Electronic-skin technologies for prosthetics and robots can detect the slightest touch or breeze. But oddly, the sensors that make this possible do not respond effectively to a harmful blow. Now researchers report in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces the development of a jellyfish-inspired electronic skin that glows when the pressure against it is high enough…
American Chemical Society Celebrates 30th National Chemistry Week
The American Chemical Society (ACS) will celebrate 30 years of National Chemistry Week (NCW) from Sunday, Oct. 22, to Saturday, Oct. 28, with the theme “Chemistry Rocks!” As part of the celebration, ACS is releasing a new Reactions video that explains how scientists figured out that the Earth is 4.565 billion years old. NCW has introduced…
Nanogels Repair Damage in Heart Attack Victims
Heart disease and heart-related illnesses are a leading cause of death around the world, but treatment options are limited. Now, one group reports in ACS Nano that encapsulating stem cells in a nanogel could help repair damage to the heart. Myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, causes damage to the muscular walls of…
Paper TB Test Improves Diagnoses in Developing Countries
Diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) early can allow patients to receive the medicine they need and also help prevent the disease from spreading. But in resource-limited areas, equipment requirements and long wait times for results are obstacles to diagnosis and treatment. To tackle this problem, scientists report in ACS Sensors the development of a fast, paper-based tuberculosis…
Keychain Detector Could Catch Food Allergens Before it’s Too Late
For kids and adults with food allergies, a restaurant outing can be a fraught experience. Even when care is taken, freshly prepared or packaged meals can accidentally become cross-contaminated with an offending food and trigger a reaction. Now researchers report in the journal ACS Nano the development of a new portable allergen-detection system—including a keychain analyzer—that could…
Making 3D Printing Safer
Making 3D Printing Safer
Spinning Plant Waste Into Carbon Fiber For Cars, Planes
What the World’s Tiniest ‘Monster Truck’ Reveals
The world’s shortest race by distance—a fraction of the width of a human hair—was run on gold and silver tracks, and took a whopping 30 hours. Given that the vehicles were invisible to the naked eye, your typical racing fan might have missed it. But the April “nanorace” was a huge success for scientists working…
Smart Label Could One Day Let You Know When to Toss Food and Cosmetics
Detecting food and cosmetic spoilage and contamination. Identifying new medicinal plants in a remote jungle. Authenticating tea and wine. Scientists have developed a low-cost, portable, paper-based sensor that can potentially carry out all of these functions with easy-to-read results. The researchers are presenting their results today at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the…
Mussel-Inspired Glue Could One Day Make Fetal Surgery Safer
Whether to perform surgery on a fetus is a heart-wrenching decision. This type of surgery involves penetrating the highly delicate amniotic sac, increasing health risks to the fetus. Now researchers report the development of a glue, inspired by the tenacious grip of mussels on slippery rocks, that could one day help save the lives of…
Silk Could Improve Sensitivity, Flexibility of Wearable Body Sensors
From smart socks to workout clothes that measure exertion, wearable body sensors are becoming the latest “must-have” technology. Now scientists report they are on the cusp of using silk, one of the world’s most coveted fabrics, to develop a more sensitive and flexible generation of these multi-purpose devices that monitor a slew of body functions…
Testing TVs and Tablets for ‘Green’ Screens
To improve viewing pleasure, companies have developed television—and tablet screens—that include quantum dots to enhance brightness and color. Some quantum dots are made with potentially harmful metals, which could leach into the environment when the device is discarded. But other TVs made with less hazardous nanomaterials require more energy to make. Today, researchers report preliminary…
Silk Could Improve Sensitivity, Flexibility of Wearable Body Sensors
From smart socks to workout clothes that measure exertion, wearable body sensors are becoming the latest “must-have” technology. Now scientists report they are on the cusp of using silk, one of the world’s most coveted fabrics, to develop a more sensitive and flexible generation of these multi-purpose devices that monitor a slew of body functions…
Replacing Some Old Pipes Can Still Result in Lead-Contaminated Water
NanoVelcro Microchips Could Someday Noninvasively Diagnose Prenatal Conditions
Many pregnant women undergo some form of prenatal testing before their children are born. The information that expectant mothers gain from these tests vary, from the baby’s gender to genetic defects. But the tests are often invasive, which can potentially harm the fetus and the mother. Now, one group reports in ACS Nano that they have developed…
Personalized ‘Earable’ Sensor Monitors Body Temperature in Real Time
Wireless, wearable sensors are all the rage with millions of people now sporting fitness trackers on their wrists. These devices can count footsteps, monitor heart rate and other vital signs. Now researchers report in the journal ACS Sensors that they have developed a 3-D printed sensor worn on the ear that measures one of the most basic…
Hacking the Human Brain: Lab-made Synapses for AI
One of the greatest challenges facing artificial intelligence development is understanding the human brain and figuring out how to mimic it. Now, one group reports in ACS Nano that they have developed an artificial synapse capable of simulating a fundamental function of our nervous system—the release of inhibitory and stimulatory signals from the same “pre-synaptic”…
Beetles Spark Development of Color-changing Nanoparticles for Commercial Use
Inspired by the varying colors that gleam off of beetle shells, scientists have developed color-shifting nanoparticles that can change hue even after being embedded into a material. A report on the new, inexpensive technique, which could lead to the production of easier-to-read sensors and anti-tampering tags, appears in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The shells, or…
Beetles Spark Development of Color-Changing Nanoparticles for Commercial Use
Building ‘OLEDs’ from the Ground Up for Better Electronics
From smartphones to TVs and laptops, light emitting diode (LED) displays are ubiquitous. OLEDs (where the O denotes they are organic, or carbon-based) are among the most energy efficient of these devices, but they generally have higher production costs due to the laborious fabrication processes needed to arrange them properly. Today in ACS Central Science, researchers…
New Fabric Coating Could Thwart Chemical Weapons, Save Lives
Chemical weapons are nightmarish. In a millisecond, they can kill hundreds, if not thousands. But, in a study published in the ACS journal Chemistry of Materials, scientists report that they have developed a way to adhere a lightweight coating onto fabrics that is capable of neutralizing a subclass of these toxins — those that are delivered…
Nanoparticles Endanger Heart When Traveling from Lungs to Blood
Tiny particles in air pollution have been associated with cardiovascular disease, which can lead to premature death. But how particles inhaled into the lungs can affect blood vessels and the heart has remained a mystery. Now, scientists have found evidence in human and animal studies that inhaled nanoparticles can travel from the lungs into the…
Making Artificial Blood for Transfusions
Art of Paper-Cutting Inspires Self-Charging Paper Device
Despite the many advances in portable electronic devices, one thing remains constant: the need to plug them into a wall socket to recharge. Now researchers, reporting in the journal ACS Nano, have developed a light-weight, paper-based device inspired by the Chinese and Japanese arts of paper-cutting that can harvest and store energy from body movements. Portable…