Researchers at UNSW Sydney have developed a nanoscale device that converts low-energy infrared and red light into higher-energy visible light, a breakthrough that could eventually improve solar panels, sensing technologies, and advanced manufacturing systems.
Published in Nature Photonics, the research addresses a longstanding problem in photonics: how to stop energy from being lost before it can be used.
That mechanism allowed the device to achieve photon conversion efficiencies of 8.2%, among the strongest reported for this type of architecture.
Researchers at Tampere University, Finland, have developed a groundbreaking 3D-printed ceramic implant material that closely mimics real human bone. The findings advance the development of personalized bone regeneration and may lead to more effective and accessible treatments for bone defects.
The research article, titled “Biomimetic bone calcium phosphate-based scaffolds fabricated via ceramic vat photopolymerization: Effect of porosity, sintering temperature, mineralogical phases and trace elements on the osteogenic potential,” was published in Materials Today Bio.
Bone grafting is the second most common tissue transplantation procedure worldwide, with more than 2 million operations performed annually. Current treatments often rely on bone taken from the patient or a donor, approaches that are limited in availability and may involve additional surgery, lengthy recovery times and complications. As populations age, the need for safer and more effective alternatives is growing rapidly.
Researchers have developed an ultra-thin optical film that improves the quality of the light used in LCD resin-based 3D printers. The advance helps ensure that tiny details are reproduced with precision, which could make it possible to 3D-print medical-grade or industrial-grade products at a lower cost.
Resin-based 3D printing, or vat photopolymerization, uses short-wavelength light to project patterns onto liquid photosensitive resin. Although this additive manufacturing approach enables highly detailed, smooth parts, some low-cost systems rely on LCD backlights that can reduce printing accuracy.
“LCD-based liquid 3D printing suffers from surface roughness or dimensional inaccuracies due to improper light angular distribution from the backlight systems used,” said research team leader Ding-Zheng Lin from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. “Our goal was to fix these problems without increasing equipment size, thereby elevating print performance to professional grade.”
Sitting in a restaurant, you reach for the ketchup bottle, eyeing the basket of fries in front of you. You give the bottle a shake, then a tap. For a moment, nothing happens—the ketchup clings stubbornly to the glass. Then, all at once, it lets go and rushes out, sometimes in a steady stream, sometimes in a messy surge that threatens to flood the basket.
That awkward moment when ketchup stops behaving like a solid and suddenly starts flowing like a liquid is called “yielding.” Scientists see the same kind of behavior in many everyday and advanced materials, from toothpaste, paints and concrete to 3D-printing inks and electrodes used in next-generation batteries. Yet, what actually causes a material to hold its shape one moment and suddenly let go the next has been surprisingly hard to pin down, especially deep inside dense, opaque fluids where particle motion is difficult to see.
Experience artistic innovation with the Harmonograph Dress by Stratasys. This captivating 3D printed fashion piece embodies unique design and artistry, offering a distinctive and visually stunning wearable art experience.
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The world is entering an era where “technology” and “living organisms” merge into one. Most recently, in 2026, a research team from Northwestern University created a landmark breakthrough by developing “Printed Neurons.” These are not designed just to mimic biology—they can actually “transmit signals” to communicate with living brain cells!
Why is this a big deal? Typically, the silicon-based computers we use today operate entirely differently from the human brain. Computers consume massive amounts of power and are rigid. In contrast, our brains use only about 20 watts (less than some lightbulbs) and are incredibly flexible. Creating artificial neurons that “speak the same language as the brain” is the key to treating diseases that were once considered incurable.
Innovations in “Electronic Ink” and “3D Printing“ At the heart of this research lies a leap forward in materials science and engineering: • Nanomaterials (MoS₂ and Graphene): Researchers used these materials to create a specialized “ink” for printing neural networks. These materials are unique for being both flexible and excellent conductors of electricity. • Aerosol Jet Printing: This technology allows for nano-level precision printing on flexible plastic sheets, designed to contour perfectly to human tissue. • Biomimicry: These artificial cells can generate electrical signals called “Spikes,” matching the rhythm and speed of actual biological neurons.
Proven! Successful Communication with a “Mouse Brain“ The research team tested the connection between these printed neurons and mouse brain tissue. The results showed that the mouse brain cells could receive and respond to signals from the artificial device as if they were from their own kind. This is vital evidence that humans can create devices that interface seamlessly with the nervous system.
Water droplets might seem simple at first. But when nearing evaporation, a desperate power struggle of competing physical forces can emerge, with explosive effects. In a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences publication, researchers have taken a closer look at the physics of charged water droplets on frictionless surfaces, observing spontaneous jets of microdroplet emissions. Their insights may open new opportunities in nanoscale fabrication and electrospray ionization.
Professor Dan Daniel, head of the Droplet and Soft Matter Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) says, “From raindrops to spray coatings, mass spectrometry to microfluidics, sneezes to spacecraft plumes, charged droplets can show up in a surprising wealth of settings. Our observations enable new physical understanding of evaporating charged droplets, with a range of potential industrial applications.”
Picture two materials sandwiched together. The boundary between them may appear flat, but, in reality, it is full of tiny bumps and dents. Suddenly, the materials are hit with a shockwave. If that wave hits a bump in the material interface, it slows down. If it hits a dent, it accelerates forward. This imbalance creates fast, narrow jets of material—called the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability.
In a recent paper, published in Physical Review Letters, researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Imperial College London and their collaborators used AI to optimize and 3D printing to create a target that effectively negates the RM instability.
“Our target reshapes the shockwave, in both space and time, as it travels through the material,” said first author Jergus Strucka, now at the European XFEL. “Instead of a single shock hitting the surface, we introduce voids to break it up into a sequence of smaller pressure pulses that arrive at slightly different times.”
