https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Delft University of Technology Scientists at TU Delft have designed a nanostring that, when poked, doesn't lose its energy to the environment immediately. Instead, the energy leaks out within the string, triggering a cascade of distinct vibrational modes. For the first time, researchers have observed this cascade reaching all the way up to the fifth mode, while only actuating the first mode. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-nanostring-scientists-uncover-energy-cascades.html Nanophysics Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EST news691774321 A drone equipped with low-cost air quality sensors has revealed unexpectedly high concentrations of particulate matter at around 100 meters above ground level in Delhi. These new vertical insights could play an important role in urban haze understanding and mitigation. The findings, published in npj Clean Air, demonstrate the feasibility of measuring air pollution up to 100 meters using an affordable, custom-built drone platform. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-drones-air-quality-sensors.html Environment Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:00:44 EST news690120002 Researchers at QuTech in Delft, The Netherlands, have developed a new chip architecture that could make it easier to test and scale up quantum processors based on semiconductor spin qubits. The platform, called QARPET (Qubit-Array Research Platform for Engineering and Testing) and reported in Nature Electronics, allows hundreds of qubits to be characterized within the same test-chip under the same operating conditions used in quantum computing experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-carpet-qubits-chip-architecture.html Condensed Matter Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:00:10 EST news690023335 Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have discovered that the two-dimensional ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet light like no other material can. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-material-blue-ultraviolet-advanced-chipmaking.html Condensed Matter Tue, 09 Dec 2025 17:50:02 EST news684517303 Bacterial spores—the hardy survival structures formed by certain bacterial species—are proving to be a game changer in the field of engineered living materials (ELMs). By embedding Bacillus spores within ELMs, Jeong-Joo Oh, Franka van der Linden, Marie-Eve Aubin-Tam and their fellow researchers have created living materials that not only endure harsh environments but can also be programmed to perform specific tasks. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-materials-bacterial-spores-sustainability.html Engineering Tue, 11 Nov 2025 13:26:04 EST news682089962 In order to understand brain diseases, neuroscientists try to untangle the intricate nerve fiber labyrinth of our brain. Before analyzing brain tissue under a microscope, it is often soaked in paraffin wax to achieve high-quality sections. However, accurately mapping the densely packed nerves inside wax-treated brain slices was so far not possible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-11-imaging-technique-brain-nerve-fiber.html Neuroscience Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:17 EST news681471884 Scientists at TU Delft, the Netherlands, have developed a new algorithm that allows multiple autonomous drones to work together to control and transport heavy payloads, even in windy conditions. Drones are ideal for reaching and maintaining hard-to-reach infrastructure, like offshore wind turbines. With often harsh weather, limited payload capacity and unpredictable contact with the environment, it is difficult for current drones to operate safely and effectively. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-algorithm-autonomous-drones-heavy-payloads.html Robotics Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:00:03 EDT news680954972 Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have been able to see the magnetic nucleus of an atom switch back and forth in real time. They read out the nuclear "spin" via the electrons in the same atom through the needle of a scanning tunneling microscope. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-real-magnet-heart-atom.html Quantum Physics Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:25:03 EDT news676041901 Scientists from TU Delft (The Netherlands) have observed quantum spin currents in graphene for the first time without using magnetic fields. These currents are vital for spintronics, a faster and more energy-efficient alternative to electronics. This breakthrough, published in Nature Communications, marks an important step towards technologies like quantum computing and advanced memory devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-quantum-currents-graphene-external-magnetic.html Condensed Matter Tue, 24 Jun 2025 11:44:03 EDT news669984241 The quantity of adaptation finance has been a controversial political issue, and a critical negotiating point for developing countries in international climate negotiations. At the United Nations climate conference (COP29) in Baku last year, developed countries agreed to provide more money for climate adaptation in emerging market and developing economies. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-shifting-quantity-quality-climate-real.html Economics & Business Sat, 21 Jun 2025 06:25:53 EDT news669705950 Laughing gas (nitrous oxide or N₂O) is primarily released by the microorganisms responsible for cleaning our wastewater. These microbes live in complex communities, with each group performing a specific role. Emissions vary throughout the day and across seasons, and the intricate microbial processes behind them remain largely unknown—making it difficult to design effective strategies to reduce emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-simple-oxygen-tweaks-curb-gas.html Environment Thu, 08 May 2025 13:05:03 EDT news665928301 Researchers at QuTech in Delft have combined superconductors and quantum dots to observe and manipulate so-called Majorana bound states, which have properties that could enable stable quantum computation. By building a chain of three coupled quantum dots in a two-dimensional electron gas, they were able to demonstrate properties of Majoranas that are essential for the study of Majorana-based quantum bits. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-majoranas-superconductor-quantum-dot-combo.html Condensed Matter Fri, 02 May 2025 12:03:16 EDT news665406184 For the first time, a drone has beaten human pilots in an international drone racing competition, marking a new milestone in the development of artificial intelligence. On Saturday April 14, 2025, two drone racing events took place simultaneously: The Falcon Cup Finals for human pilots and the A2RL Drone Championship for AI-powered, autonomous drones. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-autonomous-drone-defeats-human-champions.html Robotics Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:12:04 EDT news663955922 Researchers from the University of Technology Delft, the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and Caltech have developed a microscopy technique based on ultrasound to reveal capillaries and cells across living organs—something that wasn't possible before. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-ultrasound-reveals-capillaries-cells.html Radiology & Imaging Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:37:03 EDT news662909821 Scientists from TU Delft and EPFL have created a quadruped robot capable of running like a dog without the need for motors. This achievement, a product of combining innovative mechanics with data-driven technology, was published in Nature Machine Intelligence and could pave the way for energy-efficient robotics. