Nanotechnology

Nanomachines are plagued by their short lifespans and the looming chaos in the environment. This group at TUM used a new tubular design made from DNA to keep the machine together, but the chaos out.

A new type of ultrawhite paint could help keep buildings cooler and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Engineers at MIT have developed the blackest material to date by growing carbon nanotubes on an aluminum surface. The treated aluminum structure additionally has improved electrical properties and the synthesis process can be easily scaled for a number…

Colonies of social insects are capable of self-organizing and accomplishing complex tasks through individual interactions. For example, to march across large gaps, ants grip the bodies of each other, forming a living bridge that allows the colonies to…

  Nanowires are thin structures measuring 0.000000001 meters in diameter, which is so thin that they essentially behave as if they only have one-dimension. This one-dimensional nature gives nanowires a ton of interesting electrical and…

If you have a smartphone or a camera with you, take a look at its lenses right now. The next time you buy a phone, these bulky lenses may no longer be there. A team of scientists at Harvard University has developed a single, flat lens with the potential…

IBM scientists use microscopy methods to create an “impossible” carbon molecule, triangulene. Triangulene is made of 6 carbon rings with two unpaired electrons roaming about. While triangulene has not been fully characterized at this point, the unpaired…

Modern society is built on portable electronics, and with these power-hungry pieces of technology comes the need for convenient charging. To mitigate the need to find power outlets, a team at the University of Central Florida, lead by Jayan Thomas,…

Microscopy images above show two model diatom species: Thalassiosira pseudonana (left) and Phaeodactylum tricornutum (right). If you live in Boston, nanofactories of sophistication well beyond anything the human race has come up with are just a Charles…