Phys.org Nanotechnology

• Ultra-thin polymer membranes enable fast, selective ion transport for energy storage

  Polymeric membranes are widely used in separation technologies due to their low cost and easily scalable fabrication. However, unlike inorganic nanoporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, which feature periodic and ordered channels, polymeric membranes produced through traditional methods—such as phase separation—typically have irregular and disordered pore structures.

• Protein–polymer nanoparticles can carry higher drug loads with improved stability

  Scientists at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and Nanjing University in China have developed a new drug delivery system that could improve how treatments for cancers and other diseases are delivered.

• Adaptive MoS₂-based interface boosts ion sensing stability and accuracy

  A research team led by Professor Huang Xingjiu at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a highly stable adaptive integrated interface for ion sensing. The study was published as an inside front cover article in Advanced Materials.

• Smart mRNA drugs listen to the body, adjusting protein production based on disease-related signals

  A research team from The University of Osaka and the Institute of Science Tokyo has developed a class of mRNA medicines that can sense changes in the body and autonomously adjust their therapeutic effect. This innovation paves the way for precision treatments that are not only more effective, but also safer—by producing just the right amount of medicine based on real-time biological signals. The research is published in the journal NPG Asia Materials.

• Nanobody-based 3D immunohistochemistry allows rapid visualization in thick tissue samples

  Three-dimensional immunohistochemistry (3D-IHC) has transformed our ability to visualize the spatial arrangement of cells and molecules in intact tissues. However, traditional methods are often time-consuming and suffer from poor antibody penetration, which limits their effectiveness in deep tissues. This bottleneck has posed significant challenges in neuroscience, pathology, and biomedical imaging, where rapid and detailed mapping of large tissue volumes is essential.

• Lanthanide-doped nanomaterials unlock new horizons for advanced imaging and photonics

  Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a new class of lanthanide-doped nanomaterials that exhibit extraordinarily high optical nonlinearity, exceeding a magnitude of 500. This achievement establishes a new global benchmark for photon avalanche nanophotonics. The paper is published in Nature.

• Electron microscopy technique captures nanoparticle organizations to forge new materials

  A research team including members from the University of Michigan have unveiled a new observational technique that's sensitive to the dynamics of the intrinsic quantum jiggles of materials, or phonons.

• Gene-editing nanoparticle system targets multiple organs simultaneously

  A gene-editing delivery system developed by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers simultaneously targeted the liver and lungs of a preclinical model of a rare genetic disease known as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), significantly improving symptoms for months after a single treatment, a new study shows. The findings, published in Nature Biotechnology, could lead to new therapies for a variety of genetic diseases that affect multiple organs.

• Catching excitons in motion—ultrafast dynamics in carbon nanotubes revealed by nano-infrared spectroscopy

  A research team has successfully visualized the ultrafast dynamics of quasi-particles known as excitons, which are generated in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) upon light excitation.

• How to suspend one liquid inside another: Programmable droplets show potential for carbon capture

  Researchers led by a team at the University of Waterloo have developed a way to create tiny droplets of one liquid inside another liquid without mixing the two together.

• Researchers crack the code of the body's ancient immune defense

  A collaborative team from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine have unraveled the mathematics of a 500-million-year-old protein network that acts like the body's bouncer, "deciding" which foreign materials get degraded by immune cells and which are allowed entry.

• How ubiquitous small particles turn harmful inside plants

  A new UC Riverside-led study reveals how common small particles produced by nature as well as human activities can transform upon entering plant cells and weaken plants' ability to turn sunlight into food. The discovery offers a path to control this issue.

• Upcycling nanocomposites from discarded face masks may help reduce global pollution problem

  Once essential for curbing the spread of COVID-19, disposable face masks have become a major contributor to environmental pollution and human health concerns.

• Speed-snap science: Solving for molecular details in a flash

  How do we know exactly what is happening at a molecular level during extremely fast processes, such as burning during combustion? In less than the blink of an eye, one chemical compound and then another are present in a flame only to disperse and give way to more. Understanding which molecules are present gives scientists a way of understanding the inner workings of the chemical processes taking place.

• Nanofibers yield stronger, tougher carbon fiber composites

  Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative new technique using carbon nanofibers to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites—an advance likely to improve structural materials for automobiles, airplanes and other applications that require lightweight and strong materials.

• Nanoparticles attach to polymers like toy blocks via simple mechanical collisions

  Dr. Seunggun Yu and his team at KERI's Insulation Materials Research Center have developed "Hybrid Supraparticle Synthesis Technology" that can attach inorganic nanoparticles to the surface of polymer microparticles through simple mechanical collisions. The work is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

• How chemical bonds are formed: Physicists observe energy flow in real time

  For the first time, a research team led by Markus Koch from the Institute of Experimental Physics at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has tracked in real time how individual atoms combine to form a cluster and which processes are involved.

• MXene-polymer composite enables printed, eco-friendly device for energy harvesting and motion sensing

  Researchers at Boise State University have developed a novel, environmentally friendly triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that is fully printed and capable of harvesting biomechanical and environmental energy while also functioning as a real-time motion sensor. The innovation leverages a composite of Poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) (PVBVA) and MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional TENGs that often rely on fluorinated polymers and complex fabrication.

• Printed energy storage charges into the future with MXene inks

  Researchers at Boise State University have developed a stable, high-performance Ti3C2Tx MXene ink formulation optimized for aerosol jet printing—paving the way for scalable manufacturing of micro-supercapacitors, sensors, and other energy storage and harvesting devices.

• Lipid nanoparticle structure shapes cell uptake: Cubosomes fuse with membranes for efficient delivery

  Scientists have discovered that the internal shape of tiny drug-delivery particles—called lipid nanoparticles—has a big impact on how well our cells absorb them, paving the way to more efficient vaccine and drug delivery.

• Scientists create novel 3D neuroprobes based on kirigami-inspired folds

  A research team from the Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-3) at Forschungszentrum Jülich, working with partners across Germany, has developed an innovative technique for folding flexible, high-density microelectrodes into three-dimensional shapes inspired by the Japanese paper art of kirigami.

• New 2D superlattice extends zinc-ion battery lifespan

  Scientists from the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester and the University of Technology Sydney have developed a new way to improve the lifespan of zinc-ion batteries, offering a safer and more sustainable option for energy storage.

• Nanoneedle patch offers painless alternative to traditional cancer biopsies

  A patch containing tens of millions of microscopic nanoneedles could soon replace traditional biopsies, scientists have found. The patch offers a painless and less invasive alternative for millions of patients worldwide who undergo biopsies each year to detect and monitor diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. The research is published in Nature Nanotechnology.

• Nanogrid drug delivery systems developed for precise lung inflammation treatment

  Understanding how drug delivery systems distribute in vivo remains a major challenge in developing nanomedicines. Especially in the lung, the complex and dynamic microenvironment often limits the effectiveness of existing approaches.

• Optimal solvents can boost MOF carrier capacity for precision drug delivery

  Even the best products won't meet expectations if they are packed poorly—packaging matters. The same goes for drug delivery. Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have uncovered the critical role played by solvents in how effectively drugs can be loaded into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a promising class of drug carriers.