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  Super thin, flat sheets are being used to manipulate light, instead of bulky lenses or mirrors. Metasurfaces are a nanostructure technology that can bend and twist light in ways never observed before.  Metasurfaces are synthetic engineered surfaces. They are made of meticulously designed nanostructures. They are smaller than the wavelength of light. When the geometry and arrangement of these particles is controlled, scientists create metasurfaces. These can control the amplitude, polarization and phase of lightwaves.  This unparalleled control over the properties of light unlocks huge opportunities for varied applications in optics.  The research was first published in a journal called Light: Advanced Manufacturing. Researchers from China are working on nanomanufacturing techniques, including maskless and masked lithography. The team is looking to explore limitations of current fabrication methods.  The potential of metasurfaces include a wide range of fields,...

  Certain materials used in modern technology (like those used in extreme environments for the military or nuclear systems) must withstand constantly changing conditions. These conditions include pressure, corrosion and temperature. The creation of next generation materials depends on understanding their lattice like behavior. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are working on a new project. The team have compressed crystals of zirconium. They found that under pressure, the material deformed in surprising ways. The research appeared in two separate letters, Physical Review Letters and Physical Review B.  Materials under high stress conditions can show a myriad of shear induced amorphization, phase transition, fracture, crystallographic twinning and dislocation slip. All metal plastically deforms under pressure. This means that they permanently change their shape under pressure. This is due to the motion of defects called dislocations on certain planes in s...

  Vincent van Gogh painted “the starry night.” It is an explosion of color and shapes. Each star in the painting is encapsulated in yellow, with variances in the luminosity of the paint. It’s illusion of the sky is so realistic, it has lead researchers around the world to compare it to the physics of real skies. Brushstrokes can be measured, the atmospheric motion of a painting cannot. Researchers of marine sciences and fluid dynamics in both China and France have published in Physics of Fluids. They have analyzed the Van Gogh painting to reveal hidden turbulence in the painter’s recreation of the sky. The author is a man named Yongxiang Huang. He reports, “ The scale of the paint strokes played a crucial role. With a high resolution digital picture, we were able to measure precisely the typical size of the brushstrokes and compare these to the scales expected from turbulence theories.” Researchers revealed hidden turbulence in the brushstrokes by comparing shape, energy and atmosp...

  Degradation could help the effectiveness of data storage. A new study is being presented from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Researchers are providing new insights into how next generation electronics break down or degrade over time. The information was featured as a cover article in ACS Nano.  New technology requires a significant amount of data storage. Spintronic devices are called magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). These are nanostructured devices that use the spin of the electrons to function.  Some examples of spintronic devices are hard drives, sensors and Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM).  MTJs are the prevailing force behind smart watches, providing non-volatile memory and improving energy efficiency in AI.  Researchers observed nanopillars through an electron microscope. In these systems, nanopillars are extremely small, transparent layers within the spintronic device. Current was run through the device to see how it operates. As the cur...

  Two objects that rub against each other create static electricity. There hasn’t been an exact explanation for this phenomenon until now. Northwestern University scientists have published a paper in the journal Nano Letters. It was discovered that when an object slides, the front and back parts experience different forces. The difference in one of these forces, electrical charges,  creates a current. This leads to a ‘shock.’ Laurence Marks led the study. He is a professor emeritus of material science and engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick school of engineering.  He stated, “ for the first time we were able to explain a mystery that nobody could before: Why rubbing matters. People have tried, but they could not explain the experimental results without making assumptions that were not justified or justifiable. We now can, and the answer is surprisingly simple. Just having different deformations, and therefore different charges at the front and back of something slidin...

  Water filters sold on the market today can remove contaminants. However, they are not designed to remove microplastics. On the contrary, some filters can add plastic to the water. It’s known that microplastics can cause cancer and even trigger other health problems.  There is new research coming from the University of Missouri. Researcher Maryam Salehi and other collaborators have designed a fabric like filter to trap these tiny particles! They published the research in Applied Polymer Science.  Maryam Salehi is an assistant professor of civil engineering at Mizzou’s College of Engineering.  Salehi reports, “The idea is to design a filter that can be attached to a faucet so it can remove microplastic and lead at the same time from tap water. We’re envisioning an inexpensive point-of-use filter that could connect to any faucet.”  This new filter would be made of polyvinyl alcohol fibers. These are polymers that are currently used in the biomedical field. This m...

