Today's Nanotech Pulse
Left‑handed DNA origami tubes double chemotherapy efficacy
Researchers at the Cancer Center at Illinois showed that left‑handed DNA origami tubes loaded with the drug Daunorubicin kill acute myeloid leukemia cells more than twice as effectively as right‑handed tubes. The tubes display CD117‑targeting aptamers and their left‑handed geometry promotes rapid internalization, boosting cell‑killing potency.
Sometimes Less Is More: Messier Nanoparticles May Actually Deliver Drugs More Effectively than Tightly Packed Ones
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen unveiled a high‑throughput, single‑nanoparticle analysis that examined millions of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) used for RNA delivery. The study identified two distinct LNP subpopulations—organized, onion‑layered particles and disordered, amorphous particles—and found the latter release their cargo far more efficiently inside cells. Conventional design focuses on maximizing cargo loading, but the disordered structure appears to facilitate rapid RNA release, challenging existing formulation paradigms. The findings were presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
GMG Partners with Tickford Racing to Trial Graphene Products on the Racing Track
Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) has teamed up with Tickford Racing to test its liquid graphene products, including G Lubricant and THERMAL‑XR, on high‑performance race cars. The collaboration will assess reliability, efficiency and performance gains in the team’s workshop and event infrastructure....
Macrophage Phenotype–Dependent Protein Corona Formation Governs Ligand Accessibility and Immune Clearance of Biomimetic Nanoparticles
Researchers coated magnetic silica nanoparticles with membranes from naïve (M0), classically activated (M1) and alternatively activated (M2) macrophages to study phenotype‑dependent protein corona formation. Proteomic analysis showed M0‑derived membranes adsorbed the fewest opsonins (C3, IgG, IgM) and triggered the lowest...
Multi‐Metallic Organic Framework‐Based Composites as Electrocatalysts
The review highlights multi‑metallic organic framework (MMOF) composites as a versatile platform for electrocatalysis, emphasizing how coupling metal, carbon, and multi‑partner components creates synergistic active sites, conductivity, and stability. It surveys recent heterostructures applied to water splitting, oxygen reduction, and...
Reversible Bond Dynamics Enable Crystallinity‐Healed COF Membranes for Selective Ion Transport
Researchers unveiled a “make‑then‑heal” strategy for covalent organic framework (COF) membranes that separates film formation from crystallization. After interfacial polymerization, an acid‑catalyzed hydrothermal step triggers reversible bond exchange, dramatically improving order. The healed TpPa‑SO3H membrane shows a 25‑fold rise in...
Suppressing Intrinsic Ge Vacancies Enables High Thermoelectric Performance in Rhombohedral GeTe
Researchers combined high‑energy ball milling with low‑temperature annealing to curb intrinsic germanium vacancies in rhombohedral GeTe. The treatment fragments and then re‑dissolves Ge secondary phases, while Bi/Sb co‑doping trims carrier concentration and lattice thermal conductivity. These synergistic steps lift the...
Direct Write, Read, and Erase of a Vertical Heterostructure of Graphene–Monolayer Electrolyte–H‐BN Using Electric Force Microscopy
Researchers have demonstrated a vertical heterostructure where a monolayer electrolyte is sandwiched between hexagonal boron nitride and multilayer graphene. The bistable ions in the electrolyte allow electric‑force microscopy to write, read, and erase non‑volatile doping states in graphene, achieving sheet...
A Quercetin Nanocarrier‐Loaded Dual Network Injectable Hydrogel for Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Delivery Targeting Osteoarthritis
Researchers have created an injectable dual‑network hydrogel composed of gelatin methacrylate and κ‑carrageenan that embeds quercetin‑loaded PLGA nanoparticles for mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) delivery in osteoarthritis (OA). The antioxidant hydrogel scavenges reactive oxygen species, reprograms M1 macrophages to an anti‑inflammatory...
