Nanotechnology News

Despite a bevy of national nanotech funding initiatives worldwide, the name of the game is international collaboration, says a recent study. Analysis of over 91,000 nanotechnology papers published since 2008 reveals that almost 25% draw authors from multiple countries, with China, Germany, Japan, and the United States being the most common. In a sub-analysis of 61,300 grant-funded projects, China's National Natural Science Foundation funded the most papers, followed by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, European Union's R&D programs, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Have you worked on a productive international research team?

As society settles into the 21st century, things are getting smaller and smaller. It's often been said that it's becoming a "Nano world". Nanotechnology is becoming more important in photonics, energy, semiconductor processing, and the medical and life sciences industries. Learn more.

Because you care about clean air, rely on the proven and patented technology of Ultra-Web® nanofiber cartridge filters. Now standard in all Donaldson® Torit® dust collectors and available as replacement for any cartridge collector, Ultra-Web is the only cartridge filter engineered to deliver cleaner air, longer filter life, and lower costs.

A nanopore detector could open the way to sequencing DNA in a matter of minutes. The devices consist of silicon substrates perforated with 50 nm holes. Each hole is backed by a tunneling electrode junction, which registers a specific electrical signal for each base in the DNA helix (A, C, T, and G). When DNA strands pass through the nanopores, the junctions read their coding sequences in a process that could cost mere dollars and operate a million times faster than current techniques.

Using Raman spectroscopy and nano antennas, Rice University researchers have developed a system for measuring the temperature of individual molecules. Anti-Stokes Raman emission occurs when vibrating atoms scatter photons. As molecules heat, the vibration of molecular bonds increases, which allows the group to correlate temperature with Raman signal intensity. Because Raman signals are weak at best, the group uses the nano antennas to increase signal strength by three orders of magnitude.

Nanotextured surfaces inspired by dolphins and whales may yield anti-bacterial, self-cleaning materials. Using nano-imprint lithography, the group is working to replicate the anti-fouling properties of the marine mammal skins. The approach may discourage pathogens like E. coli and S. aureus. Applications include lenses, medical plastics, and industrial surfaces like ships' hulls.

Nanoparticles functionalized with antimicrobial agents can extend food storage. Researchers modified phytoglycogen carbohydrate so that it would capture nisin, a food-based antimicrobial peptide that kills Listeria, a pathogen that can spoil everything from vegetables to meat. The phytoglycogen nanoparticles feature hydrophobic surfaces that can preserve the nisin for up to three weeks, meaning that your deli-sliced ham might just have acquired a half-life.

Micromeritics ASAP® 2020 Surface Area and Porosimetry Analyzer can be used to determine the microporosity and hydrogen storage capacity of nano materials. Hydrogen adsorption isotherms can easily be obtained on MOFs, zeolites, and activated carbons. With particle density information, average particle size of dry aggregated nanoparticles can also be calculated.

ALine's no-tooling Polymer Laminate Technology enables rapid prototyping and volume manufacture of microfluidics. No tooling means lower development costs and lead times under seven days. ALine can provide enclosed channels and complex 3D structures in a bio-compatible plastic device and incorporate membranes, flexible valves, pumps, and electodes. Visit www.alineinc.com.

Using a combination of ion etching and anodic bonding, Berkeley researchers have produced nanofluidic devices with channels as narrow as 2 nm. The devices hold great promise as either direct fluidics or long lasting filtration membranes in everything from batteries to biochips. The group starts with a silicon-on-glass substrate, first etching the channels, then sealing them with anodic bonding. Transport in the channels appears to be concentration dependent — until ion concentrations exceed 100 mM, surface charge provides the dominant ion transport mechanism.

Lithium batteries enjoy broad use in portable devices but lack energy and power density. Nanowire anodes might improve that. Now, researchers have discovered that mobile dislocations in the nanowire anode of an über-tiny battery cause the anode to coil and stretch. As charging takes place in the nanobattery, a reaction front propagates along the nanowire, inducing the dislocation cloud and the resultant deformations. The fact that the nanoanodes survived mechanical stresses in excess of 10 GPa suggests that they might be the key to producing robust, improved fuel cells.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in solution fracture because localized sonic booms caused by collapsing air bubbles pop the carbon bonds. The in-plane force buckles the tube axially, then breaks the bonds within a few hundred femtoseconds. By adjusting the parameters of this technique, researchers have been able to control both the diameters of CNTs cleaved and the rate of cutting.

Combining functionalized DNA and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can produce self-healing electrochemical solar cells, say Purdue University researchers, in an approach inspired by photosynthesis. The CNT substrate provides a platform for the DNA, which has been functionalized to include nucleotide sequences to attract chromophores. When chromophores degrade, the system can spontaneously shuck them and bond to new ones.

Maintenance-free plastic plain bearings made from iglide^® T500, one of 12 standard materials from bearings specialist igus®, are high-tech problem solvers for temperature-, pressure-, and chemical-critical applications. The company is now launching an advanced bearing material using nano particles.

NOTIO™ from Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc. is a flexible, low density, transparent elastomer that can be used as a modifier for other compounds, achieving a balance of impact resistance, scratch resistance, heat resistance, transparency, flexibility and elasticity, and elimination of whitening upon bending. NOTIO™ enables the development of higher-value, better functioning products.

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It's easy to know what classes to take if you want to be an electrical engineer, but what do you do if you want to work in nanotechnology? Do you need basic science or basic engineering? Sure, plenty of universities have nanotech institutes, but students still need to choose the right courses for this fast-moving, cross-disciplinary field. What's the best way to approach the problem?

Forget about writing crib notes on your hand — University of Nottingham scientists have etched an entire periodic table onto a human hair. The team coated the hair with copper and used an ion beam microscope to create the table. Of course, to use it in class, you'd need a high magnification optical reader, which would make you a bit conspicuous...

More Ethical Questions About Stem Cells

How can we weigh the promise of stem cells research — cures for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, among other diseases — against the ethical questions of using human cells?