Blog

Jan 08, 2026 A new gel made from porous nanosheets releases small neutral molecules in hours but holds charged molecules for weeks, offering tunable control over delivery timing. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Gels occupy unusual territory among materials. They behave like solids but consist mostly of liquid, holding their shape under gravity...

Jan 08, 2026 Large language models accelerate construction of materials property databases. (Nanowerk News) Technologies that underpin modern society, such as smartphones and automobiles, rely on a diverse range of functional materials. Materials scientists are therefore working to develop and improve new materials, but predicting material properties is no simple...

Jan 07, 2026 Researchers have developed a flexible material that can quickly change its surface texture and colors, offering potential applications in camouflage, art, robotics, and even nanoscale bioengineering. (Nanowerk News) Octopus and cuttlefish are masters of disguise. Many species can rapidly change both the color and the texture of...

Jan 07, 2026 Researchers discovered that gold, copper and iron nanocrystals form pentagonal snowflake-like patterns during rapid chemical reactions. (Nanowerk News) Whether they’re tickling your nose, hugging your eyelashes or melting on your tongue, few winter wonders are as fascinating as snowflakes. The freezing-cold crystals are known for their one-of-a-kind...

Jan 07, 2026 A new system for THz spectroscopy achieves both high spectral and spatial resolution at the same time, bypassing a long-standing tradeoff. (Nanowerk News) Terahertz (THz) radiation, which occupies the frequency band between microwaves and infrared light, is essential in many next-generation applications, including high-speed wireless communications, chemical...

Jan 07, 2026 A novel CRISPR defense mechanism, unlike known nucleases, specifically destroys transfer ribonucleic acids (tRNA) that are vital for protein production to shut down infected cells. (Nanowerk News) Bacteria contain a wide variety of mechanisms to fend off invaders like viruses. One of these strategies involves cleaving transfer...

Jan 07, 2026 Scientists find new evidence for a particle system that 'remembers' its previous quantum states - a significant step toward the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer. (Nanowerk News) In the future, quantum computers are anticipated to solve problems once thought unsolvable, from predicting the course of chemical...

Jan 07, 2026 Plant-based detection systems could be used to monitor chemical exposure in agricultural settings. (Nanowerk News) A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Iowa have developed groundbreaking tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like...

Jan 07, 2026 Astronomers discovered nine unusual objects in space that look like stars but behave like galaxies - challenging what we know about the cosmos. (Nanowerk News) Scientists at the University of Missouri have identified a small group of unusual objects in the early universe. Using NASA’s James Webb...

Jan 07, 2026 Using sunlight, water and tiny particles of electrically conductive plastic, researchers show how hydrogen can be produced efficiently, sustainably and at low cost. (Nanowerk News) Hydrogen plays a key role in the global pursuit for renewable energy. Although its use produces only water as a by-product, significant...