https://phys.org/nanotech-news/nano-materials/ en-us The latest science news on nanomaterials, nanotechnology, nanoparticles and nanoscience. More accurate navigation systems and improved wireless communications may not come from traditional electronics, but rather from atoms. Researchers at Penn State and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new way to build tinier, smarter glass sensors filled with highly precise and stable atoms. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-glass-cells-atoms-path-smarter.html Nanophysics Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:40:04 EDT news701699108 McGill University researchers have developed a light-detecting nanoscale structure that mimics how a neuron processes information. The neuron-like behavior emerges from the materials themselves, reducing the energy demand associated with similar devices that rely on circuits or software. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-inorganic-nanoscale-device-neuron-doors.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 25 Jun 2026 17:00:07 EDT news701617881 Materials scientists at Rice University have developed a new workflow methodology for measuring microscopic defects in diamond and other advanced semiconductor materials. By making it easier to spot flaws that can undermine performance, the approach could accelerate the development of more reliable electronic and quantum devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-defect-automated-diamond-advanced-semiconductors.html Nanophysics Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT news701617317 Plants convert light into energy efficiently through photosynthesis—an ability that scientists and engineers still struggle to match with electronic devices. Recently, researchers have looked beyond traditional semiconductor materials to create devices using a promising class of materials called nanoplasmonics. These tiny metal structures can absorb and concentrate optical energy and generate energetic charge carriers. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-artificial-leaf-powers-wireless-biomedical.html Nanophysics Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:03 EDT news701599443 Water is the most studied molecule on Earth, yet a surprisingly basic question has gone unanswered for decades: When water is squeezed into gaps just a few molecules wide—as happens inside nanoscale pores, membranes and biological channels—does it become more or less chemically reactive? https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chemistry-nanoscale-spaces.html Nanomaterials Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:20:09 EDT news701596982 Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered the long-standing mystery behind the synthesis of Janus two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, paving the way for more precise manufacturing of materials used in future electronics and clean energy technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-electron-buildup-2d-interface-reveals.html Nanophysics Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:40:09 EDT news701529061 Living cells constantly exchange ions (i.e., charged particles) via the thin barrier that surrounds their interior, known as the outer membrane. Neuroscientists and medical researchers have long been trying to devise effective methods to measure this exchange of ions, which is known to be associated with communication between neurons and various other crucial physiological processes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-artificial-dna-tiles-drugs-neurons.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:01 EDT news701516330 This April, when the spring breeze carried the formal acceptance notice of our paper by the Journal of the American Chemical Society to my desk, my thoughts instantly drifted back to the late Phil Geissler. A legendary physical chemist and the original spark for this research, Geissler had once observed a baffling phenomenon: When the hairy, flexible ligands passivating a nanoparticle's surface spontaneously order themselves into crystalline patterns, a massive, seemingly magical attractive force suddenly erupts between the particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-liquid-ripples-rewrite-year-biological.html Nanophysics Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:08 EDT news701427498 Whenever someone asks ChatGPT a question, heat is generated somewhere in the server room—a data center. When an electric vehicle battery generates heat during operation, the heat must be managed continuously. Manufacturing processes also generate large amounts of waste heat, much of which is simply released into the atmosphere. But what if we could convert this waste heat back into electricity? Recently, a research team in Korea brought this possibility one step closer to reality. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanotube-based-thermoelectrics-pathway-energy.html Nanophysics Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:20:01 EDT news701361841 Materials engineers have developed the ability to manipulate structure and matter at the nanoscale for solid-state alloys called intermetallics, making it possible to alter their properties for improved performance. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanoscale-coal-gpa-strength-plastic.html Nanomaterials Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:00:02 EDT news700932224 A team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has developed a versatile nanorobot with propulsion and payload modules. The two reusable modules autonomously self-assemble and could be used in medicine or industry. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-modular-nanorobot-cancer-cells-viability.html Bio & Medicine Sun, 21 Jun 2026 14:00:03 EDT news700914551 Researchers have developed a novel class of nanotube membranes that enable ultrafast ion transport. The findings open new pathways for high-efficiency clean energy generation, lithium recovery and molecular separation. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanotube-membranes-reveal-unusually-fast.html Nanomaterials Sat, 20 Jun 2026 14:00:04 EDT news701017579 Why does water roll off a duck's back but spread on clean glass? For macroscopic (millimeter-scale) drops, this behavior can be explained using continuum theory. However, when nanoscale (10–9 mm) droplets spread on surfaces, a force called line tension becomes relevant and mysteriously changes sign. Questions about the nature of this force and its relevance to water's interaction with surfaces have remained unanswered. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecular-simulations-uncover-nanodrops-thin.html Nanophysics Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:00:03 EDT news701010061 Scientists from the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester and Sun Yat-sen University have captured the growth of semiconducting tellurium nanostructures in liquid in real time, revealing how tiny seed particles form, grow into nanowires and compete for material as the structures develop. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-real-microscopy-reveals-semiconductor-nanowires.html Nanophysics Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:00:15 EDT news700900801 Neural interfaces are devices that can detect or modulate neuronal activity when placed in contact with the brain. They are already used to treat various conditions related to the nervous system. However, current technologies still have limitations that can reduce their effectiveness. One example is their unidirectional function. While most existing interfaces can stimulate the brain, they cannot accurately detect or decode brain activity simultaneously. Even when they can do so, they often face limitations in the detection of certain signals, particularly those at very low frequencies. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-flexible-graphene-based-neural-interface.