Nanomaterials

First-in-human clinical trial suggests minimal health risks of inhaling graphene oxide

By Lisa McDonald / March 12, 2024

As nanomaterials become more commonly used in industry, their potential impacts on human health need to be properly assessed. Researchers led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Manchester in the United Kingdom conducted the first-in-human clinical trial on inhaled graphene oxide nanosheets.

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Tiny tubes and far away stars—large metalens images the night sky

By Guest Contributor / March 5, 2024

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences developed a method for creating 100-millimeter-diameter metalenses. Scaling up metalenses to this size makes applications in astronomy and free-space optical communications possible.

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Ultraviolet light-sensitive tape allows for easier and less damaging transfer of 2D materials

By Lisa McDonald / February 16, 2024

Researchers in Japan showed that adhesive tape, though not the answer to mass graphene production, may be an ideal solution for mass transfer of 2D materials.

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Glass-coated DNA scaffolds receive power-up through inorganic infiltration

By Lisa McDonald / February 2, 2024

In July 2023, researchers announced the creation of high-strength, lightweight glass nanolattices by coating DNA origami scaffolds with silica. Their new open-access paper, published in January 2024, describes the functionalization of these glass-coated scaffolds by infiltrating the nanolattice with metal and metal oxide particles.

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Purifying nanomaterials in bulk: New acid etching method rids boron nitride nanotubes of impurities

By Lisa McDonald / January 23, 2024

Ensuring quality of nanomaterials can be difficult when producing in bulk. Rice University researchers developed a new wet-thermal etching method that can result in mass yields of up to 29% purified boron nitride nanotubes.

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Ensuring future food supply: A review of silver-based nanoparticles to combat plant diseases

By Lisa McDonald / December 1, 2023

Agriculture and livestock management has relied largely on antimicrobial drugs to combat plant diseases, but this overreliance contributes to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Silver-based nanoparticles could serve as an alternative method to protect plants from pathogens, as discussed in a recent review paper.

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Monolayer silicon carbide achieved with both top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods

By Lisa McDonald / November 3, 2023

Theoretical studies have predicted that 2D silicon carbide in a stable honeycomb structure is possible, but experimentally achieving this material has proven difficult. Two recent papers successfully synthesized monolayer silicon carbide using top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods, respectively.

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Nanoscale goldbeating: Ancient Egyptian technique adapted for fabricating 2D thin films

By Guest Contributor / October 20, 2023

Two-dimensional thin films are often fabricated using bottom-up solution-based techniques, such as electrochemical deposition and atomic layer deposition. Now researchers have reported a top-down, solid-state method based on the age-old Egyptian craft of goldbeating that they say is generalizable to various metallic, polymeric, or ceramic nanoparticles.

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Quantum dots may lead to cost-effective mid-infrared light sources and sensors

By Lisa McDonald / October 6, 2023

Quantum dots are emerging as a cost-effective materials system for both emitting and detecting mid-infrared light. Philippe Guyot-Sionnest’s group at the University of Chicago is working on developing this technology, and their latest paper describes a quantum-dot-based light source that is as efficient as current commercial devices.

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Harnessing nature for nano design—glass-coated DNA scaffolds demonstrate potential as lightweight and high-strength materials

By Lisa McDonald / September 29, 2023

In recent decades, researchers have explored using deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as a scaffold for programmable nanostructures. Now, researchers at Columbia University, the University of Connecticut, and Brookhaven National Laboratory collaborated to show that glass-coated DNA scaffolds have potential as lightweight and high-strength materials.

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