Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Imagine trying to poke a hole in the yolk of a raw egg without breaking the egg white. It sounds impossible, but researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a technology that performs a similarly delicate task in living cells. They created...
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Quantum research paves the way toward efficient, ultra-high-density optical memory storage
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) As our digital world generates massive amounts of data — more than 2 quintillion bytes of new content each day — yesterday’s storage technologies are quickly reaching their limits. Optical memory devices, which use light to read and write data, offer the potential of durable,...
Researchers create orientation-independent magnetic field-sensing nanotube spin qubits
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Purdue University researchers have developed patent-pending one-dimensional boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) containing spin qubits, or spin defects. The BNNTs are more sensitive in detecting off-axis magnetic fields at high resolution than traditional diamond tips used in scanning probe magnetic-field microscopes. Tongcang Li, a professor of...
Low profile, 10nm resolution, high stability
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Global piezo nanopositioning leader PI introduces a new microscope stage family designed for democratizing the advantages of ultrasonic piezo motor drive systems in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The U-781 XY stage provides 128x86mm travel, is equipped with 10nm resolution linear encoders for direct position measurement at...
Turning plants into workout supplement bio-factories
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) It’s important to eat your veggies, but some essential vitamins and nutrients can only be found in animals, including certain amino acids and peptides. But, in a proof-of-concept study published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ("Engineering Plant Metabolism for Synthesizing Amino Acid Derivatives...
Programmable hydrogels bring logic and multi-stimuli responses to adaptive materials
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Imagine a material that doesn’t just respond to one stimulus, like heat or light, but can sense multiple environmental triggers and adjust its behavior accordingly. Picture this material not only changing its shape in response but also performing logical operations—processing information like a basic computer....
Squid-inspired fabric for temperature-controlled clothing
Oct 02, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Too warm with a jacket on but too cold without it? Athletic apparel brands boast temperature-controlling fabrics that adapt to every climate with lightweight but warm products. Yet, consider a fabric that you can adjust to fit your specific temperature needs. Inspired by the dynamic...
Watch water form out of thin air (w/video)
Oct 01, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Northwestern University have successfully observed the formation of water at the molecular level in real-time. This study, which focused on the catalytic properties of palladium, has opened new avenues for understanding and optimizing water generation processes. Palladium, a rare metallic element, has long...
Honey, I shrunk the quantum sensor
Oct 01, 2024 (Nanowerk News) Atom interferometers are quantum sensors that use the wave-like nature of atoms to measure gravity, acceleration and rotation with exceptional precision. Most of the current atom interferometers are large instruments, occupying buildings and requiring towers that can reach tens of meters in height. Now, University...
Carbon dot-based smart soil enhances crop growth by adjusting porosity and structure
Oct 01, 2024 (Nanowerk Spotlight) The world’s agricultural systems are under growing pressure to meet the demands of an expanding global population. To address this, farmers have relied heavily on chemical fertilizers to boost crop yields. While effective in the short term, this approach has caused significant environmental damage. One...