Materials Engineering Nanotechnology

Excerpt from EU Corner: "Japan has developed a cooling fabric that doesn’t just reflect heat — it actively lowers body temperature A team of Japanese material scientists has unveiled a smart fabric that could change how we dress for extreme heat. This isn't ordinary clothing — it's engineered with nano-crystals that reflect infrared radiation and draw heat away from the body like a wearable heat sink. The fabric is breathable and lightweight, yet it actively cools the skin through a passive thermoelectric effect. Unlike typical moisture-wicking materials that rely on sweat evaporation, this textile absorbs no water — instead, it redirects thermal energy outward without trapping humidity. Lab tests showed body temperatures dropping by up to 3.5°C while walking under direct summer sun, without fans, batteries, or chemicals. It’s a completely passive system — one that works silently with no moving parts. The potential uses are wide-ranging: protective clothing for construction workers, safer uniforms for firefighters, even everyday wear in a rapidly warming world. It could also play a crucial role in elderly care and humanitarian aid during heatwaves. Japan is now pushing to mass-produce this textile for the upcoming Osaka World Expo, where it will be worn by staff working long shifts in outdoor zones."

South Korea just built liquid robots that mimic living cells. They're microscopic. Guided by sound. And could one day deliver cancer treatments with surgical precision. Here’s how they work: ▶︎ 1. They’re literally liquid These micro-robots aren’t built from metal or silicon. They’re made of water droplets, frozen into tiny cubes and coated with Teflon-like particles. As the ice melts, the coating forms a flexible shell - stable, but incredibly adaptive. ▶︎ 2. They move like cells, not machines These droplets can: - Squeeze through narrow biological pathways - Pick up and transport materials - Merge with other droplets and still hold their form They behave more like living tissue than technology. ▶︎ 3. Steered by sound These robots respond to sound waves, which guide their movement inside the body. That means they could one day deliver drugs directly to hard-to-reach tumours - with high precision and minimal disruption. ▶︎ 4. Early days, bold potential They’re still in early research, but full of promise. Beyond oncology, these microrobots could support: - Targeted drug delivery - Delicate, minimally invasive procedures - Even applications in environmental cleanup — reaching places rigid robots can’t And here’s what this signals for healthtech founders: → Biology-inspired design isn’t a trend - it’s the next wave. → Soft, adaptive tools will reshape how we think about hardware in medicine. → The line between biology and engineering is blurring - fast. This isn’t just innovation at the molecular level. It’s a new way of building care systems from the inside out. So would you trust a robot made of liquid to deliver your treatment? (Video by New Scientist.) #entrepreneurship #startup #funding

🔬 Pushing the Boundaries of Molecular Architecture A few years ago, we accomplished a rare feat in macromolecular chemistry: the synthesis and direct visualization of individual giant molecules - compact, globular nanostructures with molecular weights reaching up to 9 million Daltons. Synthesizing molecules of this scale is no small task. Their dense architecture (spanning tens of nanometers) and high viscosity during polymerization make control over molecular weight and branching extremely challenging. 💡 Our approach: a two-step anionic synthesis using glycidol as the building block. We first created a ~800 kDa precursor initiated by Trimethylolpropane (TMP), then used it as a macroinitiator to build semidendritic hyperbranched polyglycerols with molecular weights of 1, 3, and 9 MDa. 📏 These molecular giants were not only synthesized but also successfully visualized as single particles: ·      Cryo-SEM imaging confirmed spherical, single-particle morphology (28 - 51 nm) ·      AFM revealed compact, non-aggregating structures in water ✨ Visualizing individual giant molecules at this scale is a rare achievement. It provides direct insight into their morphology and stability - critical for advancing applications in nanomedicine, molecular delivery, and advanced materials. #chemistry #macromolecules #polymerchemistry #nanotechnology

