Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials

How does your phone flip into landscape mode or come alive when you pick it up? It has a gyroscope, which is a particular type of sensor that lets electronic devices know which way is 'up!'

As of February 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 5.5 million people are bitten by snakes each year, and about 2.7 million contracts a deadly disease called snakebite envenoming. This is an issue in most tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Asia takes the top spot as far as envenoming goes, with 2 million affected annually, most of these individuals are from low- to middle-income countries where healthcare resources are limited.

Kirigami is a form of art in which paper is deformed and bent into the desired shape. Originating in Japan, it is similar to origami, with the exception that cutting is also permitted in this discipline.

Graphene is a material that could serve as the semiconductor of the future. It is a matrix of carbon atoms that exhibits exceptional properties as an electronics component, thanks to its remarkable physicochemical structure.

Internal bleeding should be taken seriously, and not just because it could indicate signs of severe trauma. This form of hemorrhage, which occurs in blood vessels far away from the skin (e.g., between internal organs) can deprive tissues affected of nutrients and oxygen, thus, increasing the risk of adverse events such as ischemia or necrosis.

Storm Emma, which occurred in early 2018 in the UK, may have stressed the importance of heat conservation for the many people affected by it. Modern dwellings can be insulated by incorporating thin sheets of aerogel or Styrofoam into building shells during construction. However, these materials are synthetic and can represent environmental damage in their manufacture or disposal.

Sweat is a surprisingly rich seam of biological information that can help track prevalent health metrics such as blood glucose and stress levels. It can be used to detect blood alcohol levels too. However, getting samples of the fluid is not as easy as it sounds. Typically, people don't have as much conscious control over supplying a sweat sample as they might have with some other bodily fluids.

Carbon nanotubes are one of the world's newest supermaterials. They can be used in electronics, medical research, material science, and even water purification.

Cells are able to transmit and process information by using molecular machines designed by evolution. These biochemical machines, usually proteins, change their structure and function in predictable ways based on input from the environment. These components of the cell can be organized into cascades, or branching chain reactions, in which the changes in one component are transmitted to a large number of components downstream.

Now the summer is in full swing, many of us enjoy getting out in the fresh air and making the most of the sunny weather. Sometimes this means sitting in the park whilst we’re on our lunchbreak and inevitably most of us turn to our phones to check our emails and social media whilst relaxing.

Where are toxic gases found?

Nanoscience as a field of study is rapidly changing, despite only being around since the mid to late-twentieth century. But, as scientists and engineers have been working on their ultra-small scale matter, nature has been perfecting nanomaterials over the millennia.