 A new study was published in the journal Nature Materials. The group comprised of staff from the Charles University of Prague and the CFM (CSIS-UPV/EHU) center in San Sebastián and a team from the CIC nanoGUNE’s Nanodevices.  The machine being studied has designed a new complex material that will affect the field of spintronics. This material gives fresh ideas to the development of more efficient and more advanced electronic devices. There has been a boom in research into these two dimensional materials. They create new effects when two layers of these materials are stacked to form a heterostructure. It is observed that tiny rotations of the layers can greatly change the properties of this heterostructure.  Ikerbasque Research Professor Felix Casanova is a co-leader of the Nanodevices group at nanoGUNE. He reports, “ In this work, we studied the stacking of two layers of graphene and tungsten selenide (WSe2). If the two layers are placed one on top of the other and rotat...

  Researchers have discovered a new method to see how butterflies develop their color. Color is very important to butterflies for many reasons, including warding off predators and mate signaling. Dr Annie Jessop is a post-doctoral fellow at Murdoch University School of Mathematics, Statistics,Chemistry and Physics. She led this exciting new research.  Jessop reports that butterflies and many other insects use nanostructures  to create colors. It was previously thought that pigments were involved. She notes that there are certain mysteries concerning the nanostructures.  The research was published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. It is titled “Elucidating nanostructural organization and photonic properties of butterfly wing scales using hyper spectral microscopy.” Dr. Jessop reports, “Butterflies and many other insects use nanostructures to generate color, a phenomenon known as structural color. While we have lots of knowledge about how color is produced...

  Nagoya University in Japan has published a new technique for the construction of metal nanowires (NWs).  The wires are expected to be used in the next generations of electronics.  Prior to this research, production of pure metal NWs was difficult and limited their use. However, scientists suggest a way to produce these wires in a new study published in Science.  Maintaining quality and purity is the biggest challenge facing large scale manufacture of NWs. They are made by transporting atoms, usually in the gas state. It is quite difficult to do this with metals, so production is slow. Yasuhiro Kimura at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Engineering is leading a group that is creating the NWs. They use atomic diffusion in a solid phase state. It is enhanced by ion beam radiation. The team has created aluminum NWs from single crystals. Atomic diffusion is described as a process by which atoms or molecules move from highly concentrated areas to low, through str...

  Scientists have made important advances in the ongoing search to create new, long lasting, superheavy nuclei. These are ‘double magic’ nuclei. They are characterized by a precise number of protons and neutrons to form a very stable configuration. These nuclei are extremely resistant to decay.  The study will provide understanding into the forces that bind atoms together. The research was published in the journal Nuclear Science and Techniques. It’s one step closer to the “Island of Stability.” This is an area in the nuclei chart where some nuclei might exist for much longer than those previously created. Professor Feng-Shou Zhang has theorized reactions between elements that could be used in the double magic nuclei. One reaction is between a radioactive, calcium isotope and a plutonium target. The scientists are hoping to create the predicted double magic nuclei 298Fl.  Scientists expect these elements can be made and remain stable. It’s possible they have unique proper...

  A large collaborative effort to study cancer treatment and nanoparticles is underway.  The team is being led by Professor Wang Hui and Professor Qian Junchao. The scientists are from the Heifei Institute of Physical Science and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The group designed a catalytically active, photoresponsive, Fe-doped nanoparticle (FDCN).  This has started a new branch of research, entitled chemodynamic therapy. The article was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The field of tumor catalytic therapy is very interested in the carbon based nanocatalyst mediated chemodynamic therapy. (CDT). However, the catalization of hydroxyl radicals (OH) from hydrogen peroxide has limited its efficiency. To alleviate this problem, the team used very small amount of iron. The iron was added to carbon particles. The team used a solvothermal method. This improved the ability to create the necessary OH Radicals without harming the healthy cells. Next, the team co...

  A new study was published in Nature Chemistry about the storage of hydrogen. The team consists of chemists from the University of Hong Kong, Northwestern University and Duke University. They have developed a supra molecular  material that is used to compress hydrogen. The process involves porous, organic crystals and it’s claimed to allow hydrogen storage that is not too heavy. Hydrogen is known as a clean energy resource. However, it’s not used in a large scale way because of storage problems. It takes up a lot more space than gasoline. Scientists around the world have been researching compression methods. In this study, the team devised a technique that meets the US department of energy’s standards. The first goal was to store at least 50g of hydrogen per liter of material used for its storage. The second goal is that it should not be too heavy. This means that the weight of the hydrogen stored should not be more than 6.5% of the total weight. Previous efforts have failed,...