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:10:01 EDT news700844882 Life on Earth has evolved under an uninterrupted rhythm of day and night. While light provides the energy that powers countless molecular processes, periods of darkness often allow biological systems to reorganize, recover and transform that energy into functional outcomes. Inspired by this natural balance, an international team led by Javier Montenegro at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela has demonstrated that the same principle can govern the behavior of simple synthetic molecular systems. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-darkness-nanotubes-responsive-molecular.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:10:01 EDT news700843622 A research team from Tohoku University and Kyocera Corp. has developed a new magneto-optical material—a nanocomposite magnetic garnet film—that can be deposited directly onto silicon substrates while delivering a magneto-optical figure of merit four times higher than conventional polycrystalline films. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-silicon-compatible-nanocomposite-garnet-enables.html Nanophysics Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news700829521 A new technology allows metal circuits floating on water to be transferred directly onto any desired surface. A South Korean research team has introduced a novel technique capable of transferring ultra-fine nanocircuits onto plant leaves and fruits, as well as curved automotive surfaces and robot exteriors, all without causing any damage. This technology could be widely used across industries, including smart agriculture, wearable health care and bioelectronics. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-based-nanoprinting-metal-delicate-3d.html Nanomaterials Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:40:06 EDT news700735801 As the global semiconductor industry enters the so-called 2-nanometer process era, the actual size of transistors—the core components of semiconductor chips—still remains above 10 nm. How much smaller, then, can transistors get? KAIST researchers have developed a technology to predict that limit through quantum mechanical, atom-level calculations. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-atomic-simulations-transistor-scaling-limits.html Nanophysics Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:05 EDT news700734001 One of the most fascinating aspects of physics is that nature often behaves in ways that seem completely counterintuitive. A good example comes from ultrathin materials. If I take a sheet of material and make it thinner and thinner, most people would expect it to become weaker. After all, there is less material left to bear a load. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-scaling-law-ultrathin-materials-stronger.html Nanophysics Sun, 14 Jun 2026 18:00:01 EDT news700477932 Scaffolded DNA and RNA origami is a technique that allows scientists to build tiny, highly precise two- and three-dimensional objects. Because these nanostructures can interact naturally with biological systems, they could have important future uses in health care and agritech. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-tool-reliable-dna-nanostructures.html Nanomaterials Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news700146491 Engineers often treat impurities as a problem to eliminate to improve material performance. But new research from Osaka Metropolitan University and Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM suggests that in some cases, a little chemical messiness is exactly what helps materials slide more smoothly. The findings were published in Advanced Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chemical-impurities-carbon-surfaces-superslippery.html Nanomaterials Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:00:05 EDT news700148729 Over the past several decades, light sources have gradually transitioned to light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, and inorganic LEDs are now used across a wide range of applications. In parallel, organic LEDs, or OLEDs, have become widely used in display technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-molecule-ultranarrow-emission-spectrum.html Nanophysics Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:00:08 EDT news700398901 A KAIST research team has succeeded, for the first time, in synthesizing the core raw material for fabricating asymmetric MXene, a so-called "Janus-faced" nanomaterial that can perform distinct functions because of differing atomic compositions on its two sides, paving the way for the development of multifunctional materials with applications such as removing radioactive pollutants and shielding electromagnetic waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-janus-nanomaterials-pave-capturing-radioactive.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:10 EDT news700391943 DNA is composed of long chains that act as the blueprint for living organisms. In genetic engineering, scientists cut DNA at specific sites and join the resulting fragments to other DNA sequences, enabling applications such as advanced crop breeding, treatment of genetic diseases, and the generation of animal models for drug discovery. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-silver-nanoparticles-pave-precise-dna.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:10:01 EDT news700303802 The nanoscale world appears to have a new ball to kick around. Researchers from Brown University have shown the first experimental evidence for a "buckyball" molecule made from 80 boron atoms. The new structure is the cousin of the carbon buckyball, known formally as Buckminsterfullerene—a soccer ball-shaped molecule made from 60 carbon atoms that helped launch the nanotechnology revolution when it was discovered just over 40 years ago. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-atom-boron-buckyball-nanotechnology-spotlight.html Nanomaterials Wed, 10 Jun 2026 12:20:04 EDT news700308361 MIT researchers have demonstrated a low-cost design for specialized electronic nozzles, called triaxial electrospray emitters, that could be used to manufacture time-release drug-delivery particles or self-healing materials efficiently and at scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-3d-nozzle-array-production-drug.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:20:05 EDT news700222923 An international team led by the Max Born Institute has developed a new type of momentum microscopy to image magnons—the quanta of collectively excited spins—directly in two-dimensional reciprocal space using soft X-rays. Owing to its remarkable sensitivity, simplicity, and access to nanometer-scale wavelengths, this novel technique establishes a powerful and versatile platform for exploring nonlinear magnon interactions, which are promising for future computing schemes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-magnon-momentum-microscopy-window-nanoscale.html Nanophysics Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:30:01 EDT news700156202 What do iron, lead and nickel have in common? These heavy metals are an indispensable part of many industries. However, they also share a dark reality: They are serious environmental and public health threats. Every day, they find their way into the atmosphere and water bodies through industrial activities, mining and urban waste. Heavy metals are highly toxic, do not break down naturally and tend to build up in the tissues of living organisms over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-medicinal-yield-carbon-nanoparticles-red.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:50:01 EDT news700154762 The fixed idea that DNA is only a molecule that stores genetic information is being challenged. KAIST researchers have developed a technology that controls the chemical environment around catalysts at the nanometer scale by designing DNA sequences—the arrangement of A, T, G and C that make up genetic information. The team has presented a new catalyst platform that can improve hydrogen production efficiency and increase the yield of desired chemical products by designing DNA much like writing a computer program. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dna-nanometer-scale-catalyst-cleaner.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:10:06 EDT news700152361