Inspired by structural elements found in most sea sponges, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany have recreated the sponge spicules using the natural mineral calcium carbonate and a protein of the sponge. The resulting material is a synthetic hybrid which has almost 90… »

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have unveiled a semiconductor nanocrystal coating material capable to control the amount of solar heat while remaining transparent. The technology is the first to selectively control the amount of near infrared radiation and it is based on electrochromic materials (which use… »

In order to survive in a tumultuous environment, sea urchins literally eat through stone. Sea urchins use their teeth to carve out nooks where they hide from predators and protect themselves from the waves. Despite constant grinding and scraping on stone, urchin teeth never get dull. This ability has puzzled scientists for decades, but researchers… »

Berkeley Lab scientists have made a nanocrystal-making robot, capable of producing nanocrystals with amazing precision. This robot, named WANDA (Workstation for Automated Nanomaterial Discovery and Analysis), provides colloidal nanocrystals with custom-made properties for electronics, biological labeling and luminescent devices. Since it is controlled by software protocols, it simplifies the process to novice users without extensive… »