Nanowerk October 31, 2024 Due to their high conductivity, electrochemically active surface, and ability to produce additive-free coatings from aqueous inks, MXenes are an ideal material to integrate into textiles to add functionality as well as generate and store electrical energy. A team of researchers in the US (Drexel University, industry, University of Pennsylvania, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia) integrated MXenes into wireless charging coils printed onto textiles, serving as a conductive adhesive between MXene textile components. The MXene coils could power MXene-textile supercapacitors, allowing electromyography measurements with epidermal MXene electrodes and active heating with printed MXene-textile filaments. The on-garment […]
Tag Archives: Nanomaterials
Specially designed transistors allow researchers to ‘hear’ defects in a promising nanomaterial
Phys.org October 22, 2024 Single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is used extensively in many two-dimensional electronic and quantum devices, where defects significantly impact performance. An international team of researchers (Norway, Germany) examined the capture and emission dynamics of defects in hBN by utilizing low-frequency noise (LFN) spectroscopy in hBN-encapsulated and graphene-contacted MoS2 field-effect transistors (FETs). The low disorder of this heterostructure allowed the detection of random telegraph signals (RTS) in large device dimensions of 100 μm2 at cryogenic temperatures. Analysis of gate bias- and temperature-dependent LFN data indicated that RTS originated from a single trap species within hBN. Through calculations […]
Nanoscale method boosts materials for advanced memory storage
Phys.org October 7, 2024 Hierarchical assemblies of ferroelectric nanodomains can exhibit exotic morphologies that lead to distinct behaviours. Controlling these super-domains reliably is critical for realizing states with desired functional properties. A team of researchers in the US (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Texas at Arlington, UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Rice University) described the super-switching mechanism by using a biased atomic force microscopy tip of a model ferroelectric Pb0.6Sr0.4TiO3. They demonstrated that the writing process was dominated by a super-domain nucleation and stabilization process. A complex scanning-probe trajectory enabled on-demand formation of intricate centre-divergent, centre-convergent and flux-closure […]
New nanomaterials could boost hydrogen production for clean energy
Phys.org August 5, 2024 Nanosizing confers unique functions in materials such as graphene and quantum dots. An international team of researchers (UK, China) described two nanoscale-covalent organic frameworks (nano-COFs) that exhibited exceptionally high activity for photocatalytic hydrogen production that resulted from their size and morphology. Compared to bulk analogues, the downsizing of COFs crystals using surfactants provided greatly improved water dispersibility and light-harvesting properties. The nano-COFs showed high hydrogen evolution rate. They observed a reverse concentration-dependent photocatalytic phenomenon where a higher photocatalytic activity was found at a lower catalyst concentration, and the materials showed a molecule-like excitonic nature, a function […]
Illuminating the nanoscale: the forceful dance of light and heat
Nanowerk December 13, 2023 Despite its prevalence, the photothermal effect in light-absorbing nanoparticles has typically been assessed using bulk measurements, neglecting near-field effects. Beyond standard imaging and therapeutic uses, nanosecond-transient photothermal effects have been harnessed for bacterial inactivation, neural stimulation, drug delivery, and chemical synthesis. While scanning probe microscopy and electron microscopy offer single-particle imaging of photothermal fields, their slow speed limits observations to milliseconds or seconds, preventing nanoscale dynamic investigations. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign introduced decoupled optical force nanoscopy (Dofn), enabling nanometer-scale mapping of photothermal forces by exploiting unique phase responses to temporal modulation. They employed […]
Novel approach towards nanomaterials developed
Nanowerk September 25, 2023 In a typical approach for creating nanostructures ligands are grafted onto the surfaces of nanoparticles to improve the dispersion stability and control interparticle interactions. Ligands remain secondary and usually are not expected to order significantly during superstructure formation. Researchers in Germany investigated how ligands can play a more decisive role in the formation of anisotropic inorganic–organic hybrid materials. They grafted poly(2-iso-propyl-2-oxazoline) (PiPrOx) as a crystallizable shell onto SiO2 nanoparticles. By varying the PiPrOx grafting density, both solution stability and nanoparticle aggregation behavior could be controlled. Upon prolonged heating, anisotropic nanostructures formed in conjunction with the crystallization […]
Scientists unlock reversible twisting of nanoscale materials
Nanowerk September 13, 2023 Nanomaterials usually fail to twist into helical crystals. Considering the irreversibility of the previously studied twisting forces, the reverse process (untwisting) and retwisting areas more difficult to achieve. Researchers in China have reported a new reciprocal effect between molecular geometry and crystal structure which triggered a twisting-untwisting-retwisting cycle for tri-cobalt salicylate hydroxide hexahydrate. The twisting force stemmed from competition between the condensation reaction and stacking process, different from the previously reported twisting mechanisms. The resulting distinct nanohelices gave rise to unusual structure elasticity, as reflected in the reversible change of crystal lattice parameters and the mutual […]
Nanomaterial offers new way to control fire
Nanowerk August 14, 2023 High-temperature flames can be difficult to control how it interacts with the material being processed. An international team of researchers (USA – Iowa State University, North Carolina State University, Ames National Laboratory, Canada) developed a technique that utilizes a molecule-thin protective layer to control how the flame’s heat interacts with the material allowing users to finely tune the characteristics of the processed material. They pyrolyzed alkysilanes grafted onto cellulose fibers into non-flammable SiO2 terminating surface ignition propagation, hence stalling flame propagating. Sustaining high temperatures, however, triggered gnition in the bulk of the fibers but under restricted […]
Carbon-based stimuli-responsive nanomaterials: Their classification and application
Phys.org June 5, 2023 With the development of material synthesis technology, carbon-based nanomaterials can be functionalized and used in various fields such as energy, environment, and biomedicine. Researchers in China applied carbon-based nanomaterials to different disease treatments based on their stimulus-response properties. They categorized them into carbon nanotubes, carbon nanospheres, and carbon nanofibers according to their morphology. They discussed the materials’’ applications in probes, bioimaging, tumor therapy, and other fields. They addressed the advantages and disadvantages of carbon-based stimuli-responsive nanomaterials and discussed their future perspective… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Scientists thread rows of metal atoms into nanofiber bundles
Phys.org March 6, 2023 A class of 3D atomic wires of transition metal chalcogenides (TMC) structures consisting of bundles of TMC nanofibers held together by metallic atoms in between the fibers, all forming a well-ordered lattice in its cross section are of particular interest. Depending on the choice of metal, the structure could even be made to become a superconductor. Researchers in Japan demonstrated versatile method to fabricate indium (In)-intercalated W6Te6 (In–W6Te6) bundles with a nanoscale thickness. Atomic-resolution electron microscopy revealed that In atoms were surrounded by three adjacent W6Te6 wires. First-principles calculations suggested that their wire-by-wire stacking can transform […]