Layered van der Waals materials are of high interest for electronic and photonic applications, according to researchers who provide new insights into the interactions of layered materials with laser and electron beams.

Researchers report on a high-speed atomic-force microscopy study of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex. The visualization in real-time of the filaments' dynamics is an important step in our understanding of molecular transport mechanisms between a cell nucleus and its surrounding medium.

Researchers have developed a human cell 'membrane on a chip' that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our cells, and may soon be used to test potential drug candidates for COVID-19.

Researchers report that they have observed a quantum fluid known as the fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS), one of the most delicate phases of matter, for the first time in a monolayer 2D semiconductor. Their findings demonstrate the excellent intrinsic quality of 2D semiconductors and establish them as a unique test platform for future applications in quantum computing.

An international team of scientists has found a new superconducting system in which magnetic flux quanta can move at velocities of 10-15 km/s. This opens access to investigations of the rich physics of non-equilibrium collective systems and renders a direct-write Nb-C superconductor as a candidate material for single-photon detectors.

Researchers have succeeded in applying aerogels to microelectronics: Aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers can effectively shield electromagnetic radiation over a wide frequency range - and they are unrivaled in terms of weight.

Physicists have developed a simple concept that could improve significantly magnetic-based data processing. Using ultrashort electric pulses in the terahertz range, data can be written, read and erased very quickly. This would make data processing faster, more compact and energy efficient. The researchers confirmed their theory by running complex simulations.

Artificial enzymes made of treated charcoal could have the power to curtail damaging levels of superoxides, toxic radical oxygen ions that appear at high concentrations after an injury.

Researchers have cracked one of the secrets of tooth decay. The materials scientists are the first to identify a small number of impurity atoms in human enamel that may contribute to the material's strength but also make it more soluble. They also are the first to determine the spatial distribution of the impurities with atomic-scale resolution. The discovery could lead to a better understanding of human tooth decay as well as genetic conditions that affect enamel formation.

The synthesis of silica particles, used in bioimaging and drug delivery, could become considerably cheaper and more efficient by adopting a new flow synthesis method which involves a spiral channel and simple Teflon pipe to promote the rapid mixing of precursor fluids.

Scientists create a theoretical carbon-based material that would be even harder than diamond. This work may have industrial applications for cutting and polishing in place of current synthetic diamond.

Researchers have developed a new environmentally friendly method for removing toxic chemicals from water. A newly invented machine, called the Matrix Assembly Cluster Source (MACS), has been used to design a breakthrough water treatment method using a solvent-free approach.

Healing broken bones could get easier with a device that provides both a scaffold for the bone to grow on and electrical stimulation to urge it forward, engineers report. Although minor bone breaks usually heal on their own, large fractures with shattered or missing chunks of bone are more difficult to repair. A biocompatible, dissolving polymer device can mimic the body's natural electrical field and help the cells regenerate.

Spider silk is useful for a variety of biomedical applications: It exhibits mechanical properties superior to synthetic fibers for tissue engineering, and it is not toxic or harmful to living cells. One unexpected application for spider silk is its use in the creation of biocompatible lenses for biological imaging applications. Researchers now describe the feasibility of creating lenses capitalizing on the properties of natural spider silk material.

Researchers have discovered details about a novel type of polarized-light matter interaction with light that literally turns end over end as it propagates from a source.

Researchers evaluate the filtration efficiency of nanofiber and melt-blown filters when cleaned with ethanol.

Method could shed light on nitric oxide's role in the neural, circulatory, and immune systems.

A team developed a new imaging technique that is fast and sensitive enough to observe elusive critical fluctuations in two-dimensional magnets. This real-time imaging allows researchers to control the fluctuations and switch magnetism via a ''passive'' mechanism that could eventually lead to more energy-efficient magnetic storage devices.

Physicists discover that plasmonic metals can be prompted to produce ''hot carriers'' that in turn emit unexpectedly bright light in nanoscale gaps between electrodes. The phenomenon could be useful for photocatalysis, quantum optics and optoelectronics.

A team used a simple process to implant atoms precisely into the top layers of ultra-thin crystals, yielding two-sided structures with different chemical compositions. The resulting materials, known as Janus structures after the two-faced Roman god, may prove useful in developing energy and information technologies.