Nanostructures

Autonomous vehicles operate in a complex environment, and recognizing traffic signs is an important part of that. A new microstructured material reflects light in rainbow rings, which can make traffic signs easier for computer vision systems to read.

Carbon atoms can form graphene sheets and buckyballs. Scientists have theorized that a third variation should exist with negative curvature, known as schwarzite. An international team has now found a way to create these structures, which may have unusual electrical, magnetic and optical properties.

Harvard has reported a breakthrough artificial eye just 30 microns in depth which can exceed the capabilities of the human eye. The technology could make a real impact in all manner of optical fields, including those in cameras, telescopes, microscopes, glasses and even virtual reality.

With blinds in front of our windows, we usually have to choose between light and privacy, but “smart glass" can toggle its opacity as needed. Now a University of Pittsburgh team has developed a new type of glass that can switch between hazy and clear in seconds – just add water.

​The natural world is a constant source of inspiration for scientists and engineers. The latest biologically influenced innovation comes from a team of German researchers who developed a new type of stronger cement inspired by nanostructures found in sea urchin spines.

A new flexible material can block various portions of the electromagnetic spectrum while allowing others through. The material has the potential to improve solar cell efficiencies and create window coatings that not only let in visible light and keep out heat, but also block electromagnetic signals.

Researchers at the Masdar Institute are creating 3D printed high performance materials with custom-designed mechanical, thermal and electrical properties by manipulating the materials' internal structures.

If researchers at RMIT have their way, the amount of time we spend measuring capfuls of liquid, scraping out the lint filter and refolding our duds may soon be slashed thanks to a new coating that cleans fabrics whenever they're exposed to light.

Using electroactive polymers and a combination of biological and engineered parts, researchers at the University of Tel Aviv have created a bionic patch for the heart that replaces damaged heart tissue, provides electrical stimulation, and releases medication on demand.

Scientists working at the University of Bayreuth claim to have created a super-efficient, quantum coherent, nanofiber light-energy transport conduit that exhibits almost zero loss, and shows promise as the missing efficiency link in the sunlight to energy conversion process.

researchers at Northwestern University have deduced the optimal texture roughness required make surfaces hydrophobic and keep them dry underwater for months at a time, which could prove invaluable for everything from pipes to boats and submarines.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a way of creating 3D objects out of flat sheets of graphene, opening up the possibility of creating a whole new range of innovative electronic devices.