May 12, 2025 Meta-analysis of 57 studies reveals how iron nanoparticles affect soil, plant health, and pollutants, highlighting both benefits and environmental risks. (Nanowerk News) Soil contamination, fueled by rapid industrialization and urban sprawl, continues to threaten global food systems. Toxic elements like heavy metals and organic pollutants degrade soil...
a new comic book tackles nanotechnology
May 12, 2025 The comic book introduces the frequently mentioned, but rarely taught topic of nanotechnology to (not only) students and teachers. (Nanowerk News) How many nanometres does your hand measure? Why does nothing stand still in the nano- world? And what does atomic force microscopy allow us to do?...
Boosting quantum error correction using AI
May 09, 2025 A method for fixing errors that occur in quantum computers is made massively more efficient through deep learning. (Nanowerk News) A way to greatly enhance the efficiency of a method for correcting errors in quantum computers has been realized by theoretical physicists at RIKEN (Physical Review Letters,...
Sulfur-capped carbon nanobelts promise novel applications
May 09, 2025 A remarkably easy way to cap carbon nanobelts with sulfur atoms has been demonstrated. (Nanowerk News) RIKEN chemists have hit upon a fast and easy way to combine so-called nanobelts of carbon with sulfur-containing functional groups (Nature Communications, "Thiophene-fused aromatic belts"). This new material has intriguing properties...
Urine, not water for efficient production of green hydrogen
May 09, 2025 Researchers developed two cost-effective systems that use urea in urine and wastewater to produce green hydrogen while helping remove nitrogen pollution from water. (Nanowerk News) Researchers have developed two unique energy-efficient and cost-effective systems that use urea found in urine and wastewater to generate hydrogen. The unique...
Ping pong bot returns shots with high-speed precision (w/video)
May 09, 2025 In addition to training future players, the technology could expand the capabilities of other humanoid robots, such as for search and rescue. (Nanowerk News) MIT engineers are getting in on the robotic ping pong game with a powerful, lightweight design that returns shots with high-speed precision. The...
Bacterium produces ‘organic dishwashing liquid’ to degrade oil
May 09, 2025 Researchers have uncovered how the marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis produces a natural surfactant to break down oil, a discovery that could lead to more effective strains for cleaning up spills. (Nanowerk News) The marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis feeds on oil, multiplying rapidly in the wake of oil...
Research team sheds light on the future potential of X-ray imaging and cryo-electron microscopy
May 09, 2025 Researchers explore how merging X-ray imaging and cryo-EM could enable real-time, high-resolution views of biology, advancing molecular films and drug design. (Nanowerk News) An interdisciplinary research team from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) at DESY, the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), the Center for...
Stability solution brings carbyne closer to practical application
May 09, 2025 Carbyne's extreme strength and instability made it hard to study, but researchers may have found a way to produce it reliably for advanced electronics. (Nanowerk News) Carbyne, a one-dimensional chain of carbon atoms, is incredibly strong for being so thin, making it an intriguing possibility for use...
Superconducting nanostructures in 3D
May 09, 2025 The creation of three-dimensional superconducting nanostructures enables local control of the superconducting state. (Nanowerk News) The move from two to three dimensions can have a significant impact on how a system behaves, whether it is folding a sheet of paper into a paper aeroplane or twisting a...