  PFAS substances are known as forever chemicals in a single integrated system. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have created new treatments that will assist in this global problem. The development traps and treats PFAS substances.  This intriguing exploration is published in Nature Communications Engineering.  PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are used in the manufacturing of consumer goods. This is due to their resistance to stains, heat and even water.  However, they are considered pollutants. They have been linked to cancer and other serious health issues. They often end up on ground and surface water. Dr. Johan Foster is an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in the faculty of applied science. He is also lead researcher in the study. He reports, “PFAS are notoriously difficult to break down, whether they’re in the environment or in the human body. Our system will make it possible to remove and destroy thes...

 Nanomedicine entails tiny drug delivery systems, approximately 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. They have been accredited as the future for disease research. However, the road from lab to patient trials has significant challenges. Researchers are looking to slash costs and reduce the time it takes to develop nanomedicine treatments.  This research on nanomedicine was published in Nature Nanotechnology. Paul Joyce from the University of South Australia and Professor Helder Santos from the University of Groningen led the study. The research discusses early stage recommendations for nanomedicine development during design, manufacturing, clinical, regulatory practices and much more. The hope is to maximize the chance of clinical translation.  Paul Joyce reports recent successes in both chemotherapy and vaccines. He claims it could redefine what’s possible for in-patient care. He reports, “ we only need to think of the recent COVID-19 pandemic to realize the acute value...

Researchers have produced new substantially strong carbon plastics. They are based on phosphate binders that can hold up to 500°C. The findings are from the Institute of chemistry of Kazan federal University and the Kazan national research technical university.  The work was published in the journal composites part a: Applied science and manufacturing. Rustem Amirov is the chair of the department of inorganic chemistry and lead advocate research associate of the laboratory of polymer, smart materials and nano composites at the Institute of chemistry.  He reports “composite materials are used very widely today: Almost everything is made from them, starting with hockey sticks and ending with airplanes. The vast majority of composites are created using organic polymer binders, which has many positive features, but have two significant drawbacks: They are flammable and work up to temperatures of 300 to 400°C maximum. At the same time, the use of composites, for example, in aviatio...

  Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an important process in renewable energy technology.  A group of international researchers have enhanced this technology. The scientists introduced rare earth single atoms into manganese oxide. (MnO2). The team was able to modulate oxygen electronic states.  This led to huge improvements in OER’s capabilities!  The research was published in the journal Nano Energy. Transition based metal oxides are used for their potential as OER catalysts. The catalyst are restricted by the adsorbate evolution mechanism. It limits the release of oxygen during the reaction period.  Hao Li is an associate professor at the Advanced Institute for materials research (WPI-AIMR) at Tohoku University.  He reports “ We constructed localized asymmetric gadolinium-oxygen-manganese units on MnO2,  which helps accumulate electrons at oxygen sites. By doing this, the catalyst achieve a lower over all potential and maintains stability overtime, m...

  New research about chiral molecules was published in the journal Nature Communications. The study was named “ Near complete chiral selection in rational quantum states”. It was sponsored by the controlled molecules group from the molecular physics department of the Fritz Harber Institute. The team was led by Dr. Sandra Eibenberger-Arias.  They achieved near complete separation in quantum states!  Their discovery draws into question the practical limits of the quantum state control of chiral molecules. It also open the door for new research into molecular physics and much more. Enantiomers are chiral molecules. Exist as two non-superimposable molecules, just like our right and left hands. The importance of controlling these molecules and their corresponding quantum states has profound implications, as these molecules are fundamental to the fabric of life. Until now, scientists understood that perfect control is theoretically impossible and not obtainable. The researchers...

  Making particles in a lab is relatively simple when the particles are spherical. Real world particles are irregular and have varying size. Making these particles is laborious and slow. Simulating particles is important for understanding their behavior. The newest form of pollution, microplastics, are found everywhere in the world. We must understand how the particles look and behave to understand how to eliminate them. Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are working to combat this challenge. They have used networks to predict interactions between irregular particles. This is to accelerate molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations are 23 times faster than normal testing and can be applied to any nonstandard shape.  The research was published in the journal Chemical Physics. It is titled, “Molecular dynamics simulations of anisotropic particles accelerated by neural-net predicted interactions.” Antonia Statt is a professor of materials science and e...

