Nanostructure

Using principles from rocket science, researchers have created carbon with a record-breaking surface area. The material can soak up about twice the amount of CO2 as current activated carbon materials and has impressive energy-storage capabilities.

In a move akin to puncturing an egg yolk without breaking the shell or egg white, researchers have figured out how to pierce the nucleus of a cell without hurting the rest of the structure. The breakthrough could be big news for medical treatments.

Researchers developed a nanospiked surface that was 96% effective in destroying a common virus responsible for causing respiratory illnesses in children. The technology could safeguard researchers, health workers and patients from viral spread.

3D printing technology is used not only to build things as large as houses, but also as small as snowflakes. A new material allows the latter to be much stronger than ever before, and to be printed considerably faster.

By taking some inspiration from nature and some from the way the synthetic fiber Kevlar is formed, scientists at MIT have developed self-assembling nanoribbons they say are stronger than steel, with possible applications in water filtration and electronic devices.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have used a new technique to produce detailed images of dragonfly wings, showing more than 10 billion tiny 'fingers' (nanostructures) lining the wing surface that make bacteria tear themselves apart.