Blog

Jan 26, 2026 Scientists revealed how atoms rearrange themselves before releasing low-energy electrons in a decay process initiated by X-ray irradiation. For the first time, they gain detailed insights into the timing of the process, shedding light on related radiation damage mechanisms. (Nanowerk News) High-energy radiation, for example in the...

Jan 26, 2026 A spinning 3D printer nozzle creates soft robots with built-in air channels that bend in programmed directions, turning flat printed structures into grippers and shape-shifting devices. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Pneumatic soft robots use pressurized air for actuation. Hollow channels embedded within a flexible elastomer body inflate when air...

Jan 25, 2026 Researchers have developed a new catalyst architecture that dramatically reduces the amount of expensive precious metals required while simultaneously improving hydrogen production and fuel-cell performance. (Nanowerk News) Catalysts are the “invisible engines” of hydrogen energy, governing both hydrogen production and electricity generation. Conventional catalysts are typically fabricated...

Jan 25, 2026 Cryogenic 4D-STEM reveals how charge density waves form, fragment, and persist across a phase transition. (Nanowerk News) Electronic order in quantum materials often emerges not uniformly, but through subtle and complex patterns that vary from place to place. One prominent example is the charge density wave (CDW),...

Jan 25, 2026 A hydrogel engineered with cell-like particles mimicking skin tissue achieves 99.9% compressibility and ultralow energy loss while generating its own voltage to sense strain without batteries. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Hydrogels should be the ideal material for wearable sensors. These polymer networks, swollen with water to comprise up to...

Jan 24, 2026 Magnetic nanoparticles engineered T cells inside living mice and guided them into solid tumors, achieving over 90% tumor inhibition where conventional immunotherapy fails. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, known as CAR-T, has transformed the treatment of blood cancers. The approach involves extracting a patient's T...

Jan 24, 2026 Theta-phase tantalum nitride conducts heat nearly three times better than copper, opening new pathways for cooling electronics, AI, and quantum hardware. (Nanowerk News) A UCLA-led, multi-institution research team has discovered a metallic material with the highest thermal conductivity measured among metals, challenging long-standing assumptions about the limits...

Jan 24, 2026 A dual cross-linked magnetic polymer solves the fundamental trade-off limiting soft artificial muscles, achieving unprecedented combinations of stretchability, force output, and shape-programming ability. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Soft artificial muscles can bend, stretch, and twist in ways that rigid motors cannot. They promise robots that navigate confined spaces, wearable...

Jan 23, 2026 Researchers have demonstrated how quantum mechanical entanglement can be used to measure several physical parameters simultaneously with greater precision. (Nanowerk News) Entanglement is probably the most puzzling phenomenon observed in quantum systems. It causes measurements on two quantum objects, even if they are at different locations, to...

Jan 23, 2026 Researchers developed a MOF-based material that removes fluoride from water while giving a real-time visual signal, enabling efficient defluoridation and monitoring. (Nanowerk News) A research team led by Prof. KONG Lingtao at the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese...