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Archive for the ‘nanotechnology’ category: Page 4

Mar 3, 2024

Synergy palladium single atoms and twinned nanoparticles for efficient CO₂ photoreduction

Posted by in categories: engineering, nanotechnology, particle physics

The challenge of regulating the electronic structures of metal single-atoms (M-SAs) with metal nanoparticles (M-NPs) lies in the synthesis of a definite architecture. Such a structure has strong electronic metal-support interactions and maintains electron transport channels to facilitate carbon dioxide photoreduction (CO2PR).

In a study published in Advanced Powder Materials, a group of researchers from Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang A&F University and Dalian University of Technology, revealed the engineering of the of Pd single atoms with twinned Pd nanoparticles assisted by strong electronic interaction of the atomic metal with the support and unveiled the underlying mechanism for expedited CO2PR.

“As one of the most promising CO2PR semiconductors, polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) featured with sp2 π-conjugated lamellar structures can offer electronegative nitrogen atoms to anchor M-SAs, forming active metal-nitrogen moieties (M–Nx),” explained Lei Li, lead author of the study. “However, stable M–Nx configurations forbid tunability of electronic structures of M-SA sites.”

Mar 2, 2024

Study shows that similarly charged particles can sometimes attract, rather than repel

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, particle physics

‘Opposites charges attract; like charges repel’ is a fundamental principle of basic physics. But a new study from Oxford University, published in Nature Nanotechnology (“A charge-dependent long-ranged force drives tailored assembly of matter in solution”), has demonstrated that similarly charged particles in solution can, in fact, attract each other over long distances. Just as surprisingly, the team found that the effect is different for positively and negatively charged particles, depending on the solvent.

The study found that negatively charged silica microparticles suspended in water attracted each other to form hexagonally arranged clusters. (Image: Zhang Kang)

Besides overturning long-held beliefs, these results have immediate implications for a range of processes that involve interparticle and intermolecular interactions across various length-scales, including self-assembly, crystallisation, and phase separation.

Mar 2, 2024

Researchers demonstrate 3D nanoscale optical disk memory with petabit capacity

Posted by in categories: economics, information science, life extension, nanotechnology, robotics/AI

The most popular words of 2023 were recently released, with AI Large Language Model (LLM) unquestionably topping the list. As a front-runner, ChatGPT also emerged as one of the international buzzwords of the year. These disruptive innovations in AI owe much to big data, which has played a pivotal role. Yet, AI has simultaneously presented new opportunities and challenges to the development of big data.

High-capacity data storage is indispensable in today’s digital economy. However, major storage devices like and semiconductor flash devices face limitations in terms of cost-effectiveness, durability, and longevity.

Optical data storage offers a promising green solution for cost-effective and long-term data storage. Nonetheless, optical data storage encounters a fundamental limitation in the spacing of adjacent recorded features, owing to the optical diffraction limit. This physical constraint not only impedes the further development of direct laser writing machines but also affects and storage technology.

Mar 2, 2024

Complete miscibility of immiscible elements at the nanometre scale

Posted by in categories: materials, nanotechnology

Nanoparticles containing immiscible elements can be synthesized under certain experimental conditions.

Mar 2, 2024

RNA interference in the era of nucleic acid therapeutics

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

With six approved drugs, siRNA is now an established therapeutic modality poised for expansion.

Mar 1, 2024

Scientists create dancing nanoparticles to explore quantum limitations

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum physics

Enhancing quantum features compensates for environmental losses, amplifying particle interactions, achieving entanglement at higher scales.

One of the oldest topics of contemporary science is where to draw the line between classical and quantum physics.


Abstract

Continue reading “Scientists create dancing nanoparticles to explore quantum limitations” »

Mar 1, 2024

Perovskite’s nanoscale secrets revealed in solar breakthrough

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, solar power, sustainability

The key revelation from this study is the dual impact of the passivation process.


MIT’s research is set to make solar panels lighter, cheaper, and more efficient by addressing key challenges associated with perovskite solar panels.

Mar 1, 2024

Fabrication of mechanochromic gallium nanostructures by capillary interactions

Posted by in category: nanotechnology

A process that leverages capillary interactions between oligomers in an elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane substrate and deposited Ga enables the formation of Ga nanodroplets with nanoscale gaps in a single step. Gap-plasmon resonances excited within the nanogaps give rise to structural colours that can be tuned by changing the oligomer content in the substrate or by mechanical stretching.

Mar 1, 2024

In vivo biomolecule corona and the transformation of a foe into an ally for nanomedicine

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, engineering, nanotechnology

Nanoparticles (NPs) administered in the human body will undergo rapid surface modification upon contact with biological fluids driven by their interfacial interaction with a diverse range of biomolecules. Such spontaneous self-assembly and adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules onto the NP surface constitute what is commonly known as the protein or biomolecule corona. This surface biotransformation of the NPs modulates their biological interactions and impact on physiological systems and can influence their overall pharmacological profile. Here, we comment on how the initially considered ‘nuisance’ of the in vivo corona formation can now be considered a nanoparticle engineering tool for biomedical use, such as in endogenous tissue targeting, personalized biomarker discovery and immunomodulation.

Mar 1, 2024

Scientists make nanoparticles dance to unravel quantum limits

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, particle physics, quantum physics

The question of where the boundary between classical and quantum physics lies is one of the longest-standing pursuits of modern scientific research, and in new research published today, scientists demonstrate a novel platform that could help us find an answer.

The laws of quantum physics govern the behavior of particles at miniscule scales, leading to phenomena such as , where the properties of entangled particles become inextricably linked in ways that cannot be explained by classical physics.

Research in quantum physics helps us to fill gaps in our knowledge of physics and can give us a more complete picture of reality, but the tiny scales at which operate can make them difficult to observe and study.

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