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Tongsheng Wang defended his PhD thesis at the Department of Mechanical Engineering on April 8th. What if the next big breakthrough in biotechnology was inspired not by machines-but by microscopic hairs? Deep within the intricate world of microfluidics, where tiny volumes of fluid are manipulated with extreme precision, a new player is emerging: programmable magnetic artificial cilia.

An invention from Twente improves the quality of light particles (photons) to such an extent that building quantum computers based on light becomes cheaper and more practical. The researchers published their research in the scientific journal Physical Review Applied. "This technology is an essential part of any future photonic quantum computer." Quantum computers are at a tipping point: tech giants and governments are investing billions, but there are two fundamental obstacles: the quantity of qubits and the quality of these qubits.

Researchers at TU Delft and Brown University have developed scalable nanotechnology-based lightsails that could support future advances in space exploration and experimental physics. Their research, published in Nature Communications , introduces new materials and production methods to create the thinnest large-scale reflectors ever made.

Researchers have advanced a decades-old challenge in the field of organic semiconductors, opening new possibilities for the future of electronics. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge and the Eindhoven University of Technology, have created an organic semiconductor that forces electrons to move in a spiral pattern, which could improve the efficiency of OLED displays in television and smartphone screens, or power next-generation computing technologies such as spintronics and quantum computing.

When water freezes into ice or boils into vapour, its properties change dramatically at specific temperatures. These so-called phase transitions are fundamental to understanding materials. But how do such transitions behave in nanomaterials? In Nature Communications , a team of scientists led by TU Delft presents new insights into the complex nature of phase transitions in magnetic nanomaterials.

Breakthrough achievement paves the way for practical quantum internet applications Delft, The Netherlands: Quantum Internet Alliance (QIA) researchers at TU Delft, QuTech, University of Innsbruck, INRIA and CNRS recently announced the creation of the first operating system designed for quantum networks: QNodeOS.

Researchers at the University of Twente, in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong, have designed a cutting-edge programmable photonic chip in a thin-film lithium niobate platform, an important material in photonics. Published in Nature Communications, this work paves the way for next-generation high-performance radar and communication applications.

If you start with a two-dimensional ribbon and make it narrower and narrower, when does it stop being a ribbon and start being a one-dimensional line? Scientists from Utrecht University and the University of Twente made one-atom-thick ultrathin nanoribbons consisting of germanium atoms. They have shown that this system exhibits amazing properties that can be useful, for example, in quantum computing.

A group of researchers from TU Delft and the Institute for Planetary Research of the German Aerospace Center have been able to the determinate the Mars-s interior structure and the age of the large ice sheet covering its north pole. They have published their findings in Nature. The team used the same geophysical trick on Mars that geologists use here on Earth to: measure how large areas of land are deformed by the ice sheet that presses down on the planet itself.

Researchers at the University of Twente solved a long-standing problem: trapping optically-generated sound waves in a standard silicon photonic chip. This discovery, published as a Featured Article in APL Photonics , opens new possibilities for radio technology, quantum communication, and optical computing.

Scientists at the University of Twente have developed a way to create highly ordered semiconductor material at room temperature. This UT research was published today in the scientific journal Nature Synthesis . This breakthrough could make optoelectronics more efficient by controlling the crystal structure and reducing the number of defects at the nanoscale.

In a recent study at the University of Twente, researchers discovered a way to scatter light in a special, symmetrical way using nanotechnology. This has potential for future technologies such as anti-counterfeiting. For the study, the researchers printed cubes about five times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, which consisted of rods in random directions.

An international research team led by QuTech has demonstrated a network connection between quantum processors over metropolitan distances. Their result marks a key advance from early research networks in the lab towards a future quantum internet. The team developed fully independently operating nodes and integrated these with deployed optical internet fibre, enabling a 25 km quantum link.

For the first time since the discovery of the material MnBi2Te4 (MBT), researchers at the University of Twente have successfully made it behave like a superconductor. This marks an important step in understanding MBT and is significant for future technologies, such as new methods of information processing and quantum computing.

Astronomers have used data from the European Gaia Space Telescope to discover 55 high-speed stars launched from the young star cluster R136 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This increases tenfold the number of known "runaway stars" in this region. The team of astronomers from the University of Amsterdam, Leiden University and Radboud University (Netherlands), among others, is publishing the results this week in Nature.

As the global population surpasses 8 billion, the challenge of producing sufficient food becomes increasingly pressing. The Netherlands stands as the world's second-largest food exporter, efficiently cultivating a wide variety of crops. However, plant diseases such as downy mildew pose significant threats, potentially spoiling farmers' harvests.

A new study led by the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and with contributions from Radboud University's Marijke Haverkorn, has unveiled significant insights into the Milky Way: a magnetised galactic halo. This discovery challenges previous models of our galaxy's structure and evolution.

Crossing waves are proving to be more extreme than extreme. These extraordinary deep sea waves, about which little is known, can become four times steeper than was thought possible. This emerges from research by TU Delft and other universities published today is Nature. Long ago, stories circulated about mysterious monster waves that seemed to appear out of nowhere and even overturned large ships.

Researchers from the Faculty of S&T at the University of Twente have shown a novel approach for the design of efficient solar fuel devices. Research performed by graduated PhD candidate Kaijian Zhu shows that reducing the light-induced twisting of molecules can turn hydrogen generation on. Photoelectrochemical cells are promising for the production of solar fuels, for example, the conversion of water into hydrogen or CO2 into organic molecules.

Using neutrons, TU/e scientists visualize the internal processes of a redox flow battery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the invention of X-ray imaging provided a leap of knowledge in medical science. Since then, we can see how our body's bones work, bringing numerous new treatments to light. Now, a similar approach using neutron imaging makes it possible to visualize the internal functioning of redox flow batteries - a type of battery mainly used for large-scale storage in solar and wind energy systems.