Nanowerk April 4, 2022 Researchers in Denmark have developed a technique to identify pharmaceutical agents at nano scale. The process involves using soap-like bubbles as nano-containers to integrate elements from diverse disciplines such as synthetic biochemistry, nanotechnology, DNA synthesis, combinational chemistry, and AI. According to the researchers more than 40,000 different molecules can be synthesized and analyzed within seven minutes in an area smaller than a pinhead, drastically reducing the number of materials, energy, and economic cost for pharmaceutical companies…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Scientists bioprint tissue-like constructs capable of controlled, complex shape change
Phys.org March 31, 2022 The development of hydrogel-based 4D bioinks, especially those allowing living cell printing, with easy preparation, defined composition, and controlled physical properties is critically important for 4D bioprinting. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a single-component jammed micro-flake hydrogel (MFH) system with heterogeneous size distribution, which differs from the conventional granular microgel as a new cell-laden bioink for 4D bioprinting. The cytocompatible MFH features scalable production and straightforward composition with shear-thinning, shear-yielding, and rapid self-healing properties. It can be smoothly printed into stable 3D bioconstructs, which can be further cross-linked to form a gradient in […]
Scientists develop environmentally safe, frost-resistant coatings
Phys.org April 1, 2022 Researchers at the University of Illinois have proposed a design rationale for developing a family of cryoprotectant and phase change material-based compositions in the form of mixtures, non-aqueous emulsions-creams and gels. An in situ generated surface hydration layer protects the underlying substrate from a variety of foulants, varying from ice to disease-causing bacteria. Each formulation utilizes unique chemistry to curtail the embodied cryoprotectant loss and can be easily applied as an all-in-one sprayable/paintable coating capable of significantly outperforming untreated industrial materials in terms of their ability to delay condensation-frosting and shed ice simultaneously. They observed an […]
Shapeable carbon fiber networks with hierarchical porous structure for high-performance Zn-I2 batteries
Nanowerk March 16, 2022 Although aqueous rechargeable zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) emerged as a promising energy storage alternative they suffer from the severe shuttle effect of polyiodide and poor reversibility, leading to the poor cycling lifetime and potential safety issues. Researchers in China found that the assembly of Al-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) in the presence of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) via electrospinning technique enabled the formation of Al-MOF/PAN fibers. With the subsequent pyrolysis, the hierarchical porous carbon fibers with nitrogen doping (NPCNFs) are prepared for loading iodine. The confinement effect of the porous carbon network and the nitrogen doping, inhibits the shuttle effect […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of April 01, 2022
01. Carbon-coated nickel enables fuel cell free of precious metals 02. Decoding a material’s ‘memory’ 03. Development of stretchable and printable free-form lithium-ion batteries 04. DNA computer using glass beads increases parallel processing power 05. Engineering the quantum states in solids using light 06. Heat storage: Scientists develop material that is stable, efficient, and eco-friendly 07. Printing circuits on rare nanomagnets puts a new spin on computing 08. Study shows how superconductivity can be switched on and off in superconductors 09. Team achieves 30-fold enhancement of thermoelectric performance in polycrystalline tin selenide 10. Water as a ‘glue’ for elasticity enhanced, […]
Carbon-coated nickel enables fuel cell free of precious metals
Science Daily March 24, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – Cornell University, University of Madison, Japan, China) designed a nickel-based electrocatalyst with a 2-nanometer shell made of nitrogen-doped carbon. Their hydrogen fuel cell has an anode catalyst consisting of a solid nickel core surrounded by the carbon shell. When paired with a cobalt-manganese cathode, the resulting completely precious-metal-free hydrogen fuel cell outputs more than 200 milliwatts per square centimeter. The nickel oxide species on the surface of the nickel electrode slows the hydrogen oxidation reaction dramatically. The nitrogen-doped carbon coating serves as a protection layer and enhances the […]
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’
Science Daily March 24, 2022 While it has been known that individual particle distribution influences yield point, or flow, in disordered materials, it has been challenging to study this phenomenon since the field lacks ways to “quantify” disorder in such materials. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania tracked individual particles on top of a liquid-air interface. Then, they used a magnetic needle that moves back and forth to apply a shearing force. With this system, the researchers can systematically apply forces to 50,000 particles, track their detailed movement, and use complex image analysis to see if two neighboring particles remain […]
Development of stretchable and printable free-form lithium-ion batteries
Nanowerk March 25, 2022 Researchers in South Korea have developed a fully stretchable lithium-ion battery system using stretchable electrode. It acquires intrinsic stretchability and improved interfacial adhesion with the active materials via a functionalized physically cross-linked organogel as a stretchable binder and separator. The stretchable current collectors are fabricated in the form of nanocomposites consisting of a matrix with excellent barrier properties without swelling in organic electrolytes and nanostructure-controlled multimodal conductive fillers. They demonstrated several types of stretchable lithium-ion batteries that reliably operated under various stretch deformations with capacity and rate capability comparable with a nonstretchable batteries even under high […]
DNA computer using glass beads increases parallel processing power
Phys.org March 29, 2022 In general, DNA computation conducted in individual tubes is slow in generating chemical outputs in response to chemical inputs and requires fluorescence readout. Researchers at Emory University have introduced a new paradigm for DNA computation where the chemical input is processed and transduced into a mechanical output using dynamic DNA-based motors operating far from equilibrium. They applied DNA as a coating to extremely small glass beads. In practice, the glass beads either roll across the surface of a base of gold or hold steady, depending on how the DNA coating interacts with molecules that have been […]
Engineering the quantum states in solids using light
Science Daily March 30, 2022 In previous experiments, the light intensity for realizing Floquet state (where the original quantum state is replicated when light is irradiated on matters) in solids was enormous due to the high frequency of light. An international team of researchers (South Korea, Japan) succeeded in the experimental realization of the steady Floquet state in a graphene Josephson junction (GJJ) by irradiating continuous microwaves on it. The intensity of the light was decreased to one trillionth the value of previous experiments, significantly reducing the heat generation and enabling continuously long-lasting Floquet states. They also developed a novel […]