![[A myriad of nanowires are shown growing outwards, originating from a central growth nucleus.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/03/P2.jpeg)
Imagine a future in which your iPhone 20 charges itself as you walk down the street and your house is powered by photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells installed in your backyard, using the power of the sun to convert captured rainwater into clean hydrogen. If we have any hope of realizing this future, you can be certain that nanowires will play a significant role. So what are nanowires, and why are they so important? My previous blog post was dedicated to examining a class of objects known as topological materials, with an emphasis on the bizarre realm of topological insulators (TIs). Implicit in the definition of topological insulators in the previous post was the assumption that the bulk of this insulator behaves as one would expect from its name: preventing the flow of electric current. Real-world TIs are not quite so simple, however…
Tag: nanotechnology
Two-faced particles can solve a drug delivery dilemma
How do you get foreign molecules in the body to fly under the radar of the immune system while at the same time engineer them to interact directly with immune system cells? When designing a drug, scientists walk a fine line between getting the body to notice a drug and not marking it as an… Read more »
Knock knock: Nano-delivery! Activating the immune system with viral structure
Viral infections are the cause of many common illnesses, such as the flu and the common cold. The symptoms aren’t pleasant, and typically involve the well-known repertoire of coughing, sneezing, and achiness. But sometimes, symptoms from viral infections can be more severe. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infects most people before their second birthday. In many… Read more »
Bio-inspired nanomaterials: Viruses aren’t all that bad
Viruses are often associated with disease, but they can also be useful. Viruses infect many organisms other than humans, including plants and bacteria. Aside from being infectious, the actual structure of a virus can be harnessed as a material. For example, a virus cage can be used to deliver drugs to our cells or to… Read more »