Thamarasee Jeewandara

Nacre, also known as mother of pearl is a composite, organic-inorganic material produced in nature in the inner shell layer of molluscs and the outer coating of pearls. The material is resilient and iridescent with high strength ...

The isolation of graphene more than a decade ago transformed the landscape of condensed-matter physics, as the single-atom-thick, two-dimensional material exhibited high crystal and electronic quality to represent a conceptually ...

Living organisms form biological minerals during biomineralization, where inorganic elements can selectively deposit on specific organic macromolecules under precise control. The process can be divided into biocalcification ...

Scientists have recently developed a light controlled nano-switch to lay groundwork for atomic device development in nanotechnology. They engineered the switches at the nanoscale in a first step toward fully integrated electronic ...

Methane is a major component in natural gas and one of the most difficult molecules for controlled activation, since most of the product results in carbon dioxide. The industrial conversion of methane to alcohol derivatives ...

Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3-D) polymer networks that can retain large quantities of water in their swollen states for wide applications in bioengineering and materials sciences. Advanced hydrogel fabrication techniques ...

The ability to hide an arbitrary object with a cloak at a distance from the object is a unique task in photonics research, although the phenomenon is yet to be realized in practice. In a recent study now published in Light: ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding regulatory RNAs that can repress gene expression post-transcriptionally and are therefore increasingly used as biomarkers of disease. Detecting miRNAs can be arduous and expensive as ...

Solar energy is one of the most promising resources to help reduce fossil fuel consumption and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to power a sustainable future. Devices presently in use to convert solar energy into thermal ...

New photonic tools for medical imaging can be used to understand the nonlinear behavior of laser light in human blood for theranostic applications. When light enters biological fluids it is quickly scattered, however, some ...

Light driven movement is challenging in nonliquid environments as micro-sized objects can experience strong dry adhesion to contact surfaces and resist movement. In a recent study, Jinsheng Lu and co-workers at the College ...

Four-dimensional (4-D) printing can create complex 3-D geometries that react to environmental stimuli, opening new design opportunities in materials science. A vast majority of 4-D printing approaches use polymer materials, ...

High-capacity optical communication can be accomplished by multiplexing multiple light-carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) channels. However, in turbulent environments, optical scattering and 'speckle patterns' occur ...

Graphene is expected to behave like a quantum-critical, relativistic plasma known as "Dirac fluid" near charge neutrality in which massless electrons and holes rapidly collide. In a recent study now published in Science, ...

Light incident on metallic nanoparticles can initiate the collective motion of electrons, causing a strong amplification of the local electromagnetic field. Such plasmonic resonances have significant roles in biosensing with ...