Nanozyme Aptasensor: A Breakthrough in S. Aureus Diagnostics
Researchers have unveiled a nanozyme‑aptamer colorimetric array that classifies Staphylococcus aureus strains with 100% accuracy, including methicillin‑resistant variants. The platform couples gold‑nanoparticle nanozymes with four strain‑specific aptamers, producing distinct color fingerprints that are decoded by hierarchical clustering and linear discriminant...
Understanding the Physics at the Anode of Sodium-Ion Batteries
Researchers used DFT‑MD simulations on supercomputers to investigate sodium‑ion behavior in hard‑carbon anodes for sodium‑ion batteries. They identified that sodium ions quickly transition from 2D adsorption to 3D quasi‑metallic clusters, with an optimal nanopore diameter of about 1.5 nm for stable...
How AI Found Better Battery Materials Among 14 Million Possibilities
A collaboration between McGill University, Mila‑Quebec, and Université de Montréal built a closed‑loop system that couples high‑throughput robotic synthesis with multi‑objective Bayesian optimization to explore roughly 14.2 million triple‑doped LiCoPO₄ cathode compositions. Using a set‑transformer surrogate and a multi‑task Gaussian process,...
Single-Atom Catalyst Produces Hydrogen and Oxygen Simultaneously, Slashing Costs
Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) scientists have engineered a single‑atom iridium catalyst anchored on a manganese‑nickel‑phytate layered double hydroxide that catalyzes both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on a single electrode. The design...
Application Spotlight: AI-Designed Patient-Specific Spinal Implants Set for First In-Human Procedures in 2026
Nivalon, founded by Todd Hodrinsky and Marcel Janse, is preparing to launch its AI‑designed, patient‑specific spinal implant system, EvoFlex, in first‑in‑human trials slated for 2026. The implants are generated through machine‑learning algorithms that model each patient’s vertebral geometry, aiming to...
How a Sensor Stuck Into the Lab Found Its Way in the Real World
A nano‑electromechanical sensor originally built at TU Vienna has been transformed into a portable field instrument capable of detecting ultrafine airborne particles in real time. Backed by a €2.2 m European Innovation Council transition grant, the technology now powers the EMILIE FTIR...
Nature-Inspired Method Forms ZnO Quantum Dots in Solid Crystals at Room Temperature
Researchers at the Polish Academy of Sciences and Warsaw University of Technology have demonstrated a new all‑solid‑state method that converts molecular Zn‑organometallic crystals into zinc oxide quantum dots at room temperature. By exposing the crystals to humid air, water‑induced hydrolysis...
Transistor-Like MXene Membranes Enhance Ion Separation
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have demonstrated that MXene membranes can be electrically gated like transistors, allowing real‑time control of ion transport. By applying a voltage across the membrane, they can switch ion flow on or off and even...
Researchers Call for Help with Reproducibility Crisis
Researchers from the Netherlands and France have launched a collaborative effort to replicate a 2012 study that claimed fluorescent quantum dots could detect copper ions inside living cells. Backed by an €8 million European Research Council grant, the NanoBubbles project is...
Water Replaces Complex Receptor Molecules in Carbon Nanotube Gas Sensor
Researchers at UNIST have demonstrated that hygroscopic salt films can stably coat carbon‑nanotube chemiresistors, enabling receptor‑free detection of nine toxic gases, including chemical warfare agents. By selecting salts with low deliquescence relative humidity (LiBr, H₃PO₄, LiCl), the aqueous layer remains...
Nanodevice Produces Continuous Electricity From Evaporation
Researchers at EPFL’s Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technology have unveiled a silicon‑nanopillar device that generates continuous electricity from evaporating saltwater. By deliberately coupling heat and sunlight, the system drives ion migration and electron excitation, producing a stable 1 V output...
Researchers Develop Graphene-Engineered MXene for PFAS Capture
Researchers from multiple institutions have created a graphene‑enhanced MXene electroadsorbent (MXene@rGO‑LDH, MGL) that dramatically improves PFAS removal from water. The composite achieves a maximum PFOA adsorption capacity of 119.5 mg g⁻¹—almost twice that of pristine MXene—and reaches 98.45% removal at pH 4 under...
