/ en-us Â鶹ŇůÔş internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Â鶹ŇůÔşics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The mechanical strength and toughness of engineering materials are often mutually exclusive, posing challenges for material design and selection. To address this, a research team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has uncovered an innovative strategy: by simply twisting the layers of 2D materials, they can enhance toughness without compromising material's strength. /news/2025-07-2d-materials-material-strength-toughness.html Nanomaterials Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:00:01 EDT news671801132 A multinational research team, including engineers from the University of Cambridge and Zhejiang University, has developed a breakthrough in miniaturized spectrometer technology that could dramatically expand the accessibility and functionality of spectral imaging in everyday devices. /news/2025-07-plastic-based-spectrometers-compact-solution.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:15:51 EDT news671444135 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed an environmentally safer type of plastic that can be used for wearable electronics, sensors and other electrical applications. The material, a so-called ferroelectric polymer, is made without fluorine, considered a "forever" chemical that hurts the environment because compounds made with it don't break down quickly or at all. /news/2025-07-eco-friendly-plastic-flexible-electronic.html Polymers Analytical Chemistry Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:57:03 EDT news670780621 How does a cloud stay cool under direct sunlight—or seem to vanish in infrared? In nature, phenomena like white cumulus clouds, gray storm systems, and even the hollow hairs of polar bears offer remarkable lessons in balancing temperature, color and invisibility. Inspired by these atmospheric marvels, researchers have now created a nanoscale "cloud" metasurface capable of dynamically switching between white and gray states—cooling or heating on demand—all while evading thermal detection. /news/2025-06-nano-clouds-temperature-outwit-sensors.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:05:03 EDT news670507501 A team of researchers at IMDEA Nanociencia institute and UniversitĂ  Cattolica del Sacro Cuore has unveiled a new class of gas sensors based on MINT-functionalized carbon nanotubes, offering unprecedented precision in detecting and distinguishing volatile organic compounds. /news/2025-06-fresh-tech-carbon-nanotube-sensors.html Nanomaterials Fri, 27 Jun 2025 11:21:02 EDT news670242061 A research team led by SUTD has created nanoscale glass structures with near-perfect reflectance, overturning long-held assumptions about what low-index materials can do in photonics. /news/2025-06-glass-nanostructures-visible-photonics-assumptions.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:12:04 EDT news669906721 Taking a cue from ocean-dwelling species, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are developing synthetic skins that will support the emergence of next-generation "soft" machines, robots and other devices. /news/2025-06-cephalopod-synthetic-skins-enable-soft.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 17 Jun 2025 11:24:54 EDT news669378286 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 Researchers at Boise State University have developed a stable, high-performance Ti3C2Tx MXene ink formulation optimized for aerosol jet printing—paving the way for scalable manufacturing of micro-supercapacitors, sensors, and other energy storage and harvesting devices. /news/2025-06-energy-storage-future-mxene-inks.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:51:00 EDT news669307850 Color, as the way light's wavelength is perceived by the human eye, goes beyond a simple aesthetic element, containing important scientific information like a substance's composition or state. /news/2025-06-high-resolution-spectrometer-smartphones.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 13 Jun 2025 08:32:08 EDT news669022321 In a world increasingly driven by high-speed communication and low-power electronics, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has proposed a fundamentally new way of manipulating light using the geometry of matter itself. /news/2025-05-ballistic-electrons-gen-terahertz-devices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 29 May 2025 10:15:03 EDT news667732501 A newly discovered silicone variant is a semiconductor, University of Michigan researchers have discovered—upending assumptions that the material class is exclusively insulating. /news/2025-05-silicone-electricity.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 22 May 2025 17:18:04 EDT news667153082 A research team led by Dr. Lim Sang-kyu in DGIST's Department of Energy and Environmental Technology has developed a smart fiber sensor that can detect natural disasters such as landslides in real time. The new fiber is based on piezoelectric technology, which converts pressure into electricity. Its three-dimensional (3D) structure dramatically improves performance, facilitating the implementation of a self-powered sensor system that can operate without an external power source. /news/2025-05-high-piezoelectric-fiber-sensor-real.html Nanomaterials Mon, 19 May 2025 11:50:10 EDT news666874206 A research team has developed a "next-generation AI electronic nose" capable of distinguishing scents like the human olfactory system does and analyzing them using artificial intelligence. This technology converts scent molecules into electrical signals and trains AI models on their unique patterns. It holds great promise for applications in personalized health care, the cosmetics industry, and environmental monitoring. /news/2025-05-ai-powered-electronic-nose-diverse.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 02 May 2025 11:43:04 EDT news665404982 A fiber sensor inspired by the shape of DNA, developed by researchers at Shinshu University, introduces a new design for more durable, flexible fiber sensors in wearables. Traditional fiber sensors have electrodes at both ends, which often fail under repeated movement when placed on body joints. /news/2025-04-dna-flexible-fiber-sensors-wearables.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:08:04 EDT news665060881 Over the past decades, electronics engineers developed increasingly small, flexible and sophisticated sensors that can pick up a wide range of signals, ranging from human motions to heartrate and other biological signals. These sensors have in turn enabled the development of new electronics, including smartwatches, biomedical devices that can help monitor the health of users over time and other wearable or implantable systems. /news/2025-04-carbon-nanotube-based-strain-sensor.