Jan 22, 2026 This quantum material has been theoretically predicted for more than a decade but had remained inaccessible due to materials challenges. (Nanowerk News) Researchers realized long-sought two-dimensional topological material (Nature Communications, "Strain-induced two-dimensional topological crystalline insulator in bilayer SnTe"). The work was led by Associate Professor Kezilbeiek Shawulienu...
3D printed surfaces help atoms play ball to improve quantum sensors
Jan 22, 2026 Scientists have created 3D printed surfaces featuring intricate textures that can be used to bounce unwanted gas particles away from quantum sensors, allowing useful particles like atoms to be delivered more efficiently, which could help improve measurement accuracy. (Nanowerk News) The researchers from the University of Nottingham’s...
Next-generation materials for additive manufacturing
Jan 22, 2026 By adjusting the speed of the laser in a high-entropy alloy, researchers discovered a method to guide how the atoms settle as the metal solidifies, controlling the material's properties directly at the atomic scale. (Nanowerk News) Next-generation technology requires next-generation materials that can be tailored to exact...
Climate-friendly generation of formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol
Jan 22, 2026 A new electrolysis technique could make an important contribution to the electrification of the chemical industry. (Nanowerk News) Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a method which gives access to the valuable raw materials formate and hydrogen from the waste product glycerol. Formates are...
Laser irradiation enables permeable textile electronics
Jan 22, 2026 A laser-programmed strategy to engineer the local stiffness and interfacial properties of textiles enables the direct assembly of standard electronic components onto textiles to create stretchable hybrid electronic systems. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Permeable and durable textiles hold great promise for wearable electronics, with applications spanning displays, communications, energy...
Using magnetic frustration to probe new quantum possibilities
Jan 21, 2026 A new study shows how frustrated magnetic interactions in a triangular lattice create unconventional, fluctuating states for quantum technologies. (Nanowerk News) Research in the lab of UC Santa Barbara materials professor Stephen Wilson is focused on understanding the fundamental physics behind unusual states of matter and developing...
Soft nanoparticles exploit membrane stiffness to deliver mRNA selectively into cancer cells
Jan 21, 2026 Cancer cells have softer membranes than healthy cells. New nanoparticles exploit this physical difference to fuse selectively with tumors and deliver mRNA therapy with minimal off-target effects. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Messenger RNA can instruct cells to produce virtually any protein, making it a powerful tool for medicine. But...
Metal nanoparticles show quantum interference at macroscopic scales
Jan 21, 2026 Experiments reveal that metallic nanoparticles thousands of atoms wide can exist in quantum superposition, providing a stringent test of quantum mechanics. (Nanowerk News) Can a small lump of metal be in a quantum state that extends over distant locations? A research team at the University of Vienna...
Webb finds young Sun-like star forging, spewing common crystals
Jan 21, 2026 Webb data show crystalline silicates form near young stars, then travel via outflows from hot inner disks to cold regions, crystals found in comets. (Nanowerk News) Astronomers have long sought evidence to explain why comets at the outskirts of our own solar system contain crystalline silicates, since...
Massive cloud with metallic winds discovered orbiting mystery object
Jan 21, 2026 Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope achieve unprecedented detection of vaporized metals within a dusty, gaseous cloud during rare stellar occultation. (Nanowerk News) Sweeping winds of vaporized metals have been found in a massive cloud that dimmed the light of a star for nearly nine months. This...