Where there’s muck there’s aluminium (if not brass)

Graphene: A 2D materials revolution

Graphene is a two-dimensional material made up of sheets of carbon atoms. With its combination of exceptional electrical, mechanical and thermal properties, graphene has the potential to revolutionise industries ranging from healthcare to electronics. more

Nanomaterials Up Close: Gum Arabic

This alien glob is a piece of gum arabic from the hardened sap of the Acacia tree, most likely collected from a tree in Sudan. Rox Middleton, from the University of Cambridge, explains how the electron microscope has changed the way we are able to interact with objects at the nanoscale, all ... more

Nano ‘camera’ made using molecular glue allows real-time monitoring of chemical reactions

Researchers have made a tiny camera, held together with ‘molecular glue’ that allows them to observe chemical reactions in real time. The device, made by a team from the University of Cambridge, combines tiny semiconductor nanocrystals called quantum dots and gold nanoparticles using molecu ... more

Low-cost imaging technique shows how smartphone batteries could charge in minutes

Researchers have developed a simple lab-based technique that allows them to look inside lithium-ion batteries and follow lithium ions moving in real time as the batteries charge and discharge, something which has not been possible until now. Using the low-cost technique, the researchers ide ... more

Atom swapping could lead to ultra-bright, flexible next generation LEDs

An international group of researchers has developed a new technique that could be used to make more efficient low-cost light-emitting materials which are flexible and can be printed using ink-jet techniques. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Technical University of ... more