Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

North Carolina State University researchers have developed a fiber that combines the elasticity of rubber with the strength of a metal, resulting in a tougher material that could be incorporated into soft robotics, packaging materials or next-generation textiles.

“A good way of explaining the material is to think of rubber bands and metal wires,” says Michael Dickey, correspondin...

Scientists discover a method to turn stubby gold nanorods into gold nanowires of impressive length. The metal wires could be valuable for sensing, diagnostic, imaging and therapeutic applications. A boost of vitamin C helped Rice University scientists turn small gold nanorods into fine gold nanowires.

Common, mild ascorbic acid is the not-so-secret sauce that helped the Rice lab of chemist Eugene Zubarev grow pure batches of nanowires from stumpy nanorods without the drawbacks of previous techniques.

“There’s n...

A team of researchers from Denmark has solved one of the biggest challenges in making effective nanoelectronics based on graphene. For 15 years, scientists have tried to exploit the “miracle material” graphene to produce nanoscale electronics...

Highly durable aerogel could ultimately be an upgrade for insulation on spacecraft. UCLA researchers and collaborators at eight other research institutions have created an extremely light, very durable ceramic aerogel. The material could be used for applications like insulating spacecraft because it can withstand the intense heat and severe temperature changes that space missions endure.

Ceramic aerogels have been used to insulate industrial equipment since the 1990s, and they have been used to insulate scientific equipment on NASA’s Mars rover missions...