Phys.org Nanotechnology

• Core technology developed for ultra-high-resolution quantum dot displays

  A research team has developed a direct optical lithography (DOL) technology that patterns quantum dots (QDs) at ultra-high resolution using only light, without photoresist. Through this, they also provided guidelines for selecting cross-linkers essential for fabricating high-performance QLEDs. This achievement is regarded as a core fundamental technology that can be applied to a wide range of optoelectronic devices, including micro-QLEDs, ultra-high-resolution displays, transparent electronic devices, and next-generation image sensors.

• Inkjet-style technique developed to produce high-sensitivity biosensors

  A research team has successfully developed the technology to fabricate high-sensitive biosensors by simply spraying, like an inkjet printer. The technology enables the fabrication of sensitive and precise sensors without expensive and complex equipment, and is expected to contribute to improving the fabrication scale and speed of biosensors in the future.

• Quantum dot and polymer cross-linking enables 50% stretch capability for micro-LED displays

  A research team has developed a next-generation display core material with excellent stretchability and superior color reproduction. The team developed a high-performance color-conversion layer that is more flexible and vivid than conventional ones. This layer was successfully applied to the development of a stretchable micro-LED display, drawing significant attention.

• From layered transition metal oxide to 2D material: Scientists make 2H-NbO₂ discovery

  2H-NbO₂—a novel van der Waals oxide synthesized by researchers from Japan—exhibits strongly correlated electronic properties with two-dimensional flexibility. By chemically extracting lithium ions from the layered sheets of LiNbO₂, the researchers transformed a three-dimensional oxide into a two-dimensional material—unlocking unique properties like Mott insulating states and superconductivity. Bridging transition metal oxides and 2D materials, the discovery paves the way for realizing advanced quantum materials in next-generation electronic devices.

• The science of spaghetti: Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart

  Using small angle neutron and X-ray scattering, researchers from the European Spallation Source and RWTH Aachen University have compared the nanostructure of gluten-free and normal spaghetti, finding that the kind with gluten is much more forgiving to varied cooking conditions.

• Reusable nanocomposite unites adsorption and photocatalysis for advanced wastewater treatment

  Researchers at National Taiwan University designed a graphene oxide biochar TiO2 nanocomposite that combines adsorption capacity with superior photocatalytic activity. With strong material characterization and optoelectronic properties, it offers a novel and sustainable solution for antibiotic removal from livestock wastewater.

• Smart patch runs tests using sweat instead of blood

  A new era is beginning where it's possible to precisely assess the body's health status using only sweat instead of blood tests. A KAIST research team has now developed a smart patch that can precisely observe internal changes through sweat when simply attached to the body. This is expected to greatly contribute to the advancement of chronic disease management and personalized health care technologies.

• Breakthrough carbon nanotube material sets new thermal insulation record

  Chinese researchers have developed a new carbon nanotube insulator that can withstand high temperatures up to 2,600°C, outperforming all other materials used for extreme-temperature applications. This breakthrough could be used for heat shields on hypersonic vehicles and spacecraft during re-entry into the atmosphere and in other high-temperature environments.

• Researchers create 2D nanomaterials with up to nine metals for extreme conditions

  Two-dimensional nanomaterials only a few atoms thick are being explored for a range of critical applications in biomedicine, electronics, nanodevices, energy storage and other areas, especially to enhance performance in extreme environments and ultra-demanding conditions.

• Gold quantum needles could sharpen imaging resolution and boost energy conversion

  Researchers Shinjiro Takano, Yuya Hamasaki, and Tatsuya Tsukuda of the University of Tokyo have successfully visualized the geometric structure of growing gold nanoclusters in their earliest stages. During this process, they also successfully grew a novel structure of elongated nanoclusters, which they named gold quantum needles.

• Alpaca-generated nanobody neutralizes a protein essential for herpes infection

  Burning, blisters, pain: More than 40 million people worldwide are infected with the herpes virus every year. The virus can pose a serious threat to newborns and people with weakened immune systems. Researchers in Hamburg and Göttingen have now generated a mini-antibody that neutralizes a protein essential for the infection. The findings, published in Nature, hold the promise of new therapies to treat and prevent severe herpes infections in the near future.

• Magnetic nanoparticles in synthetic cells enable controlled, deep-tissue drug release with reduced side effects

  A synthetic cell that can be activated by a magnetic field to release a medicine while deep in the body has been created by chemists at UCL (University College London) and the University of Oxford.

