Search by tag «New Materials» 53 results

  • ITMO Fellow Eugene Smirnov On Colloid Chemistry Applications: From Space Telescopes to FoodTech

    Remember the James Webb Telescope? The one that’s recently discovered its first exoplanet? It’s an impressive machine that has 18 mirrors covered with an ultrathin layer of gold. It takes 3.5 years of polishing to produce one such mirror, which then has to be linked to the others and delivered to the orbit. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just make a liquid mirror out of nanoparticles? Sounds like a dream, but colloid chemistry can get us closer to it. What other possibilities does it open? We asked ITMO Fellow Eugene Smirnov, a scientist with international experience from Switzerland, Germany, and China, who now heads a research group at ITMO.

    30.01.2023

  • Bright Ideas: ITMO Researchers’ Dynamic Nanostructure Achieves 35x Light Amplification

    The staff of ITMO University’s Faculty of Physics have developed a dynamic nanostructure that changes its optical properties in response to external stimuli. At its core is a polymer that expands and contracts based on its temperature. The researchers have shown that nanostructures containing silicon nanoparticles can amplify light seven-fold – and the number blows up to 35 when the material is combined with gold. What’s more, the polymer can change its form an unlimited amount of times. Its potential uses include the development of automated heat sensors and various other smart devices.

    13.10.2022

  • How Biomimetics Helps Scientists Create Materials With New Properties

    Biomimetics is an approach that helps scientists develop new materials and devices based on principles present in nature. We’ve talked about how it’s applied in robotics, but there are many other fields in which it’s also used. For example, physicists working with lasers make use of biomimetics to edit and enhance properties of various materials.

    06.10.2022

  • ITMO's Monday Science Roundup #14

    Every second Monday, we bring you a selection of the latest and most interesting news from the world of science in all its forms – from deep-cut research to entertaining pop-sci. In this issue, we’ll take a look at: a breakthrough in optical computing; new learning initiatives at ITMO; the best life hacks for students; and a pop-quiz for programming aficionados.

    19.09.2022

  • ITMO’s Monday Science Roundup #3

    Yet another new Master’s program, fascinating new projects by ITMO students and staff, and a comprehensive guide to reading scientific articles! Here are some of ITMO.NEWS’ top science news of the past two weeks.

    11.04.2022

  • Smart Textiles and New Materials for Electronics: Current Developments and Potential Applications

    What kind of high-tech materials for the electronics, power, and textile industries are being made in Russia? Which projects are developed in St. Petersburg and what is their potential? These and other questions were discussed at a recent TASS news agency’s press conference that featured heads of strategic projects and experts from St. Petersburg universities. ITMO.NEWS shares the main talking points of the event.

    30.03.2022

  • ITMO Scientists Develop Method to Easily Synthesize Materials With Set Properties

    Researchers from ITMO’s SCAMT Institute have demonstrated the possibility of using the sol-gel method to produce various porous monolithic structures from magnetite nanoparticles. The new method can produce multifunctional materials with complex hierarchical structures, such as the xero-, cryo-, and aerogel of magnetite. Thanks to this approach, it is possible to control the composition of the resulting porous materials through the relation of their compounds’ concentrations. One of the method’s most promising applications is biomedicine – the new aerogel can be used to stop bleeding and xerogel can serve as a repository for drug transportation.  

    14.03.2022

  • Library-on-a-Chip: Scientists Record Data on Nanoscale Layers of Metal-Organic Frameworks for First Time

    With the rapid data growth comes the issue of its storage. Year after year, the volume of information increases by leaps and bounds while solid-state drivers remain the most common way to store digital files. However, even though hard drivers are becoming more sustainable and compact, physical books still take up entire buildings. One of the possible solutions was proposed by students and researchers from ITMO University, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and the Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry who demonstrated that large datasets can be stored using metal-organic nanometer plates.

    29.12.2021

  • Innovative Materials and Robots of All Stripes: ITMO Researchers at the Technosreda Exhibition of Scientific Achievements

    For two days, the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh) in Moscow serves as a portal into the future where everything is possible. Over 100 top-ranked universities and research centers, as well as about 30 Russian tech companies, presented their latest developments: self-driving cars and amphibious flying cars, waste sorting robots and football robots, biochips and artificial muscles, smart technologies and artificial intelligence. Researchers from ITMO’s Infochemistry Scientific Center, Faculty of Physics, and Faculty of Control Systems and Robotics showcased nine advanced products and prototypes at the exhibition.

    28.09.2021

  • ITMO Scientists Develop Shape-Shifting Microcapsules from Liquid Metals

    Researchers from ITMO’s Faculty of Physics and ChemBio Cluster have created liquid-metal nanoparticles that can reversibly change their shape when exposed to laser radiation. The discovered effect holds great promise for ultra-compact optoelectronic devices, smart sensors, and signal systems. The results of the study are published in Physical Chemistry Letters.

    20.09.2021