Phosphorus is a vital component of every organism and plays a key role, for example, in energy transfer in the body and within cell membranes, bones and teeth. Phosphorus is also special because it occurs in numerous different forms (allotropes). For exam

Stirring allows for homogenization and efficient gas exchange—this fact has been known for decades. Controlling the stirring rate during the nanocluster synthesis is pivotal in achieving nanostructures with well-defined sizes, structures, optical properti

The sun's fusion reactions drive its temperatures to thousands of degrees, and today scientists are seeking to recreate these star-powering processes in the lab as a means of an alternative clean energy.

Pesticides and herbicides are critical to ensuring food security worldwide, but these substances can present a safety risk to people who unwittingly ingest them. Protecting human health, therefore, demands sensitive analytical methods to identify even tra

With the continuous development of nanotechnology, more artificial chiral nanomaterials have been constructed. As one of the most representative optical properties of these chiral nanomaterials, circular dichroism (CD) is a powerful sensing technology. Co

Gold does not readily lend itself to being turned into long, thin threads. But researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have now managed to create gold nanowires and develop soft electrodes that can be connected to the nervous system. The electrodes

By discovering new ways to manipulate matter at the atomic and molecular levels, advances in nanotechnology are paving the way for innovations in medicine, electronics, materials science and environmental remediation, among many other areas.

A complex interplay of energetics and dynamics governs the behavior of nanocrystals in solution. These dynamics are usually interpreted in terms of the theory developed by Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek (DVLO), and understanding these forces is p

In a collaboration with EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich and the University of Southern California researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have used X-rays to look inside a microchip with higher precision than ever before. The image resolution of 4 nanome

The chemical and energy industries depend upon catalysts to drive the reactions used to create their products. Many important reactions use heterogeneous catalysts—meaning that the catalysts are in a different phase of matter than the substances they are

Soil salt concentrations above the optimal threshold for plant growth can threaten global food security by compromising agricultural productivity and crop quality. An analysis published in Physiologia Plantarum has examined the potential of nanomaterials—

Flexible electronic devices based on electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENM) are attracting significant attention due to their high biocompatibility and excellent mechanical performance. However, patterning conductive materials on fiber substrates typically