Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Examples of the new smart material, left to right: A flexible strip; a flexible strip that stiffened when twisted; a flexible strip transformed into a hard composite that can hold up a weight. Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University

Scientists have developed a rubbery material that transforms itself into a hard composite when bent, twisted or squeezed. The new material could be used in medicine to support delicate tissues or in industry to protect valuable sensors. Stress a muscle and it gets stronger. Mechanically stress the rubbery material – say with a twist or a bend – and the material automatically stiffens by up to 300%, the engineers said...

Computer modeling shows how a tiny lattice is 3-D printed in 150-nanometer layers. When the structure is heated, it can shrink by 80 percent. Credit: Greer Lab/Caltech

By mixing metal ions and organic ligands, scientists have developed a process for the 3D printing of metal structures that are smaller than ever before. The process, once scaled up, could be used in a wide variety of applications, from building tiny medical implants to creating 3D logic circuits on computer chips to engineering ultralightweight aircraft components. It also opens the door to the creation of a new class of materials with unusual properties that are based on their internal structure.

In 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – an object is built layer by layer, allowing for the creation of structure...

Scanning electron microsopy images before and after stability
measurement for 700 h. Interface between PBSCF cathode and BZCYYb4411 electolyte (a)
before stability measurement. (b) after stability measurement. High-magnification of
microstructure of cathode. (c) before stability measurement. (d) after stability measurement. (e)
EDS line scan at the cathode and electrolyte interface after stability measurement

By combining a high-activity cathode with a new composition of matter, fuel cell operates at 500C – a commercialization sweet spot...

A close up of DNA wires being drawn through the porous membrane. Credit: KTH

Scientists in Sweden today reported a nanoengineering innovation that offers hope for treatment of cancer, infections and other health problems – conductive wires of DNA enhanced with gold which could be used to electrically measure hundreds of biological processes simultaneously. While DNA nanowires have been in development for some time, the method developed at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University produces a unique 3D biosensor for better effectiveness than flat, 2D sensors. “Our geometry makes it much easier to measure several biomolecules simultaneously, and is also 100 times more sensitive,” says KTH Professor Wouter van der Wijngaart...