Oral Nanozyme Treats Colitis-Linked Mental Disorders via Gut-Brain Axis
Researchers at Yangzhou and Nanjing Universities have created an oral polysaccharide‑engineered nanozyme—fucoidan‑cerium nanocomplexes (FucCeNCs)—to treat colitis‑associated anxiety and depression. The nanocomplex combines cerium’s superoxide dismutase‑like activity with fucoidan’s prebiotic properties, enabling simultaneous reactive oxygen/nitrogen species scavenging and gut microbiota modulation....
Quantum 'Ghost Imaging' Paves Way for Nanoscale Images at Lower X-Ray Dose
Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s NSLS‑II have demonstrated quantum‑inspired ghost imaging using entangled X‑ray photon pairs. By correlating a photon that passes through a sample with its untouched partner, they produced high‑resolution images of a tungsten cat and a cardamom...
Antioxidant Nanoparticles May Protect Male Fertility During Chemotherapy
A preclinical study published in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine found that combining melatonin with zinc oxide nanoparticles mitigates cyclophosphamide‑induced reproductive toxicity in male rats. The antioxidant duo restored testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels, lowered oxidative stress markers, and preserved spermatogenic...
A Liquid Ge(IV) Precursor for Low Temperature Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Germanium Oxide Thin Films
Researchers have introduced a liquid germanium(IV) precursor, Ge(DMP)4, featuring the 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl ligand. The compound combines high volatility, exceptional thermal stability, and non‑pyrophoric handling, enabling plasma‑enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) of germanium oxide from 40 °C to 240 °C. Across this wide temperature...
Intermingled Coordination Environments Enable Defect‐Engineered Metal–Polyphenol/G‐Quadruplex Hydrogel for Enhanced N2‐to‐NH3 Photoconversion
The researchers confined a Bi3+–caffeic acid complex inside a guanosine monophosphate‑based G‑quadruplex hydrogel, generating intermingled metal‑catechol and metal‑phosphate coordination sites that produce defect‑rich heterojunctions. This biomimetic matrix mimics ion‑channel pathways, boosting charge transport and nitrogen diffusion. Under visible‑light irradiation the...
Liquid‐Processed 2D Aromatic Amorphous Carbon: Defect Engineering and Universal Transport Scaling
Researchers have introduced a deterministic method to convert liquid‑processed graphene oxide into a quasi‑amorphous 2D carbon, termed quenched reduced graphene oxide (qRGO), by applying rapid thermal quenching. The kinetic control of oxygen removal creates a distorted sp2 aromatic network with...
Gold@MnFe‐Prussian Blue Analog Yolk@Shell Nanoparticles for Light‐Triggered and pH‐Sensitive Drug Release
Researchers have engineered Au@MnFe‑Prussian Blue Analog yolk‑shell nanoparticles that combine a hollow cavity with a functional shell for biomedical use. The synthesis creates a ~75 nm interior, achieving roughly 50% loading efficiency for the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin. Partial etching and redeposition of...
Achieving High‐Efficiency Type I Multimodal Photosensitizers via a Synergistic Rigidity‐Flexibility Strategy for Hypoxia‐Resistant Tumor Therapy
Researchers introduced a donor‑acceptor (D‑A) molecular design that couples a rigid coplanar backbone with flexible side chains, dramatically raising near‑infrared molar extinction and fluorescence brightness. The resulting phenothiazine‑based photosensitizer, EL‑TPO2F, also exhibits strong type‑I reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and...
Controlled Preparation of Vanadium Pentoxide Films and Their Multicolor Electrochromic Properties
Researchers fabricated vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) films on indium tin oxide substrates using a simple electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process, precisely tuning voltage and deposition time. Optimal conditions—5 minutes at the identified voltage—yielded uniform films that display four distinct electrochromic colors: yellow, yellow‑green,...