  A new study by the University of Twente and the e-science center in Amsterdam. The teams compared transference of light through a utopian model that had a real 3-D nanostructure. The work was published in the journal Optics Express. The work was completed by Lars Corijn van Willenswaard, Stef Smeets, Nicholas Renaud and Willem Vos, among others. The team used an innovative approach. They used a real 3-D nanostructure, Which they obtain through x-ray imaging. By using this nanostructure, they could compare a real structure with an idealized or “utopian” model.  The teams findings shows that the real nanostructure displays a hefty restraint of light, which is completely missing in the Utopian design.  Device predictability is a key factor in modern day electronics. From light emitting diodes to chip fabrication, deviations always appeared during nanofabrication. Two nanostructures built side-by-side are not the same down to the atom level. One reason could be that the equ...

  Researchers are working on new ways to recycle plastic waste. Methods include ways to turn waste into high- quality products, enabling a genuine circular economy.  Currently, most plastic waste is recycled mechanically. It is shredded and then melted down. This method results in more plastic products, but their quality is degenerated with each recycling step.  Chemical recycling is a new method being introduced. It avoids the big drop in quality. The technique involves breaking down long-chain plastic molecules (polymers).  They are formed into fundamental building blocks (monomers). These monomers can be re-created into new high-quality plastics. This is a sustainable cycle!  The initial methods of chemical recycling focused on breaking down polymer chains into usable products like liquid fuels or even lubricants.  Plastic waste then has a new life as engine oil or jet fuel.  Researchers at ETH Zürich have made important discoveries about these new ...

  Stress comes into our lives in a variety of ways, from work to the constant go of just simply living. Ignoring stress levels can lead to serious health issues like Alzheimers and depression. Researchers are designing a new device that can check our stress levels at home using nanoparticles. This study was recently published in the scientific journal Talanta. Scientists in the UK and China have developed a tool that will measure cortisol. Tong-Ji is a senior technician at Xi-an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).  She reports “A cost effective, easily reproducible and easy-to-use point of care testing device that accurately measures cortisol levels has long been sought. It could make a huge difference to an appropriate and speedy diagnosis of high cortisol levels, drastically improving people’s lives.” There is a measurement device that is currently being used. The device usually includes electrodes. Electrodes have poor stability due to condition changes like temperature ...

  Topological materials have unique properties regarding the physical law guiding electrons. The wavefunction of these materials is twisted or knotted. When a topological material meets the surrounding space, the wavefunction must disentangle. To deal with this sudden change, the electrons behave differently than they do in the middle of the material. What happens next is referred to as edge states. If the topological material is a superconductor, the edge and main body behave differently, although they are both superconductors.  This is an interesting circumstance. An example is two touching bodies of water that do not mix. The study was recently published in Nature Physics. Researchers studied superconducting edge currents in a topological material called molybdenum telluride. (MoTe2). This substance can support in the huge changes with superconducting pairs. This is imperative because electron pairing is how electricity flows freely in a superconductor.  Topological su...

  It’s known that nano and micro plastics are in our food, the air we breathe and in our water. They’re showing up in our human bodies, from sex organs to brain matter. A new low-cost tool to measure plastics is being tested at the university of British Columbia. This portable tool will accurately measure plastic from our daily disposable cups and water bottles. The device is paired with an app for the phone. It uses fluorescent labeling. This technique detects plastic particles from 50 nm to 10 µm in size.  The research was published in ACS Sensors. Dr. Tianxi Yang developed the tool. He is an assistant professor, in the faculty of land and food systems. He reports, “ The breakdown of larger plastic pieces into microplastics and nanoplastics presents significant threats to food systems, ecosystems, and human health. This new technique allows quick detection of these plastics, which could protect our health and ecosystems.”  Microplastics are very small particles with a l...

  New particles were recently discovered that could lead to the advancement of future quantum devices. The research was posted in a journal called Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. The main research is being reported by Bruno Uchoa and Hong-yi Xie. Excitons are initially created when electrons and their holes (Which are oppositely charged) bind together. Excitons are prevalent in modern computers and their behavior is observable in semiconductors and insulators.  In the recent report, Uchoa and Xie have predicted a “topological exciton” and it has infinite vorticity. It exists in a class of materials called Chern insulators. Topology is a type of mathematics that deals with the properties, shapes and even surfaces of particles that don’t change-Even when stretched bent or twisted.  Researchers used topological idealisms to describe materials with electronic properties that are not affected by imperfections. Chern refers to a topology class where the characte...

