Sep 22, 2026 NASA's newly launched Roman Space Telescope carries precision hexapods and piezo actuators that helped align its instruments and now support its coronagraph in space. (Nanowerk News) For more than a decade, PI (Physik Instrumente) has supplied precision motion and piezoelectric technologies for the development, alignment, testing, and...
MOF nanocomposites improve polymer fire safety
Sep 22, 2026 Porous ZIF-67 materials can work with phosphorus-, clay- and carbon-based flame retardants to reduce heat release, smoke and flammability in polymers. (Nanowerk News) Plastics are widely used in modern life because they are lightweight, durable and easy to process. However, many polymer materials can burn rapidly and...
Stretchable electronics perform differently depending on how they are stretched
Sep 22, 2026 Machine learning reveals why stretching an organic semiconductor in different directions can either improve or reduce charge transport, offering new insights for stretchable electronics. (Nanowerk News) The dream of wearable electronics, like electronic skin or flexible health monitors, hinges on a simple question: what happens when you...
Engineered cell membranes deliver antibiotics to wipe out drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
Sep 22, 2026 Engineered cell membranes help antibiotic carrying nanoparticles target drug resistant Gram negative bacteria, boosting ampicillin activity at far lower concentrations. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Some bacteria are hard to kill because of what they are wrapped in. A whole class of them, the Gram-negative bacteria, carries a second membrane...
Scientists turn unwanted vibration into a tool for ultra-precise surface measurement
Sep 22, 2026 A new interferometry method uses random vibration and mechanical disturbances as useful phase-shifting signals, enabling highly accurate optical surface measurements without strict vibration isolation. (Nanowerk News) Phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) is a gold-standard technique for high-precision surface metrology, but it relies heavily on strict vibration isolation and precise...
Molecular scissors explain how crystals bend without breaking
Sep 21, 2026 Researchers reveal how coordinated molecular scissoring motions let some crystals bend, expand and respond to light without fracturing. (Nanowerk News) Crystals are usually thought of as rigid and brittle. Yet some molecular crystals can bend, jump, twist, or even change shape when exposed to light. Understanding how...