/ en-us Â鶹ÒùÔº internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ÒùÔºics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers at Boise State University have developed a novel, environmentally friendly triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that is fully printed and capable of harvesting biomechanical and environmental energy while also functioning as a real-time motion sensor. The innovation leverages a composite of Poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) (PVBVA) and MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional TENGs that often rely on fluorinated polymers and complex fabrication. /news/2025-06-mxene-polymer-composite-enables-eco.html Nanomaterials Mon, 16 Jun 2025 17:10:06 EDT news669312601 The behavior of water at hydrophobic interfaces has perplexed scientists for over a century, spanning chemistry, biology, materials science, geology, and engineering. Recent discoveries—such as the anomalous chemistry of water microdroplets and contact electro-catalysis—highlight the pivotal role of interfacial water. /news/2025-03-unfamiliar-familiar-substance-extraordinary-interfacial.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:02:03 EDT news661622521 An international team of researchers has discovered a new method to generate electricity using small plastic beads. By placing these beads close together and bringing them into contact, they generate more electricity than usual. This process, known as triboelectrification, is similar to the static electricity produced when rubbing a balloon against hair. /news/2025-03-scientists-smart-generate-energy-tiny.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:25:03 EDT news660914701 For centuries, static electricity has been the subject of intrigue and scientific investigation. Now, researchers from the Waitukaitis group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have uncovered a vital clue to this enduring mystery: the contact history of materials controls how they exchange charge. /news/2025-02-static-electricity-materials-contact-history.html Condensed Matter Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:00:13 EST news659091661 Zaps of static electricity might be a wintertime annoyance, but to certain scientists, they represent an untapped source of energy. Using a device called a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy using triboelectric effect static. Many TENGs contain expensive, specially fabricated materials, but one team has instead used inexpensive store-bought tape, plastic and aluminum metal. The researchers report an improved version of their tape-based TENG in ACS Omega. /news/2025-01-generating-electricity-tacky-tape-version.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:38:43 EST news657463120 Anyone who has ever pet a cat or shuffled their feet across the carpet knows that rubbing objects together generates static electricity. But an explanation for this phenomenon has eluded researchers for more than two millennia. /news/2024-09-petting-cat-static-electricity.html Nanophysics Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:10:27 EDT news645891019 A striking landmark in Vancouver, Canada, "The Big Yellow Sulfur Pile" is a testament to the massive amounts of elemental sulfur produced from the hydrodesulfurization process of petroleum refining. /news/2024-08-petroleum-high-sustainable-triboelectric-nanogenerator.html Polymers Materials Science Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:26:04 EDT news642698762 In a study published in Device has reported a new self-powered electrostatic tweezer that offers superior accumulation and tunability of triboelectric charges, enabling unprecedented flexibility and adaptability for manipulating objects in various working scenarios. The research team was led by Dr. Du Xuemin from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences /news/2024-07-powered-electrostatic-tweezer-microfluidics.html Soft Matter Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:43:31 EDT news641220201 Researchers have unveiled a pioneering breeze wake-up anemometer (B-WA), employing a rolling-bearing triboelectric nanogenerator (RB-TENG) that provides a new strategy for low-energy consumption environmental monitoring. The ability of the B-WA to operate autonomously and efficiently in varying wind conditions marks a substantial advancement in the field of sustainable environmental monitoring. /news/2024-05-sensor-minimal-power-advanced-weather.html Nanomaterials Wed, 29 May 2024 16:24:26 EDT news636218664 Researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have created a new kind of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that produces electricity through the use of limestone putty, promising considerable cost savings over conventional manufacturing methods. /news/2023-12-limestone-putty-nanogenerator-harvest-energy.html Nanomaterials Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:42:50 EST news620930568 In a rare collaboration, two scientists, who are brothers working in unrelated disciplines, combined complementary expertise to tackle a chemical problem relating to the use of silicon in electronic devices. /news/2023-11-properties-silicon-hydrogen-deuterium-surface.