Links to the future with nanoimaging technique

When we think about the links to the future – the global transition to solar and wind energy, tactile virtual reality or synthetic neurons – there’s no shortage of big ideas. It’s the materials to execute the big ideas – the ability to manufacture the lithium-ion batteries, opto-electronics and hydrogen fuel cells – that stand Read more about Links to the future with nanoimaging technique[…]

Nanobarcode for future nanoscale sensing applications

Using barcodes to label and identify everyday items is as familiar as a trip to the supermarket. Imagine shrinking those barcodes a million times, from millimetre to nanometre scale, so that they could be used inside living cells to label, identify and track the building blocks of life or, blended into inks to prevent counterfeiting. Read more about Nanobarcode for future nanoscale sensing applications[…]

Future of miniaturisation brings us one step closer to nano factory

The vision of the future of miniaturisation has produced a series of synthetic molecular motors that are driven by a range of energy sources and can carry out various movements. A research group at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has now managed to control a catalysis reaction using a light-controlled motor. This takes us one step closer Read more about Future of miniaturisation brings us one step closer to nano factory[…]

New metaphotonic OLED displays for future Virtual Reality and Augmentation Reality

By expanding on existing designs for electrodes of ultra-thin solar panels, Stanford researchers and collaborators in Korea have developed a new architecture for OLED – organic light-emitting diode – displays that could enable televisions, smartphones and virtual or augmented reality devices with resolutions of up to 10,000 pixels per inch (PPI). (For comparison, the resolutions Read more about New metaphotonic OLED displays for future Virtual Reality and Augmentation Reality[…]

Nano-thermometers could revolutionize temperature imaging

Cheaper refrigerators? Stronger hip implants? A better understanding of human disease? All of these could be possible and more, someday, thanks to an ambitious new project underway at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST researchers are in the early stages of a massive undertaking to design and build a fleet of tiny Read more about Nano-thermometers could revolutionize temperature imaging[…]

Controlling a tiny robot is maybe as close as you can come to shrinking yourself down

A Cornell University-led collaboration has created the first microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals. These robots, roughly the size of paramecium, provide a template for building even more complex versions that utilize silicon-based intelligence, can be mass produced, and may Read more about Controlling a tiny robot is maybe as close as you can come to shrinking yourself down[…]

How small we could go and how accurate we could be

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have used ultra-fast extreme ultraviolet lasers to measure the properties of materials more than 100 times thinner than a human red blood cell. The team, led by scientists at JILA, reported its new feat of wafer-thinness this week in the journal Physical Review Materials. The group’s target, a film just 5 Read more about How small we could go and how accurate we could be[…]

Protection against electromagnetic interference

Empa researchers have succeeded in applying aerogels to microelectronics: Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers can effectively shield electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range – and they are unrivalled in terms of weight. Electric motors and electronic devices generate electromagnetic fields that sometimes have to be shielded in order not to affect neighboring electronic components Read more about Protection against electromagnetic interference[…]

A new nanofiber material could protect soldiers, firefighters, astronauts and more

Since World War I, the vast majority of American combat casualties has come not from gunshot wounds but from explosions. Today, most soldiers wear a heavy, bullet-proof vest to protect their torso but much of their body remains exposed to the indiscriminate aim of explosive fragments and shrapnel. Designing equipment to protect extremities against the Read more about A new nanofiber material could protect soldiers, firefighters, astronauts and more[…]

Nano Grand Prix empowered by new nanocars

According to the British Royal Automobile and the French Automobile clubs, the first car was created in 1770 by the Frenchman Joseph Cugnot. This “Fardier” (French name for a trolley used to transport heavy loads) was a car propelled by a steam engine and powered by a boiler. This 7 m long self-propelled machine reached Read more about Nano Grand Prix empowered by new nanocars[…]

The smallest motor in the world

A research team from Empa and EPFL has developed a molecular motor which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level. The special feature of the motor is that it moves exactly at the boundary between classical motion and quantum tunneling – and Read more about The smallest motor in the world[…]

A new biosensor for the COVID-19 virus

A team of researchers from Empa, ETH Zurich and Zurich University Hospital has succeeded in developing a novel sensor for detecting the new coronavirus. In future it could be used to measure the concentration of the virus in the environment – for example in places where there are many people or in hospital ventilation systems. Read more about A new biosensor for the COVID-19 virus[…]