Sep 06, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A group of researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has developed the world’s first microrobot (“microbot”) capable of navigating within groups of cells and stimulating individual cells. Berna Özkale Edelmann, a professor of Nano- and Microrobotics, sees potential for new treatments of human...
How swarming shrimp could influence a new wave of mesorobotics
Sep 06, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Matilda Backholm didn’t expect to take up glass blowing as part of her early doctoral work. But in her attempts to find a more sensitive way to measure how tiny organisms swim, building her own tools became the best option. Now an assistant professor at...
Atomically-precise quantum antidots via vacancy self-assembly
Sep 06, 2023 (Nanowerk News) National University of Singapore (NUS) scientists demonstrated a conceptual breakthrough by fabricating atomically precise quantum antidots (QAD) using self-assembled single vacancies (SVs) in a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD). A quantum dot confines electrons on a nanoscale level. In contrast, an antidot refers to...
3D-printed ‘living material’ could clean up contaminated water (w/video)
Sep 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new type of material that could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water. Dubbed an “engineered living material,” it is a 3D-printed structure made of a seaweed-based polymer combined with...
Linking two solar technologies is a win-win for efficiency and stability
Sep 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) While conventional silicon-based solar cells have had an unmistakable impact on the buildout of renewable energy resources around the world, additional performance improvements have become increasingly difficult to make as the devices approach their practical efficiency limits. This constraint has prompted scientists to seek out...
Sponge-based triboelectric nanogenerator harvests wave energy for cathodic protection and force sensing
Sep 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Scientists have developed an elastic, durable sponge that can harvest energy from ocean waves to power cathodic protection of metals against corrosion. The sponge-based device, called a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), generates electricity through contact and separation of internal materials. Reported in Advanced Functional Materials ("Flexible...
Researchers define a protocol for narrow cantilever fabrication and high-resolution imaging of living cells using AFM
Sep 05, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Kanazawa University report in STAR Protocols ("Protocol for live imaging of intracellular nanoscale structures using atomic force microscopy with nanoneedle probes") procedural details and tips for nanoendoscopy-AFM, for capturing images of nanoscale structures inside living cells. Images of nanoscale structures inside living cells...
Unlocking the full potential of MXenes for next-generation e-textiles
Sep 05, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Electronic textiles, or e-textiles, are fabrics that integrate electronics and other functional materials to add advanced capabilities beyond basic clothing. Prior research has incorporated conductive nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes into textile fibers or coatings to create fabrics with useful properties such as conductivity, sensing, energy...
Pioneering beyond-silicon technology via residue-free field effect transistors
Sep 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A revolution in technology is on the horizon, and it’s poised to change the devices that we use. Under the distinguished leadership of Professor LEE Young Hee, a team of visionary researchers from the Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics within the Institute for Basic Science...
Muscles for soft robots inspired by nature (w/video)
Sep 04, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Robots made of metal and other solid materials are already widely used in industry. But they are too rigid and cumbersome for fine-motor activities and interaction with people, such as in nursing or medicine. Intensive research is therefore already being carried out into robots made...