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. Silicon semiconductors are widely used as particle detectors; however, their long-term operation is constrained by performance degradation in high-radiation environments. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have demonstrated real-time, two-dimensional position detection of individual charged particles using a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor with superior radiation tolerance. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-real-event-position-high-tolerance.html General Physics Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:52:31 EST news689273521 A major challenge in thermal-management and thermal-insulation technologies, across multiple industries, is the lack of materials that simultaneously offer low thermal conductivity, mechanical robustness, and scalable fabrication routes. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-principles-ultralow-thermal-chemical-disorder.html Condensed Matter Wed, 28 Jan 2026 15:18:20 EST news688835882 Researchers have discovered how to design and place single-photon sources at the atomic scale inside ultrathin 2D materials, lighting the path for future quantum innovations. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-atom-advance-quantum-emitter.html General Physics Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:30:35 EST news684754202 Researchers from the Physical Chemistry and Theory departments at the Fritz Haber Institute have found a new way to image layers of boron nitride that are only a single atom thick. This material is usually nearly invisible in optical microscopes because it has no optical resonances. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-sum-frequency-microscope-image-invisible.html Nanophysics Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:09:06 EST news684425317 As global temperatures rise and heat waves intensify, a new textile innovation co-developed by University of South Australia scientists promises to keep people cooler, drier, and more comfortable in extreme heat. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-cool-comfort-high-tech.html Nanomaterials Thu, 20 Nov 2025 04:57:03 EST news682837021 High-energy cosmic radiation damages cells and DNA, causing cancer, and secondary neutrons—generated especially from the planetary surfaces—can be up to 20 times more harmful than other radiations. Aluminum, the most widely used shielding material, has the drawback of generating additional secondary neutrons when below a certain thickness. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-space-shield-flexible-boron-nitride.html Nanomaterials Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:40:04 EST news682790662 For the first time, researchers have made niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties, a long-sought goal in advanced materials science. According to the international team, including a researcher at Penn State, that made the accomplishment, the new nanomaterial that could open the door to faster electronics, efficient electricity transport via superconductor wires and even future quantum computers was made possible with a surprising ingredient: table salt. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-table-salt-enables-metallic-nanotubes.html Nanophysics Fri, 07 Nov 2025 12:41:04 EST news681741662 Scientists in Australia have developed new ultra-thin filters that can separate valuable chemicals from liquid mixtures fast and efficiently to make medicines, dyes and other products, which could help industries cut waste, save energy and lower costs. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ultra-thin-filters-boron-nitride.html Materials Science Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:40:04 EDT news680276402 Microplastics are the crumbs of our plastic world, tiny pieces that come from bigger items breaking apart or from products like synthetic clothing and packaging. They're now everywhere. Scientists estimate there are about 51 trillion of these particles floating in the world's surface waters, and low levels have even been found in South African tap water. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-specialized-magnetic-powder-microplastics.html Nanophysics Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:04:04 EDT news679147441 Superconductivity is a phenomenon where certain materials can conduct electricity with zero resistance. Obviously, this has enormous technological advantages, which makes superconductivity one of the most intensely researched fields in the world. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-graphene-reveals-dome-superconductivity-electric.html Condensed Matter Wed, 01 Oct 2025 09:21:04 EDT news678529261 The world of quantum physics is already mysterious, but what happens when that strange realm of subatomic particles is put under immense pressure? Observing quantum effects under pressure has proven difficult for a simple reason: Designing sensors that can withstand extreme forces is challenging. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-sensors-extreme-pressure.html Condensed Matter Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:56:04 EDT news676900562 The same technology behind MRI images of injury or disease also powers nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which is used to analyze biological molecules for research on diseases and therapeutics. While NMR spectroscopy produces valuable data about the structure of molecules, the resolution is too low to sense individual atoms. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-mri-technology-quantum-advancement-2d.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:11:04 EDT news675515461 Two-dimensional (2D) materials, thin crystalline substances only a few atoms thick, have numerous advantageous properties compared to their three-dimensional (3D) bulk counterparts. Most notably, many of these materials allow electricity to flow through them more easily than bulk materials, have tunable bandgaps, are often also more flexible and better suited for fabricating small, compact devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-approach-chip-synthesis-boron-nitride.html Nanomaterials Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:00:07 EDT news675345365 Imagine a whirlpool spinning in a river, or a tornado swirling through the sky. They don't just spin on the spot: they travel forward while maintaining that spiraling motion inside them. These twisting motions, called vortices, are powerful and organized spirals. Now, imagine light that behaves the same way: a beam of light that spins as it moves forward. This "twisted" light, known as an optical vortex, can carry more information than normal light, opening the door to faster internet and ultra-secure communications. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ultra-thin-materials-optical-vortices.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:27:03 EDT news674836021 A new method for ammonia synthesis has demonstrated a 5.6-fold increase in yield, offering a promising alternative to traditional, carbon-intensive production processes. The research is published online in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-emission-nh-production-method-yield.