https://phys.org/nanotech-news/nano-physics en-us The latest science news on nanophysics, nanotechnology, nanotech and nanoscience. Newly developed atomic engineering techniques have opened exciting opportunities for enabling ferroelectric behavior in high-k dielectrics, materials that have a high dielectric constant (i.e., kappa or k) compared to silicon. This could in turn inform the development of more advanced CMOS-based technology with a broader range of functions or properties. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nanoelectromechanical-resonators-based-hafniazirconiaalumina-superlattices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:30:01 EDT news610127970 Researchers at the University of Basel and Lund University have generated superconducting pair states of electrons on several segments of a nanowire, separated by grown barriers. Depending on the height of the barriers, these pair states can be coupled and fused. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-andreev-chemistry-nanowire-generate-superconducting.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:34:18 EDT news610112055 The potential of an ultrafast form of transmission electron microscopy to measure sound waves in nanostructures has been demonstrated by three RIKEN physicists. This could help realize a high-resolution imaging method that uses ultrahigh-frequency sound waves to image structures that are nanometers in size. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-image-nanostructures.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:38:03 EDT news610108682 To develop advanced materials, a deep understanding of their underlying microstructure and chemistry is necessary. Knowing how defects influence the interplay between microstructure and chemical composition is crucial, as they are the entry gate for material's failure due to corrosion or crack initiation. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-elements-grain-boundary-revealing-material.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:31:03 EDT news610108261 Squeezing light beyond the diffraction limit and controlling the optical processes caused by nano-confined light are central issues of nanophotonics. In particular, localized and enhanced light at the plasmonic nanogaps in scanning probe microscopes provides us with a unique platform for obtaining site-specific optical information at the molecular/atomic scale. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-broadband-tip-enhanced-nonlinear-optical-response.html Nanophysics Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:25:37 EDT news610028735 Junctions between the two different materials, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and perovskite (CsPbBr3) quantum dots (QDs)—a mechanically stable and easily customized photovoltaic material that creates an electrical current from sunlight when paired with another material, such as SWCNTs—form semiconductor heterojunctions that work exceptionally well as a photodetector. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-photodetector-heterojunctions-varies-carbon-nanotube.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:53:04 EDT news610023182 Using conventional testing techniques, it can be challenging—sometimes impossible—to detect harmful contaminants such as nano-plastics, air pollutants and microbes in living organisms and natural materials. These contaminants are sometimes found in such tiny quantities that tests are unable to reliably pick them up. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nanotech-chemical-composition-impurities-air.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:41:04 EDT news610018861 A cutting-edge practice by two Vanderbilt researchers that enhances light in nanoscale structures could help in the detection of diseases like cancer. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nanoscale-aid-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:22:52 EDT news609765770 Researchers in the National Graphene Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester have revisited one of the most ancient materials on Earth—graphite—and discovered new physics that has eluded the field for decades. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-moir-surface-bulk-states-capturing-hofstadter.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:30:32 EDT news609683424 The term molybdenum disulfide may sound familiar to some car drivers and mechanics. No wonder: the substance, discovered by U.S. chemist Alfred Sonntag in the 1940s, is still used today as a high-performance lubricant in engines and turbines, but also for bolts and screws. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-characterizing-atomic-defects-2d-materials.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:57:36 EDT news609515853 Graphene is a two-dimensional wonder material that has been suggested for a wide range of applications in energy, technology, construction, and more since it was first isolated from graphite in 2004. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-deeper-graphene-rainbow.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:37:03 EDT news609514621 A new study determines the efficiency of a single-molecule heat engine by considering a series of ratchets that transfer energy along a network. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-molecular-motor-network.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Jul 2023 14:33:03 EDT news609514381 Materials that are both strong and lightweight could improve everything from cars to body armor. But usually, the two qualities are mutually exclusive. Now, University of Connecticut researchers and colleagues have developed an extraordinarily strong, lightweight material using two unlikely building blocks: DNA and glass. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-dna-coat-glass-density-strong.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:30:24 EDT news609503421 Prof. Pan Xu's team at the Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), in collaboration with Zheng Xiaojia at the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP), and other researchers, discovered the remarkable potential of one-dimensional (1D) δ-phase formamidinium lead iodide (δ-FAPbI3) as an advanced material for X-ray detection. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-explore-potential-compound-x-ray-imaging.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:10:05 EDT news609502201 Researchers have created a quantum superposition state in a semiconductor nanostructure that might serve as a basis for quantum computing. The trick: two optical laser pulses that act as a single terahertz laser pulse. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-quantum-bit-semiconductor-nanostructures.html Nanophysics Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:02:03 EDT news609498121 Bubble technology has emerged as a powerful tool for addressing environmental pollution, enhancing water treatment processes, and boosting industrial and agricultural production. Such novel applications of this technology have emerged owing to the unique properties of nanobubbles (NBs)—gas bubbles smaller than 1,000 nanometers (nm) in diameter. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-closer-ultra-high-stability-nanobubbles.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 24 Jul 2023 15:17:03 EDT news609430621 As the world transitions to renewable power sources such as solar and wind, there is a growing need for high-performance rechargeable batteries to store the energy generated by this intermittent energy source. Today's lithium-ion batteries are good, but their performance still needs to be improved; developing new electrode materials is one way to improve their performance. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-laser-treatment-boost-battery.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 24 Jul 2023 13:28:59 EDT news609424130 The light control performance of photonic crystals is closely related to their lattice constant, which typically requires the lattice constant to be in the same order of magnitude as the working wavelength. In crystal materials, the photonic crystal structure is formed by the periodic arrangement of units with different dielectric constants than the crystal itself in space, and its lattice constant depends on the size of the unit and the gap between adjacent units. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-fabrication-nanoscale-photonic-crystals-ultrafast.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:52:41 EDT news609414758 Saturable absorbers as passive modulators in passively mode-locked fiber lasers play a crucial role in the generation of ultrashort pulses. Germanene, a graphene-like two-dimensional material with fast carrier relaxation time and large nonlinear absorption coefficient comparable to that of graphene, is a saturable absorber material with very fast response. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ultrafast-mode-locking-generation-er-doped-fiber.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:28:03 EDT news609164882 New research looks at navigation strategies for deformable micro-swimmers in a viscous fluid faced with drifts, strains, and other deformations. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-undulatory-micro-swimmers-fluid.html Bio & Medicine Nanophysics Fri, 21 Jul 2023 10:22:03 EDT news609153720 National University of Singapore (NUS) physicists have developed a method using a focused beam of helium ions to create arrays of defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) that can potentially be used for magnetic sensing applications. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-defects-hexagonal-boron-nitride-helium.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 21 Jul 2023 09:35:57 EDT news609150954 For decades, scientists have been probing the potential of two-dimensional materials to transform our world. 2D materials are only a single layer of atoms thick. Within them, subatomic particles like electrons can only move in two dimensions. This simple restriction can trigger unusual electron behavior, imbuing the materials with "exotic" properties like bizarre forms of magnetism, superconductivity and other collective behaviors among electrons—all of which could be useful in computing, communication, energy and other fields. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-graphite.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Wed, 19 Jul 2023 11:00:01 EDT news608981924 New research from Lancaster University presents an "innovative approach" to investigating the heat conductivity of novel two-dimensional materials. The work paves the way for creating efficient waste heat scavengers that generate cheap electricity, new compact fridges, and advanced optical and microwave sensors and cameras. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-highlighting-approach-2d-materials.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 18 Jul 2023 15:52:27 EDT news608914345 Microplastics are tiny, barely visible plastic particles that can harm the environment, for example, if they are eaten by animals. However, it has been difficult to assess the effect of even smaller particles, which can hardly be detected using conventional methods—plastic particles with a diameter of less than one micrometer commonly referred to as "nanoplastics." Such tiny particles can even be absorbed into living cells. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nanoplastics-fractions-raman-spectroscopy.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:29:03 EDT news608898541 Experiments with state-of-the-art scattering instruments reveal an absence of specific patterns in the X-rays scattered by nanocomposite materials. With the help of advanced simulation techniques, a new study suggests that attractive interactions between nanoparticles with diverse shapes and sizes are most likely responsible for this behavior. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nanocomposite-neutron-x-ray.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jul 2023 16:50:35 EDT news608831415 A proton-driven approach that enables multiple ferroelectric phase transitions sets the stage for ultralow power, high-capacity computer chips. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-protons-power-next-generation-memory-devices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:06:39 EDT news608810797 A pair of multidisciplinary teams with many of the same researchers are developing processes that allow scientists to better see into the nanoscale and harness possibilities of the quantum realm. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nanoscale-realm.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:06:18 EDT news608810775 A new technology being pioneered at Caltech is allowing researchers to "evolve" optical devices and then print them out using a specialized type of 3D printer. These devices are made of so-called optical metamaterials that derive their properties from structures so small they are measured in nanometers, and they may allow cameras and sensors to detect and manipulate properties of light in ways not previously possible at small scales. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-evolving-3d-nanoscale-optical-devices.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Mon, 17 Jul 2023 09:22:11 EDT news608804514 Liquid metal, planet-like nanodroplets have been successfully formed with a new technique developed at RMIT University, Australia. Like our own planet Earth, the nanodroplets feature an outer "crust," a liquid metal "mantle," and a solid "core." https://phys.org/news/2023-07-liquid-metal-nanodroplets-technique-properties.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 14 Jul 2023 11:05:05 EDT news608551502 A new approach to developing semiconductor materials at tiny scales could help boost applications that rely on converting light to energy. A Los Alamos-led research team incorporated magnetic dopants into specially engineered colloidal quantum dots—nanoscale-size semiconductor crystals—and was able to achieve effects that may power solar cell technology, photo detectors and applications that depend on light to drive chemical reactions. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-reveals-quantum-dots-carrier-multiplication.html Nanophysics Nanomaterials Fri, 14 Jul 2023 10:52:21 EDT news608550739