https://phys.org/nanotech-news/nano-physics/ en-us The latest science news on nanophysics, nanotechnology, nanotech and nanoscience. When looking to the future of information technology, researchers have pinpointed a once-theoretical particle-like structure: the skyrmion. Magnetic skyrmions are very stable structures found on micromagnetic materials that have a vortex-like spin. Because they can be moved with minimal electrical current, these structures could help develop memory to power the next generation of computing without consuming a lot of power. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-theoretical-skyrmion-supercomputing-memory.html Nanophysics Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:00:05 EDT news695377131 Light, as we usually conceive of it, is defined by the astonishing velocity at which it moves from one point to another. For example, in just one second, light can travel most of the distance between Earth and the moon. This property is what makes light useful for communication, which we expect to happen at lightning speed in the modern age. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-gold-nanorod-struck-center-electron.html Nanophysics Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:40:01 EDT news695289305 Data is growing at a staggering pace, pushing charge-based microelectronics, such as smartphones and laptops, to their physical limits. Spintronics—technology that uses electron spin rather than charge—avoids the limits of conventional electronics by switching information with very little energy, holding states without power and enabling extremely dense data storage. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-skyrmions-atom-thin-magnets-ultra.html Nanophysics Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:00:07 EDT news694947661 An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern electronics and photonics. In their work appearing in Nano Letters, the scientists show that silicon, long considered an inefficient light emitter due to its indirect bandgap, can be transformed into a bright, broadband source. The researchers produced emissions from silicon in its conventional bulk form, without modification to its composition or structure. Instead, the breakthrough comes from modifying the properties of light itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-momentum-photonic-states-bulk-silicon.html Nanophysics Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694886582 The hair cells lining the inner ear are among the most sophisticated structures in the human body: capable of detecting sounds as faint as a whisper, while helping to maintain our sense of balance. Through new models detailed in PRX Life, a team led by Roman Belousov at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory has revealed for the first time how oscillating bundles attached to these cells operate in different thermodynamic regimes—offering a new framework for understanding how our hearing works at a fundamental level. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-hair-bundles-ears-tiny-thermodynamic.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 08 Apr 2026 10:40:03 EDT news694860355 When created at the nanoscale, materials can resemble shapes like stars, rods or even pyramids. These particle shapes, also known as the morphologies of a solid, make for more than just interesting images under a microscope—they can determine how the material behaves, sometimes in dramatic ways. University at Buffalo researchers have demonstrated this phenomenon by creating the first-ever star-shaped vanadyl hydroxide (VOOH) and shown that this shape can fundamentally alter how the material stores energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pretty-picture-star-nanomaterial-energy.html Nanophysics Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:40:04 EDT news694776061 Just as embroiderers, with needle and thread, can transform plain fabric into an intricate pattern, engineers can use lasers and polymers to create flexible, complex structures that could transform life-saving sensing technology. An interdisciplinary team at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering has developed a new manufacturing strategy that reveals where and how laser-induced graphene (LIG) forms on polymers. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-precise-patterns-lasers.html Nanophysics Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:10:01 EDT news694710842 Solar-power photocatalysis—turning sunlight into energy—holds promise for sustainable and cost-efficient energy and chemical production. Advancing the technology, though, has been hindered by a lack of understanding of exactly how the process works. To that end, a team of Yale researchers has developed a technique that allows them to observe the sunlight-to-fuel conversion in real time, right down to the nanoscale. Specifically, they can see how the light-driven catalyst splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, and how electrons and holes move through the material. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-real-nanoscale-reduction-oxidation-solar.html Nanophysics Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:40:02 EDT news694427521 Polarization has always been a core property of light that is essential for a broad range of everyday applications, including displays (LED, LCD, 3D Cinematics), photography, as well as satellite and antenna technologies. The ability to tune light polarization empowers us with enhanced communication signals, improved image quality, and access to hidden image details and non-conventional imaging modes (e.g. 3D imaging). https://phys.org/news/2026-04-2d-material-capability-ultrathin-waveplates.html Nanophysics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news694342108 Control of heat transport in nanostructures is of central importance for numerous modern technologies—from high-performance computer chips that need to be cooled to energy converters—and is a highly active area of research. While great progress has been made in recent years in understanding how heat transport can be influenced by nanostructuring, it was previously unclear whether the replacement of a single atom in a molecule could measurably alter phonon transport—i.e. heat transport through lattice vibrations. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-atom-substitution-successfully-tunes-molecular.html Nanophysics Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:01 EDT news694360621 In a first for the field, materials scientists from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have interfaced two materials to artificially generate a highly conductive ferroelectric charged domain wall. Led by associate professor of materials science and engineering Arend van der Zande and graduate student Shahriar Muhammad Nahid (now a postdoc at Stanford) and published in Advanced Materials, their approach highlights the versatility of charged domain walls in 2D materials and may be used in the future development of neuromorphic devices and reconfigurable electronics. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-synthetic-domain-wall-2d-material.html Nanophysics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:20:06 EDT news694186377 Recent advancements in nanophotonics are moving beyond isotropic noble metals to achieve dynamic and directional control over plasmons. Conventional localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) are limited by their isotropic permittivity and geometry-dependent resonance tuning. Introducing strong material anisotropy offers an effective alternative strategy, providing an additional degree of freedom for controlling plasmon propagation and confinement. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-anisotropic-2d-crystal-hyperbolic-localized.html Nanophysics Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:00:06 EDT news694194841 An international team of researchers built a highly sensitive quantum microscope and used it to directly observe, for the first time at room temperature, how electrons subtly interact with each other in graphene—confirming a decades-old theoretical prediction with remarkable precision. The research is published in the journal Nano Letters. The team was led by Dmitri Efetov, Professor of Experimental Solid State Physics at LMU München's Faculty of Physics and MCQST co-coordinator for Research Area Quantum Matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-microscope-reveals-electron-interactions.html Nanophysics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:40:01 EDT news694104917 Argonne and Northwestern University scientists teamed up to understand how light interacts with metallic nanoframes, with implications for biosensing, quantum information science and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultrafast-microscopy-metallic-nanoframe-behavior.html Nanophysics Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:50:01 EDT news693831240 Just as an antenna interacts with radio waves, light interacts with metallic nanostructures. Therefore, understanding how a structure influences field oscillations provides valuable insights into the structure's physical properties. An international research team, including scientists from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), is investigating the changes in field oscillations that occur when light interacts with indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals. This will deepen our understanding of how the interaction between light and these nanocrystals depends on time. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-fieldoscopy-reveals-femtosecond-optical-nm.html Nanophysics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 22:20:01 EDT news693760638 A team of researchers led by the University of Pittsburgh demonstrated a programmable superconducting diode at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 (LAO/KTO) interface, an advance that holds potential to enhance/help usher in the future of next-generation electronics and quantum circuits. The work, published in the journal Nano Letters, and featured on the journal's cover, was led by first author Muqing Yu, a graduate student in the lab of Jeremy Levy, Distinguished Professor of Condensed Matter Physics. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-programmable-superconducting-diode.html Nanophysics Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:20:01 EDT news693744961 A research team has demonstrated that silicon nanospheres can strongly enhance second-harmonic generation (SHG) from an atomically thin semiconductor while preserving the circular polarization information tied to its valley degree of freedom. The study, published in Nano Letters, provides design guidelines for efficient, polarization-preserving nonlinear light sources at the nanoscale. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-silicon-nanospheres-boost-ws-harmonic.html Nanophysics Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:40:04 EDT news693667158 A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with colleagues from Japan, has taken an important step toward the next generation of electronics. The scientists achieved highly precise control of the internal structure of graphene—an exceptionally thin and strong material—using a minute, nearly negligible amount of energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-electronics-future-ultra-efficient-graphene.html Nanophysics Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:04 EDT news693573241 Cells are squishy and soft. Tiny nanometer-sized particles such as quantum sensors cannot move freely inside them due to viscous drag, which makes sensing challenging. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have now developed a technique to precisely maneuver quantum sensors through these highly viscous biological environments, such as the interior of living cells, using magnetic microbots. This opens up possibilities for real-time, minimally invasive measurement of parameters like local viscosity and temperature inside cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-magnetic-microbots-quantum-sensors-cells.