  New research was released in Physical Review Letters. It discusses a new method for tuning electronic bands in graphene. Their work highlights the use of artificial superlattice fields for changing the band dispersions of graphene. There are many traditional band engineering methods, including interfacial strain, alloying and the use of heterostructures. These methods have limitations, in particular providing in situ and control over the engineered band structures. This changed with the invention of van der Waals (vdW) materials like graphene. It has opened new roads for structure engineering, making possible gating and even moire heterostructures.  These possibilities allow for the modification of energy bands and can lead to various previously unknown physical phenomena.  The biggest obstacle is the precise control of band structures to attain these specific electronic properties. In the past, these methods are not as flexible and do not have the ability to selectivel...

  New and interesting research from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. Scientists used waste extracts from cannabis sativa and vitis vinifera to create bimetallic nanoparticles.  This is a new eco-friendly approach with powerful anti-microbial properties. The research was published in the journal RSC Advances. Researchers around the world are searching for environmentally friendly solutions to create nanoparticles.  Jana Michailidu is the author of the study. She states, “Our study aims to contribute To a circular economy by transforming agricultural waste and valuable materials. The use of cannabis sativa and vitis vinifera waste not only addresses waste management challenges but also provides an effective method to combat microbial infections.” The research entails the extraction of bioactive compounds from the scrap materials of the plants. The compounds are then mixed with certain nitrates and tetrachloroauric acid to produce bimetallic nanoparticle...

  Research was recently published in the journal Science from the university of California, Berkeley.  Scientists have discovered an environmentally friendly adhesive polymer. The team used an electrophilic Stabilizer to stop a kind of fatty acid from depolymerizing. This enabled the researchers to use it as an adhesive.  Zhibin Guan is a chemist at the University of California, Irvine and outlined some of the work that is being studied. Guan reports that polymer adhesives are used in many applications. They are each designed for a specific use. An example of this is wood glue- It cannot be used effectively in other contexts. Also, Guan reports that many adhesives are Hazardous to both plants and animals. This creates a rising environmental problem. The goal was to develop a sustainable polymer adhesive that can be used in the medical and non-medical field, having a wide variety of applications.  Scientists used a-lipoid acid (aLa). This is an organic fatty acid that...

  New research is being conducted at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Scientists have created a reusable and highly sensitive device called a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). It is a micro fluid system that can detect lower than 10 ppt (parts per trillion) of harmful substances. The work was published in the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing. Use of this new tool could effect food safety, environmental monitoring, and even medical diagnosis.  Dr. Yongxiang Hu is a professor at SJTU’s School of Mechanical Engineering. He is first author of this new paper and is quoted as saying, “How to assemble well-designed nanoparticles into micro channels is a critical problem. In most research, the SERS-active substrate is fabricated separately in advance and then integrated with micro fluid chips, suffering from low fabrication efficiency and expensive costs. We need to find a fast and affordable technique. Here we are saying why not implant nanoparticles into...

  Professor Minoru Osada is from the Institute for Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS) at Nagoya University. He has discovered a way to create high-speed large area deposition of 2-D materials. These include oxides, graphene oxides and boron nitrate.  Researchers have called the technique “ Spontaneous integrated transfer method.” It was uncovered by chance, but it will revolutionize nanosheet production.  The discovery was recently published in the journal Small.  Nanosheets are just a few atoms thick. They have a very high surface area related to their volume. Nanosheets exhibit extraordinary electronic, mechanical, optical and even chemical properties. Researchers believe they will revolutionize material science and modern electronics.  Making nanosheets is typically done in two different ways. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and the Langmuir- Blodgett (LB) technique are typically used in fabrication. The biggest problems with these techniques ar...

  A new paper was just published in Advanced Materials. A team from India is studying a group of special crystals. The original researchers are from the Physics department at IISER Pune in India, IISER Mohali and Brookhaven National Laboratory in the U.S. They are researching a new way to grow crystals called CsPbBr3.  The properties of these crystals are promising. They should make for updates to existing photo detectors and electronic devices.  CsPbBr3’s properties are superb for use in optoelectronic devices. This means the crystals can interact with light. They are stable at high temperatures. This makes the crystals both durable and reliable. In the past, researchers had difficulty growing large, high-quality CsPbBr3 crystals that had ferroelectric properties and ultra low dark current. This has limited the use of crystals in optical switches, ultra sensitive detectors, and solar cells.  The current researchers have created a way to grow crystals at near room te...