Nanoparticles of magnetite, the most abundant magnetic material on earth, are found in living organisms from bacteria to birds. Nanocrystals of magnetite self-assemble into fine compass needles in the organism that help it to navigate.

A research group led by Professor Hiroyuki Noji, Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, successfully observed and touched the rotational motion of a 1-nm synthetic molecular machine through the application of a single-molecule capturing and manipulation technique using optical microscopy and a bead probe (single-molecule motion capturing), which allows visualization of molecular mechanical motion.

As hemp makes a comeback in the U.S. after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors. 

Long before humans figured out how to create colors, nature had already perfected the process — think stunning, bright butterfly wings of many different hues, for example.

A multi-institutional team of researchers has developed a new nanoscale agent for imaging the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This safe, noninvasive method for assessing the function and properties of the GI tract in real time could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of gut diseases.

Scientists use simple, low cost laser technique to improve properties and functions of nanomaterials.

Biological applications such as bioimaging, cancer treatment, tissue engineering and optical coding are just a few ways nanomaterials are being used in the lab today. Unfortunately, factors of nanoparticles, such as internal collisions with molecules, thermal motion, and gravitational forces affect the physical stability of nanoparticles making them difficult to work with in clinical applications or materials science.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently received $5.6 million from the Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an implantable neural interface with the ability to record and stimulate neurons within the brain for treating neuropsychiatric disorders.

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have engineered a bacterium whose genetic material includes an added pair of DNA “letters,” or bases, not found in nature. The cells of this unique bacterium can replicate the unnatural DNA bases more or less normally, for as long as the molecular building blocks are supplied.

UD researchers demonstrate that processing can affect size of nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery.