https://phys.org/nanotech-news/ en-us Nanotechnology. The latest news on nanoscience, nanoelectronics, science and technology. Updated Daily. Johns Hopkins engineers have created a new optical tool that could improve cancer imaging. Their approach, called SPECTRA, uses tiny nanoprobes that light up when they attach to aggressive cancer cells, helping clinicians distinguish between localized cancers and those that are metastatic and have the potential to spread throughout the body. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-technique-cancer-metastasis-origami-nanoprobes.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 18 Jul 2024 16:31:04 EDT news640539062 Transmembrane β-barrel pores (TMBs) are extensively used for single-molecule DNA and RNA sequencing. They enable the miniaturization of a wide array of sensing and sequencing applications into portable USB-size devices and point-of-care technologies. A team of Belgian and American researchers has now described a general approach to designing TMB pores from scratch with custom shapes and properties, opening up new opportunities for single-molecule analytics. Their results were published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-power-nanopores-approach-scales-opportunities.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:25:04 EDT news640531501 Montana State University researcher James Crawford recently published a collaborative paper with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that marks a step forward in their quest for what he calls a "holy grail" of chemistry: converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into chemical building blocks that could be used to create myriad other materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nano-scale-materials-mimic-enzymes.html Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:19:04 EDT news640531142 Successfully innovating optoelectronic semiconductor devices depends a lot on moving charges and excitons—electron-hole pairs—in specified directions for the purpose of creating fuels or electricity. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanoscale-trilayer-ultrafast-semiconductor-materials.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:23:04 EDT news640516981 An international team led by scientists at City University of Hong Kong has found a flexible metal-organic framework (MOF) with one-dimensional channels that acts as a "molecular trapdoor" to selectively adsorb gases, such as carbon dioxide, in response to temperature and pressure changes. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-material-molecular-trapdoor-highly-gas.html Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:25:03 EDT news640513501 Electrostatic capacitors are a key component in high-power pulse equipment, power transmission and transformation engineering, new energy vehicles, and 5G communication. Their capability for ultrafast charging-discharging and ultrahigh power density is pivotal for their performance. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-strategy-breakdown-strength-polarization-dielectric.html Nanomaterials Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:33:03 EDT news640456382 Infectious wounds represent a critical challenge in health care, especially for diabetic patients grappling with ineffective antibiotics and escalating drug resistance. Conventional therapies often inadequately address deep tissue infections, highlighting the need for more innovative solutions. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanovesicles-neutrophils-infected-wounds.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:26:02 EDT news640437961 Snot might not be the first place you'd expect nanobots to be swimming around. But this slimy secretion exists in more places than just your nose and piles of dirty tissues—it also lines and helps protect the lungs, stomach, intestines and eyes. And now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have demonstrated in mice that their tiny, enzyme-powered "snot bots" can push through the defensive, sticky layer and potentially deliver drugs more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-enzyme-powered-snot-bots-drugs.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:17:02 EDT news640437421 Diabetic wounds are notoriously challenging to treat, due to prolonged inflammation and a high risk of infection. Traditional treatments generally offer only passive protection and fail to dynamically interact with the wound environment. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-advanced-nanofibrous-membranes-tackle-diabetic.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Jul 2024 11:19:03 EDT news640433941 Researchers at the Center for Nanomedicine within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and Yonsei University in South Korea have unveiled a technology that can manipulate specific regions of the brain using magnetic fields, potentially unlocking the secrets of high-level brain functions such as cognition, emotion, and motivation. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanomedicine-technology-neural-circuits-magnetic.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Jul 2024 11:13:26 EDT news640433603 A research team led by Prof. Gao Lizeng from the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed a bactericidal mechanism based on nanozymes that simulate antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and antimicrobial enzymes (AMEs) according to biomimicry principles, and designed a dual-functional high-efficiency antimicrobial nanozyme. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-dual-functional-high-efficiency.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 17 Jul 2024 10:39:02 EDT news640431541 A new study shows how organic molecules greatly influence the redox potential of gold nanoparticles, with differences up to 71 mV. Using experiments and computer simulations, the study highlights the important role of capping agents in controlling the nanoparticles' electrochemical properties and also identifies how kinetic effects impact these interactions. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-molecules-impact-gold-nanoparticles-electrochemical.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 17 Jul 2024 10:26:03 EDT news640430761 Biopsies are clinical tools commonly used to diagnose a variety of diseases or to monitor tissue for abnormal growth or even rejection of a transplant. During biopsies, tissue samples are removed from the body so they can be examined more closely, but depending on the type of tissue that's needed, the procedure can be rather invasive. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-tool-noninvasive-liquid-biopsies.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:08:07 EDT news640339681 Silicon, the cornerstone of modern electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics, has traditionally been limited to surface-level nanofabrication due to the challenges posed by existing lithographic techniques. Available methods either fail to penetrate the wafer surface without causing alterations or are limited by the micron-scale resolution of laser lithography within Si. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-unprecedented-nanostructuring-silicon.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 16 Jul 2024 05:00:01 EDT news640278122 Bioengineering researchers at Rice University have developed ultrasmall, stable gas-filled protein nanostructures that could revolutionize ultrasound imaging and drug delivery. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-lab-smallest-free-medical-imaging.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jul 2024 12:49:03 EDT news640266541 RNA therapy with polymer nanoparticles is considered a promising approach for the treatment of various illnesses. It involves the use of polymers as "nanocarriers" to transport RNA drugs precisely to the correct target cells. Manufacturing such polymers, however, has proven to be complex and difficult. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-library-rna-based-therapeutic-approaches.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jul 2024 11:00:43 EDT news640260041 Quantum computers have to be kept cold to function—very cold. These machines generally run at "just a few degrees above absolute zero," says Yoseob Yoon, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern University. "It's colder than outer space." https://phys.org/news/2024-07-atomically-thin-transducers-day-enable.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jul 2024 10:00:03 EDT news640256401 A total of 137 countries around the world have signed a "net-zero" climate change agreement to end fossil fuel use and achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. Hydrogen is being touted as the next green energy source because it emits only water and oxygen when utilized as an energy source. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-atomically-mxenes-enable-effective-green.html Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jul 2024 09:09:03 EDT news640253341 Nanoparticles have a wide variety of applications, from drug delivery to electronics to air purification. Their small size and tunable properties make them particularly valuable for technological advancements and scientific research. When polymers made from nanoparticles are grafted together, the functionality of the materials can be improved. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-class-nanoparticles-diverse-applications.html Nanomaterials Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:26:47 EDT news640013201 Small-angle scattering (SAS) is a powerful technique for studying nanoscale samples. So far, however, its use in research has been held back by its inability to operate without some prior knowledge of a sample's chemical composition. Through new research published in The European Physical Journal E, Eugen Anitas at the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics in Dubna, Russia, presents a more advanced approach, which integrates SAS with machine learning algorithms. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-small-angle-neutron-machine-complex.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:32:09 EDT news640006327 Prussian blue (PB), a well-known pigment used to dye jeans, has been recognized as an emerging material for next-generation batteries. A team of researchers, led by Professor Hyun-Wook Lee in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has made a significant breakthrough in the development of low-cost, high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using PB, leading to significantly reduced battery prices. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-prussian-blue-analogs-lithium-ion.html Nanomaterials Fri, 12 Jul 2024 09:16:15 EDT news639994572 An international research team led by Professor My Ali El Khakani of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has made a surprising discovery about the properties of molybdenum disulfide, also known as MoS2. The material is highly sought after in optoelectronics. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-synthesis-method-mos-optoelectronic.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:36:24 EDT news639920181 Researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, led by Prof. Dr. Nicola Pinna, have made an advancement in nanotechnology, successfully extending the well-known Stöber method to synthesize amorphous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and coordination polymers (CPs). https://phys.org/news/2024-07-method-amorphous-metal-frameworks-polymers.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Jul 2024 10:12:02 EDT news639911521 For a long time, scientists associated crystal structures with an ordered arrangement of atoms in a repeating lattice-like pattern, believing it to be the most stable configuration. However, by the 1960s, advancements in crystallography revealed materials that did not fit the traditional model. These structures exhibit a non-periodic or non-repeating pattern and are called aperiodic crystals. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-hexagonal-metallic-approximants-bridge-gap.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Jul 2024 05:00:01 EDT news639846480 To offer cross-protection against diverse influenza virus variants, nanoparticle vaccines can produce pivotal cellular and mucosal immune responses that enhance vaccine efficacy and broaden protection, according to a study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanoparticle-vaccines-influenza-viruses.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 10 Jul 2024 16:37:03 EDT news639848221 While taking snapshots with the high-speed electron camera at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory, researchers discovered new behavior in an ultrathin material that offers a promising approach to manipulating light that will be useful for devices that detect, control or emit light, collectively known as optoelectronic devices, and investigating how light is polarized within a material. Optoelectronic devices are used in many technologies that touch our daily lives, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), optical fibers and medical imaging. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-high-electron-camera-uncovers-behavior.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 10 Jul 2024 14:38:02 EDT news639841081 Up to 3% of people with diabetes have an allergic reaction to insulin. A team at Forschungszentrum Jülich has now studied a method that could be used to deliver the active substance into the body in a masked form—in the form of tiny nanoparticles. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanoparticle-based-delivery-treatment-diabetics.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:08:04 EDT news639835681 Imagine a scenario where a skilled hacker must upload critical software to update a central server and thwart a potentially lethal virus from wreaking havoc across a vast computer network. The programmer, armed with the lifesaving code, must navigate through treacherous territory teeming with adversaries, and success hinges on promptly getting a safe, stealthy delivery vehicle that can place the hacker exactly where they need to be. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-team-pot-platform-promptly-mrna.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:15:04 EDT news639760501 Awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, quantum dots have a wide variety of applications ranging from displays and LED lights to chemical reaction catalysis and bioimaging. These semiconductor nanocrystals are so small—on the order of nanometers—that their properties—such as color—are size-dependent, and they start to exhibit quantum properties. This technology has been well developed, but only in the visible spectrum, leaving untapped opportunities for technologies in both the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-visible-infrared-high-quality-nanocrystals.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 09 Jul 2024 16:11:04 EDT news639760261 Creating periodic nanostructures is vital for progress in material science and nanotechnology. Traditional methods often struggle with complexity and scalability. Integrating bottom-up self-assembly of block molecules with top-down lithography offers a solution, enabling the formation of sophisticated nanostructures. These challenges necessitate innovative approaches to fabricate advanced nanostructures. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-art-molecular-crafting-2d-nanostructures.html Nanomaterials Tue, 09 Jul 2024 15:34:45 EDT news639758083