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Chang’e-6 lunar soil contains a surprising magnetic time capsule
Scientists studying Chang’e-6 lunar soil have discovered a previously unknown magnetic mineral in natural Moon samples: a form of metallic iron called γ-Fe. Found inside tiny impact-glass particles, the nanoscale iron can preserve a stable magnetic signal, potentially acting like a microscopic fossil of the Moon’s long-lost magnetic field.
Visiting students explore sustainability through physics REU program
Students visiting Penn State for its Physics Research Experiences for Undergraduates program not only conduct hands-on research, but also explore the environmental, social and global impacts of that research. The program, hosted by the Department of Physics in the Eberly College of Science and the Center for Nanoscale Science, supports students from across the country who may not otherwise have access to research opportunities.
Scientists reveal what really happens when water is trapped in tiny spaces
A decades-old puzzle about water has finally been unraveled. Researchers found that water trapped in tiny nanoscale spaces is not inherently more reactive. Instead, the intense pressures created inside these microscopic gaps explain most of the effect, while the surrounding material can further enhance water's chemistry if it interacts with the reaction products.
30 Under 30 Science 2026: New Discoveries From The Cosmo To The Nanoscale
These young scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are working to build a better world at every scale imaginable.
Stanford scientists create shape-shifting material that changes color and texture like an octopus
A new shape-shifting material can change both its texture and color in seconds, inspired by the camouflage abilities of octopuses. By precisely controlling how a polymer swells with water, researchers can create detailed, reversible patterns at the nanoscale. The material can even mimic realistic surfaces and dynamically adjust how it reflects light. In the future, AI could allow it to automatically blend into its surroundings.
Tokyo University of Science develops 137 MJ/m3 tough glassy polymer
Researchers combined bulky DMAP counterions with an ionic comb polymer to achieve both high stiffness and toughness while suppressing nanoscale phase separation.
Scientists sculpt Einstein onto a crystal using only light
A light-sensitive crystal is opening the door to a new era of “light-written” technology. Arsenic trisulfide can be reshaped and permanently altered using simple light, creating ultra-fine optical patterns without expensive manufacturing tools. Scientists even etched a nanoscale portrait of Einstein and high-density patterns that could act as secure optical signatures. This breakthrough could power everything from advanced sensors to next-generation AR devices.
Behind the science in the Nanopatterning Cleanroom
Hamish Carr Delgado, a PhD student in materials science and engineering, shares how he’s working at the nanoscale to produce more energy-efficient chips for AI data centers.
New light-powered chip could accelerate AI and quantum computing
Scientists have created a tiny chip that can generate, steer, and read light-based information all in one device, marking a major leap toward ultra-fast, energy-efficient computing. The breakthrough uses atomically thin materials and nanoscale structures to control a unique quantum property of light called the “valley” degree of freedom, allowing information to be encoded in new ways.
MIT scientists finally reveal the hidden structure of a mysterious high-tech material
For decades, relaxor ferroelectrics have powered everything from medical ultrasounds to sonar systems, yet their inner atomic structure remained a mystery—until now. Researchers have finally mapped their three-dimensional structure in unprecedented detail, uncovering hidden patterns in how electric charges are arranged at the nanoscale. The breakthrough not only challenges long-standing assumptions about how these materials behave but also allows scientists to refine the models used to design them.
Scientists Break Optical Limits With Quantum Dot-Powered Nanoscopy
A powerful new microscopy technique unveils hidden nanoscale light interactions, offering a glimpse into physics that conventional tools cannot resolve.
Scientists create a new state of matter at room temperature using light and nanostructures
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have created a new and unusual state of matter—known as a supersolid—by engineering how light and matter interact inside a nanoscale device. The ...
NQPI welcomes Professor Michael Held, strengthening connections between molecular biology and nanoscale materials research
The Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute (NQPI) at Ohio University welcomes Professor Michael Held as its newest faculty member.
