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Toward practical laser-driven light sails using photonic crystals

Most space missions rely on chemical rockets for propulsion. Rockets must carry fuel, which increases spacecraft mass and limits their speed and travel distance. For decades, researchers have explored light sails as an alternative. ...

Using individual atoms to achieve fossil-free chemistry

Every chemical reaction faces a barrier: For substances to react with one another, it is first necessary to supply energy. In many cases, this energy barrier is low—such as when striking a match. For many key reactions ...

Intermediate phases unlock faster nanoparticle crystallization

Crystalline nanomaterials are valuable because their highly ordered structures give them useful properties for technologies such as data storage and optical devices. But forming nanoparticles from those orderly crystals is ...

New 2D membrane reactor improves photocatalytic synthesis

Chinese researchers have developed a photocatalytic membrane reactor that dramatically improves the synthesis of imines—a class of compounds essential to the production of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and advanced synthetic ...

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Nanophysics
A new, useful absorption limit for ultra-thin films
Nanomaterials
Peanut waste can be turned into high-quality futuristic graphene
Nanomaterials
Nanochannel method makes ion membranes twice as strong for clean energy
Nanomaterials
2D memristors could help solve AI's energy problem
Nanomaterials
LED-powered e-nose detects multiple hazardous gases at room temperature
Nanophysics
Diamond surfaces are covered in thin, ice-like water layers
Bio & Medicine
Color-changing nanopigment sensor tracks pH one to ten with stable, repeatable readings
Nanophysics
When smaller means better: How device scaling enhances memory performance
Bio & Medicine
Scientists deliver new molecule for getting DNA into cells
Bio & Medicine
Stretchy plastics conduct electricity via tiny, whisker-like fibers
Bio & Medicine
Charged nanoparticles linked to higher fish embryo mortality
Nanophysics
Nanodevice produces continuous electricity from evaporation
Nanomaterials
Nature-inspired method forms ZnO quantum dots in solid crystals at room temperature
Nanomaterials
Transistor-like MXene membranes enhance ion separation
Bio & Medicine
Chemistry-powered 'breathing' membrane opens and closes tiny pores on its own
Nanophysics
When electronics become flexible: Atom-thin materials for future devices
Nanophysics
Mass production technology developed for ultra-high color purity perovskite emitters
Nanophysics
Nanoengineers realize an on-chip excitonic hyperlens
Nanomaterials
World's smallest QR code, read via electron microscope, earns Guinness recognition
Nanophysics
Tuned nanocrystals speed light-driven reactions by matching molecular vibrations

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Plants & Animals
Could ultrasound help save hedgehogs?
Optics & Photonics
Ultrafast computing: Light-driven logic tops 10 terahertz in WS₂
Plants & Animals
Japanese scientists discover how falling cats almost always make perfect landings
Planetary Sciences
New exoplanet survey method finds high rates of closely orbiting planets
Analytical Chemistry
Hybrid synthetic strategy unlocks previously unattainable molecular architectures
Evolution
New African species confirms evolutionary origin of magic mushrooms
Plants & Animals
Electron microscopy maps protein landscapes that drive photosynthesis
Astronomy
NASA finds extreme star collision in unlikely spot
Plants & Animals
Gnaw-y by nature: Researchers discover neural circuit that rewards gnawing behavior in rodents
Plants & Animals
Europe's buzzards are losing their color diversity, citizen science reveals
Optics & Photonics
3D-printed photonic lanterns combine up to 37 multimode lasers into one fiber
Environment
Where wells run deep, biodiversity runs thin
Paleontology & Fossils
Scientists document Europe's first Jurassic lizard trackways in Asturias
Earth Sciences
Glacial lakes in Alaska are expanding rapidly and could quadruple in size
Earth Sciences
Soil health index finds restored mangroves can near full function
Condensed Matter
Scientists control 'free-flowing' electric currents with light
Cell & Microbiology
Telomere breaks provide new insights into chaotic chromosome mutations
Biotechnology
One gene makes the difference: Breeding winter-hardy faba beans
Planetary Sciences
A new model defines an upper limit to planetary radiation belt intensity
General Physics
Precisely measuring quantum signals in large spin ensembles

Chiral nanowires can actively change electron spin direction

The phenomenon where electron spins align in a specific direction after passing through chiral materials is a cornerstone for future spin-based electronics. Yet, the precise process behind this effect has remained a mystery—until ...

Charging gold nanorods with light energy

Gold nanorods are promising photocatalysts that can use light energy to drive chemical reactions—such as converting CO₂ into usable fuels or producing hydrogen from water. In this process, the nanorods act like tiny antennas ...