Do AI-driven chemistry labs actually work?

New metrics promise answers

20-Feb-2024 - The fields of chemistry and materials science are seeing a surge of interest in “self-driving labs,” which make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated systems to expedite research and discovery. Researchers are now proposing a suite of definitions and performance metrics that will ...

Fish-inspired material changes color using nanocolumns

22-Mar-2019 - Inspired by the flashing colors of the neon tetra fish, researchers have developed a technique for changing the color of a material by manipulating the orientation of nanostructured columns in the material. "Neon tetras can control their brightly colored stripes by changing the angle of tiny ...

Using gold nanoparticles to trigger sequential unfolding of 3D structures

21-Jun-2018 - Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that takes advantage of gold nanoparticles to trigger the sequential unfolding of three-dimensional structures using different wavelengths of light. Specifically, the technique makes use of the fact that different ...

ChemMaps lets researchers navigate the chemical universe

06-Jun-2018 - Researchers from North Carolina State University have created a new online service - ChemMaps - that allows users to interactively navigate the chemical space of over 8,000 drugs and 47,000 environmental compounds in 3D and real time. ChemMaps is designed to be a central resource for students and ...

Atomic structure of ultrasound material not what anyone expected

23-Feb-2018 - Lead magnesium niobate (PMN) is a prototypical "relaxor" material, used in a wide variety of applications, from ultrasound to sonar. Researchers have now used state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to see exactly how atoms are arranged in PMN - and it's not what anyone expected. "This work gives ...

A simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide onto gold nanorods

14-Dec-2017 - Researchers from North Carolina State University and MIT have found a simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) nanoparticles onto silica-coated gold nanorods, creating multifunctional nanoparticles with useful magnetic and optical properties. Gold nanorods have widespread potential ...

New technique for creating NV-doped nanodiamonds may be boost for quantum computing

07-Nov-2016 - Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating NV-doped single-crystal nanodiamonds, only four to eight nanometers wide, which could serve as components in room-temperature quantum computing technologies. These doped nanodiamonds also hold promise for ...

Metal foam handles heat better than steel

01-Apr-2016 - A new study from North Carolina State University researchers finds that novel light-weight composite metal foams (CMFs) are significantly more effective at insulating against high heat than the conventional base metals and alloys that they're made of, such as steel. The finding means the CMF is ...

Researchers discover new phase of boron nitride and a new way to create pure c-BN

05-Feb-2016 - Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered a new phase of the material boron nitride (Q-BN), which has potential applications for both manufacturing tools and electronic displays. The researchers have also developed a new technique for creating cubic boron nitride (c-BN) at ...

Magnetic nanoparticle chains offer new technique for controlling soft robots

22-Dec-2015 - esearchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique for using chains of magnetic nanoparticles to manipulate elastic polymers in three dimensions, which could be used to remotely control new "soft robots." The ability to control the motion of soft robots, coupled with their ...