Phys.org Nanotechnology

• Ultrafast, highly reversible sodium storage in engineered hard carbon achieved

  A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has demonstrated ultrafast and highly reversible all-slope sodium storage using specially engineered hard carbon anodes.

• Chameleon-like nanomaterial can adapt its color to mechanical strain

  Inspired by the Japanese art of kirigami, a team of scientists from the University of Amsterdam have developed a material that can reflect different colors of light, depending on how it is stretched. The results were recently published in the journal ACS Photonics.

• Hydrogel platform enables high-throughput extracellular vesicle isolation

  Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have rapidly emerged as one of the most promising frontiers in modern biology. These nano-sized messengers mediate communication between cells, tissues, and organs, influencing processes from immune signaling to cancer progression. Their growing diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance has accelerated research worldwide.

• Silver nanoparticles built on viral biotemplate kill more bacteria and slow resistance rise

  Antibiotics are no longer able to treat infections as effectively as they once did because many pathogens have developed resistance to these drugs. This phenomenon, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), claims over a million lives worldwide each year.

• Atomic switches bring molecular electronics closer to reality

  Silver-based atomic switches that create stable electrical connections between individual molecules and electrodes have been developed by researchers from Japan, addressing a key challenge in wiring molecular electronics. The switch operates by forming and breaking silver atomic filaments when a voltage is applied and reversed, corresponding to the "on" and "off" states. This method enables the scalable integration of molecular components, paving the way for ultra-compact and energy-efficient circuits built from single molecules.

• X-ray imaging reveals how silicon anodes maintain contact in all-solid-state batteries

  All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) using silicon (Si) anodes are among the most promising candidates for high-energy and long-lasting power sources, particularly for electric vehicles. Si can store more lithium than conventional graphite, but its volume expands by roughly 410% during charging. This swelling generates mechanical stress that cracks particles and weakens their contact with the solid electrolyte, disrupting the flow of ions and reducing efficiency.

• Smart material instantly changes colors on demand for use in textiles and consumer products

  Scientists have developed a revolutionary technique for creating colors that can change on command. These are structural colors that don't rely on dyes or pigments and can be used for display signage, adaptive camouflage and smart safety labels, among other applications.

• Success in measuring nano water droplets: Real-time images could advance hydrogen and battery research

  In hydrogen production catalysts, water droplets must detach easily from the surface to prevent blockage by bubbles, allowing for faster hydrogen generation. In semiconductor manufacturing, the quality of the process is determined by how evenly water or liquid spreads on the surface, or how quickly it dries.

• Water-resistant and recyclable redox-active MOFs enable stable energy storage in acidic solutions

  Redox-active metal-organic frameworks (RAMOFs) are highly porous materials made of metals and organic molecules linked together by coordination bonds, and they contain redox-active sites that can store electrons (protons). RAMOFs are promising candidates as electrode-active materials for rechargeable batteries.

• Carbon monoxide, the 'silent killer,' becomes a boon for fuel cell catalysts

  Researchers have developed a technology that uses carbon monoxide, typically harmful to humans, to precisely control metal thin films at a thickness of 0.3 nanometers. This technology enables faster and simpler production of core–shell catalysts, a key factor in improving the economic viability of fuel cells, and is expected to significantly boost related industries.

• Light-triggered nanoscale heating can control communication between nerve cells

  Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report the successful creation of artificial synaptic vesicles that can be remotely controlled by near-infrared (NIR) light. By embedding a phthalocyanine dye into lipid bilayers, the team achieved local heating that modulates membrane permeability, enabling precise release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine.

• Breaking the heart's barrier to solve drug-resistant TB

  African scientists have developed a nanoscale drug delivery system to treat pericarditis, a drug-resistant and lethal tuberculosis (TB). The scientists' system can breach the heart's protective membrane, a barrier that standard antibiotics cannot penetrate to be therapeutic.

