A study on ground squirrels shows, not only do mitochondria produce bioenergy in the cone-shaped photoreceptors in the retina of the eye, they also act as micro-lenses that redirect light to the tapering outer reaches of these cells where light is converted into electrical signals. The finding provides a clearer picture of the evolution and [..]

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analytical technique that has been spotlighted for bacteria detection and diagnosis of diseases ranging from infection to cancer. However, as Raman signals are usually weak and can easily be swamped by interfering background signals, deploying Raman spectroscopy can be very challenging in the clinic. One solution to enhance the signals [..]

Researchers developed and tested a new blood vessel imaging approach that will allow investigators to capture images of blood vessels at different spatial scales, which will speed up imaging-based research in the lab. The “VascuViz” method, tested in mouse tissues, uses a quick-setting polymer mixture to fill blood vessels and make them visible in multiple [..]

Nanopositioning systems move and arrange stages and samples with incredible precision at nanometer and sub-nanometer scales (motion control). They can position themselves within tens of nanometers and possibly even single-digit nanometers, making them ideal for applications requiring extremely precise measurement, such as space telescopes and microscopes. And the capabilities of nanopositioning systems go beyond that. [..]

Tunable focusing is a desirable property in many optical imaging and sensing technologies. Still, it traditionally requires bulky components that cannot be integrated on-chip and have slow actuation speeds. Integration of metasurfaces into electrostatic micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) architectures have recently shown promise in overcoming these challenges but has limited out-of-plane displacement range while requiring high [..]

The most common type of pancreatic cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), has a five-year survival rate of less than 10%. This deadly cancer is difficult to diagnose and treat in part because the tumors are very dense, preventing imaging dyes and medicines from reaching the cancerous cells packed inside. Now, researchers have demonstrated a nanotheranostic [..]

Contactless fingerprinting enables high scalability by leveraging existing infrastructure, such as smartphones with internet access, that we all have. Adoption and, thus, further development of such technologies only accelerated during the pandemic. A series of advances in fingerprint image acquisition using conducive mobile phone camera systems, image processing techniques resulting in high accuracy matching performance [..]

Scientists have developed the world’s first advanced laser microscope (laser scanning confocal microscope) that can use Circularly Polarized Light (CPL) to distinguish left and right-handed molecules, also known as chiral enantiomers, within live cells. This significant breakthrough will enable researchers to gain new insights into chiral molecules and analyze previously unexplored areas of biology and [..]

Researchers developed a gear-shaped photonic crystal microring that strengthens light-matter interactions without compromising optical quality. As a result, an on-chip microresonator with an optical quality factor 50 times higher than the previous record in slow light devices has been developed, which could improve microresonators used in various photonics applications such as sensing and metrology, nonlinear [..]

A new experimental platform promises to accelerate understanding how infectious bacteria develop antibiotic resistance. The microfluidic application rapidly encapsulates bacteria with varying antibiotic concentrations to study how they evolve to become resistant. Using microfluidics to encapsulate cells is not novel; numerous lab-on-a-chip devices are already available. The researchers have used it to discover biomarkers for [..]

The skin-like electrical stretchable sensor has been widely employed for wearable human healthcare monitoring but is limited by electromagnetic interferences, poor waterproof performance, and point-type measurement. Now, researchers have developed a skin-like optical fiber (SSOF) stretchable sensor with excellent stretchability (up to 100%), flexibility, and excellent compliance with skin is reported. A hybrid coding based [..]

A new optical fiber imaging technique could transform imaging for industrial inspection and environmental monitoring applications. It allows 3D imaging at video rates through a fiber the width of a human hair. In the longer term, with development, the technique can work for applications in medical imaging. Typically, when light shines through a single optical [..]

Electrochemical reduction and evolution of oxygen are two critical reactions that almost determine the performance and efficiency of clean-energy devices due to their sluggish reaction kinetics and large overpotential. Apart from the oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER), the importance of the hydrogen evolution/oxidation reaction (HER/HOR) cannot be ignored either, as hydrogen can work as a powerful [..]

Semiconductors, at the heart of electronic and optoelectronic devices, necessitate high-purity materials and expensive manufacturing processes. On the other hand, emerging applications frequently require a combination of the electronic and optical properties of inorganic semiconductors and cost-effective solution-based fabrication techniques suitable for industrial-scale manufacturing. Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a versatile platform for [..]

Scientists have achieved efficient electron-beam modulation using integrated photonics – circuits that guide light on a chip. The experiments could lead to entirely new quantum measurement schemes in electron microscopy. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) can image molecular structures at the atomic scale by using electrons instead of light and has revolutionized materials science and [..]

Neurons use electrical pulses and chemicals to communicate with each other. Analyzing both is critical for studying brain function and spotting brain diseases, but today’s implants can measure only one or the other. Researchers have now made a multifunctional brain chip that can measure both electrical charges and neurochemicals in the brain and inject drugs [..]

According to a new study, a diagnostic blood test may help detect early-stage lung cancer in asymptomatic patients. Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death, is typically diagnosed late in the progression when the survival rate is extremely low. The current method for detecting early lung cancer lesions, low-dose spiral CT imaging, is not [..]

Exploring several contrasts in situ/operando at the nanoscale, such as X-ray fluorescence, diffraction, luminescence, and absorption, using synchrotron light on microfluidic systems, has the potential to reveal new properties and functionalities of materials in diverse areas, such as green energy, photonics, and nanomedicine. Researchers created and characterized a multifunctional polyester/glass-sealed microfluidic device that is well-suited [..]

Molecules have complex signatures in their spectra at infrared wavelengths, typically accessed using specialized spectroscopic equipment. Researchers discovered optomechanical frequency upconversion at ambient conditions from the mid-infrared to the visible domain using molecular vibrations coupled to a plasmonic nanocavity. Both approaches demonstrate the ability to upconvert the mid-infrared vibrations of the molecules in the nanocavity [..]

Depending on the electronic properties of the two materials, a primary metal-semiconductor interface can create a potential energy barrier to the efficient flow of electrons. It is critical to carefully select the contact material and the process for depositing material onto the semiconductor. Design considerations for optoelectronic components such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors, and [..]