https://phys.org/nanotech-news/ en-us Nanotechnology. The latest news on nanoscience, nanoelectronics, science and technology. Updated Daily. Nanographenes can be considered molecular fragments of graphene, a 2D conductive material in which carbon atoms are connected in a honeycomb pattern. Because their electronic and photophysical properties vary depending on the size and shape of the molecule, nanographenes are expected to find applications in OLEDs, organic solar cells, organic field-effect transistors and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanographene-membered.html Nanomaterials Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:20:10 EDT news708096121 Researchers at The University of Manchester and the Australian National University have developed a new class of molecular magnets that combines the most successful features of previous designs, resulting in some of the strongest magnetic memory properties reported to date. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-magnet-boosts-ultrahigh-density.html Nanophysics Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:40:09 EDT news708088321 A signal that appears to show ions moving inside a battery may, in fact, be an illusion caused by an uneven surface. A KAIST research team has identified the origin of this type of artifact, which can lead researchers to misinterpret what is happening inside a battery, and has developed a method to reduce it. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bumpy-battery-surfaces-masquerade-nanoscale.html Nanomaterials Mon, 07 Sep 2026 17:20:04 EDT news708013082 Polar wurtzite nitride semiconductors, such as aluminum nitride (AlN) and gallium nitride (GaN), are central to modern high-power and high-frequency electronic devices because of their wide band gaps, high breakdown electric fields, and strong spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nitride-semiconductor-material-options-powerful.html Nanophysics Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:06 EDT news708006341 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 As the electronics in our technology keep shrinking, traditional silicon-based chips are approaching their fundamental physical limits. Yet the wires connecting them might be able to shrink beyond conventional dimensions, as scientists have created one of the longest single-atom copper chains to date that could serve as molecular wires. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-extreme-pressure-blue-pigment-atom.html Nanomaterials Sun, 06 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707646364 Augmented reality (AR) glasses, lenses thinner than a human hair, and holograms floating above your fingertips may sound like technologies from science fiction. At the heart of these emerging technologies, however, lies a nanoscale optical device known as a "metasurface." https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hidden-disorder-nanodevices-easier.html Nanophysics Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:20:04 EDT news707739061 Graphene is flat. But that doesn't mean other 2D materials—particularly those containing more than one element—necessarily share the same structure. In the past, researchers have often simplified these materials by modeling them as perfectly flat sheets. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-wrinkled-carbon-nitride-flat-sheet.html Nanomaterials Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:04 EDT news707730062 With the rapid spread of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data centers, global energy consumption is rising to new heights. A promising way to reduce this burden is to develop memory devices that store information magnetically yet are written using electric fields. Magnetic memories are nonvolatile, meaning stored information is retained without a power supply. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoscale-multiferroic-materials-path-efficient.html Nanophysics Thu, 03 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news707661062 Researchers at Nagoya University have built a graphene nanoribbon that can switch the direction of its twist using a natural solvent. Graphene nanoribbons are thin, ribbon-shaped structures made of fused carbon rings. Twisted or helical versions of these ribbons show promise for advanced light and electronic devices. However, until now, no graphene nanoribbon could switch its twist on demand. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-switchable-graphene-nanoribbon-demand.html Nanomaterials Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:03 EDT news707651882 A research team led by Professor Yong Taik Lim at the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, have developed an engineered nanoplatform named t-SMC (trained immunity-mediated splenic myelopoiesis converter), which precisely targets the spleen to reverse splenic myelopoiesis toward an antitumoral immune phenotype. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-bacterial-nanoplatform-reprograms-spleen-immune.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:00:06 EDT news707649213 A team of Korean researchers has become the first in the world to identify the origin of the "beating" signal that has long been a major obstacle to interpreting quantum signals in topological insulator (TI) nanowires. Their analysis confirmed that the beating arises when two different quantum oscillations overlap: one created by topological electronic states on the surface and the other by ordinary electronic states inside the nanowire. This achievement provides a key criterion for interpreting the signals of topological quantum devices and realizing desired electronic states. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-scientists-years-mystery-quantum-material.html Nanophysics Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:20:09 EDT news707648881 For children born with cleft lip and palate, repairing gaps in the jawbone often means waiting until they are 10 to 12 years old before undergoing invasive bone graft surgery. University of Sydney researchers have developed a biodegradable "nanobone" material that allows the body to harness its own healing properties to regrow bone, offering a potential future alternative to procedures that have changed little in more than 50 years. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-biodegradable-nanobone-day-regrow-bone.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:00:02 EDT news707586601 RNA-based therapeutics use RNA as a blueprint that enables cells to produce specific proteins—including proteins that can precisely modify genes. For this to work, the RNA must reach the inside of the cell intact. Delivery systems currently used for this purpose include virus-derived vehicles and lipid nanoparticles, tiny particles made of fat-like molecules. Both approaches have limitations. Researchers are therefore working on new mechanisms that can deliver RNA into cells more efficiently and, in the future, more selectively. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-proteins-enable-generation-rna.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news707581863 One of the major challenges in the quest to beat cancer is developing treatments that can selectively destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. With this in mind, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have devised a gold nanorod-based platform that delivers therapeutic agents specifically to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a structure responsible for protein production and processing within cells, while also generating heat when exposed to near-infrared light. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-harnessing-gold-nanorods-cancer-therapy.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:10:01 EDT news707585822 Imagine a construction site where the bricks are individual molecules and the "cranes" are microscopic needles so sharp they can feel a single atom. For decades, building at this scale was a laborious, time-consuming task where a single human error could damage the delicate tools. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-automates-creation-custom-functional.html Nanomaterials Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:40:06 EDT news707571892 Researchers from Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Harvard and the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) have developed an innovative method for coupling light non-linearly. This opens up new possibilities for telecommunications and quantum technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanostructure-linear-conversion-efficient.html Nanophysics Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:40:08 EDT news707568302 Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutinin (HA), which controls how the virus attaches to human cells before entering them. Influenza viruses can evade immunity in two major ways: through the gradual accumulation of mutations that make HA harder for the immune system to recognize or through reassortment events that can introduce substantially different viral proteins and potentially lead to flu pandemics. To address this challenge, seasonal flu vaccines remain the primary approach because they can be developed to target the flu viruses circulating most predominantly in a given season. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-amino-acid-swap-nanoparticle-vaccine.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:20:04 EDT news707502181 Advanced materials power everything from batteries and electronics to clean energy technologies. For years, engineers have known that microwave-assisted synthesis can dramatically accelerate the chemical reactions used to manufacture these materials. Now, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have provided new evidence challenging a long-held assumption about why, suggesting that microwaves speed chemical reactions in a fundamentally different way than many scientists believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-nanoparticles-real-uncovers-link-microwave.html Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Sep 2026 16:20:04 EDT news707486641 While fridge magnets are great for saving favorite recipes, modern magnetic materials are useful for improving fiber optics or quantum information science technology. On most fridge magnets the atoms are arranged in a repeated lattice structure called a "spinel." These structures are made up of three types of atoms, generically referred to as atoms "A," "B" and "X." https://phys.org/news/2026-09-exposed-air-nanomaterial-magnetic-high.html Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:02 EDT news707459341 A collaborative research team has successfully visualized in real space the ultrafast optical modulation of hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) in a van der Waals heterostructure composed of hBN and WS2. The research is published in the journal Nano Letters, and was led by Kazuki Kamada of the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) and Osaka Metropolitan University, along with Dr. Jun Nishida, assistant professor at IMS, and Takashi Kumagai, associate professor at IMS. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-femtosecond-nano-imaging-reveals-ultrafast.html Nanophysics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:00:07 EDT news707405941 Researchers use tightly focused laser beams to image biological samples, shape materials with microscopic precision and generate displays. But using those beams in three dimensions requires more than sweeping light from side to side, as the light must also rapidly refocus at different depths. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-mirror-3d-microscopes-smaller.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:20:02 EDT news707393521 A new way to imprint complex surfaces on low-cost, sustainable polymers could be used in a wide range of industries, including water-repellent coatings, optical devices and data storage disks. The complex nano- and microscale patterns on sulfur-derived polymers, unveiled this week in the ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces journal, build on a wide range of green chemistry solutions led by Flinders University. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-power-lasers-durable-nano-patterns.html Nanophysics Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news707393341 In a promising milestone for nanotechnology, Constructor University has contributed to a study demonstrating self-assembling nanopores capable of detecting disease proteins associated with illnesses like Parkinson's and ALS. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-flexible-nanopores-parkinson-als.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:40:11 EDT news707385721 Czech researchers at Charles University in Prague, led by Pavla Eliášová, have developed an advanced photocathode that helps convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into pure ethanol using sunlight. The new technology solves a long-standing problem of material degradation in water, achieves record conversion efficiency and opens the way toward sustainable production of green fuels. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nano-sandwich-photocathode-solar-conversion.html Nanomaterials Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news706805375 Graphene is an exceptionally useful material for creating batteries, catalysts and electronic devices. Yet producing graphene typically requires temperatures as high as 900°C (1,652°F), limiting energy efficiency and making structural control difficult. To make graphene production more practical, a recent study has overcome this long-standing temperature barrier. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-temperature-graphene-growth-route-sustainable.html Nanomaterials Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news707128446 A research team led by Sungwon Lee, a professor in the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST, developed a hierarchical nano-on-nano structure by directly growing graphene nanowalls (GNWs) on polymer nanofibers and successfully used the structure to enhance the sensing performance of wearable gas sensors. The technology is expected to be applied to next-generation wearable sensors for real-time monitoring of individuals' breathing environments or hazardous gases in industrial settings. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-breathable-smart-sensor-real-hazardous.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:40:02 EDT news707136781 Researchers at Delft University of Technology have demonstrated for the first time that nano-antennas can enhance the fluorescence of proteins in living human and other mammalian cells. Scientists already use smart fluorescent proteins that light up when the electrical voltage across a nerve cell changes. By placing nano-antennas close to these light-emitting proteins, researchers can monitor processes inside cells with much greater precision. The discovery adds a new tool for revealing electrical signals in the brain through nanotechnology as well as genetic engineering. The research has been published in Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-nano-antennas-cells-brighter-faster.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:20:01 EDT news707135401 Researchers have captured in real time the "birth moment" when the performance of a next-generation memory material is determined. The key lies in controlling oxygen vacancies, microscopic defects created when oxygen atoms are missing from their normal positions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-oxygen-gaps-generation-memory.html Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:20:01 EDT news707065262 Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent environmental challenges of the 21st century. As larger plastic debris breaks down through mechanical, photochemical and biological processes, it forms microplastics that have been detected in water, soil, air and even the human body. Among these materials, polyamide microplastics are of particular concern because polyamide is widely used in textiles, fishing gear, packaging and engineering materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-polyamide-microplastics-emitting-carbon-quantum.html Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:40:01 EDT news707063942