A new #textile was designed to combat the urban heat island effect, reflecting both the sun’s heat and the heat bouncing off buildings and streets. When a heat wave hits a city, the sidewalks, roads, and buildings make the air feel hotter. Thanks to the urban heat island effect, all that infrastructure absorbs and reemits the sun’s heat, raising temperatures even more. Getting cool means protecting yourself not just from the sun’s radiation but also from all the radiation bouncing off the pavement and concrete. A new textile—made of plastic and silver nanowires—does that and can keep its wearers as much as 16 degrees cooler than other fabrics. This week, a heat wave is expected to stretch across much of the U.S., with particularly dangerous temperatures forecasted for cities such as #Chicago, #NewYork, and #Boston. This new textile could provide some relief. It uses a process called radiative cooling, which describes how objects cool down by radiating thermal energy into their surroundings. Radiative cooling textiles do already exist, but most just reflect the sun’s heat. That “works very well if you’re in an open field,” says Po-Chun Hsu, a molecular engineering professor at the University of Chicago, whose team recently published a paper on their new material in the journal Science. But not in a city. Existing fabrics don’t reflect the ambient heat from the street below or a nearby building. The heat coming directly from the sun’s rays and the heat emitted from a sun-baked street aren’t the same; they have different wavelengths. That means a material has to have two different “optical properties” to reflect both. To do that, the researchers created a three-layer textile. The top layer is made of polymethylpentene or PMP, a type of plastic commonly used for packaging; the researchers had to figure out how to spin it into a fiber. The second is a sheet of silver nanowires, which acts like a mirror to reflect infrared radiation. Together, these block both the solar radiation and the ambient radiation reflected off of surfaces. The third layer can be any conventional fabric, like wool or cotton. Though there are multiple layers, the main thickness comes from the conventional fabric; the top layer is about 1/100th of a human hair. In outdoor tests in Arizona, the textile stayed 4 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than “broadband emitter” fabrics used for outdoor sports and 16 F cooler than regular silk, a breathable fabric often used for dresses and shirts. Along with clothing, the researchers say this cooling textile could be used on buildings, in cars, or even for food storage and shipping in order to lessen the need for refrigeration, which has a significant climate impact of its own. Next, Hsu’s team is collaborating with other teams to see how the textile could have a health benefit for those in extreme heat conditions. #climatechange #apparel #brands #retail #technology Kristin Toussaint for Fast Company

What do you think about this Aircraft? Imagine a plane that's lighter, stronger, and more fuel-efficient than anything you've seen before. That's what Nanomaterials can do in aircraft manufacturing. For decades, aircraft design has been constrained by the limitations of traditional materials like aluminum. But now, we're entering a new era where advanced materials like composites, ceramics, and even nanomaterials are changing how planes are built. Nanomaterials offer incredible properties. Imagine materials like carbon nanotubes, thousands of times thinner than a human hair, yet possessing strength far exceeding steel. These tiny structures can be woven into composites, creating aircraft components that are incredibly strong and lightweight, leading to more aerodynamic designs and significant fuel reductions. Or consider graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. Its exceptional strength and conductivity make it ideal for applications ranging from structural reinforcement to advanced sensors. Nanomaterials, with their unique properties at the atomic level, hold the potential to create truly improve aircraft manufacturing process and change what is perceived to be possible. The adoption of these emerging materials isn't just about improving performance. It's also about sustainability. Lighter planes mean less fuel burned, which translates to lower emissions and a smaller carbon footprint for the aviation industry. Of course, challenges remain. Some of these materials are expensive to produce, and manufacturing processes need to be refined. But the potential benefits are so significant that research and development efforts are continuing at a rapid pace. In the coming years, we can expect to see even more innovative materials making their way into aircraft design. This will lead to planes that are not only faster and more efficient but also more environmentally friendly. The future of flight is being shaped by these emerging materials, and it's an exciting prospect to imagine. Dearest AeroLovelies, How do you see nanomaterials impacting the future of air travel? What are the biggest hurdles to wider adoption of nanomaterials in aircraft production? Let us know in the comments section... #aerospace #aerospaceengineering #aircraftmanufacturing #theairplanegirl

