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. For quantum computers to outperform their classical counterparts, they need more quantum bits, or qubits. State-of-the-art quantum computers have around 1,000 qubits. Columbia physicists Sebastian Will and Nanfang Yu have their sights set much higher. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-neutral-atom-arrays-rapidly-emerging.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 14 Jan 2026 16:30:51 EST news687630602 An unexpected discovery in a Harvard lab has led to a breakthrough insight into choosing an unconventional material, silica, to make optical metasurfaces—ultra-thin, flat structures that control light at the nanoscale and are already replacing traditional optical devices like lenses and mirrors. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-discovery-reveals-silica-hidden-potential.html Nanophysics Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:50:01 EST news687444015 A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a quantum device, capable of ultra-fast operation, a key step toward realizing technologies like 6G communications. This innovation overcomes a major hurdle that has long limited the durability of such devices under high electrical fields. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultra-fast-quantum-tunneling-device.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:44:36 EST news687174241 A research team affiliated with UNIST has made a advancement in controlling spin-based signals within a new magnetic material, paving the way for next-generation electronic devices. Their work demonstrates a method to reversibly switch the direction of spin-to-charge conversion, a key step toward ultra-fast, energy-efficient spintronic semiconductors that do not require complex setups or strong magnetic fields. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-reversible-effect-altermagnetic-ruo-thin.html Nanophysics Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:40:24 EST news685636801 A joint research team has developed a highly efficient photocatalyst that can convert carbon dioxide into the high-value-added fuel, methane, using sunlight, while explaining its operating principles. The work is published in the journal ACS Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-artificial-photosynthesis-catalyst-carbon-dioxide.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:54:33 EST news684514441 Have you ever wondered how airplanes, cars, oil and gas pipelines or medical devices are made? It's not just the materials they're composed of that's so important, but also the high-speed machining that shapes them. Improving those processes can improve the industries that use them and the products they make. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-tool-coating-products-aerospace-medical.html Materials Science Wed, 05 Nov 2025 19:20:02 EST news681576076 Last month, courts on both sides of the Atlantic delivered a clear verdict: When classifying titanium dioxide as carcinogenic, regulatory agencies had overreached. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-court-demand-scientific-certainty-case.html Nanomaterials Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:12:04 EDT news677419921 The performance of a fuel cell—a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy—depends on how well the ions can move through the cell's material. Most current fuel cells operate at high temperatures above 500 °C. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-titanium-dioxide-doped-niobium-enable.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:46:03 EDT news674912761 Large metal surfaces coated with precisely formed nanostructures have so far remained in the realm of fantasy. The obstacle standing in the way of their production seemed fundamental, as it resulted from the presence of crystal grains in metals: their boundaries disrupted the growth of the nanostructures. At the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the PAS, using titanium and its oxide by way of example, it has been proven that this obstacle can be overcome. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-titanium-oxide-nanostructuring-transcends-boundaries.html Nanomaterials Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:06:04 EDT news673787161 Wastewater often contains a cocktail of organic pollutants, ranging from pesticides to pharmaceutical residues. These are difficult to remove using conventional purification methods. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-emulsion-technology-purify-wastewater-sunlight.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:23:06 EDT news673611783 In a major step toward next-generation electronics, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have discovered a way to manipulate the direction of charge flow in ultrathin metallic films at room temperature using light. This discovery opens the door to more energy-efficient optical sensors, detectors, and quantum information devices. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-ultrathin-metallic-tunable-room-temperature.html Nanophysics Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:40:02 EDT news673529870 Engineers from RMIT University have produced a new type of 3D-printed titanium that's about a third cheaper than commonly used titanium alloys. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-3d-titanium-alloy-greater-strength.html Materials Science Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:00:03 EDT news672918158 How does a cloud stay cool under direct sunlight—or seem to vanish in infrared? In nature, phenomena like white cumulus clouds, gray storm systems, and even the hollow hairs of polar bears offer remarkable lessons in balancing temperature, color and invisibility. Inspired by these atmospheric marvels, researchers have now created a nanoscale "cloud" metasurface capable of dynamically switching between white and gray states—cooling or heating on demand—all while evading thermal detection. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-nano-clouds-temperature-outwit-sensors.html Nanophysics Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:05:03 EDT news670507501 Photocatalysis—a chemical reaction driven by light in the presence of a photocatalyst—is poised to play a key role in next-generation technologies, including hydrogen production through water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction, and environmental purification by utilizing sunlight. Thanks to these promising applications, photocatalysis is attracting attention as a major tool for building sustainable cities and societies. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-newly-parameter-limiting-photocatalysis-efficiency.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 12 May 2025 11:32:03 EDT news666268321 Nanomaterials are the future of modern technology. From powering batteries to improving clean energy systems and efficient catalysts, nanomaterials are everywhere. Their unique properties often arise from the precise arrangements of their atoms. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-unveiling-3d-crystal-secrets-defective.html Nanomaterials Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:35:09 EDT news665058903 When children lose their baby teeth, there is an adult set already growing beneath the gums, ready to emerge. But if we lose our permanent teeth, there aren't any more waiting in the wings. Right now, the options for replacing these lost teeth are either dentures or titanium implants, neither of which provide the same function and feedback as a real, living tooth. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-pigs-regrow-adult-teeth-humans.html Cell & Microbiology Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:05:20 EDT news664819509 Photocatalytic water splitting is a clean energy technology that uses sunlight to split water into oxygen and hydrogen in order to produce green hydrogen—a clean fuel—without relying on fossil fuels. The process is driven by a photocatalyst. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-scandium-doped-tio-boosts-photocatalytic.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:22:03 EDT news663420121 From cell phones to solar panels to quantum computers, thin films are essential to current and emerging technologies. But making functional thin films requires control. During hours-long processes, thin films form atom by atom. Small changes in data readouts can tell researchers when something is going wrong. Detecting defects as soon as possible may help scientists fix films while they're growing, saving time and money. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-autonomous-experimentation-thin-machine.html Nanomaterials Wed, 02 Apr 2025 14:21:04 EDT news662822461 A research team led by Prof. Luan Fubo from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has uncovered a novel mechanism involving a ternary surface complex on titanium dioxide (TiO₂) that improves the simultaneous removal of arsenic (As) and uranium (U) from contaminated groundwater. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-tio-nanoparticles-simultaneous-arsenic-uranium.html Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Mar 2025 10:32:03 EDT news662117522 Researchers have developed a new material that, by harnessing the power of sunlight, can clear water of dangerous pollutants. Created through a combination of soft chemistry gels and electrospinning—a technique where electrical force is applied to liquid to craft small fibers—the team constructed thin fiber-like strips of titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a compound often utilized in solar cells, gas sensors and various self-cleaning technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-3d-nanotech-blankets-path.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:03:03 EDT news662043781 Helium-3 (He-3) on the moon's surface has drawn attention for decades. In 1939, a paper first noted the presence of Helium-3 on the moon. Still, it really came into the collective consciousness of space resource enthusiasts during the 1980s when they realized just how valuable a resource it was and how much the moon had of it. Now, a company called Interlune, a relatively new start-up based out of Seattle, presented a paper at the recent Lunar and Planetary Science Conference that discusses plans to try to mine some of that wealth of material economically. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-company-prospect-moon.html Space Exploration Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:57:04 EDT news661521422 Hydrogen fuel is emerging as a clean energy source that could replace fossil fuels. One way to produce hydrogen sustainably is through photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, where a photoanode such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) absorbs sunlight and facilitates oxygen generation, while hydrogen is produced at the cathode. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-photocurrent-spectroscopy-uncovers-hidden-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:19:03 EST news659708341 Toni Boucher threw up the first time she saw the charred remains of her home and neighborhood after this month's deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires. Now she wonders if it's worth it to go back to sift through the ashes and try to find her grandmother's wedding ring. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-ash-left-los-angeles-wildfires.html Environment Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:30:01 EST news656698513 A research team at Yokohama National University has developed a way to study how the orientation and behavior of electrons in titanium influence its physical characteristics. Their findings, published in Communications Physics on December 18, 2024, could pave the way for the development of more advanced and efficient titanium alloys. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-laser-technique-uncovers-titanium-electron.html Nanophysics Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:28:04 EST news655385281 Wearing sunscreen is important to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation but doesn't cool people off. However, a new formula, described in Nano Letters, protects against both UV light and heat from the sun using radiative cooling. The prototype sunblock kept human skin up to 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) cooler than bare skin, or around 6 °F (3 °C) cooler than existing sunscreens. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-prototype-sunscreen-tio8322-nanoparticles-cool.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 19 Dec 2024 09:58:02 EST news653824681 Although it is the smallest and lightest atom, hydrogen can have a big impact by infiltrating other materials and affecting their properties, such as superconductivity and metal-insulator-transitions. Now, researchers from Japan have focused on finding an easy way to locate it in nanofilms. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-method-hydrogen-isotopes-titanium-hydride.html Nanomaterials Thu, 14 Nov 2024 10:24:03 EST news650802241 Mining the moon to extract its resources is a critical step on humanity's path into the solar system. One of the most common resources on the moon is considered relatively valuable here on Earth—titanium. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-accessible-titanium-moon.html Planetary Sciences Tue, 08 Oct 2024 13:16:04 EDT news647612158 In a significant breakthrough for the cosmetics industry, researchers have developed a new type of sunscreen using lignin, a naturally abundant polymer, and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The study, led by Yarong Li and Zhiguang Tang, was published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts and details the innovative use of a dual-modified lignin sub-microsphere to enhance the SPF and improve the color of sunscreens. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-lignin-based-sunscreen-natural-high.html Polymers Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:09:39 EDT news646585773 Photonic crystals are materials with repeating internal structures that interact with light in unique ways. We can find natural examples in opals and the vibrant colored shells of some insects. Even though these crystals are made of transparent materials, they exhibit a "photonic bandgap" that blocks light at certain wavelengths and directions. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-unprecedented-feat-3d-photonic-crystals.html Nanophysics Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:46:03 EDT news645356761 A critical chemical bond can be assembled using dinitrogen (N2)—a molecule freely available in the air around us—chemists at RIKEN have shown in a new article published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-chemists-industrially-important-alkyl-amines.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:26:03 EDT news644754362