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-scientists-dog-robot-motors.html Robotics Thu, 27 Mar 2025 08:54:03 EDT news662284441 Researchers at TU Delft and Brown University have developed scalable nanotechnology-based lightsails that could support future advances in space exploration and experimental physics. Their research, published in Nature Communications, introduces new materials and production methods to create the thinnest large-scale reflectors ever made. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scalable-nanotechnology-based-lightsails-generation.html Space Exploration Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:27:03 EDT news662045221 When water freezes into ice or boils into vapor, its properties change dramatically at specific temperatures. These so-called phase transitions are fundamental to understanding materials. But how do such transitions behave in nanomaterials? https://phys.org/news/2025-03-decoding-nanomaterial-phase-transitions-tiny.html Nanophysics Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:08:48 EDT news661000126 Nele Albers of Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) uses AI coaches to help smokers quit smoking and vaping for her doctoral dissertation. She has developed an AI coach that uses psychologically informed reinforcement learning (RL), a form of machine learning in which a model learns through rewards, similar to how humans learn behaviors. Albers based her research on insights from behavior change theories and data from three large-scale studies with more than 500 participants each. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-smart-ai-smokers.html Addiction Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:18:03 EST news659891882 Key cells in the brain, neurons, form networks by exchanging signals, enabling the brain to learn and adapt at incredible speed. Researchers at the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands (TU Delft) have developed a 3D-printed brain-like environment where neurons grow similarly to a real brain. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-3d-nanopillars-mimic-brain-environment.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Jan 2025 04:00:01 EST news657302101 Scientists from Delft, Vienna, and Lausanne discovered that the protein machines that shape our DNA can switch direction. Until now, researchers believed that these so-called SMC motors that make loops into DNA could move in one direction only. The discovery, which is published in Cell, is key to understanding how these motors shape our genome and regulate our genes. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-dna-motors-reshaping-genetic.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:00:02 EST news656240923 Neural implants contain integrated circuits (ICs)—commonly called chips—built on silicon. These implants need to be small and flexible to mimic circumstances inside the human body. However, the environment within the body is corrosive, which raises concerns about the durability of implantable silicon ICs. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-coating-lifespan-neural-implants-body.html Neuroscience Tue, 07 Jan 2025 14:06:05 EST news655481162 Last week, a 100-meter-long test dune was raised on the coast near Monster. A hybrid dune, consisting of a combination of sand and hard elements. Researchers from TU Delft are monitoring how different configurations erode during stormy weather conditions. This will allow hybrid dyke-dune structures to be designed more efficiently and safely in the future. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-hybrid-dune-erosion-resistance-storms.html Environment Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:42:15 EST news653838131 Historical observations and model computations point to the Rhine system having crossed a tipping point. Since extreme peak flows in the 1990s, the Waal has gradually attracted more water at the Pannerdense Kop bifurcation. This is shown in research by TU Delft, Leiden University, Utrecht University, and Rijkswaterstaat published in Geophysical Research Letters. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-waal-river-potential-rhine-shift.html Earth Sciences Tue, 17 Dec 2024 10:18:19 EST news653653091 Scientists from the Kavli Institute of Delft University of Technology and the IMP Vienna Biocenter have discovered a new property of the molecular motors that shape our chromosomes. While six years ago they found that these so-called SMC motor proteins make long loops in our DNA, they have now discovered that these motors also put significant twists into the loops that they form. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-molecular-machines-loop-chromosomes-dna.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 13 Dec 2024 14:00:01 EST news653302922 Researchers at TU Delft have discovered that E. coli bacteria can synchronize their movements, creating order in seemingly random biological systems. By trapping individual bacteria in micro-engineered circular cavities and coupling these cavities through narrow channels, the team observed coordinated bacterial motion. Their findings, which have potential applications in engineering controllable biological oscillator networks, were recently published in Small. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-tiny-dancers-scientists-synchronize-bacterial.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 03 Dec 2024 16:41:18 EST news652466465 A new 3D design for electrodes enables the Battolyser, a battery and electrolyzer in one, to store twice the amount of electricity it could previously hold and do so four times faster. Researchers from Delft University of Technology have detailed their findings in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. The Battolyser now charges and produces hydrogen at a rate comparable to current electrolyzers, all without relying on scarce precious metals. This increased capacity saves both space and costs. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-12-3d-electrode-electricity-faster.html Engineering Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:09:03 EST news652360141 The human mouth holds a wealth of information about overall health. From body temperature to head and jaw movements during sleep, this data can be essential for understanding health conditions and dental issues. However, collecting such data is often cumbersome and uncomfortable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-battery-free-dental-brace-reveals.html Dentistry Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:44:04 EST news651948242 Each year, more than 200 million catheters are used worldwide to treat vascular diseases, including heart disease and artery stenosis. When navigating into blood vessels, friction between the catheter and the vessel wall can cause major complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-11-catheter-technology-safer-efficient-treatment.html Biomedical technology Thu, 14 Nov 2024 16:47:07 EST news650825219 Scientists at TU Delft have developed a new model that better describes human behavior when merging into motorway traffic. Current models often assume that drivers are constantly trying to optimize their behavior to reach their destination as quickly and safely as possible, but this is not always the case, says postdoctoral researcher Olger Siebinga. The new model gives more insight into human interactions on the motorway and can be used to improve autonomous cars. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-11-human-merge-unveiled-cars.html Engineering Tue, 05 Nov 2024 15:31:29 EST news650043083 A group of TU Delft bachelor students has developed, as part of the students' minor in Computational Science and Engineering, a new model that accurately predicts the molecular properties of alkanes. This knowledge is crucial for the development of renewable fuels. The model is now regularly used by scientists and has also led to a publication in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-students-chemical-renewable-fuels.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:30:06 EDT news649607402