Nanotechnology

Roboticists want to give you a third arm

IEEE Spectrum: What could you do with an extra limb? Consider a surgeon performing a delicate operation, one that needs her expertise and steady hands—all three of them. As her two biological hands manipulate surgical instruments, a third robotic limb that’s…

Chemical chainmail constructed from interlocked coordination polymers

Chemistry World: Interlocked molecules have entered a new dimension. Researchers have synthesised an ‘infinite three-dimensional catenane’ by constructing concatenated covalent–organic frameworks (COFs). This chemical chainmail is extraordinarily flexible and resilient, which could lead to applications in materials science and synthetic biology….

First detection of excitons in a topological insulator

Materials Today: A new study has demonstrated a major innovation in light-driven electronics using 2D material samples of bismuthine. An international team of researchers collaborating with the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, led by Ralph Claessen, have achieved the first detection…

Lasers Shot At Sky Can Guide Lightning

IEEE Spectrum: A powerful trillion-watt laser shot at the sky can generate lightning rods in the air that can guide lightning strikes to keep them from causing havoc, a new study finds. To date, the most common and effective form of…