Physicists have developed an experimental technique to simulate friction at the nanoscale. Using their technique, the researchers are able to directly observe individual atoms at the interface of two surfaces and manipulate their arrangement, tuning the amount of friction between the surfaces. By changing the spacing of atoms on one surface, they observed a point at which friction disappears.

Nanoparticles disguised as human platelets could greatly enhance the healing power of drug treatments for cardiovascular disease and systemic bacterial infections. These nanoparticles are capable of delivering drugs to targeted sites in the body — particularly injured blood vessels and organs infected by harmful bacteria. This targeted drug delivery greatly increased the therapeutic effects of drugs administered to diseased rats and mice.

Scientists from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have developed a new class of molecular motors that rotate unidirectionally at speeds of up to 1 kHz when exposed to sunlight at room temperature. This unique combination of features opens up novel applications in nano-engineering.

Molecular motors are synthetic chemical compounds that can convert …