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Metalenses are ultrathin, flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light. They have attracted tremendous attention because they can overcome limitations of conventional bulky, curved and heavy refractive optical lenses and they are poised to revolutionize everything from microscopy to cameras, sensors, and displays.

One of the bottlenecks in widespread implementation of sustainable energy technologies are highly efficient energy storage systems. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the prevailing solution for today’s electronic devices, from consumer gadgets to medical devices, electric vehicles, even satellites.

The rapid development of advanced nano-electronic technologies has prompted research into smart electronic skins (E-skins) that effectively mimic the distinctive features of the human dermis.

So here we are, at the end of 2020, and the answer to that same question still is inconclusive.
The promise of nanomedicine is quite broad – ranging from improved, less toxic, more targeted and even personalized medicines, to more sensitive and cheaper diagnostic tools, innovative structural materials and the prospect of cellular and tissue repair systems.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are some of the hottest multidisciplinary technology trends right now, integrating computer, various sensor, graphic image, communication, measurement and control multimedia, artificial intelligence, and other technologies.

A recent publication in ACS Nano (“COVID-19 Vaccine Frontrunners and Their Nanotechnology Design”) details the contributions that nanotechnology has made to the race of finding a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus.

As the world becomes increasingly digitalized, data centers and data transmission networks are emerging as an important source of energy demand, each accounting for about 1% of global electricity use. Global data center electricity demand in 2019 was ∼200 TWh, or around 0.8% of global final electricity demand.

Researchers from Virginia Tech’s Future Materials Laboratory and MInDS Laboratory have recently demonstrated that high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a promising, non-invasive stimulus with multiple superior and unique capabilities to induce localized heating and achieve temporal and spatial thermal effects in polymers.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs), which are formed by combining nearly equal parts of several – usually five or more – primary metals, are an emerging class of advanced materials that hold great potential for creating materials with superior mechanical, thermal, and catalytic properties. Another attraction of HEAs is that they can create effective alternatives to materials that are scarce, hazardous, expensive, or subject to international restrictions or conflict.