(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense)
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed and demonstrated a technique that allows them to engineer a class of materials called layered hybrid perovskites down to the atomic level, which dictates precisely how the materials convert electrical charge into light. Layered hybrid perovskites can be laid down as thin films consisting of multiple sheets of perovskite and organic spacer layers. These materials are desirable because they can efficiently convert electrical charge into light. The researchers discovered that individual sheets of the perovskite material, called nanoplatelets, form on the surface of the solution that is used to create the layered hybrid perovskites, and these nanoplatelets serve as templates for layered materials that form under them.

(Funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health)
A new way of diagnosing lung cancer with a blood draw is 10 times faster and 14 times more sensitive than earlier methods, according to researchers from the University of Michigan and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The microchip that the researchers developed captures nanoscale particles called exosomes – tiny packages released by cells – from blood plasma to identify signs of lung cancer. Although exosomes from healthy cells move important proteins or DNA and RNA fragments throughout the body, exosomes from cancer cells can help tumors spread by preparing tissues to accept tumor cells before they arrive. Also, cancer cell exosomes can be distinguished from healthy cell exosomes because proteins on the surfaces of cancer cell exosomes are often mutated.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health)
Researchers from the University of California San Diego have created an array of nanopillars that can breach the nucleus of a cell – the compartment that houses our DNA – without damaging the cell’s outer membrane. This new “gateway into the nucleus” could open new possibilities in gene therapy, where genetic material needs to be delivered directly into the nucleus, as well as drug delivery and other forms of precision medicine. The nucleus is impenetrable by design. Its membrane is a highly fortified barrier that shields our genetic code, letting in only specific molecules through tightly controlled channels.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department Defense)
For the first time ever, researchers have witnessed – in real time and at the molecular-scale – hydrogen and oxygen atoms merge to form tiny, nano-sized bubbles of water. The event occurred as part of a new Northwestern University study, during which scientists sought to understand how palladium, a rare metallic element, catalyzes the gaseous reaction to generate water. “Think of Matt Damon’s character, Mark Watney, in the movie ‘The Martian’,” said Northwestern’s Vinayak Dravid, senior author of the study. “He burned rocket fuel to extract hydrogen and then added oxygen from his oxygenator. Our process is analogous, except we bypass the need for fire and other extreme conditions. We simply mixed palladium and gases together.” Dravid is the founding director of the Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, where the study was conducted.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation)
Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa in Honolulu have unveiled a new technique that could make the manufacture of wearable health sensors more accessible and affordable. Producing these devices often requires specialized facilities and technical expertise, limiting their accessibility and widespread adoption. So, the researchers introduced a low-cost, stencil-based method for producing sensors made from laser-induced graphene, a key material used in wearable sensing. “This advancement allows us to create high-performance wearable sensors with greater precision and at a lower cost,” said Tyler Ray, the researcher who led this study.