Researchers show new way of assembling particles into complex structures
(Phys.org) -- Many recent advances in microtechnology and nanotechnology depend on microscopic spherical particles self-assembling into large-scale aggregates to form a relatively limited range of...
View ArticleGlowing flowers for ultra-trace analysis of TNT
(Phys.org)—Highly sensitive and highly selective tests are important for the early detection of disease, the detection of environmental toxins, or for the detection of explosives at airports. Increased...
View ArticlePhysicists show math behind growth of 'coffee rings'
(Phys.org)—Last year, a team of University of Pennsylvania physicists showed how to undo the "coffee-ring effect," a commonplace occurrence when drops of liquid with suspended particles dry, leaving a...
View ArticleDevelopment of a superior random laser element using submicrometer-sized zinc...
AIST researchers have demonstrated that when optical defect particles are introduced into a thin film made of homogenized zinc oxide (ZnO) particles obtained by the submicrometer-sized spherical...
View ArticleBioengineers develop world's first microfluidic device for rapid separation...
A bioengineering research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS) team led by Associate Professor Zhang Yong has developed a novel microfluidic device for efficient, rapid separation and...
View ArticleShape-shifting nanoparticles flip from sphere to net in response to tumor signal
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have designed tiny spherical particles to float easily through the bloodstream after injection, then assemble into a durable scaffold within...
View ArticleNewly discovered mechanism propels micromotors
Scientists studying the behavior of platinum particles immersed in hydrogen peroxide may have discovered a new way to propel microscopic machines. The new mechanism is described in The Journal of...
View ArticleUltra-small block 'M' illustrates big ideas in drug delivery
By making what might be the world's smallest three-dimensional unofficial Block "M," University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated a nanoparticle manufacturing process capable of producing...
View ArticleOptical features embedded in marine shells may help develop responsive,...
The blue-rayed limpet is a tiny mollusk that lives in kelp beds along the coasts of Norway, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and the Canary Islands. These diminutive organisms—as small as a...
View ArticleNew nanomaterials inspired by bird feathers play with light to create color
Inspired by the way iridescent bird feathers play with light, scientists have created thin films of material in a wide range of pure colors—from red to green—with hues determined by physical structure...
View ArticleMagnetic fields can send particles to infinity
Researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM, Spain) have mathematically shown that particles charged in a magnetic field can escape into infinity without ever stopping. One of the...
View ArticleHow oversized atoms could help shrink
"Lab-on-a-chip" devices – which can carry out several laboratory functions on a single, micro-sized chip – are the result of a quiet scientific revolution over the past few years. For example, they...
View ArticleScientists guide gold nanoparticles to form 'diamond' superlattices
Using bundled strands of DNA to build Tinkertoy-like tetrahedral cages, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have devised a way to trap and arrange nanoparticles...
View ArticleNanotech particle stratification technique provides new opportunities for...
EU researchers have shown how small nanotech particles suspended in a liquid separate out by size as the liquid evaporates, an effect that can lead to techniques for making layered structures that...
View ArticleSandcastles of star-shaped motes are stable structures
Duke graduate student Yuchen Zhao has spent the last year studying such "sandcastles of stars"—towers crafted from hundreds of six-armed stars or "hexapods" which bear a remarkable resemblance to the...
View ArticleScientists develop 'programmable' cement particles to attain enhanced properties
Bringing order to disorder is key to making stronger and greener cement, the paste that binds concrete.
View ArticleImproved corrosion protection with flake-type particles of zinc-phosphate
Large quantities of steel are used in architecture, bridge construction and ship-building. Structures of this type are intended to be long-lasting. Furthermore, even in the course of many years, they...
View ArticleNew avenue for the large-scale synthesis of Janus particles
Chinese researchers have developed an emulsion interfacial polymerization method to fabricate Janus particles exhibiting chemical and topological anisotropy. The results were published in the journal...
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