Low-reflection, nanostructured wings make butterflies nearly invisible

Researchers of KIT under the direction of Hendrik Hölscher found that irregular nanostructures on the surface of the butterfly wing cause the low reflection. In theoretical experiments, they succeeded in reproducing the effect that opens up fascinating application options, e.g. for displays of mobile phones or laptops. The results are published in...

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Surface matters: Huge reduction of heat conduction observed in flat silicon channels

Combining state-of-the-art realistic atomistic modelling and experiments, the paper describes how thermal conductivity of ultrathin silicon membranes is controlled to large extent by the structure and the chemical composition of their surface. A detailed understanding of the connections of fabrication and processing to structural and thermal properties...

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Nanoscientists model atomic structures of three bacterial nanomachines

esearchers at UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute have become the first to produce images of the atomic structures of three specific biological nanomachines, each derived from a different potentially deadly bacterium — an achievement they hope will lead to antibiotics targeted toward specific pathogens....

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