The team developed a structural battery by depositing carbon nanotubes on quartz-woven fabrics with efficient charge transport and retention.
Category: nanotechnology – Page 3
Nanoparticle therapy reprograms tumor immune cells to attack cancer from within
Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor. A KAIST research team led by Professor Ji-Ho Park of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering have overcome this limitation by developing a new therapeutic approach that directly converts immune cells inside tumors into anticancer cell therapies.
In their approach, when a drug is injected directly into a tumor, macrophages already present in the body absorb it, produce CAR (a cancer-recognizing device) proteins on their own, and are converted into anticancer immune cells known as “CAR-macrophages.” The paper is published in the journal ACS Nano.
Solid tumors —such as gastric, lung, and liver cancers—grow as dense masses, making it difficult for immune cells to infiltrate tumors or maintain their function. As a result, the effectiveness of existing immune cell therapies has been limited.
Electromagnetic wireless remote control of mammalian transgene expression
An intriguing paper by Lin et al. where cells were engineered to express a signaling pathway that transcribes a gene of interest upon generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by CBCFO nanoparticles in response to applied electromagnetic fields. When implanted in a mouse model of diabetes, nanoparticle-treated genetically engineered cells produced insulin and decreased blood glucose levels in the mice after electromagnetic field application.
Wireless magnetic control of gene expression in mammalian cells has been developed based on intracellular nanointerface and ROS-mediated signalling. The approach allows remotely tunable insulin release and regulates blood glucose in diabetic mice.
New sensor measures strain, strain rate and temperature with single material layer
Researchers from the Institute of Metal Research (IMR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an innovative flexible sensor that can simultaneously detect strain, strain rate, and temperature using a single active material layer, representing a significant advance in multimodal sensing technology.
The study, published in Nature Communications, addresses the longstanding challenge of conventional sensors requiring complex multilayer designs that integrate different materials for distinct sensing functions. These traditional approaches often involve complicated signal acquisition and external power supplies, limiting their reliability in continuous monitoring applications.
Led by Prof. Tai Kaiping, the researchers designed the sensor based on a specially designed network of tilted tellurium nanowires (Te-NWs). Through material and structural engineering, they overcame a fundamental limitation where thermoelectric and piezoelectric signals could not be collected in the same direction within conventional materials. In this unique architecture, both signals are simultaneously detected and output in the out-of-plane direction.
Deterministic Formation of Single Organic Color Centers in Single-Walled Carbon NanotubesClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!
Quantum light sources using single-walled carbon nanotubes show promise for quantum technologies but face challenges in achieving precise control over color center formation. Here, we present a novel technique for deterministic creation of single organic color centers in carbon nanotubes using in situ photochemical reaction. By monitoring discrete intensity changes in photoluminescence spectra, we achieve precise control over the formation of individual color centers. Furthermore, our method allows for position-controlled formation of color centers as validated through photoluminescence imaging. We also demonstrate photon antibunching from a color center, confirming the quantum nature of the defects formed. This technique represents a significant step forward in the precise engineering of atomically defined quantum emitters in carbon nanotubes, facilitating their integration into advanced quantum photonic devices and systems.
Fabricating single-photon light sources from carbon nanotubes
Tiny tubes of carbon that emit single photons from just one point along their length have been made in a deterministic manner by RIKEN researchers. Such carbon nanotubes could form the basis of future quantum technologies based on light.
Light is currently used to freight data over long distances via optical fibers. But harnessing its quantum nature could offer several benefits, including unprecedented security since any inception by a third party can be detected.
Such quantum communication technology requires light sources that emit one photon at a time. Several systems are capable of realizing that, but of them carbon nanotubes are the most promising.
How sustainability is driving innovation in functionalized graphene materials
Graphene is often described as a wonder material. It is strong, electrically conductive, thermally efficient, and remarkably versatile. Yet despite more than a decade of excitement, many graphene-based technologies still struggle to move beyond the laboratory.
One of the key challenges is that graphene does not readily dissolve in common solvents, forcing researchers to rely on harsh, multi-step functionalization/modification processes to make it usable.
As a researcher working at the intersection of green chemistry and nanomaterials, I have often found myself asking a simple question: Can we design advanced materials without relying on environmentally costly processes?
Production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes from methane using a multi-pass floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition reactor with process gas recycling
Methane pyrolysis produces hydrogen and carbon materials, but some approaches based on chemical vapour deposition actually consume hydrogen to mitigate unwanted side reactions. Here Peden et al. use gas recycling in a multi-pass floating catalyst chemical vapour deposition reactor to produce hydrogen alongside carbon nanotube aerogels.