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:46:03 EST news620041561 The story of Qi Chen's research is full of serendipity. In the first year of her Ph.D., she was hanging out with friends at the University's Zernike campus, discussing the topics of their research. Chen told them she was going to study foam-like materials. A friend was casually peeling the stem of a grass-like plant, thereby revealing its insides that appeared to have an open and airy structure. He suggested jokingly that Chen might want to study it. She put it in her backpack and then forgot all about it. /news/2023-09-self-powered-sensor.html Materials Science Tue, 12 Sep 2023 16:37:23 EDT news613755440 Corrosion causes significant losses to various industries. Cathodic protection is used to protect steel in marine industries. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) converts mechanical energy into electricity based on triboelectrification and electrostatic induction. TENG cathodic protection is in line with the requirements of contemporary low-carbon energy conservation. /news/2023-09-team-sponge-based-triboelectric-nanogenerator-corrosion.html Nanomaterials Tue, 05 Sep 2023 10:34:52 EDT news613128889 Case Western Reserve University researchers are leading the development of a "smart packaging" system to monitor temperature fluctuations, moisture changes and pathogens in perishable food products during transportation. /news/2023-08-team-perishable-food-smart-packaging.html Nanomaterials Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:49:03 EDT news611851741 Nanoscientists have developed a wearable textile that can convert body movement into useable electricity and even store that energy. The fabric potentially has a wide range of applications from medical monitoring to assisting athletes and their coaches in tracking their performance, as well as smart displays on clothing. /news/2023-06-wearable-textile-captures-energy-body.html Nanomaterials Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:30:04 EDT news605197802 Controlling mosquito populations, especially in isolated or remote areas, is a global public-health priority. In a new study, a team of Chinese researchers advanced this agenda with a more efficient design of safe, self-powered triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to zap mosquitos and mitigate the mosquito-borne diseases. /news/2023-05-mosquito-zappers-boost-static-electricity-harvester.html Nanomaterials Wed, 31 May 2023 09:22:18 EDT news604743735 Although many measures are in place to prevent contamination, pollutants such as mercury and lead can still end up in the environment. Sensing them often requires complicated processes, but what if you could detect them with the tap of a fingertip? Researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a self-powered nanosensor that can discover small amounts of mercury ions and immediately report the result. /news/2023-02-sensor-mercury-ions.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 22 Feb 2023 16:28:24 EST news596305702 If you watched the most recent Super Bowl, you know the importance of a referee's call on the outcome of a game. Slow-motion replays and close-watching eyes help, but a new sensor technology could someday serve as an even more reliable tool for officials. Researchers reporting in ACS Applied Nano Materials have developed a self-powered, hybrid nanogenerator sensor that could help make more accurate calls and allow boxers and cricket players to practice more efficiently. /news/2023-02-sports-sensors-curb-bad-players.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Tue, 21 Feb 2023 12:12:03 EST news596203922 Professor Juhyuk Lee of the Department of Energy Engineering has developed an elastic triboelectric generator that can be used in the daily lives of frequent movers. The cause of the output reduction of the elastic triboelectric sensor was identified during joint research with Professor Joohun Lee of Hanyang University's (ERICA campus) Department of Bio-Nanotechnology. Additionally, the professor used graphene to develop a touch sensor with stable output and expand the application of the triboelectric generator. The study is published in the journal Nano Energy. /news/2023-02-stretching-insensitive-stretchable-biocompatible-triboelectric-nanogenerators.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 15 Feb 2023 09:23:45 EST news595675418 The popularity of wearable electronics has induced demand for their parts, including power sources such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Such power sources must be both stretchy and high-performance, holding up under various deformation conditions over hours of use. /news/2022-12-combination-materials-high-performance-stretchy-nanogenerator.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:01:02 EST news590058061 The research team led by Professor Sanghoon Lee from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at DGSIT (President Yang Kuk) successfully developed a rotation-based triboelectric neuro-stimulator (RoTENS) capable of real-time modulations of stimulus parameters, including current amplitude, frequency, and pulse width. /news/2022-11-rotation-based-triboelectric-neurostimulator-real-time-modulation.