Using specialized carbon nanotubes, engineers designed a sensor that can detect SARS-CoV-2 without any antibody, giving a result within minutes. With further development, this kind of sensor could enable rapid and accurate screening for COVID-19 or pathogens that emerge in the future.

FDA-approved iron oxide nanoparticles, delivered in a mouth rinse, can suppress the growth of dental plaque and kill bacteria responsible for tooth decay, according to a new study. The nanoparticles act as enzymes to activate hydrogen peroxide in a way that precisely targets harmful microbes and spares normal tissue.

Scientists are probing topological insulators with circularly polarized light to reveal their many secrets. These exotic materials have potential for quantum computing and other technologies. They discovered that high harmonic generation produces a unique signature from the topological surface.

Engineers have developed a novel approach to design and fabricate thin-film infrared light sources with near-arbitrary spectral output driven by heat, along with a machine learning methodology called inverse design that reduced the optimization time for these devices from weeks or months on a multi-core computer to a few minutes on a consumer-grade desktop.

In research that could inform future high-performance nanomaterials, a study has uncovered how mollusks build ultradurable structures with a level of symmetry that outstrips everything else in the natural world, with the exception of individual atoms.

Researchers report the first realization of on-chip optical levitation in a vacuum with an ultrathin metalens. Accomplishing this feat in a vacuum helps improve the sensitivity of the system.

A multi-institutional research team has designed nanoparticles that can communicate with and slow the development of cancer cells. The work has uncovered a novel framework for the potential development of drug-free cancer therapies.

Ocean waves can be powerful, containing enough energy to push around sand, pebbles and even boulders during storms. These waves, as well as smaller, more gentle ones, could be tapped as a source of renewable energy. Now, researchers have developed flexible power generators that mimic the way seaweed sways to efficiently convert surface and underwater waves into electricity to power marine-based devices.

IoN: The FP7-funded project NanoCelluComp aims to produce bionanocomposite materials from renewable sources namely vegetable waste.