• Built for brilliance: Zintl-phase quantum dots illuminate new opportunities for optoelectronics

  Just one year after NREL materials science researchers Matthew Hautzinger and Sage Bauers met to exchange notes on underexplored materials in nanotechnology, their synthesis of promising Zintl-phase quantum dots is attracting attention with its bright photoluminescent glow, chemical stability, and Earth-abundant ingredients.

• Sperm bots roll out: Cells coated with magnetic nanoparticles could transform future of fertility

  A team of researchers at the TechMed Center of the University of Twente has transformed real sperm cells into tiny, magnetically controlled microrobots. These sperm bots can now be tracked in real time using X-ray imaging, a breakthrough in medical microrobotics.

• Sugar-coated nanoparticles could target deadly breast cancer

  Triple-negative breast cancer is particularly aggressive and difficult to treat; but recent research may offer a new way to target the often-deadly disease.

• Hybrid nanotube electrodes developed for safer brain-machine interfaces

  Brain–computer interfaces are technologies that enable direct communication between brain activity and external devices, enabling researchers to monitor and interpret brain signals in real time. These connections often involve arrays of tiny, hair-like electrodes called "microelectrodes" which are implanted within the brain to record or stimulate electrical activity.

• Therapeutic vaccination against HPV-related tumors: Study shows nanoparticles make difference

  Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have collaborated with the SILVACX project group at Heidelberg University to develop a therapeutic vaccination concept that can mobilize the immune system to target cancer cells. The team showed that virus peptides coupled to silica nanoparticles can elicit effective T-cell responses against HPV-related tumors. In a mouse model, the nanoparticle-based vaccine was able to partially or completely suppress HPV-related tumors.

• Golden nano sandwich makes nanoparticles visible

  Nanoparticles are everywhere. Nanoparticles find a wide range of applications in biomedical applications, sensing, energy conversion, and industrial processes. But nanoparticles can also have negative implications as environmental pollutants, defects and imperfections in electric and photonic circuits.

• CRISPR's efficiency triples in lab tests with DNA-wrapped nanoparticles

  With the power to rewrite the genetic code underlying countless diseases, CRISPR holds immense promise to revolutionize medicine. But until scientists can deliver its gene-editing machinery safely and efficiently into relevant cells and tissues, that promise will remain out of reach.

• Graphene reveals electrons that behave like frictionless fluid and break textbook rules

  For several decades, a central puzzle in quantum physics has remained unsolved: Could electrons behave like a perfect, frictionless fluid with electrical properties described by a universal quantum number?

• Stretchable nanofilms unlock tunable magnetic properties, paving way for advanced electronics

  Scientists at The University of Osaka and Tohoku University have developed a technique for creating nanoscale magnetic thin films with embedded functionality. By leveraging the stretchability of flexible substrates, they can precisely control the atomic spacing within these nanofilms, effectively "programming" desired magnetic properties directly into the material.

• Making the invisible visible: Dual laser excitation boosts light emission at nanoscale

  Light still holds surprises—as demonstrated by researchers from the Ultrafast Phenomena Lab at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, in collaboration with the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, the Polish Academy of Sciences, who have discovered a new enhancement effect in the emission of upconverting nanoparticles. They demonstrated that simultaneous excitation of these nanostructures with two near‐infrared beams of laser light leads to a significant increase in emission intensity.

• Tiny selenium-packed exosomes help heal brain and spinal cord damage in mice

  Traumatic injuries of the central nervous system (CNS)—such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)—are characterized by oxidative damage and neuroinflammation. Current treatment relies mainly on supportive care and surgical intervention, with a lack of effective drugs to directly target the underlying damage.

• New mechanism of nanoparticle formation overcomes century-old classical model

  Nanoparticles have diverse applications in modern science and industry, powering technologies like quantum-dot displays, nanocatalysts and drug delivery. Their unique physicochemical properties, which can be tuned by changing their size and shape, make them highly attractive.

• New retina-inspired photodiodes could advance machine vision

  Over the past decades, computer scientists have developed increasingly sophisticated sensors and machine learning algorithms that allow computer systems to process and interpret images and videos. This tech-powered capability, also referred to as machine vision, is proving to be highly advantageous for the manufacturing and production of food products, drinks, electronics, and various other goods.