https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A research team led by Professor Jiwoong Yang of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST has developed the world's first foundational technology for an ultrahigh-resolution stretchable quantum dot display (QLED) that can stretch freely like skin while maintaining sharp image quality. The findings were published in Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-display-technology-combines-brightness-pixels.html Nanophysics Wed, 07 Oct 2026 16:30:02 EDT news710605801 A research team has developed a photocatalytic technology that improves the stability of MXene, an emerging material vulnerable to water, to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into methane. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-polymer-coating-tackles-mxene-stability.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 07 Oct 2026 15:50:01 EDT news710605621 Contrast agents are compounds routinely used in clinical analysis to enhance differentiation between tissues or to increase the visibility of structures or fluids within the body, thus facilitating medical diagnosis. A study led by researcher Lucia Cardo and Ikerbasque research professor and AXA chair Maurizio Prato (both at CIC biomaGUNE) confirms that manganese-doped carbon nanodots could be the next generation of contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-manganese-doped-carbon-nanodots-rival.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:40:11 EDT news710411041 When light travels through a strongly scattering material, such as biological tissue or other disordered opaque media, it follows many different paths and produces a seemingly random speckle pattern. Wavefront shaping makes it possible to control this complex interference and focus light through such materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-giant-fluctuations-focused-reveal-hidden.html Condensed Matter Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:00:01 EDT news710002088 From vaccines to gene therapies, mRNA medicines often rely on tiny fat-based particles called lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, to carry treatments where they need to go. But researchers still face a fundamental challenge: getting those therapies to the organs where they are needed most while limiting side effects elsewhere in the body. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gut-mrna-tech-supercharges-vaccine.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:00:02 EDT news710062742 Instead of capturing a memory with an iPhone camera, Carnegie Mellon University's Nivedita Shyamsundar used hers to make a scientific discovery. A senior in the Department of Chemistry, Shyamsundar studies tiny particles that could help medicines and vaccines travel more effectively through the human body and reach their targets. Her work may one day lead to better cancer treatments and stronger vaccines. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticle-mystery-iphone-camera.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:20:14 EDT news709887062 Nanoparticles could someday provide a new way to help soldiers fight back against deadly nerve agents on the front lines. In a new study, Northwestern University scientists developed a nanoparticle-based compound that, when mixed into clothing dyes, could limit the impact of chemicals commonly found in pesticides, insecticides and nerve agents. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-wearable-nanotech-combat-nerve-agents.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:40:02 EDT news709889641 The research group at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Pontedera (Pisa), led by Gianni Ciofani, has developed new organic nanoparticles that combine multiple therapeutic functions in a single material for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dopamine-based-nanotubes-combine-electrical.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 28 Sep 2026 19:40:08 EDT news709831081 The moon no longer has a global magnetic field, but lunar rocks and soils still contain records of ancient magnetism. Studying the magnetic minerals in these samples can help scientists understand how the moon's magnetic field evolved over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-lunar-magnetic-fossil-samples.html Planetary Sciences Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:40:10 EDT news709814101 RNA vaccines and other nucleic acid therapeutics are typically packaged within fatty molecules known as lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). MIT researchers have now developed a way to produce these particles much more quickly and with more precise control over their size and shape. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-automated-lipid-nanoparticle-production-rna.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:20:07 EDT news709813443 RNA vaccines, which have proved effective against COVID-19, are now being developed for many other diseases, including cancer. One drawback is that they require ultracold storage, but MIT researchers have found a promising way to overcome that limitation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rna-vaccines-high-temperatures.html Biotechnology Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:01 EDT news709558561 Electrolysis can reduce CO2 to CO, a raw material for chemical products such as fuels. Within the GreenQUEST project, an international team led by HZB chemist Prashanth Menezes has systematically investigated catalyst layers made of silver nanoparticles, varying both particle size and density. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-sparse-layers-nanometer-silver-particles.html Nanomaterials Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:01 EDT news709473348 Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have teamed up with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company to uncover how storage conditions affect mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the technology behind COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments, and how to make them more effective. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-threatens-mrna-delivery-tris-buffer.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:40:05 EDT news709550701 Many liver and lung cancers arise in tissue that's already been scarred by chronic disease, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis or long-term lung damage. That scarring creates an environment that suppresses nearby immune cells, so by the time a tumor takes hold, it's often already shielded from the immune system and immunotherapy. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticles-tumor-scarring-enable-immunotherapy.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:00:20 EDT news709548841 The COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the importance of rapid and reliable diagnostic methods for detecting and monitoring infectious diseases. Nucleic acids, including RNA, are key biomarkers used in the detection, monitoring and treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, isolating nucleic acids from biological samples can be challenging, particularly when they are present at very low concentrations. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-modification-magnetic-nanoparticles-rna-isolation.