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Category: nanotechnology – Page 44

Silver nanoparticles trapped within a polymer matrix allow for precise color control in anti-counterfeiting technology

In a significant advancement in the field of anti-counterfeiting technology, Professor Jiseok Lee and his research team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST have developed a new hidden anti-counterfeiting technology, harnessing the unique properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The results are published in Advanced Materials.

“The technology we have developed holds significant promise in preventing the counterfeiting of valuable artworks and defense materials, particularly in scenarios where authenticity must be verified against potential piracy,” Professor Lee explained.

The team leveraged the inherent disadvantage of AgNPs, which tend to discolor upon exposure to UV light, to create a controlled color development process. By trapping silver nanoparticles within a , researchers can manipulate and, consequently, the color emitted under UV light. Larger polymer nets yield silver nanoparticles that appear yellow, while smaller nets produce a red hue, allowing for precise control of the resultant colors based on ingredient combinations.

Breakthrough in Nanotechnology Unlocks Atomic Precision for Medicine and Energy

Physicists are getting closer to controlling single-molecule chemical reactions – could this shape the future of pharmaceutical research?

A groundbreaking study demonstrates control over atomic-level matter through nanotechnology. By leveraging the precision of scanning tunneling microscopy, researchers have shown how competing chemical reaction outcomes can be influenced by manipulating energy levels. This advancement allows for targeted reactions, such as those needed for drug synthesis, while reducing unwanted byproducts.

Controlling matter at the atomic level.

Oldest Evidence of Hot Water on Mars Found in 4.45 Billion-Year-Old Zircon Grain

For the study, the researchers conducted microscopy analyses of a zircon grain obtained from Black Beauty, which builds off a 2022 study involving the same zircon grain where researchers found the grain had experienced being “shocked” from a meteorite impact long ago. For this latest study, the researchers found that the zircon grain contained unique evidence regarding past liquid water on the Red Planet.

“We used nano-scale geochemistry to detect elemental evidence of hot water on Mars 4.45 billion years ago,” said Dr. Aaron Cavosie, who is a senior lecturer in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Curtin University and a co-author on the study. “Hydrothermal systems were essential for the development of life on Earth and our findings suggest Mars also had water, a key ingredient for habitable environments, during the earliest history of crust formation. Through nano-scale imaging and spectroscopy, the team identified element patterns in this unique zircon, including iron, aluminum, yttrium and sodium. These elements were added as the zircon formed 4.45 billion years ago, suggesting water was present during early Martian magmatic activity.”

‘Self-assembling’ nano-electronics: Faster, cheaper, more reliable

A remarkable proof-of-concept project has successfully manufactured nanoscale diodes and transistors using a fast, cheap new production technique in which liquid metal is directed to self-assemble into precise 3D structures.

In a peer-reviewed study due to be released in the journal Materials Horizons, a North Carolina State University team outlined and demonstrated the new method using an alloy of indium, bismuth and tin, known as Field’s metal.

The liquid metal was placed beside a mold, which the researchers say can be made in any size or shape. As it’s exposed to oxygen, a thin oxide layer forms on the surface of the metal. Then, a liquid is poured onto it, containing negatively-charged ligand molecules designed to pull individual metal atoms off that oxide layer as positively-charged ions, and bind with them.

AI has use in every stage of real estate development, HPI execs say

What do motion detectors, self-driving cars, chemical analyzers and satellites have in common? They all contain detectors for infrared (IR) light. At their core and besides readout electronics, such detectors usually consist of a crystalline semiconductor material.

Such materials are challenging to manufacture: They often require extreme conditions, such as a very high temperature, and a lot of energy. Empa researchers are convinced that there is an easier way. A team led by Ivan Shorubalko from the Transport at the Nanoscale Interfaces laboratory is working on miniaturized IR made of .

The words “quantum dots” do not sound like an easy concept to most people. Shorubalko explains, “The properties of a material depend not only on its chemical composition, but also on its dimensions.” If you produce tiny particles of a certain material, they may have different properties than larger pieces of the very same material. This is due to , hence the name “quantum dots.”

New method discovered for controlling molecular patterns on liquid droplets

A team of researchers has uncovered a previously unknown phenomenon that could improve the way we design materials at the molecular level. By unlocking a transformation between two types of structural defects on the surface of liquid droplets, the research opens new possibilities for controlling molecular patterns with unprecedented precision. This discovery has broad applications across a range of technologies, including vaccine design, the creation of self-assembling structures, and the synthesis of complex nanoparticles.

When guest molecules are positioned on liquid droplet surfaces, they typically spread out quickly due to diffusion, making it challenging to achieve over their placement. However, the researchers discovered that droplets made from certain materials undergo a process known as “interfacial freezing,” in which the droplet’s surface forms a crystalline molecular monolayer while the bulk of the droplet remains liquid.

This process leads to a with a hexagonal surface structure, where the curvature of the surface dictates the formation of structural defects. The defects thus formed are critical to controlling the behavior of guest molecules.

Artificial photosynthesis learned from nature: New solar hydrogen production technology developed

Researchers have successfully developed a supramolecular fluorophore nanocomposite fabrication technology using nanomaterials and constructed a sustainable solar organic biohydrogen production system.

The research team used the good nanosurface adsorption properties of tannic acid-based metal-polyphenol polymers to control the and optical properties of fluorescent dyes while also identifying the photoexcitation and electron transfer mechanisms. Based on these findings, he implemented a solar-based biohydrogen production system using bacteria with hydrogenase enzymes.

The findings are published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The joint research was led by Professor Hyojung Cha at the Department of Hydrogen and Renewable Energy, Kyungpook National University and Professor Chiyoung Park at the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology.

Polymorphism in magic-sized Au144(SR)60 clusters

Year 2016 Shape changing gold nanoparticles face_with_colon_three

Gold nanoclusters are important nanomaterials but their structural assignment can be challenging if single crystals can’t be grown. Here, the authors use pair distribution function analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data for Au144(SR)60nanoclusters, and show that they exhibit polymorphism.