Thermal Performance Analysis of Magnetohydrodynamics with Carbon Nanotubes on a Stretching/Shrinking Porous Sheet
The study analytically examines magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow of carbon‑nanotube (CNT) nanofluids over a stretching or shrinking porous sheet, incorporating slip, radiation, and heat source/sink effects. Using similarity transformations, the governing equations are reduced to nonlinear ordinary differential equations and solved...
Shape‑conformal 3D Frameworks Enable Full‑surface Neural Organoid Electrophysiology
If you’re interested in organoid biology and/or 3D bioelectronics, then check out our paper published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, titled ‘Shape-conformal porous frameworks for full coverage of neural organoids and high-resolution electrophysiology,’ at https://t.co/Y7MzvRQKTm. This work introduces a technology...
Dr. Tour to Speak at Graphene‑Connect 2026
Dr. Tour is excited to be speaking at the upcoming Graphene-Connect 2026 happening on March 11–12! @Graphene-Connect @metalgrass #graphene #science https://t.co/q3tYr2c4oI
New Sodium Ion Battery Stores Twice the Energy and Desalinates Seawater
University of Surrey researchers discovered that retaining water in sodium vanadium oxide dramatically boosts sodium‑ion battery performance. The hydrated nanostructured sodium vanadate (NVOH) stores nearly twice the energy of conventional cathodes, charges faster, and remains stable for over 400 cycles....
Scientists Develop the World’s Tiniest Wireless Brain Implant
Scientists at Cornell University have created a wireless brain implant so small it can sit on a grain of salt, yet still record and transmit neural activity. The device uses light‑based optics for power and data, eliminating bulky wires and...
Pulse Biosciences Inc (PLSE) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Pulse Biosciences reported its first commercial revenue of $86,000 from limited market release of the nPulse platform and Vibrance disposables. The company completed over 200 procedures across pilot programs and advanced multiple clinical studies, including FDA IDE clearance for the...
Mass Production Technology Developed for Ultra-High Color Purity Perovskite Emitters
Professor Tae‑Woo Lee’s team has unveiled a cold‑injection synthesis that mass‑produces perovskite nanocrystals with ultra‑high color purity at ambient temperature, eliminating the need for high‑temperature, vacuum or specialized gas facilities. The process achieves near‑100 % photoluminescence quantum yield and an external...
When Electronics Become Flexible: Atom-Thin Materials for Future Devices
IISER Pune researchers have demonstrated large‑area bismuth oxyselenide (Bi₂O₂Se) nanosheets only a few atomic layers thick, grown by fine‑tuning temperature, gas flow and precursor ratios. The nanosheets were integrated onto a Kapton substrate to create microscopic flexible electronic devices. Even after...
Chemistry-Powered 'Breathing' Membrane Opens and Closes Tiny Pores on Its Own
Researchers at Osaka University have engineered a chemistry‑driven solid‑state membrane that autonomously opens and closes subnanometer pores by reversing the polarity of an applied voltage. The process relies on electrochemical precipitation to block the pore and dissolution to reopen it,...
Ultrasound-Jiggled Nanobubbles Can Crack Cancer's Collagen 'Fortress'
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have shown that ultrasound‑activated nanobubbles can mechanically disrupt the dense collagen matrix surrounding solid tumors, creating a temporary “softening” effect that lasts several days. In a breast‑cancer model, the approach enabled deeper penetration of...
Single‐Particle Kinetics Unravel Aperture‐Size Dominance in Hot‐Carrier Transfer and Product Desorption for Photocatalytic Reactions in Plasmonic Nanocavities
Researchers tuned gold nanocup cavity apertures from 35 to 67 nm to study plasmonic photocatalysis. The medium‑size aperture (~58 nm) delivered the highest turnover rate of 0.59 s⁻¹, outperforming smaller and larger apertures by 2.8‑8.4×. Single‑particle kinetic imaging showed that this optimum arises...
