Researchers have discovered a new method to improve the toughness of materials that could lead to stronger versions of body armor, bulletproof glass and other ballistic equipment. The team produced films composed of nanometer-scale ceramic particles decorated with polymer strands (resembling fuzzy orbs) and made them targets in miniature impact tests that showed off the material's enhanced toughness. Further tests unveiled a unique property not shared by typical polymer-based materials that allowed the films to dissipate energy from impacts rapidly.

Researchers have discovered a new method to improve the toughness of materials that could lead to stronger versions of body armor, bulletproof glass and other ballistic equipment.

A new copper surface that kills bacteria more than 100 times faster and more effectively than standard copper could help combat the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Researchers have come up with a new design for thermal actuators, which can be used to create rapid movement in soft robotic devices.

Biophysicists have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body.

Nearly a century after Italian physicist Ettore Majorana laid the groundwork for the discovery that electrons could be divided into halves, researchers predict that split photons may also exist. The finding advances the fundamental understanding of light and how it behaves.

Researchers have come up with a new design for thermal actuators, which can be used to create rapid movement in soft robotic devices.

Scientists for the first time provide guidance for the analysis of Raman spectra, covering all steps from experimental design and data preparation to data modeling and statistical analysis, while also pointing out potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Biophysicists have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body.

Researchers have found a new mechanism that produces cell membrane vesicles, which transport proteins and RNA in and out of cells.

Engineers have developed a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) nanowire-based field emission gun that is installable on an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (TEM). This combined unit is able to perform atomic resolution observation at an energy resolution of 0.2 eV -- the highest resolution ever recorded for non-monochromatic electron guns -- with a high current stability of 0.4%.

Here are some recently published books on nanotechnology topics.

Scientists have developed a lanthanum hexaboride nanowire-based field emission gun that is installable on an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope (TEM). This combined unit is able to perform atomic resolution observation at an energy resolution of 0.2 eV - the highest resolution ever recorded for non-monochromatic electron guns - with a high current stability of 0.4%.

Physicists publish a theoretical framework to explain the recent discovery of superconductivity in trilayer graphene.

The quest to deliver ultra-fast and energy efficient magnetic recording could be a step closer to fruition, due to pioneering new research on all-optical switching of magnetization.

By crafting atomic-scale holes in atomically thin membranes, it should be possible to create molecular sieves for precise and efficient gas separation, including extraction of carbon dioxide from air.

Scientists have developed a new physical model for controlling elastic wave propagation - a model that may potentially impact various applications, including acoustic cloaking, enhanced sensing, and energy tunneling.

Researchers have developed a circuit that produces the high-quality microwave signals required to control quantum computers while operating at temperatures near absolute zero. This is a key step towards moving the control system closer to the quantum processor, which may make it possible to greatly increase the number of qubits in the processor.

The quest to deliver ultra-fast and energy efficient magnetic recording could be a step closer to fruition, due to pioneering new research on all-optical switching of magnetization.

Materials chemists have developed a facile process for piling ultrathin inorganic and organic layers in a pre-designed manner into flexible room-temperature thin-film magnets, whose magnetic properties can be controlled with successive external light illuminations.