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:13:04 EDT news673085581 "God does not play dice." This famous remark by Albert Einstein critiqued the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. Paradoxically, his theory of relativity has become an essential tool for understanding the behavior of electrons, the primary subjects of quantum mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-theory-quantum-relativistic-effects-electron.html General Physics Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:46:48 EDT news672655599 A new coating for glass developed by Rice University researchers and collaborators could help reduce energy bills, especially during the cold season, by preventing heat-loss from leaky windows. The material—a transparent film made by weaving carbon into the atomic lattice of boron nitride—forms a thin, tough layer that reflects heat, resists scratches and shrugs off moisture, UV light and temperature swings. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-boron-nitride-coating-glass-loss.html Materials Science Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:37:19 EDT news671384233 In a world overrun with plastic garbage, causing untold environmental woes, University of Houston assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Maksud Rahman, has developed a way to turn bacterial cellulose—a biodegradable material—into a multifunctional material with the potential to replace plastic. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-plastic-bacteria-cellulose.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 08 Jul 2025 13:10:01 EDT news671198855 Scientists across the world are working to make quantum technologies viable at scale—an achievement that requires a reliable way to generate qubits, or quantum bits, which are the fundamental units of information in quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-defects-2d-material-quantum-bits.html Condensed Matter Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:51:04 EDT news669909061 A team of physicists at the University of Cambridge has unveiled a breakthrough in quantum sensing by demonstrating the use of spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as powerful, room-temperature sensors capable of detecting vectorial magnetic fields at the nanoscale. The findings, published in Nature Communications, mark a significant step toward more practical and versatile quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-2d-quantum-sensor-defects-precise.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 28 May 2025 13:20:03 EDT news667657201 Two-dimensional (2D) materials have proved to be a promising platform for studying exotic quasiparticles, such as excitons. Excitons are bound states that emerge when an electron in a material absorbs energy and rises to a higher energy level, leaving a hole (i.e., the absence of an electron) at the site that it used to occupy. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-distinct-exciton-states-2h-stacked.html Condensed Matter Fri, 16 May 2025 07:30:01 EDT news666526645 Wurtzite-structured crystals, characterized by their hexagonal symmetry, are widely valued for their unique electronic and piezoelectric properties—their ability to generate an electric charge when subjected to mechanical stress. Among these, gallium nitride (GaN), a key material in blue light-emitting diodes, and aluminum nitride (AlN), used in high-frequency radio frequency (RF) filters in smartphones, are prominent examples. These materials play a crucial role in advanced semiconductors, sensors, and actuators. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-wurtzite-mgsin-thin-electronic-properties.html Nanophysics Wed, 30 Apr 2025 14:17:04 EDT news665241421 A research team at Clarkson University has developed a method to effectively destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on spent sorbents, addressing a critical environmental challenge. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-solvent-free-method-destroy-pfas.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 10 Apr 2025 04:36:08 EDT news663478564 Researchers from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and the University of Montpellier have successfully synthesized wafer-scale hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibiting an AA-stacking configuration, a crystal structure previously considered unattainable. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-stacking-constraints-hexagonal-boron-nitride.html Nanophysics Thu, 20 Mar 2025 13:20:03 EDT news661695601 Imagine a world where your phone stays cool no matter how long you use it, and it's also equipped with tiny sensors that can identify dangerous chemicals or pollutants with unparalleled sensitivity and precision. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-good-vibrations-scientists-method-phonon.html Condensed Matter Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:00:11 EDT news661506602 A research team has successfully developed a new synthesis technology for 2D semiconductors. This technique enables the direct growth of wafer-scale single-crystal 2D semiconductors on various substrates. The research is published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-synthesis-technology-crystal-2d-semiconductors.html Nanomaterials Wed, 05 Mar 2025 04:08:31 EST news660370098 Researchers have developed a high-speed electro-optic switch that is energy-efficient, has low crosstalk and works across a broad bandwidth. Made using a scalable, chip-friendly process, this switch could enhance data capacity in optical networks and data centers by improving signal routing and switching. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-high-energy-efficient-electro-optic.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:52:03 EST news660315121 Researchers at the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester have achieved a significant milestone in the field of quantum electronics with their latest study on spin injection in graphene. The paper, published recently in Communications Materials, outlines advancements in spintronics and quantum transport. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-graphene-quantum-energy-efficient-spintronics.html Condensed Matter Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:50:33 EST news659796630 Electromagnetic metamaterials with negative physical parameters such as negative dielectric constant and negative magnetic permeability have attracted widespread attention in the academic community. In 2010, they were praised by Materials Today as one of the top ten advances in materials science in the past 50 years. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-silicon-nitride-based-electromagnetic-metamaterial.html Materials Science Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:34:04 EST news659284442 A research group recently discovered the disappearance of nonreciprocal second harmonic generation (SHG) in MnPSe₃ when integrated into a two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic MnPSe₃/graphene heterojunction. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-magnetism-nonreciprocal-harmonic-generation-2d.html Nanophysics Fri, 14 Feb 2025 12:07:03 EST news658757221