Recycled Thermocol Nanofibers Based Smart Triboelectric Nanogenerators for AI‐Assisted Switching
Researchers transformed waste expanded polystyrene (EPS) into electrospun nanofibers and used them as the tribonegative layer in a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The nanofibrous architecture delivers an open‑circuit voltage of about 159 V, a short‑circuit current of 22 µA, and a peak power...
Light‐Controlled Exposure/Blockage of Permanent Cavities in Metal‐Organic Cages‐Based Type II Porous Liquids
Researchers have created the first type II porous liquid whose permanent cavities can be exposed or blocked with light. By attaching azobenzene ligands to a charged metal‑organic cage (MSA) and dissolving it in the bulky ionic liquid P6,6,6,14Cl, they achieved a...
Study on the Plasma‐Induced Synthesis of P‐Ru‐Co(OH)2@PCC for the Electrochemical Reduction of Nitrate
A plasma‑assisted micro‑modulation technique restructures Ru‑doped Co(OH)₂ nanosheets, creating oxygen vacancies and lowering metal oxidation states. These changes boost hydrogen adsorption and nitrate binding, dramatically improving nitrate‑to‑ammonia electrocatalysis under neutral pH. The resulting P‑Ru‑Co(OH)₂@PCC catalyst achieves a record ammonia yield...
An Oral Mucosa‐Inspired Wet‐Adhesion Janus Hydrogel With Asymmetric Bifunctionalities of Antifouling/Antioxidant for Treating Oral Ulcer in Diabetes
Researchers have engineered a wet‑adhesion Janus hydrogel (WAJH) that mimics oral mucosa to treat diabetic oral ulcers. The hydrogel features an antifouling agar/polyacrylamide layer and a tannic‑acid‑rich adhesive layer, delivering adhesion energies of 15 J m⁻² and 316 J m⁻² respectively. Its antioxidant tannic...
Microscopic Mirrors for Future Quantum Networks: A New Way to Make High-Performance Optical Resonators
Harvard SEAS researchers have introduced a micro‑fabrication technique that creates some of the smallest, smoothest mirrors ever made for photon control. By thermally oxidizing silicon, stripping the oxide, and applying a stress‑engineered dielectric stack, the film buckles into a precisely...
Silicon Oxide Memory Moves From Lab to Industry
Silicon Oxide Memory Breakthrough | Lecture 12: From Lab to Industry #science #graphene #pchardware https://t.co/78xHMIA1EU
Graphene-Info Announces a New Edition of Its Graphene-Enhanced Construction Materials Market Report
Graphene‑Info released the February 2026 edition of its Graphene Construction Materials Market Report. The guide expands coverage with new tracked companies, ongoing projects, and research activities as adoption accelerates. It includes datasheets, brochures, analysis of carbon‑reduction benefits, and a focus on...
Nanoparticle-Based Gene Editing Could Expand Treatment Options for Cystic Fibrosis
UCLA researchers have engineered lipid nanoparticles to co‑deliver CRISPR/Cas9 components and a full‑length CFTR gene, achieving precise, mutation‑agnostic insertion in human airway cells. The non‑viral system corrected 3‑4% of cells yet restored up to 100% of normal chloride channel function,...
Injectable Nanocomposite Hemostat Speeds Blood Clotting for Trauma Care
Researchers at Texas A&M have created injectable nanocomposite hemostats that cut blood clotting time from six‑seven minutes to one‑two minutes, slashing bleeding duration by up to 70% in internal hemorrhage models. The devices combine clay‑derived nanosilicates with a shape‑memory foam...
Could Graphene Memristors Tackle AI's Energy Use?
A new review in Nanoenergy Advances argues that graphene‑family memristors and photomemristors can dramatically lower AI’s energy footprint by merging sensing, memory, and computation in a single nanoscale device. The paper shows sub‑volt switching, power consumption as low as 200 nW,...