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Category: nanotechnology

Small But Mighty: How is Nanotechnology Powering AI?

The limitations of conventional semiconductor technology have become increasingly apparent as AI applications require exponentially larger computational resources. Once the engines of rapid technological advances, silicon-based transistors are now encountering fundamental physical constraints at the nanoscale that inhibit further scaling and performance enhancement. Moore’s law, which predicted the doubling of transistors on a chip every two years, is running out of space.

On top of that, the breakdown of Dennard scaling, which once enabled simultaneous improvements in speed, power efficiency, and density, has further intensified the need for alternative materials and device architectures capable of sustaining AI-driven workloads.

This is where nanotechnology comes in. Working on a nanoscale offers a pathway to overcome the constraints of conventional tech, enabling the precise manipulation of materials at the atomic and molecular levels, typically within the one to 100 nanometer range.

At this minute scale, materials exhibit unique physical, chemical, and electrical characteristics. These small-scale properties can enable faster operation, lower energy consumption, and can be used to deliver complex functionalities within a single nanoscale architecture.

Discover how nanotechnology is advancing AI with energy-efficient chips, in-memory computing, neuromorphic hardware, and nanoscale data storage solutions.

Manipulating Ferroelectric Topological Polar Structures with Twisted Light

We demonstrate dynamic control of ferroelectric order in quasi-2D CsBiNb2O7 using twisted ultraviolet light carrying orbital angular momentum. Our approach harnesses non-resonant multiphoton absorption and induced strain to modulate topological of ferroelectric polarization textures. In-situ X-ray coherent imaging and Raman spectroscopy reveal reversible, nanoscale polarization transitions, enabling efficient stabilization of topological solitons and paving the way for novel optoelectronic devices.

Cubosome-based method for loading mRNA into exosomes

Exosomes, naturally derived vesicles responsible for intercellular communication, are emerging as next-generation drug delivery systems capable of transporting therapeutics to specific cells. However, their tightly packed, cholesterol-rich membranes make it extremely difficult to encapsulate large molecules such as mRNA or proteins.

Conventional approaches have relied on techniques like electroporation or chemical treatment, which often damage both the drugs and exosomes, reduce delivery efficiency, and require complex purification steps—all of which pose significant barriers to commercialization.

The team utilized a lipid-based nanoparticle known as a “cubosome,” which mimics the fusion structure of cell membranes and naturally fuses with exosomes. By mixing cubosomes carrying mRNA with exosomes at room temperature for just 10 minutes, the researchers achieved efficient fusion and confirmed that the mRNA was successfully loaded into the exosomes. Analysis showed that over 98% of the mRNA was encapsulated, while the structural integrity and biological function of the exosomes were preserved.

Furthermore, the engineered exosomes demonstrated the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, one of the most difficult hurdles in drug delivery. Notably, the team observed a “homing” effect, where exosomes return to the type of cell they originated from, enabling targeted drug delivery to diseased tissues.

Customized moiré patterns achieved using stacked metal-organic framework layers

When two mesh screens or fabrics are overlapped with a slight offset, moiré patterns emerge as a result of interference caused by the misalignment of the grids. While these patterns are commonly recognized as optical illusions in everyday life, their significance extends to the nanoscale, such as in materials like graphene, where they can profoundly influence electronic properties.

This phenomenon opens new avenues for advancements in areas like superconductivity and quantum effects. Traditionally, controlling the length scales of moiré patterns has been challenging due to the fixed nature of atomic structures, which limits the ability to fine-tune .

A research team, led by Professor Wonyoung Choe at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, has demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to precisely control over moiré periods by stacking (MOFs) layers—crystalline materials composed of metal clusters linked by .

Finding clarity in the noise: New approach recovers hidden signals at the nanoscale

In the world of nanotechnology, seeing clearly isn’t easy. It’s even harder when you’re trying to understand how a material’s properties relate to its structure at the nanoscale. Tools like piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) help scientists peer into the nanoscale functionality of materials, revealing how they respond to electric fields. But those signals are often buried in noise, especially in instances where the most interesting physics happens.

