Nanotechnology News

By directing thousands of atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), researchers at IBM Almaden have made the world's smallest stop-action film. A Boy and His Atom tells the story of a boy playing with his little atomic pet. The team produced each frame by dragging carbon monoxide atoms into place one at a time using the STM tip. The work builds on research underway on the atomic-scale memory that uses just 12 atoms to record a bit of data.

Our NanoSafe Tested™ program provides clients with independent third-party testing of nanotechnology products. NanoSafe Tested™ products are subjected to defined testing criteria developed from peer-reviewed literature and comparable standardized testing methods. Test results are reported privately to the client, and a non-proprietary summary is posted to the NanoTech Register™ for public review.

Comchip has introduced the CPDVR08 halogen-free series, the 3.3 V or 5.0 V uni- or bi-directional 4-line ESD protection array diode. The device features a flow-through design that simplifies board layout and reduces board space when compared to four single-line discrete devices.

Multilayer graphene (MLG) and monolayer molybdenite (MoS₂) could form the flash memory of the future, say researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The ability of a flash memory cell to store data depends on the number of electrons held in the cell's floating gate. The thinner the gate, the lower the electron capacity, which puts a practical limit on flash memory density. By using superthin MLG for the floating gate, the EPFL team dramatically increased electron capacity, while insulating the electrode from the gate with monolayer MoS₂ increased the gap between write and erase voltages. The result? An uber-tiny flash memory cell capable of storing data for more than 10 years.

Lithium-ion microbatteries boast power densities of 7.4 mW cm^-2
μm^-1, over 2,000x as high as rival technologies, according to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign engineers. The key is 3D nano-porous electrodes that allow the fuel cell to deliver high power and energy, as well as charge, in less than a second. Imagine a smartphone that you could use to jump-start your car, and you get an idea of the potential of the technology.

Polymeric nanoparticles can rid the bloodstream of a variety of pore-forming toxins like E. coli and snake venom, UC San Diego researchers have shown. Disguised by a coating of red-blood-cell membrane, the 85-nm-diameter sponges act as decoys to collect the toxins and whisk them to the liver, where they are metabolized. Unlike most anti-toxins, the nanosponges are not toxin-specific. The approach shows great promise for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA), currently a major health risk in hospitals around the world. Next up, clinical trials.

Removing antibiotics from waterways reduces health risks, but activated carbon, the current filter of choice, absorbs only 40% of the contaminants in a given water sample. In contrast, a solar-powered nanofilter developed by University of Cincinnati engineers is up to 64% effective and highly-selective. The bacterial protein-based nanofilters use a pumping protein to collect the antibodies and a light-sensitive protein to power the pumps. Once collected, the antibiotics could be recycled for future use. The team used the solar-powered protein filters to remove antibiotics (ampicillin and vancomycin) and a carcinogen (ethidium bromide) from surface water.

AirClean® Systems' PowderSafe™ enclosures usher in a new era of powder weighing and containment technology. Precise airflow monitoring and control is achieved with the AirSafe™ automatic safety controller. Balance stability and potent compound containment has been independently tested. See video>>

If you need specialty metals or special purpose alloys for electronics, magnetic, electrical, or other industrial applications, call Ed Fagan Inc.

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Thin film solar cells (TFSCs) fabricated on amorphous silicon substrates can be transferred to windows, military helmets, or nearly any other flat or curved surface using a peel-and-stick approach. After removing the TFSC from its substrate in a water bath, researchers transferred the photovoltaic structure to another surface using thermal release tape. In tests, the TFSCs retained their original efficiency after transfer. Next steps focus on increasing output power.

A new heat transfer panel developed by Stanford University researchers uses engineered nanophotonic materials to cool structures without the need for energy. The quartz and silicon carbide structure cools two ways: by reflecting incident sunlight and by radiating stored heat. Even better, the panel emits the heat generated by the building over an IR waveband that can escape through the Earth's atmosphere, for a net heat dissipation of 100 Wm^-2. How cool is that?

Self-assembly holds the key to manufacturing a wide range of nanodevices. Because it involves objects too small to view with optical microscopy, self-assembly has remained a hidden process, understood only through modeling and testing. Now, Argonne National Laboratory researchers have caught nanoparticles in the act. The team used transmission electron microscopy to image the dance of gold nanoparticles in a liquid cell.

Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne researchers have drawn glass capillary tubes into nanopipettes for a cheap alternative to microchannel arrays. As an insulator, the glass accumulates electrons from the SEM beam, causing localized heating with ultra-high spatial resolution. The team produced a 200-nm-diameter pipette in a matter of minutes, testing it by transferring DNA segments from one lab chip sample well to another.

TPL offers a range of titanate powders with controlled size and chemistry. The nano-size powders are produced via an aqueous, low temperature process that allows for binary and tertiary oxide compositions with controlled stoichiometries. The particle sizes (50 to 400 nm) are ideal for ultra-thin dielectric layers in composites and ceramic capacitors.

Linde's environmental solutions can be found throughout the water cycle, from drinking water to waste water to even ponds, lakes, and streams. The
Solvox I, shown in the picture on the left, is a venturi jet mixer that allows high oxygen dissolution in a small size footprint.

The ISO TS 10797 Technical Specification, available now from IHS, establishes methods for characterizing the morphology of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and identifying the elemental composition of other materials in SWCNT samples, using transmission electron microscopy and chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry.

For more information on IHS standards, visit us here.

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