Science Daily March 16, 2022 A team of researchers in the US (North Carolina State University, University of Buffalo) has developed and demonstrated a ‘self-driving lab’ that uses artificial intelligence and fluidic systems to advance our understanding of metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystal using cesium lead halides for proof of concept. The self-driving lab technology can autonomously dope MHP nanocrystals with varying levels of manganese which changes the optical and electronic properties of the nanocrystals and introduces magnetic properties to the material. Thus, giving control over greater range of electronic and magnetic properties. The autonomous system could also be used […]
Category Archives: Advanced manufacturing
Self-organization of complex structures: a matter of time
Nanowerk January 19, 2022 Self-organization is a central feature of biological systems. Researchers in Germany have developed an approach based on the concept of time complexity, which allows new strategies to be created for the more efficient synthesizing of complex structures. They showed that different control scenarios can informatively be characterized by their time complexity, i.e., their scaling of the assembly time with the structure size, analogous to algorithms for computational problems. Especially for large structures, differences in the time complexity of the scenarios lead to strongly diverging time efficiencies. Most significantly, they showed that by effectively regulating the supply […]
Light-controlled spontaneous growth of nanostructures
Phys.org December 17, 2021 Researchers in the Netherlands have demonstrated that by illuminating a solution of barium carbonate and silicon with UV light they can control when and which structures arise at the micrometer scale. As soon as barium carbonate crystals form in the solution, the silicon joins in and precipitates together with the crystals, thus giving rise to the unusual shapes. A tiny bit of CO2 gas in the solution starts this process. If one could ensure that CO2 arises at the exact location and time desired, this would result in an on-off switch for the chemical reaction. Using […]
DARPA Successfully Transitions Synthetic Biomanufacturing Technologies to Support National Security Objectives
DARPA December 8, 2021 The Living Foundries program was launched in 2010 to enable adaptable, scalable, and on-demand production of critical, high-value molecules by programming the fundamental metabolic processes of biological systems to generate a vast number of complex molecules. As a proof of concept, DARPA intended to produce 1,000 molecules and material precursors spanning a wide range of defense-relevant applications including industrial chemicals, fuels, coatings, and adhesives. The performer teams collectively have produced over 1630 molecules and materials to-date, and DARPA is transitioning a subset of these technologies to five military research teams from Army, Navy, and Air Force […]
Innovative silicon nanochip can reprogram biological tissue in living body
Science Daily December 10, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (Indiana University, Purdue University, industry, Veterans Administration Medical Center, University of Chicago) has developed a silicon device that can change skin tissue into blood vessels and nerve cells has advanced from prototype to standardized fabrication. The technology, called tissue nano transfection, is a non-invasive nanochip device that can reprogram tissue function by applying a harmless electric spark to deliver specific genes in a fraction of a second. The nanofabrication process typically takes five to six days, and in vivo takes 30 min. In laboratory studies, the device successfully […]
This 3D-Printer Uses Ink Made From Microbes to Print Blobs That Are Alive
Science Alert December 1, 2021 Based on the living cells ability to synthesize molecular components and precisely assemble them to build living functional architectures under ambient conditions microbial engineering has produced materials for various applications. However, building 3D structures in arbitrary patterns and shapes has been a challenge. A team of researchers in the US (Harvard University, Northeastern University, Harvard Medical School) has developed a bioink (microbial ink) that is produced entirely from genetically engineered microbial cells, programmed to perform a bottom-up, hierarchical self-assembly of protein monomers into nanofibers, and nanofiber networks that comprise extrudable hydrogels. They demonstrated the 3D […]
Biomanufacturing: Coming Soon to a Galaxy Near You?
DARPA November 22, 2021 DARPA announced Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program which offers a novel approach for in-situ manufacturing in far-forward locations, including space and provide DoD-relevant molecules and materials and alleviate supply chain burdens associated with space operations. To accomplish this goal, B-SURE will collect data on the microbial utilization of space-based alternative feedstocks, optimization of microbial growth in variable gravities, and mitigation strategies for identified effects of galactic cosmic radiation on microbial growth and bioproduction. The 18-month effort involves three tracks – Track 1 “Alternative Feedstock Utilization” will determine which alternative feedstocks can be […]
How sugar-loving microbes could help power future cars
Phys.org November 22, 2021 A team of researchers in the US (UC Berkeley, University of Minnesota) has harnessed biology and chemistry to turn glucose into olefins. They genetically engineered E. coli to produce a suite of four enzymes that convert glucose into compounds called 3-hydroxy fatty acids. As the bacteria consumed the glucose, they also started to make the fatty acids. To complete the transformation, they used niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) a catalyst to chop off unwanted parts of the fatty acids in a chemical process, generating the final product: the olefins. According to the team more research is needed to […]
Molecular snakes become ladders – potential building blocks for electronics
Nanowerk November 16, 2021 It is challenging to increase the rigidity of a macromolecule while maintaining solubility. Researchers in Germany have introduced the concept of a molecular ladder. They first designed a precursor compound that contained only a single polymer chain and attached polymerizable groups – a flexible “snake.” For some of the material, the second rail of the ladder was then formed in a subsequent step by means of a zipper reaction. In addition to the polymer with a single conjugated rail, the team obtained a polymer with two conjugated rails – the stiff “ladder”. They constructed such a […]
On-water creation of conducting MOF nanosheets
Science Daily October 28, 2021 Researchers in Japan have created functional materials with advanced three-dimensional nanostructures that conduct electricity based on the idea that unique reactions occur at interfaces of water and oil. As they spread a solution containing organic linkers on aqueous solution of metal ions the substances begin assembling their components in a hexagonal arrangement forming nanosheets where the liquid and air meet. They used two barriers to compress the nanosheets into more dense and continuous state. The process produced thin nanosheets with highly organized crystalline structures, tightly ordered crystals also indicated the electrical properties of the material. […]