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:57:03 EST news587811422 Most of us have felt the shock from static electricity by touching a metallic object after putting on a sweater or walking across a carpet. This occurs as a result of charge build-up whenever two dissimilar materials (such as our body and the fabric) come in contact with each other. /news/2022-08-scientists-power-output-triboelectric-nanogenerators.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 09 Aug 2022 14:01:03 EDT news579272461 The whirling blades on drones flying above Mars may cause tiny electric currents to flow in the Martian atmosphere, according to a NASA study. These currents, if large enough, might cause the air surrounding the craft to glow. This process occurs naturally at much larger scales on Earth as a corona or electrical glow sometimes seen on aircraft and ships in electrical storms known as Saint Elmo's Fire. /news/2022-02-helicopters-mars-dusk.html Space Exploration Planetary Sciences Wed, 02 Feb 2022 10:58:42 EST news563021916 Skilled equestrians make advanced riding maneuvers, like jumps, spins and piaffes, look effortless. But good riding requires balance and subtle cues to the horse, many of which are given through the rider's posture, seat and legs. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano developed a prototype "smart saddle" that could help equestrians improve their biomechanics. Moreover, the self-powered saddle can alert others when a rider takes a fall. /news/2022-01-smart-saddle-equestrians.html Nanophysics Wed, 26 Jan 2022 08:52:49 EST news562409561 A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China reports that electroculture can increase agricultural yields. In their paper published in the journal Nature Food, the group describes growing peas using traditional methods while applying electric shocks to other pea crops. /news/2022-01-chinese-electroculture-theorized.html Agriculture Fri, 14 Jan 2022 08:33:32 EST news561371596 Some people are born with hearing loss, while others acquire it with age, infections or long-term noise exposures. In many instances, the tiny hairs in the inner ear's cochlea that allow the brain to recognize electrical pulses as sound are damaged. As a step toward an advanced artificial cochlea, researchers in ACS Nano report a conductive membrane, which translated sound waves into matching electrical signals when implanted inside a model ear, without requiring external power. /news/2021-10-flexible-device-loss-batteries.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 27 Oct 2021 09:54:11 EDT news554547249 If you're like most cellphone users, at one point you have experienced a cracked screen. /news/2021-10-self-healing-polymers-cellphone-screens.html Nanomaterials Mon, 18 Oct 2021 15:34:18 EDT news553790052 The push toward low powered, energy-saving devices has been a direction the electronics industry has always pursued. The switch to low powered LED lighting is a good example of this trend. Another avenue is the development of energy harvesting, self-sufficient devices. The idea here is to use materials that display piezoelectric and triboelectric effects to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Piezoelectric materials generate an electrical charge when stressed mechanically, while the triboelectric effect is the buildup of charges on two dissimilar materials after they have come in contact with each other. /news/2021-10-power-electronics-mechanical-motion.html Nanophysics Fri, 01 Oct 2021 07:44:42 EDT news552293079 Tel Aviv University's new and groundbreaking technology inspires hope among people who have lost their sense of touch in the nerves of a limb following amputation or injury. The technology involves a tiny sensor that is implanted in the nerve of the injured limb, for example in the finger, and is connected directly to a healthy nerve. Each time the limb touches an object, the sensor is activated and conducts an electric current to the functioning nerve, which recreates the feeling of touch. The researchers emphasize that this is a tested and safe technology that is suited to the human body and could be implanted anywhere inside of it once clinical trials will be done. /news/2021-07-nerves-injury.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 12 Jul 2021 11:13:11 EDT news545307181 Scientists have used a compound made from a starch derivative and baking soda to help convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. The approach, developed by scientists at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Technology (DGIST), with colleagues in Korea and India, is cost-effective and biocompatible, and can help charge low-energy electronics like calculators and watches. The details were published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. /news/2021-06-starch-soda-harvest-mechanical-energy.html Nanomaterials Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:39:29 EDT news543497964