• Gold nanoclusters provide new modifiable materials for nanoelectronics

  New metal-organic framework (MOF) materials based on gold nanoclusters have the potential to transform nanoelectronics. Four innovative materials with electrical conductivity and semiconductor-like behavior were developed through international research cooperation, opening new possibilities for precise control of electronic properties.

• Computational framework streamlines therapeutic RNA nanocarrier design

  A research team led by professor Olivia Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery at LMU and co-spokesperson of the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) has developed the first integrated platform that combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and machine learning (ML) to identify new polymeric materials for therapeutic RNA delivery.

• Argon ion treatment increases carbon nanowall electrode capacitance fivefold

  Researchers from Skoltech, MIPT, and the RAS Institute of Nanotechnology of Microelectronics have achieved a five-fold increase in the capacitance of carbon nanowalls, a material used in the electrodes of supercapacitors. These are auxiliary energy storage devices used in conjunction with conventional accumulators in electric cars, trains, port cranes, and other systems.

• 'Walking' water discovery on 2D material could lead to better anti-icing coatings and energy materials

  A surprising discovery about how water behaves on one of the world's thinnest 2D materials could lead to major technological improvements, from better anti-icing coatings for aircraft and self-cleaning solar panels to next-generation lubricants and energy materials.

• Electric control of ions and water enables switchable molecular stickiness on surfaces

  What if a surface could instantly switch from sticky to slippery at the push of a button? By using electricity to control how ions and water structure at the solid liquid interface of self-assembled monolayers of aromatic molecules, researchers at National Taiwan University have created a molecular-scale adhesion switch that turns attraction on and off.

• Nanostructured coatings physically puncture bacteria to prevent biofilm formation

  Bacteria that multiply on surfaces are a major headache in health care when they gain a foothold on, for example, implants or in catheters. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a new weapon to fight these hotbeds of bacterial growth—one that does not rely on antibiotics or toxic metals.

• Tiny reconfigurable robots can help manage carbon dioxide levels in confined spaces

  Vehicles and buildings designed to enable survival in extreme environments, such as spacecraft, submarines and sealed shelters, heavily rely on systems for the management of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are technologies that can remove and release CO2, ensuring that the air remains breathable for a long time.

• Polymer beads generate electricity for self-charging devices using simple friction

  An international team has discovered a simple and environmentally friendly way to power the next generation of self-charging electronics. The work is published in Nano Energy.

• Sensor-integrated food wrapper can facilitate real-time, non-destructive detection of nutritional components

  Food quality and safety are crucial. However, conventional food-monitoring methods, including ribotyping and polymerase chain reaction, tend to be destructive and lengthy. These shortcomings limit their potential for broad applications. In this regard, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing, with real-time, non-destructive, and high sensitivity capabilities, is a highly promising alternative.

• Cellular 'nanodomains' act as hidden hubs for protein clusters linked to ALS and dementia

  Inside the cell reside many tiny assembly factories and warehouses that gather together all of the proteins and RNAs—which carry out instructions from our DNA—that a living being needs.

• Mini-fridges on a nanoscale? New cooling technique could make computer chips more powerful

  As more devices get piled onto computer chips to increase processing power capacity, heat generation becomes increasingly concentrated. This heat must be removed to keep chip performance high, but is currently achieved by circulating water through millimeter-scale channels to cool nanosized hotspots. This scale mismatch reduces the cooling efficiency by consuming more water than necessary, also raising environmental concerns.

• Novel mRNA therapy curbs antibiotic-resistant infections in preclinical lung models

  Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have reported early success with a novel mRNA-based therapy designed to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

• Copper nanoparticles unexpectedly prove suitable for ultraviolet SERS spectroscopy

  Lithuanian researchers at the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Habil. Dr. Gediminas Niaura and Dr. Martynas Talaikis, together with international colleagues, have for the first time demonstrated that copper is a suitable metal for ultraviolet surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (UV SERS)—a highly sensitive method used to study molecular vibrations.