of energy required to synthesize H2 from water has been manufactured in a simple and cost-effective way, increasing the practicality of H2 as a clean and renewable energy of the future. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-durable-inexpensive-electrocatalyst-generates-hydrogen.html Nanomaterials Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:59:03 EST news620323141 Take a pill, or get a shot? Given the choice, most people would likely go for the former. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-oral-delivery-possibility-silica-based-nanocarriers.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Nov 2023 13:10:24 EST news620313019 Researchers at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), and collaborators from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, have developed a light-activatable prodrug nanomedicine for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) therapy. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-photoactivatable-nanomedicine-treatment-age-related-macular.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:43:43 EST news620311421 Richard Feynman famously stated, "Everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jigglings and wigglings of atoms." This week, Nature Nanotechnology features a study that sheds new light on the evolution of the coronavirus and its variants of concern by analyzing the behavior of atoms in the proteins at the interface between the virus and humans. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-jigglings-wigglings-atoms-reveal-key.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:34:04 EST news620310842 In recent years, cell and gene therapies have shown significant promise for treating cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and other difficult-to-treat diseases. But the lack of effective ways to deliver biological treatments into the body has posed a major barrier for bringing these new therapies to the market—and, ultimately, to the patients who need them most. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-platform-key-problems-drug-delivery.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Nov 2023 12:32:06 EST news620310721 A Johns Hopkins materials scientist and a team of collaborators have developed a tiny device that may hold promise for restoring mobility to those with lower limb paralysis, a condition affecting approximately 1.4 million Americans. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-tiny-spinal-big-impact-paralysis.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Nov 2023 11:39:03 EST news620307541 National University of Singapore (NUS) physicists have developed a concept to induce and directly quantify spin splitting in two-dimensional materials. By using this concept, they have experimentally achieved large tunability and a high degree of spin-polarization in graphene. This research achievement can potentially advance the field of two-dimensional (2D) spintronics, with applications for low-power electronics. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-advances-magnetic-graphene-low-power-electronics.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 27 Nov 2023 10:23:04 EST news620302982 Optothermal nanotweezers are an innovative optical design method that has revolutionized classical optical techniques to capture a broad range of nanoparticles. While the optothermal temperature field can be employed for in situ regulation of nanoparticles, challenges remain in identifying their potential for regulating bionanoparticles. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-crispr-powered-optothermal-nanotweezers.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:59:01 EST news620301538 The capacity to regulate the biodistribution of therapeutics is a highly desired feature that can limit the side effects of many drugs. In a new study in Scientific Reports, Noah Joseph, and a team of biotechnology and nanoscience scientists in Israel, describe a nanoscale agent developed from a coupled polymer-DNA origami hybrid capable of exhibiting stability in serum and slow diffusion through tissues. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-biodistribution-function-polymer-dna-origami-nanostructures.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:50:01 EST news620039050 Seas, oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water on Earth have become increasingly polluted over the past decades, and this is threatening the survival of many aquatic species. This pollution takes a wide range of forms, including the proliferation of so-called micro and nano plastics. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-biohybrid-microrobots-micro-nano-plastics-aquatic.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:10:01 EST news620039155 Active matter systems feature unique behaviors that include collective self-assembly structures and collective migration. However, the efforts to realize collective entities in spaces without wall-adhered support, in order to conduct three-dimensional locomotion without dispersion, are challenging. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bioinspired-self-assembled-colloidal.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 23 Nov 2023 11:00:01 EST news619696437 Biological computing machines, such as micro and nano-implants that can collect important information inside the human body, are transforming medicine. Yet, networking them for communication has proven challenging. Now, a global team, including EPFL researchers, has developed a protocol that enables a molecular network with multiple transmitters. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-networking-nano-biosensors-wireless-communication-blood.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 22 Nov 2023 12:42:01 EST news619879318 Optothermal nanotweezers, an innovative optical manipulation technique over the past decade, have revolutionized classical optical manipulation by efficiently capturing a broader spectrum of nanoparticles. While this technique has been primarily used for in-situ manipulation of nanoparticles, its potential for identifying bio-nanoparticles remains largely unexplored. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-cront-empowering-optical-tweezers-biometric.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Wed, 22 Nov 2023 11:18:32 EST news619874309