Science Tokyo Details Nanoscale Control Of Magnetic Polarization
Science Tokyo researchers achieved reliable reversal of magnetization in 190 nm structures of BiFe₀.₉Co₀.₁O₃, a multiferroic material offering potential for low-power data storage.
Why this rust-like mineral is one of Earth’s best carbon vaults
A common iron mineral hiding in soil turns out to be far better at trapping carbon than scientists realized. Its surface isn’t uniform — it’s a nanoscale patchwork of positive and negative charges that can grab many different organic molecules. Instead of relying on a single weak attraction, the mineral uses several bonding strategies to hold carbon tightly in place. This helps explain how soils store enormous amounts of carbon for the long term.
UT Austin researchers create nanoscale Longhorn using DNA origami
UT Austin researchers folded DNA into a nanoscale Longhorn, demonstrating a breakthrough that could help deliver cancer drugs more precisely and speed up the production of advanced materials.
Superconductivity breakthrough could unlock ultra-efficient electronics
A clever nanoscale redesign may have solved one of superconductivity’s biggest problems. Researchers in Sweden discovered that by subtly sculpting the surface beneath an ultrathin superconducting material, they could make it stay superconducting at higher temperatures and under much stronger magnetic fields.
Scientists trap light in a layer 1,000x thinner than hair
Researchers have created a nanoscale structure that traps infrared light in a layer just 40 nanometers thick—over 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. By using a unique material with exceptional light-bending properties, they can confine and intensify light far beyond previous limits. This setup also dramatically boosts light conversion effects, turning infrared into visible blue light. The advance could pave the way for smaller, faster photonic technologies.
Scientists Reinvent a Classic Material To Help Power the Future of Quantum Tech
Researchers have revisited a long-known material and uncovered a way to dramatically enhance its performance by altering its structure at the nanoscale.
Sarah Wieghold prepares for nanoscale science with big impact at the Advanced Photon Source
Collaboration and impact are two values that guide her work at the APS.
Caltech’s tiny new chip can steer light in 74 quadrillionths of a second
A new Caltech device can redirect a beam of light in just 74 femtoseconds using another beam and a nanoscale silicon metasurface. The breakthrough could pave the way for dramatically faster photonic communications, computing, and sensing technologies.
KAIST identifies cause of artifacts in battery nanoscale analysis, paving the way for more reliable measurements
- A research team led by Professors Seungbum Hong and Jong Min Yuk from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Nam-Soon Choi from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has identified the cause of a measurement artifact in nanoscale battery analysis that can make surface topography appear to represent ion movement. - The team has developed a method to reduce these artificial signals by smoothing rough battery-material surfaces, potentially improving the accuracy of analyses for next-generation batteries, including conventional lithium-ion batteries and emerging technologies such as sodium-ion and solid-state batteries.
Scientists discover asymmetric diffusion of magnetic skyrmions in simulations
Magnetic skyrmions are nanoscale spin textures that can behave like particles and move and diffuse in real space. This makes them promising information carriers for future memory and computing technologies. A new computational study in npj Spintronics shows how geometry and topology can guide asymmetric thermal diffusion of magnetic skyrmions, offering insights for unlocking unconventional computing paradigms, including future stochastic and neuromorphic computing devices for more efficient artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Decoding chirality at the nanoscale with momentum-space polarimetry
Light: Science & Applications - Schematic illustration of Fourier-domain Mueller matrix polarimetry probing light-matter interactions in gammadion nanostructures, and enabling extraction of...
This strange new phase of matter could transform quantum technology
By stacking custom-designed silver nanoparticles like nanoscale LEGO bricks, scientists stabilized a mysterious crystal phase that had never been observed before. The material not only solves a longstanding puzzle in materials science but also exhibits promising quantum properties at room temperature.
OHIO researchers Faiz Rahman, Savas Kaya receive $550,000 NSF award for next-generation nanolithography
Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute (NQPI) members Dr. Faiz Rahman and Dr. Savas Kaya recently received a new U.S. National Science Foundation award for their research.