Feb 17, 2026 Researchers discovered unexpected atomic ordering in a tantalum tungsten selenium crystal, linking self organization and magnetism to spintronic and quantum uses. (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with international partners, have uncovered surprising behavior in a specially engineered crystal. Composed of tantalum, tungsten and...
Breakthrough proton-conducting ceramic material for clean energy
Feb 17, 2026 Innovative co-doping strategy overcomes long-standing limits in proton conduction, opening a new way for efficient hydrogen-to-electricity conversion. (Nanowerk News) A newly developed ceramic material shows record-high proton conductivity at intermediate temperatures while remaining chemically stable, report researchers from Japan. Efficient hydrogen-to-electricity conversion is critical for hydrogen-based clean...
World’s smallest QR code is tinier than most bacteria, etched into ceramic film
Feb 17, 2026 The ceramic thin film technology behind the record could store over 2 terabytes on a single A4 sheet and preserve data for millennia without any energy input. (Nanowerk News) Just how small can a QR code be? Small enough that it can only be recognised with an...
Radiation-tolerant perovskite solar cells could replace costly gallium arsenide in space
Feb 17, 2026 Perovskite solar cells operated for months in low Earth orbit and tolerated radiation equivalent to decades in space, marking the most comprehensive orbital test of the technology. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Thousands of new satellites enter orbit every year, each one carrying solar panels that rank among the most...
Invisible battery parts finally seen with pioneering technique
Feb 17, 2026 A new staining technique makes invisible polymer binders in Li-ion battery electrodes traceable, enabling better placement control to boost battery performance. (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a powerful new method to visualise an essential lithium-ion battery electrode component that had been extremely...
How magnetic interactions between neighboring nanoparticles influence MRI contrast
Feb 17, 2026 Precisely tuning the spacing between iron oxide nanoparticles optimizes their magnetic interactions to enhance MRI contrast, offering a simpler path to better imaging agents. (Nanowerk News) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is key in modern medical diagnostics, offering detailed images of the body without exposing patients to ionising...
A ‘smart fluid’ you can reconfigure with temperature
Feb 17, 2026 Researchers show a temperature tunable smart fluid that overcomes limits in liquid crystal microcolloids, enabling reconfigurable self assembly of microparticles. (Nanowerk News) Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study in Matter ("Reconfigurable self-assembly of porous anisotropic...
Engineered disorder in graphene unlocks localization-enhanced thermoelectricity
Feb 17, 2026 Controlled defects in single-layer graphene pinpoint a critical 20 nm spacing where quantum interference traps electrons and enhances thermoelectric performance at a sharp threshold. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Electrons do not always behave the way classical physics suggests. In a perfectly ordered crystal, they flow freely, carrying current with...
turning infrared images into instant thermal conductivity measurements
Feb 17, 2026 A physics informed machine learning model predicts thermal conductivity from infrared images in milliseconds, enabling fast, non contact screening for electronics and energy systems. (Nanowerk News) Measuring how well a material conducts heat is essential for designing next-generation electronics, batteries, and power systems. But traditional techniques for...
First real-time observation of polaron formation in polar semiconductors
Feb 16, 2026 Scientists tracked polaron formation for the first time using ultrafast imaging, confirming decades-old predictions about electron energy loss and mass gain in crystal lattices. (Nanowerk News) When an electron travels through a polar crystalline solid, its negative charge attracts the positively charged atomic cores, causing the surrounding...