Technology Update

Biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles carrying a small molecule immunomodulatory agent called rapamycin can help patients become more tolerant to biologic drugs. This is the new finding from researchers at Selecta Biosciences, Inc. in Watertown, Massachusetts, who say that the combination could help prevent the formation of antidrug antibodies in patients and even allow them to […]

The Ostwald ripening process can be used to make large-grain, high-quality perovskite thin films from lower-quality, hole-ridden ones. So say researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in China and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado in the US who have used their films to make high-performance solar cells with nearly 20% power-conversion […]

Advances in nanofabrication have shifted surface tension engineering from the realms of chemistry to nanomechanics. As CJ Kim told attendees at the Nano Korea 2016 plenaries, nanomechanical surface tension design has a huge role to play in a range of technologies from ink-jet printing and superhydrophobic surfaces, to drag reduction in boat design…… http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/65793

Researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have made a new type of nanoswimmer with a flexible tail that is propelled by acoustic waves. The nanobot might be used in a host of application areas, including drug delivery, non-invasive surgery, material assembly, lithography and even water treatment……… http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/65829 […]

A tiny laser that emits “twisted light” has been unveiled by researchers in the US and Italy. Measuring just 9 μm across, the semiconductor device can produce a beam of light that carries orbital angular momentum. While improvements are needed before the laser can be commercialized, it could someday be used to boost the bandwidth of […]