Jan 15, 2026 Scientists examine how a little-studied catalytic phenomenon can have outsized effects on chemical efficiency and selectivity. (Nanowerk News) Solid catalysts underpin many of the large-scale chemical transformations used to manufacture modern materials, converting hydrocarbons — including renewable or recycled forms of carbon — into the building blocks...
Overcoming symmetry limits in photovoltaics through surface engineering
Jan 15, 2026 Researchers show symmetric materials can generate strong photocurrents via engineered surface states, enabling efficient solar energy conversion and ultrafast spintronics. (Nanowerk News) A recent study published in Physical Review Letters ("Surface-State Engineering for Generation of Nonlinear Charge and Spin Photocurrents") and carried out by researchers from EHU,...
AI platform links chemical synthesis and optics to tune nanocrystals
Jan 15, 2026 An open platform combines automated chemical synthesis, optical screening and AI modeling to control nanocrystal growth and tailor optical properties. (Nanowerk News) LMU researcher Professor Alexander Urban and his team have developed a tool that could revolutionize the design of new materials. Synthesizer is a platform that...
Charging gold nanorods with light energy
Jan 15, 2026 Researchers tracked real-time light-induced charge on gold nanorods, modeling them as capacitors, aiding CO2 reduction, water splitting, and solar energy conversion. (Nanowerk News) Gold nanorods are promising photocatalysts that can use light energy to drive chemical reactions—such as converting CO₂ into usable fuels or producing hydrogen from...
X-ray laser reveals the hidden dance of electrons
Jan 15, 2026 Scientists demonstrated X-ray four-wave mixing to track correlated electron motion, revealing how energy and information move inside atoms and molecules. (Nanowerk News) Scientists at the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL have realised a long-pursued experimental goal in physics: to show how electrons dance together. The technique, known as...
‘Reborn’ black hole spotted ‘erupting like cosmic volcano’
Jan 15, 2026 One of the most vivid portraits of 'reborn' black hole activity - likened to the eruption of a 'cosmic volcano' spreading almost one million light-years across space - has been captured in a gigantic radio galaxy. (Nanowerk News) The dramatic scene was uncovered when astronomers spotted the...
New molecular design strategy improves efficiency and selectivity in electrocatalytic reactions
Jan 15, 2026 Researchers have developed a new class of redox-switchable molecular mediators that activate halogen bonding to more efficiently and selectively drive carbon-nitrogen bond formation. (Nanowerk News) More efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies, among other applications, hinge on lowering the amount of energy needed to trigger specific reactions...
The path to solar weather forecasts
Jan 15, 2026 Space-based measurements of solar eruptions are the first of their kind. (Nanowerk News) At times the sun ejects energetic material into space which can have consequences for space-based and even ground-based electronic technology. Researchers aim to understand this phenomenon and find ways to forecast it, including how...
The geometry fix that makes printable graphene inks 100 times more concentrated
Jan 15, 2026 Reshaping graphene from flat sheets into compact particles solves a key manufacturing problem, enabling printable conductive inks without the additives that weaken performance. (Nanowerk Spotlight) Graphene should have revolutionized electronics by now. When physicists first isolated the single-atom-thick carbon material in 2004, its properties were remarkable: electrical...
Hydrogel cilia set new standard in microrobotics
Jan 14, 2026 Scientists have created hydrogel-based artificial cilia that move almost exactly like real biological cilia - the closest imitation achieved so far. The researchers can program each micrometer-sized cilium to move freely in space - just like cilia in the human body. (Nanowerk News) Cilia are micrometer-sized biological...