Nanotechnology Spotlight – Latest Articles

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Nanowerk drops the AI-designed 'Giants of Nanotech' NFT collection

FeynmanWe have created two inaugural Nanowerk non-fungible token (NFT) collections in a series we are calling Giants of Nanotech in order to honor the great minds of science in this field. The digital artwork has been created using the artificial intelligence (AI) image creation algorithm Neural Style Transfer. The NFTs are tokenized on the Polygon Blockchain as a collectible on the OpenSea marketplace. Have fun with our NFTs and please remember, your purchase helps fund Nanowerk and we are very grateful to you!

Apr 10th, 2022

Cotton, PLA-phytochemical encapsulated nanofiber-based face mask for combating the spread of COVID-19 infections

facemaskAn estimated 6.8 billion face masks are used around the world each day, which ultimately are incinerated, sent to landfills or simply dumped in the environment, providing a glimpse of a forthcoming severe global environmental crisis. Many of these synthetic face masks are non-biodegradable in nature. To address this issue, researchers have developed a 3-layered biodegradable, antibacterial, breathable, herbal-extract based, and needleless electrospun face mask.

Jan 6th, 2022

Nanotechnology could give us battery-free electronic toys

rubber_duckA triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) utilizes charges arising from friction similar to the static we experience on dry winter days; and by nanostructuring the materials in a TENG device, the produced energy could be amplified by increasing the contact area of the surfaces. In a step toward the commercialization of triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) devices, researchers have presented a novel approach that uses TENG technology to develop battery-free, self-powered electronic toys.

Apr 23rd, 2018

Multifunctional nanotechnology fire alarm wallpaper

wallpaperImagine you are fast asleep in your bedroom when a fire breaks out somewhere else in your house. Fortunately, you have nanotechnology-enhanced wallpaper that detects the fire and automatically rings an alarm. Realizing this idea, scientists have developed a 'smart' wallpaper based on highly flexible fire-resistant inorganic paper embedded with ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires that serve as the substrate and graphene oxide as the thermosensitive sensor.

Mar 21st, 2018

Portable energy harvester for self-powered devices

smartphone_pouchWith a focus on using eco-friendly materials such as fabrics worn in daily life (nylon, jeans, cotton, etc.), researchers have developed and demonstrated an innovative product for scavenging biomechanical energy. The team's Smart Mobile Pouch Triboelectric Nanogenerator (SMP-TENG) can generate electricity from lateral sliding and vertical contact and separation with freestanding fabrics; it also can serve as a self-powered emergency flashlight and self-powered pedometer.

Jul 6th, 2017

New insights into the electrical properties of liquid crystals doped with nanoparticles

LCD_displaysMany of the electronic devices we use in our daily life rely on liquid crystal display (LCD) technologies. LCDs get their name from the special liquid crystal solution that is contained between two thin glass plates inside the display. An electric field applied across the liquid crystal layer changes optical properties of the liquid crystals thus enabling their use in displays. A new paper reports several interesting size effects including monotonous and non-monotonous dependence of the total concentration of mobile ions in liquid crystals on the thickness of the cell and/or on the concentration of nanoparticles.

Jun 30th, 2017

A guide to the nanotechnology used in the average home

houseThere is an often-asked question: 'When are we finally going to start seeing nanotechnology products on the market?' As a matter of fact, the average home is already filled with products enhanced or reliant upon nanotechnology. In fact, there are several online repositories listing the more than 2,000 commercially available products that incorporate nanotechnology. The application of nanotechnology in some areas, such as batteries, microelectronics and sunscreens is relatively well known. Let's take a virtual tour through a home to see what else we can find.

Jul 5th, 2016

Nanopore sensor for botulinum toxin detection

botulinum_toxinBotulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most poisonous substances known to humans, with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 1ng per kg of body weight and are the cause of the life-threatening neuroparalytic illness botulism. Recent assays are very promising for practical use, they require expensive and technically complex equipment. Meeting a need for further development of assays for detection of BoNTs, researchers now have developed a nanopore-based assay for detection of BoNT-B.

Jan 12th, 2015