Nanostructure

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.