Category Technology/Electronics

New form of graphene oxide is fun to play with – and solves manufacturing challenges. A Northwestern University team is reshaping the world of graphene – literally. The team has turned graphene oxide (GO) into a soft, moldable and kneadable play dough that can be shaped and reshaped into free-standing, three-dimensional structures.

Called “GO dough,” the product might be fun to play with it, but it’s more than a toy. The malleable material solves several long-standing – and sometimes explosive – problems in the graphene manufacturing industry.

“Currently graphene oxide is stored as dry solids or powders, which are prone to co...

MoS2 quantum dots synthesized with the new approach can potentially generate cancer-killing properties. NUS Engineers have developed a cost-effective and scalable strategy for designing tiny semiconductor particles known as transition metal dichalcogenide quantum dots (TMD QDs) which can potentially generate cancer-killing properties. The team is also looking to optimise TMD QDs for applications such as the next generation TV and electronic device screens, advanced electronics components and even solar cells.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition ...

Structures can contract, reshape and grab objects while floating on water. Researchers at North Carolina State University have created 3D-printed flexible mesh structures that can be controlled with applied magnetic fields while floating on water. The structures can grab small objects and carry water droplets, giving them the potential to be useful as soft robots that mimic creatures living on water surfaces or that can serve as tissue scaffolds for cell cultures.

“This research shows capabilities in the emerging field of combining 3D printing and soft robotics,” said Orlin Velev, S...

UMD engineers demonstrate their approach by printing the smallest-known 3D microfluidic circuit element. Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have created the first 3D-printed fluid circuit element so tiny that 10 could rest on the width of a human hair. The diode ensures fluids move in only a single direction – a critical feature for products like implantable devices that release therapies directly into the body.

The...