A new antimicrobial cotton textile with Cu ions in nanofibers
Cotton textiles are ubiquitous in daily life, and they are also one of the primary mediums for transmitting viruses and bacteria. Conventional approaches to fabricating antiviral and antibacterial textiles generally load the functional additives onto.....»»
How to tie-dye cotton with acorns and rust
Tie-dyeing is a fun activity that can spice up clothes with colorful patterns. Although kits are available in stores, nature provides dyes that can be extracted from items found in one's yard—for example, acorns and rust. In ACS's Journal of Chemic.....»»
New method for the mechanical tensile testing of micro and nanofibers
Researchers at TU Wien have developed a novel method that is suitable for the mechanical tensile testing of micro and nanofibers. The special feature: Samples can be reversibly coupled to and uncoupled from the force sensor......»»
Highly emissive Sb3+-doped 0D cesium indium chloride nanocrystals with switchable photoluminescence
All-inorganic lead-free luminescent metal halide nanocrystals (NCs) are very important in optoelectronics, but their applications are limited by the low photoluminescence (PL) efficiency. It is an effective approach via ns2-metal ions doping for tail.....»»
Going gentle on mechanical quantum systems
When thinking about quantum mechanical systems, single photons and well-isolated ions and atoms may spring to mind, or electrons spreading through a crystal. More exotic in the context of quantum mechanics are genuinely mechanical quantum systems; th.....»»
Quantum systems and the flight of the bee
At first glance, a system consisting of 51 ions may appear easily manageable. But even if these charged atoms are only changed back and forth between two states, the result is more than two quadrillion (1015) different orderings that the system can t.....»»
Collisions with electrons cool molecular ions
A lone molecule free in cold space will cool by slowing down its rotation—it will spontaneously lose its rotational energy in quantum transitions, typically only once in many seconds. This process can be accelerated, slowed down, or even inverted b.....»»
Characterization of cellulose synthase supercomplex in cotton fiber
About 180 billion tons of celluloses are produced by the world's vegetation annually, making this polysaccharide the most abundant biological macromolecule on earth. It is produced predominantly by vascular plants, by a large number of algae and also.....»»
Copper, but not silver, is effective against SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces
As a result of corrosion, copper and silver release positively charged ions into their environment, which are harmful to bacteria in several ways and prevent their growth or kill them completely. This effect has long been exploited, for example by co.....»»
Meet the Centenarian Who Holds the World Record for the Longest Career at One Company
Walter Orthmann started working at a textile company in Brazil as a teenager. Now, after turning 100 this month, he's shattered the Guinness World Record for the longest career at the same company. From a report: For 84 years and nine days, as verifi.....»»
Bio-inspired textiles promote sustainable fashion
While color is one of the primary indicators of sales success within the fashion industry, it's also one of the world's largest sources of water pollution. In fact, textile mills often dump residual dyes and hazardous chemicals into canals, streams a.....»»
A layered approach is needed to prevent infections from becoming harder to treat
Counteracting antimicrobial resistance needs a multipronged approach, including training, labeling food products, working with the media and changing mindsets, according to a new study......»»
Engineered bacteria could help protect "good" gut microbes from antibiotics
Researchers have engineered a strain of bacteria that can help protect the natural flora of the human digestive tract from antibiotics and curb the emergence of antimicrobial resistance......»»
Novel use of iron-laced carbon nanofibers yields high-performance energy storage
A new study by Chinese researchers demonstrates a novel approach to enhancing the storage performance of batteries and capacitors. The researchers developed a simple yet efficient way to produce a material with excellent performance for use in device.....»»
With "Plant Armor" crop cover, insects have to navigate textile maze
North Carolina State University researchers designed a textile "Plant Armor" that forces insects to navigate a maze-like path if they try to reach a plant. The design was more effective at blocking insects from reaching cabbage plants in multiple exp.....»»
Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight
To administer this COVID test, Todd Kautz had to lay on his belly in the snow and worm his upper body into the narrow den of a hibernating black bear. Training a light on its snout, Kautz carefully slipped a long cotton swab into the bear's nostrils.....»»
How "inert" compounds can steal ions
Cells produce many different complexes. These complexes can occupy 40% of the cell's volume, making the cell quite a crowded environment. For that reason, a full description of complex cellular behavior is a challenge that requires deeper investigati.....»»
Sustainable leather, yarn and paper—from bread-eating fungi
Your next trendy handbag could be fashioned from "leather" made from a fungus. Today, researchers will describe how they have harnessed this organism to convert food waste into sustainable faux leather, as well as paper products and cotton substitute.....»»
Using ions to find molecules
When we think of ions, we usually think of single atoms that have lost or gained some electrons, but entire molecules can also become ions. In a new publication that was highlighted as an Editor's Suggestion in Physical Review Letters this week, phys.....»»
Two-dimensional silicon dioxide act as sieve for molecules and ions
Researchers from Bielefeld, Bochum and Yale have succeeded in producing a layer of two-dimensional (2D) silicon dioxide. This material contains natural pores and can therefore be used like a sieve for molecules and ions. Scientists have been looking.....»»
Researchers design a flexible system that sidesteps copper-protein binding
It may seem counterintuitive to many, but metal ions play a critical role in life, carrying out some of the most important biological processes. Think of hemoglobin—a metalloprotein responsible for carrying oxygen to the body's organs via red blood.....»»