Using waste to purify water may sound counterintuitive. But at TU Wien, this is exactly what has now been achieved. Researchers have developed a special nanostructure to filter a widespread class of harmful dyes from water.

A new model developed by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) extends the theory of elastic phase separation towards nanoscopic structures. Such patterns are frequent in biological systems and also used in nano-engineering to create structural color. With their new insights, the scientists can predict the length scale of nanoscopic patterns and thus control them during production. The model is published in the journal Physical Review X.

Medical implants could fail less often when coated with a microscopically crinkled, ceramic material designed by researchers at the University of Michigan. The coating is described in a paper published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

Vaccines remain the gold standard of protection against dangerous pathogens, but take considerable time and vast resources to develop. Rapidly mutating viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 can blunt their effectiveness and even render them obsolete.

In a significant leap towards sustainable environmental management and antimicrobial strategies, a team of international researchers has successfully synthesized a fluorescent carbon dot (CD) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposite from papaya peel waste. The study, published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, details a one-step hydrothermal method to fabricate the nanocomposite, which was then characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

Researchers from Skoltech, MIPT, and elsewhere have found a fast and inexpensive way to create geometric patterns in carbon nanotube films. The resulting films turned out to have superior properties for manufacturing components for 6G communication devices and flexible and transparent electronics—such as wearable health trackers. The patterning method is detailed in a paper in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

Acoustofluidics elegantly merges acoustics with fluid mechanics, enabling precise manipulation of fluids and particles on both micro and nanoscales. This interdisciplinary field plays a crucial role in biomedicine, tissue engineering, and nanoparticles synthesis. However, the effectiveness and potential of traditional acoustofluidic devices are often curtailed by their dependency on the specific geometries of fluidic chambers, thus limiting their adaptability and versatility.

Several types of conventional cancer therapies, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, destroy healthy cells along with cancer cells. In advanced stages of cancer, tissue loss from treatments can be substantial and even fatal. Cutting-edge cancer therapies that employ nanoparticles can specifically target cancer cells, sparing healthy tissue.

In a first demonstration of "electron videography," researchers have captured a microscopic moving picture of the delicate dance between proteins and lipids found in cell membranes. The technique can be used to study the dynamics of other biomolecules, breaking free of constraints that have limited microscopy to still images of fixed molecules, say University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers and collaborators at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In the relentless battle against airborne viruses, researchers have developed a new spray coating to improve the antiviral efficacy of personal protective equipment, notably face masks. The study is published in the journal ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Magnetic two-dimensional materials consisting of one or a few atomic layers have only recently become known and promise interesting applications, for example for the electronics of the future. So far, however, it has not been possible to control the magnetic states of these materials well enough.

Innovation has promise for energy-efficient microelectronics and quantum computing.

Plasma polymer nanoparticles offer a novel solution for bioactivating inert materials, overcoming limitations of conventional plasma treatments and enabling diverse biomedical applications.

Researchers successfully exerted electrical control over polaritons, hybridized light-matter particles, at room temperature.

Discover how researchers developed crack-free nanocellular graphene, boosting electronic and energy devices, including sodium batteries.

Researchers explore innovative approaches for developing life-inspired materials with advanced properties such as adaptivity, self-organization, and embodied intelligence.

New exfoliation process turns transition metal telluride nanosheets from lab curiosity to industrial reality, promising wide applications.

Neuromorphic scientists aim to mimic the brain's efficient learning mechanism, with a new approach focusing on measuring information transfer.

The low-cost hardware outperforms state-of-the-art versions and could someday enable an affordable, in-home device for health monitoring.

Researchers manipulate cell dynamics with colored lights for precise, reversible drug delivery, revolutionizing non-invasive treatment.