Now, researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a powerful new method to extract meaningful information from even the noisiest data, or when, alternatively, the response of the material is the smallest. Their approach, which combines physical modeling with advanced statistical reconstruction, could significantly improve the accuracy and confidence of nanoscale measurement properties.

The team’s findings, led by Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb, Harris Saunders, Jr. Chair and Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), are reported in Small Methods.

Quantum transport through a constriction in nanosheet gate-all-around transistors

In nanoscale transistors, quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling and quantization significantly influence device characteristics. However, large-scale quantum transport simulation remains a challenging field, making it difficult to account for quantum mechanical effects arising from the complex device geometries. Here, based on large-scale quantum transport simulations, we demonstrate that quantum geometrical effects in stacked nanosheet GAAFETs significantly impact carrier injection characteristics. Discontinuities in confinement energy at the constriction—the junction between the bulk source/drain and nanosheet channel—cause substantial carrier backscattering. This degradation becomes more severe as electrons experience higher effective energy barriers, and is further exacerbated at lower scattering rate, lower doping concentrations, and near Schottky barriers where electron depletion regions form. Considering these quantum mechanical bottlenecks, proper device optimization for future technology nodes requires a full quantum-based device structure design at the large-scale level, which enables unique optimization strategies beyond conventional classical prediction.

Kyoung Yeon Kim and colleagues report the importance of quantum geometrical effects that serve as a bottleneck in stacked nanosheet GAAFETs. This highlights that full quantum mechanics-based device design is crucial for realizing ideal carrier injection characteristics in future technology nodes.

Progress and Perspectives in 2D Piezoelectric Materials for Piezotronics and Piezo‐Phototronics

The emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials has catalyzed significant advancements in the fields of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics, owing to their exceptional mechanical, electronic, and optical properties. This review provides a comprehensive examination of key 2D piezoelectric and piezo-phototronic materials, including transition metal dichalcogenides, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and phosphorene, with an emphasis on their unique advantages and recent research progress. The underlying principles of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics in 2D materials is discussed, focusing on the fundamental mechanisms which enable these phenomena. Additionally, it is analyzed factors affecting piezoelectric and piezo-photoelectric properties, with a particular focus on the intrinsic piezoelectricity of 2D materials and the enhancement of out-of-plane polarization through various modulation techniques and materials engineering approaches. The potential applications of these materials are explored from piezoelectric nanogenerators to piezo-phototronic devices and healthcare. This review addresses future challenges and opportunities, highlighting the transformative impact of 2D materials on the development of next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and biomedical devices.

This review examines advancements in 2D materials, focusing on their applications in piezotronics and piezo-phototronics. It discusses key materials like TMDs, h-BN, and phosphorene, highlighting their unique mechanical, electronic, and optical properties. The review delves into the mechanisms of piezoelectricity, explores applications such as nanogenerators and biomedical devices, and describes the future and challenges in 3D integration of 2D materials.

Room-Temperature Quantum Breakthrough Stuns Physicists

Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in quantum research by demonstrating that nanoparticles can exhibit quantum rotational vibrations even at room temperature — and without being cooled close to absolute zero. Using an elliptical nanoparticle held in an electromagnetic field, they applied car

Wave-like domain walls drive polarization switching in sliding ferroelectrics, study finds

Sliding ferroelectrics are a type of two-dimensional (2D) material realized by stacking nonpolar monolayers (atom-thick layers that lack an electric dipole). When these individual layers are stacked, they produce ferroelectric materials with an intrinsic polarization (i.e., in which positive and negative charges are spontaneously separated), which can be switched using an external electric field that is perpendicular to them.

Understanding the mechanisms driving the switching of this polarization in sliding ferroelectrics has been a key goal of many studies rooted in physics and materials science. This could ultimately inform the development of new advanced nanoscale electronics and quantum technologies.

Researchers at Westlake University and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China recently uncovered a new mechanism that could drive the switching of polarization in sliding ferroelectrics. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters (PRL), suggests that polarization switching in the materials is prompted by wave-like movements of domain walls (i.e., boundaries between regions with an opposite polarization), rather than by synchronized shifts affecting entire monolayers at once, as was assumed by some earlier works.

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