Chemists have witnessed atoms of one chemical element morph into another for the first time ever — a feat that produced an unexpected outcome that could lead to a new way to safely treat cancer with radiation.

Researchers on three continents have discovered that functionalized carbon nanotubes, when ground together, react and unzip into nanoribbons. The all solid-state process suggests that nanostructures may serve as templates for controlled chemical reactions.

Quantum dots promise an astounding range of applications, if scientists can conquer their annoying habit of blinking. Researchers recently ran simulations that offer new insights into the problem.

Researchers have created stretchable, transparent conductors that work because of the structures’ ‘nano-accordion’ design. The conductors could be used in a wide variety of applications, such as flexible electronics, stretchable displays or wearable sensors.

Researchers have developed tiny, diamond-based probes that optically transmit detailed temperature information and can operate in conditions ranging from 150 – 850 degrees Kelvin.

New research outlines how the creation of ‘nanofibers’ could provide new and improved products and delivery systems for supplementary foodstuffs.

Scientists published first experimental results showing that ordinary nanocrystals possess intrinsic chirality and can be produced under normal conditions as a half-and-half mixture of mirror images of each other. The discovery of this fundamental property in nanocrystals opens new horizons in nano- and bio-technology and medicine, for instance, for such applications as targeted drug delivery.

Researchers have solved the long-standing conundrum of how the boundary between grains of graphene affects heat conductivity in thin films of the miracle substance — bringing developers a step closer to being able to engineer films at a scale useful for cooling microelectronic devices and hundreds of other nano-tech applications.

A full description of nanoscale thermal transport has defied understanding for decades. In a new study, researchers uncovered a regime of thermal transport near nanoscale structures, where counterintuitively, nanoscale hot spots cool more quickly when placed close together than when they are widely separated. The results suggest new approaches for addressing the significant challenge of heat management in nanosystems, with design implications for integrated circuits and other uses.

A group of researchers have managed to print and dry three-dimensional objects made entirely by cellulose for the first time with the help of a 3D-bioprinter. They also added carbon nanotubes to create electrically conductive material. The effect is that cellulose and other raw material based on wood will be able to compete with fossil-based plastics and metals in the on-going additive manufacturing revolution, which started with the introduction of the 3D-printer.