🔬 #FluorescenceFriday 🎃 From spooky-colored clusters to nanoscale anchors Cells don’t just stick, they interpret. This week, we dive into the fascinating world of #cell–matrix interactions, from my PhD research in Prof. Duncan Sutherland’s group at Aarhus University, where we explored how #nanoscale protein patterning modulates integrin-mediated adhesion. In the fluorescent image, we see human #skin cells interacting with a nanopatterned surface functionalized with laminin, a key component of the basement membrane: 🟠 Integrin α6: clustering in bright nano-puncta 🟣 DAPI: nuclear staining By mimicking #hemidesmosome-like structures, these nanopatterns guide integrin clustering, enabling cells to form stable, specific attachments. These engineered biointerfaces don’t just enhance adhesion, they influence how cells spread, signal, and ultimately differentiate. 🔬 In the accompanying SEM image, captured at higher magnification, you can literally see cellular protrusions making contact with individual nanopatterns, offering a striking visualization of nano-biointerface recognition in action. This is a vivid reminder that in building complex in vitro models (CIVM), we must consider all dimensions of the cellular microenvironment, not just #biochemical or #biomechanical cues, but also the nano/micro-architecture of the interface itself. 🧠 Why this matters: By adjusting the size, spacing, and type of protein ligand, we can precisely tune the cell-matrix interaction landscape, regulating cell phenotype and behavior. To learn more about our approach and insights, check out the links below: -https://lnkd.in/dva9CAuc -https://lnkd.in/g7kFEe2W #NanoBiointerfaces #Hemidesmosomes #SkinCells #Nanopatterning #SEM #Biointerfaces #CellAdhesion #FluorescenceMicroscopy #MicroscaleBiointerfaces #ProteinLigands #CellMatrixInteraction #Mechanobiology #Biomaterials #TissueEngineering #InVitroModels #HighResolutionImaging #Laminin #PhDResearch #AarhusUniversity #DuncanSutherlandGroup #ScientificImaging #HalloweenScience #CellPhenotype #Nanoengineering #3DCellCulture #RegenerativeMedicine #EngineeringBiology #AdvancedMicroscopy

🚀 Breaking New Ground in Nanoscale Science! 🚀 I am excited to share our latest results from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University capturing the spatiotemporal evolution of surface charges on silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanoparticles with femtosecond precision! The related article led by my former graduate student Ritika Dagar and postdoc Wenbin Zhang was published today in Science Advances. For the first time, we used time-resolved reaction nanoscopy, developed in our group, to see how surface charges redistribute and affect molecular bonds. The study suggests a need to rethink nanoscale surface charge processes, influencing everything from catalyst design to photocatalytic systems. The findings can help to design new nanomaterials with tailored properties, impacting energy storage, sensing, and biomedicine. Join us in celebrating this milestone that promises to redefine our grasp of charge-driven phenomena! For more information, read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gAFJ6nXp The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. #Nanoscience #ResearchBreakthrough #ChargeDynamics #Innovation #ScienceAdvances #SLAC #StanfordUniversity #MaterialsScience

Our latest review in Journal of Power Sources, dives deep into the fundamental research and advancements in boron nitride (BN) nanostructures, a material class with remarkable physicochemical properties and vast potential in energy technologies. Key research highlights include: 1. Synthesis breakthroughs: Development of scalable bottom-up and top-down methods such as chemical vapor deposition, hydrothermal synthesis, and exfoliation techniques enabling precise control over BN nanosheets, nanotubes, and quantum dots. 2. Functional modifications: Innovative surface engineering and doping strategies that tailor BN’s chemical reactivity, electrical insulation, and thermal stability to optimize performance under challenging electrochemical conditions. Link: https://lnkd.in/guBVeb7D