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:02 EDT news693569359 Following the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, lateral flow assays (LFAs)—the category of test strips in which the presence or lack of a pink line indicates whether a specific molecule, like a drug or a virus, has been detected—became household items. Yet despite their ubiquity and decades of development, there has not been a quantitative, physics-grounded method for explaining the sensitivity and limits of LFAs to help guide their design. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-sensitive-fentanyl-physics.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:07 EDT news693479511 The high-performance semiconductor devices powering smartphone displays, AI computing, EV batteries and more are increasingly incorporating 2D materials to overcome silicon's scaling limits. To optimize these technologies, a University of Michigan Engineering team developed a precise mathematical framework that accounts for anisotropic—or unevenly spreading—conductivity and device geometry. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-2d-electronics-anisotropic-contact-resistance.html Nanophysics Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:40:01 EDT news693233901 Nudibranchs are often referred to as the butterflies of the sea. Nudibranchs live worldwide, primarily in warm, shallow marine regions, and stand out for their flamboyant colors and diverse shapes. A team from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the University of Cambridge has now discovered how they create their colorful patterns. According to their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the color is produced by nanostructures, each of which creates a specific color impression. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-impressionist-sea-slugs-patterns-photonic.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:40:03 EDT news693228601 Researchers at UCLA have discovered a way to dramatically improve how electrical current enters perovskite semiconductors, an emerging class of materials with enormous potential for next-generation electronics. Their research is published in the journal Nature Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanoscale-bottleneck-gen-electronics.html Nanophysics Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:00:01 EDT news693159121 Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the development of technology. As modern electronics approaches the limits of its capabilities, photonics comes into play. Instead of manipulating relatively heavy and slow electrons, we can use light and fast photons to encode information. This will make it possible to create devices that are not only faster but also even smaller than those currently in use. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultra-thin-mose8322-infrared-nanometer.html Nanophysics Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:20:05 EDT news693154681 Carbon forms the graphite in pencils, the diamonds in jewelry and the molecules that make up every living thing. But under extreme conditions—like the heat and pressure of intense explosions—carbon can transform into exotic nanometer-sized structures called nanocarbons. These materials are often stronger than steel, lighter than plastic and adaptable for uses in medicine, energy and national security. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanodiamonds-carbon-materials-ai-exascale.html Nanophysics Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:40:03 EDT news693131162 Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have created a new and unusual state of matter—known as a supersolid—by engineering how light and matter interact inside a nanoscale device. The work, published in Nature Nanotechnology, demonstrates that this exotic quantum phase can exist at room temperature, overcoming a long-standing limitation in the field. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-state-room-temperature-nanostructures.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 Mar 2026 19:20:03 EDT news692977022 Piezoelectric materials, which convert mechanical stress into electricity and vice versa, are essential components in sensors, actuators, and energy-harvesting devices. However, the best piezoelectric materials, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), are toxic because they contain lead—prompting a search for lead-free alternatives. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ultrathin-bifeo8323-nm-limit-fourfold.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:30:02 EDT news692983801 Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, have created an important building block for future 6G communication technology, which will make wireless data transfer at superior transmission rates possible. The newly developed piece of the 6G puzzle is not a device component, but a carbon nanotube-based black paint of sorts that thoroughly absorbs electromagnetic radiation wherever its transmission would be detrimental. The study was published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-carbon-nanotube-black-absorbs-terahertz.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:20:02 EDT news692972101 Over the past decades, electronics engineers have been trying to develop increasingly smaller devices that can store information reliably, even when they are not powered on. A promising type of non-volatile memory device is spintronics, solid-state systems that store and process information leveraging the spin (i.e., an intrinsic form of angular momentum) of electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanoengineered-spintronic-device-ways.html Nanophysics Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:30:01 EDT news692889066 The longest chains of the conductive polymer poly(p-phenylene; PPP) produced to date are just under one micrometer (thousandth of a millimeter) long—almost an order of magnitude longer than previously possible. A research team from the fields of chemistry and physics led by Prof. Dr. Michael Gottfried from Marburg University, Germany, has demonstrated for the first time that PPP can be synthesized on surfaces via a specific ring-opening polymerization as genuine chain growth. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-molecular-chains-customized-carbon-nanoribbons.html Nanophysics Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:20:04 EDT news692885281