A novel hydrogel component could increase the life cycle of cheap, safe, environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient batteries.
Crawling Earthworm robots get a soft polymer boost
The replacement of rigid parts could help robots more closely mimic the humble worm to help them squeeze into tight spots.
siRNA therapies delivered with oral nanocapsules
Drugs based on nucleic acids are easily degradable and tough to deliver, but a way around this is to coat them in protective carrier.
Building a model brain using microfluidics and brain organoids
To mimic the the interconnected structure of the brain, model organoids can be connected together into larger assemblies.
Artificial leaf makes renewable solar fuels from thin air
Taking inspiration from plants, researchers demonstrate a proof-of-concept device that extracts hydrogen fuel from humidity using sunlight.
Automation enables modular synthesis of new molecules for lasers
An automated synthesis platform called Chemspeed reduces time and labor when searching for organic molecules as gain mediums in lasers.
Mimicking viral factories for better drug delivery
New research inspired by “viral factories” shows the potential of encapsulating target molecules in membrane-free compartments.
Science in pictures
Check out atomic glimpses of graphene ribbons, double bubble microspheres, and a solar evaporator made from bone.
New artificial blood vessel integrates into the body
A new class of artificial blood vessel better mimics its natural counterparts and gets incorporated as a living vessel in the body after implantation.
Alison McGuigan: Unravelling the intricacies of cellular organization
Using unique artificial microenvironments, chemical engineer Alison McGuigan is getting to the bottom of cell behavior.