Category archives: Technology

Modified adsorption geometry preserves the topological surface state

Modified adsorption geometry preserves the topological surface state

Condensed matterMaterialsNanotechnology

By DIPC

Topological insulators are electronic materials that have a bulk band gap like an ordinary insulator but have conducting states on their edge or surface. The conducting surface is not what makes topological insulators unique, but the fact that it is protected due to the combination of spin-orbit interactions and time-reversal symmetry, the so-called topological surface […]

Novel strategies to selectively reduce pain

Novel strategies to selectively reduce pain

MedicineNeurobiologyPharmacy

By Sergio Laínez

A recurrent problem with pain is the absence of therapeutic strategies to selectively block the nociceptors (neurons responsible to detect painful stimuli) that need to be targeted for a particular indication. Things get even worse if we take into account that some molecules used for pain management do affect other, more general physiological processes. Local […]

Breakdown of the free electron gas concept for electronic stopping

Breakdown of the free electron gas concept for electronic stopping

Condensed matterMaterialsQuantum physics

By DIPC

There is a variable that is relevant for such seemingly different fields as outer space exploration , nanotechnology , fusion research , or medicine. And that is electronic stopping, its precise knowledge important for the understanding of space weathering, ion beam patterning, plasma-wall interactions, or radiation therapy, respectively. When ions propagate in matter, they are […]

Validating the existence of a new phase of matter, the exciton condensate

Validating the existence of a new phase of matter, the exciton condensate

Condensed matterMaterialsQuantum physics

By DIPC

According to how the electronic band theory is usually explained, solids can be classified as insulators, semiconductors, or metals. But, actually, there is another kind of solid between semiconductors and metals, the semimetals. In insulators and semiconductors the filled valence band is separated from an empty conduction band by a band gap, in metals there […]

A new benchmark for any future models of solid-state photoemission

A new benchmark for any future models of solid-state photoemission

Condensed matterMaterialsPhysicsQuantum physics

By DIPC

In 1882, Heinrich Hertz devoted himself to the study of electromagnetism, including the recent and still generally unappreciated work of Maxwell. Two years later he began his famous series of experiments with electromagnetic waves. During the course of this work, Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect, which has had a profound influence on modern physics. The […]

Riboflavin as a bioorthogonal photocatalyst

Riboflavin as a bioorthogonal photocatalyst

ChemistryCondensed matterDIPC BiochemistryDIPC PhotochemistryPharmacy

By DIPC

The combination of catalysis and bioorthogonality promises have an impact on drug discovery and bioimaging. Bioorthogonality, a term coined by Carolyn R. Bertozzi in 2003, refers to any chemical reaction that can occur inside of living systems without interfering with native biochemical processes. Hence, catalytic turnover can boost the efficiency of bioorthogonal chemical reactions, unveiling […]

Using mass spectrometry to measure circulating histones against sepsis progression

Using mass spectrometry to measure circulating histones against sepsis progression

BiomedicineMedicine

By Carlos Romá-Mateo

Interior of a human blood vessel. Something looks wrong, very wrong. Bacteria have entered the circulation, and the immunological system is reacting. All the alarms are on fire, while an army of white blood cells comes by, getting ready to unleash hell on the invaders. Suddenly, among these security agents, a neutrophil stands out. It […]