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Wed, 23 Apr 2025 07:50:02 EDT news664544793 Saying one thing while feeling another is part of being human, but bottling up emotions can have serious psychological consequences, such as anxiety or panic attacks. To help health care providers tell the difference, a team led by scientists at Penn State has created a stretchable, rechargeable sticker that can detect real emotions—by measuring things like skin temperature and heart rate—even when users put on a brave face. /news/2025-04-high-tech-sticker-real-human.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 21 Apr 2025 15:19:05 EDT news664467541 A research team has successfully developed the world's first ammonia (NH3) gas sensor based on a copper bromide (CuBr) film that can be fabricated through a simple solution process at low temperatures. The findings are published online in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. /news/2025-04-flexible-ammonia-sensor-gas-ultra.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 08 Apr 2025 11:06:52 EDT news663329208 Imagine walking into your kitchen and instantly knowing if the fish you bought yesterday is still fresh—or entering an industrial site with sensors that immediately alert you to hazardous gas leaks. This isn't science fiction—it's the promise behind our newly developed nanomechanical sensor array, a powerful tool we've created to detect and analyze complex gases in real-time. /news/2025-03-nanomechanical-gas-sensor-arrays-smarter.html Nanomaterials Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:00:05 EDT news662633617 Dr. Han Joong Tark's team at KERI's Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center has successfully fabricated "functional wires," which are the foundation of wearable electronic devices, by directly applying the existing synthetic fiber processing methods. /news/2025-03-carbon-nanotube-wires-wearables-crafted.html Nanomaterials Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:06:04 EDT news661601162 Environmental conditions can cause damaging stress to plants, posing challenges for home gardeners and farmers. Therefore, early detection—before leaves visibly discolor, wilt or wither—is crucial. /news/2025-03-patch-stress-real.html Biotechnology Agriculture Wed, 19 Mar 2025 08:00:01 EDT news661506001 In a breakthrough that could transform bioelectronic sensing, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Rice University has developed a new method to dramatically enhance the sensitivity of enzymatic and microbial fuel cells using organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The research was recently published in the journal Device. /news/2025-02-electrochemical-transistors-bioelectronic-sensor-sensitivity.html Biotechnology Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:06:04 EST news659808361 The future of medicine may very well lie in the personalization of health care—knowing exactly what an individual needs and then delivering just the right mix of nutrients, metabolites, and medications, if necessary, to stabilize and improve their condition. To make this possible, physicians first need a way to continuously measure and monitor certain biomarkers of health. /news/2025-02-printable-molecule-nanoparticles-enable-mass.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:02:06 EST news657799322 A transdisciplinary team of AMBER and CRANN researchers from the School of Chemistry at University College Cork (UCC) and the School of Â鶹ŇůÔşics at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has developed sensor technology for wearable air quality monitors that alert individuals of their exposure to hazardous gases. /news/2025-01-sensors-wearables-real-hazardous-gases.html Nanomaterials Fri, 31 Jan 2025 11:29:03 EST news657545341 Researchers successfully developed a multifunctional sensor based on semiconductor fibers that emulates the five human senses. The technology developed in the study is expected to be utilized in a variety of state-of-the-art technology fields, such as wearables, Internet of Things (IoT), electronic devices, and soft robotics. /news/2025-01-gen-fibers-smart-textile-pressure.html Nanomaterials Tue, 21 Jan 2025 12:56:02 EST news656686561 A team of scientists at UNSW Sydney have developed a highly sensitive miniature sensor that is able to detect low levels of the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The tiny, flexible sensor can detect the harmful gas in real-time without requiring an external energy source. /news/2024-12-miniature-sensor-toxic-gas-results.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:52:05 EST news653907121 Recent recalls of contaminated carrots, ground beef, deli meat and other grocery items have raised new concerns about food safety. Researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas are developing sensors aimed at making it possible for consumers to detect contaminants in food and water within minutes in the convenience of their homes. /news/2024-11-bioengineers-sensors-food-contaminants-home.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 26 Nov 2024 12:32:18 EST news651846731 Polymers have gained prominence in applications such as wearable electronics due to their flexibility and lightweight, but their low electrical conductivity has been a major drawback. /news/2024-11-polymeric-nanomaterials-substances-extreme-environments.html Nanomaterials Mon, 25 Nov 2024 10:35:44 EST news651753335 Yokohama National University scientists have developed a promising bubble printing method that enables high-precision patterning of liquid metal wiring for flexible electronics. This technique offers new options for creating bendable, stretchable, and highly conductive circuits, ideal for devices such as wearable sensors and medical implants. Their study was published in Nanomaterials on Oct. 17. /news/2024-11-wires-technique-powers-generation-electronics.html Nanomaterials Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:45:03 EST news650288701 The next step for fully integrated textile-based electronics to make their way from the lab to the wardrobe is figuring out how to power the garment gizmos without unfashionably toting around a solid battery. Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Accenture Labs in California have taken a new approach to the challenge by building a full textile energy grid that can be wirelessly charged. In their recent study, the team reported that it can power textile devices, including a warming element and environmental sensors that transmit data in real-time. /news/2024-10-clothesline-grid-mxene-nanomaterials-enable.html Nanomaterials Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:30:04 EDT news649603802