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:40:04 EDT news709547341 An international research team has developed microscopic particles that can make blind retinas respond to light. The particles act as tiny light receptors. Researchers inject them into the eye, where they settle close to nerve cells in the retina. When light hits the particles, it triggers electrical and chemical processes that can activate the nerve cells and prompt them to send signals toward the brain. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticles-retinas-preclinical.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:40:02 EDT news709314961 Gliomas are a major cause of cancer-related deaths in younger adults. About 7,000 patients harbor a common genetic mutation that affects the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1. This mutated enzyme, called mIDH1, can produce a molecule that can reprogram both the tumor cells and the environment in which they grow. The molecule, known as 2-hydroxyglutarate, can also circulate in the blood and reprogram immune cells in the bone marrow. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticles-sensitize-gliomas-radiotherapy.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news709215301 Researchers have engineered a drug treatment that shows rapid effectiveness against endometriosis in early testing, laying the foundation for a potential therapy for an incurable, chronic disease that affects 1 in 10 women. The targeted nanotherapy, developed by a team of scientists at Washington State University, reduced endometriosis symptoms and disease progression after a single dose in a mouse model. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticle-drug-delivery-method-treatment.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:40:02 EDT news709215002 Beauty and mystery—it is hard to imagine a more alluring combination, and this is precisely what we encounter when we observe phenomena in the nanoworld. But are we really sure that observations made using modern microscopic techniques do not influence what is happening there? A comparison of images of copper oxide nanoparticles reacting with chloroauric acid, obtained using electron and photon beams, has yielded unexpected results. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-electron-photon-gold-reaction-nanoscale.html Nanophysics Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:30:01 EDT news708882841 Iron rusts on its own, slowly, over months or years. Now, researchers at Tohoku University have found a way to compress the process of metal reacting with water to form oxide, taking mere hours and using nothing more than ultrasound. Details were published in the journal Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-iron-magnetic-nanoparticles.html Nanomaterials Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:40:06 EDT news708864602 New research led by the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at the University of Melbourne demonstrates a new way to make invisible infrared light visible without relying on the expensive detector technology used in today's infrared cameras. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compact-optical-screen-pave-cheaper.html Nanophysics Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:10:04 EDT news708790681 Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have uncovered two complementary mechanisms that govern coherence in miniaturized lasers composed of metallic nanoparticle arrays incorporated into an optical gain material, also known as plasmonic lattice lasers. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-dual-reveal-coherence-plasmonic-nanolasers.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:40:01 EDT news708767282 A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering has created a new type of dye-sensitized nanoparticle that can detect target chemicals at very low concentrations while also distinguishing between molecules with very similar shapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-emitting-nanoparticles-subtle-chemical-differences.html Nanomaterials Mon, 14 Sep 2026 19:40:01 EDT news708621481 The position of biomineralization peptides within liposomes can influence how gold nanoparticles grow, reports a research team from the Institute of Science Tokyo. Peptides localized at the membrane interface promote branched structures, while those confined to the liposome interior favor spherical nanoparticles. The findings offer a new strategy for controlling nanoscale reaction environments in nanoparticle synthesis. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-peptide-position-gold-nanoparticles-stay.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:00:04 EDT news708609646 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an artificial intelligence framework that helps researchers use atomic force microscopes to identify important nanoscale features while autonomously targeting the most informative areas of a sample for closer study. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-microscopes-nanoscale-features-sample.html Bio & Medicine Sun, 13 Sep 2026 16:00:01 EDT news708262090 Researchers from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of CAS, have developed a coumarin-linked covalent organic framework (COF) that enables high-efficiency photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-longer-lifetime-catalyst-solar-hydrogen.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 13 Sep 2026 09:00:08 EDT news708353091 "Color coatings are expected to provide vivid color, brightness, gloss and long-term durability, yet no existing technology satisfies all of these requirements simultaneously," says Kobe University materials engineer Hiroshi Sugimoto. Conventional coatings usually rely on relatively thick pigment layers that fade and add significant weight. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-silicon-nanosphere-coatings-glossy-nonfading.html Nanomaterials Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:00:01 EDT news708084509 Scientists led by the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona and the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, have revealed the chemical reactions in nanoparticles that created a unique, shimmering effect in the painting on ninth-century Islamic ceramics. The results are published in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-unveiling-nanoparticles-iridescence-ancient-ceramics.html Nanomaterials Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:50:01 EDT news708275882 A common blue pigment could help turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an industrial waste product into a useful fuel. A joint research team led by Tohoku University's Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), in collaboration with Hokkaido University and startup AZUL Energy, has developed a catalyst that converts CO₂ directly into methane (CH₄) with high efficiency using copper phthalocyanine, an inexpensive and readily available blue pigment. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-inexpensive-blue-pigment-enables-efficient.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:40:02 EDT news708001141 One big dream of ultrafast science has been to watch changes in nanoparticles or biomolecules on their natural timescale. Experimentally, this can be realized by taking two snapshots of the same object only femtoseconds apart. However, no detector is fast enough to record the two snapshots separately—they end up on top of each other in a single image. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ray-pulses-capture-nanoparticle-moments.html Nanophysics Mon, 07 Sep 2026 11:00:07 EDT news707992670