May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Nature is filled with extraordinarily precise molecular shapes that fit together like a hand in glove. Proteins, for example, can assemble into a wide variety of well-defined shapes that grant them their function. “Depending on their shape, proteins can fit together with other proteins to...
a quantum leap in green hydrogen production
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) As the world is transitioning from a fossil fuel-based energy economy, many are betting on hydrogen to become the dominant energy currency. But producing “green” hydrogen without using fossil fuels is not yet possible on the scale we need because it requires iridium, a metal...
Thermal welding of liquids using nanoparticle surfactants (w/video)
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The ability to mold and weld materials into desired shapes and structures is a fundamental manufacturing capability that enables the creation of countless products we rely on every day. For centuries, this process has been limited to solid materials like metals, plastics, and ceramics. Liquids,...
Visual observation of photonic Floquet-Bloch oscillations
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Recent studies on Bloch oscillations (BOs) in periodically driven quantum systems, also known as "Floquet systems," have attracted considerable interest due to their unique characteristics, which are distinctly different from those in static systems. Researchers have specifically focused on two variants of Bloch-like oscillations: quasi-Bloch...
ONe nova to rule them all
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Astronomers have proposed a new theory to explain the origin of phosphorus, one of the elements important for life on Earth. The theory suggests a type of stellar explosion known as ONe novae as a major source of phosphorus. After the Big Bang, almost all...
New tech may lead to smaller, more powerful wireless devices
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) What if your earbuds could do everything your smartphone can do already, except better? What sounds a bit like science fiction may actually not be so far off. A new class of synthetic materials could herald the next revolution of wireless technologies, enabling devices to...
Squeezed by neighbors, planet glows with molten lava
May 10, 2024 (Nanowerk News) UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane had to double check his calculations. He wasn’t sure the planet he was studying could be as extreme as it seemed. Kane never expected to learn that a planet in this faraway star system is covered with so many active...
Plunge into a Black Hole with NASA’s new immersive visualization (w/video)
May 09, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Ever wonder what happens when you fall into a black hole? Now, thanks to a new, immersive visualization produced on a NASA supercomputer, viewers can plunge into the event horizon, a black hole’s point of no return. In this visualization of a flight toward a...
Researchers harness blurred light to 3D print high quality optical components
May 09, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Canadian researchers have developed a new 3D printing method called blurred tomography that can rapidly produce microlenses with commercial-level optical quality. The new method may make it easier and faster to design and fabricate a variety of optical devices. “We purposely added optical blurring to...
Researchers create 2D all-organic perovskites and demonstrate potential use in 2D electronics
May 09, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Perovskites are among the most researched topics in materials science. Recently, a research team led by Prof. LOH Kian Ping, Chair Professor of Materials Physics and Chemistry and Global STEM Professor of the Department of Applied Physics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Dr...