https://phys.org/nanotech-news/nano-materials en-us The latest science news on nanomaterials, nanotechnology, nanoparticles and nanoscience. A team of researchers from NIMS (National Institute for Materials Science), Hokkaido University and Meiji Pharmaceutical University has developed a gel electret capable of stably retaining a large electrostatic charge. The team then combined this gel with highly flexible electrodes to create a sensor capable of perceiving low-frequency vibrations (e.g., vibrations generated by human motion) and converting them into output voltage signals. This device may potentially be used as a wearable health care sensor. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-power-generating-gel-electret-based.html Nanomaterials Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:16:11 EDT news638104568 Researchers at the National Graphene Institute have made a discovery that could revolutionize energy harnessing and information computing. Their study, published in Nature, reveals how electric field effects can selectively accelerate coupled electrochemical processes in graphene. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-electric-fields-boost-graphene-potential.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 19 Jun 2024 11:50:04 EDT news638016601 A research team led by Prof. Wu Zhengyan and Zhang Jia from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new environmentally friendly way to deliver pesticides using porous microspheres made of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). https://phys.org/news/2024-06-fabricate-eco-friendly-pesticide-delivery.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:44:32 EDT news638012670 Fingerprint detection is one of the most important techniques in forensic investigation. When fingerprints are dusted with a carbon-based powder, the material will adhere to the moisture and grease left behind by the unique patterns of ridges and valleys on the perpetrator's fingertip. The resulting pattern can then be analyzed under a microscope, and compared with suspects' fingerprints. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-fingerprint-carbon-coated-nanoparticles.html Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:17:03 EDT news637849022 A new method in spectromicroscopy significantly improves the study of chemical reactions at the nanoscale, both on surfaces and inside layered materials. Scanning X-ray microscopy (SXM) at MAXYMUS beamline of BESSY II enables the investigation of chemical species adsorbed on the top layer (surface) or intercalated within the MXene electrode (bulk) with high chemical sensitivity. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-mxenes-energy-storage-chemical-imaging.html Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jun 2024 12:13:03 EDT news637845181 A new nonlinear optical property of tiny particles has been discovered by an international team of scientists led by physicists at the University of Bath, with important implications for researchers working in fields as diverse as display technology, chemical catalysis and medicine. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-physicists-optical-property-tiny-helices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:53:04 EDT news637840382 Griffith University researchers have developed innovative, eco-friendly quantum materials that can drive the transformation of methanol into ethylene glycol. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-quantum-material-eco-friendly-methanol.html Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:14:49 EDT news637838087 A research group led by Prof. Cao Liang from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with collaborators, has introduced an additional translational degree of freedom in layered transition metal dichalcogenide crystals, enabling fine-tuning of their physical properties. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-method-fine-tune-properties-layered.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jun 2024 09:49:03 EDT news637836542 Layers of carbon atoms in a honeycomb array are a true supermaterial: their unusually high conductivity and favorable mechanical properties could further the development of bendable electronics, new batteries, and innovative composite materials for aeronautics and space flight. However, the development of elastic and tough films remains a challenge. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-method-links-graphene-nanolayers-tougher.html Nanomaterials Fri, 14 Jun 2024 11:00:50 EDT news637581648 Researchers from Tohoku University and Kyoto University have successfully developed a DNA-based molecular controller that autonomously directs the assembly and disassembly of molecular robots. This pioneering technology marks a significant step towards advanced autonomous molecular systems with potential applications in medicine and nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-disassembling-swarm-molecular-robots-dna.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 14 Jun 2024 09:53:59 EDT news637577636 Researchers have engineered nanosized cubes that spontaneously form a two-dimensional checkerboard pattern when dropped on the surface of water. The work, published in Nature Communications, presents a simple approach to create complex nanostructures through a technique called self-assembly. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nanosized-blocks-spontaneously-tiny-checkerboards.html Nanomaterials Thu, 13 Jun 2024 10:33:03 EDT news637493581 Adoptive T-cell therapy has revolutionized medicine. A patient's T-cells—a type of white blood cell that is part of the body's immune system—are extracted and modified in a lab and then infused back into the body, to seek and destroy infection, or cancer cells. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nanowires-elite-warriors-cell-therapy.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 12 Jun 2024 16:03:22 EDT news637426999 A study published in Nano Letters demonstrates the use of quantum dots to create metasurfaces, enabling two objects to exist in the same space. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-method-quantum-dots-metasurfaces-luminescence.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:23:06 EDT news637410183 Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either costly or have limited sensitivity. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-electrospun-nanofibers-flexible-piezoelectric-sensors.html Nanomaterials Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:54:44 EDT news637408481 Researchers from the Laboratory for Theory and Simulation of Materials at EPFL in Lausanne, part of the NCCR MARVEL, have used computational methods to identify what could be the thinnest possible metallic wire, as well as several other unidimensional materials with properties that could prove interesting for many applications. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-chain-copper-carbon-atoms-thinnest.html Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:06:03 EDT news637326361 When molecules are irradiated with infrared light, they begin to vibrate due to the energy supply. For Andreas Hauser from the Institute of Experimental Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), this well-known phenomenon was the starting point for considering whether these oscillations could also be used to generate magnetic fields. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nanomagnets-infrared-lasers.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:24:03 EDT news637316641 The selective bond-breaking powers of enzymes bring new versatility for building nanoparticles with a wide range of technical and medical potential. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-technique-enzymes-versatile-nanoparticles.html Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:16:04 EDT news637316161 A team of chemists at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, working with a pair of colleagues from the Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, both in India, has found that particles of minerals sometimes break down spontaneously when immersed in charged microdroplets, leading to the formation of nanoparticles. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-chemists-spontaneous-nanoparticle-formation-microdroplets.html Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Jun 2024 09:06:06 EDT news637315555 Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that a specific class of oxide membranes can confine, or "squeeze," infrared light—a finding that holds promise for next generation infrared imaging technologies. The thin-film membranes confine infrared light far better than bulk crystals, which are the established technology for infrared light confinement. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-infrared.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 10 Jun 2024 11:03:10 EDT news637236187 When compressed, nanoribbons of titanium and sulfur can change properties dramatically, turning into materials with the ability to conduct electricity without losing energy, according to a study published in the journal Nano Letters. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-compressed-titanium-sulfur-nanoribbons-transmit.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 10 Jun 2024 10:27:38 EDT news637234055 Research groups from the University of Tsukuba and the University of Rennes have discovered a novel phenomenon in which a nested structure of carbon nanotubes enveloped in boron nitride nanotubes facilitates a unique electron escape route when exposed to light. This finding introduces promising avenues for various applications, including the creation of high-speed optical devices, rapid control of electrons and other particles and efficient heat dissipation from devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-unveiling-energy-phenomena-exposure-layered.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 07 Jun 2024 10:38:03 EDT news636975482 The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute has spearheaded an international team to engineer a novel approach for controlling thermal emission, detailed in a paper published in Science. This breakthrough offers new design strategies beyond conventional materials, with promising implications for thermal management and camouflage technologies. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-approach-thermal-emission.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 07 Jun 2024 10:28:03 EDT news636974881 In an increasingly health-conscious society, data is a hot commodity. Tracking step counts with an old-school pedometer has turned into monitoring heart rates, sleep cycles and blood oxygen levels with wearable fitness trackers, a market that has exploded in recent years. But one critical aspect of health monitoring has yet to become mainstream, because continuous air quality data is currently tied to spaces and not people. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-tech-individuals-exposure-gases.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 07 Jun 2024 09:29:03 EDT news636971341 Researchers at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with research groups from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and Fudan University, have developed a fatigue-free ferroelectric material based on sliding ferroelectricity. The study is published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-scientists-fatigue-free-ferroelectric-material.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 06 Jun 2024 14:00:01 EDT news636883519 Purdue University engineers have developed a patent-pending method to synthesize high-quality, layered perovskite nanowires with large aspect ratios and tunable organic-inorganic chemical compositions. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-crystal-2d-metal-halide-perovskites.html Nanomaterials Thu, 06 Jun 2024 12:59:03 EDT news636897542 Advanced technologies enable the controlled release of medicine to specific cells in the body. Scientists argue these same technologies must be applied to agriculture if growers are to meet increasing global food demands. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-farming-nanotechnology-argument-medical-insights.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 06 Jun 2024 09:02:58 EDT news636883375 Van der Waals (vdW) dielectrics are widely used in nanoelectronics to preserve the intrinsic properties of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. However, achieving aligned growth of 2D semiconductors and their direct utilization on original vdWs epitaxial dielectrics to avoid disorders poses significant challenges. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-potential-2d-materials-advance-generation.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 06 Jun 2024 08:36:04 EDT news636881762 When chiral gold nanoparticles are irradiated with near-infrared femtosecond pulses, visible emission of luminescence is observed. In a study published in Advanced Optical Materials, this luminescence was found to yield high selectivity for left- or right-handed circularly polarized light, depending on the chirality of the nanoparticles, with a dissymmetry factor of approximately 0.7. This finding suggests the potential to elevate various applications using circularly polarized light to practical levels. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-gold-nanoparticles-emit-left.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 05 Jun 2024 09:39:39 EDT news636799177 Electron transfer (ET) is a process in which an electron is transferred from one atom or molecule to another. ET is fundamental to electrochemical reactions with applications in many fields. Nanoscale ET, which involves the transfer of electrons in the range of 1–100 nanometers in solids, is fundamental to the design of multifunctional materials. However, this process is not yet clearly understood. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-gen-functional-materials-nanotube-crystal.html Nanomaterials Tue, 04 Jun 2024 11:52:03 EDT news636720721 The effective conversion from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy sources requires cost-efficient, high-capacity, rechargeable batteries. Zinc-air batteries (ZAB) can theoretically store large amounts of energy, but current technologies require the use of expensive noble metal catalysts, or agents that speed a chemical reaction, that underperform in charging and discharging reactions. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-catalyst-commercial-high-efficiency-zinc.html Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:54:03 EDT news636652441