|
|
|
8/11/2009
  Breakthrough moves researchers closer to assembly of complex nanobot or nanofab devices  Researchers at Duke University have created a unique new nano-particle, dubbed a "dot-Janus" particle, the movement of which can be precisely controlled. Optical traps on the dot-Janus particles allow researchers to precisely control three degrees of movement - up and down, left and right, forward and backward, while constraining one degree of rotation - side-to-side tilting. Using magnetic fields, they controlled the remaining two degrees of rotation - forward and backward tilting, and left and right turning. Labels: Nano
7/23/2009
Self-assembling superhigh resolution nano-lens  Korean researchers have created nanoscale lenses with superhigh resolution using a novel self-assembly method. So far, they've demonstrated that the tiny lenses can be used for ultraviolet lithography, for imaging objects too tiny for conventional lenses, and for capturing individual photons from a light-emitting nanostructure called a quantum dot. Labels: Nano
7/22/2009
Watching motor molecules using random walks to make deliveries inside a living cell Cells rely on tiny molecular motors to deliver cargo, such as mRNA and organelles, within the cell. The critical nature of this transport system is evidenced by the fact that disruption of motors by genetic defects leads to fatal diseases in humans. Investigators have previously isolated these motor to study their function in a controlled environment outside the cell, but now making use of incredibly tiny, glowing quantum dots researchers can track the miniscule motions of myosin V in living cells. Myosin V is a motor molecule that walks in a fashion similar to humans by stepping along actin filament tracks that are assembled in a dense, criss-crossing network inside the cell. A critical feature of these motors is their ability to walk long distances without falling off their tracks. Sophisticated microscopes and sensitive cameras were used to track the 72 nanometer strides (equivalent to 1 millionth of an inch) taken by these motors inside the cells.
7/13/2009
Future nanodevices can be controlled by light rather than electricity A team of Yale University researchers led by Hong Tang, assistant professor at Yale's School of Engineering & Applied Science, has discovered a "repulsive" light force that can be used to control components on silicon microchips, meaning future nanodevices could be controlled by light rather than electricity. The team previously discovered an "attractive" force of light and showed how it could be manipulated components in semiconducting micro and nano electrical systems. The scientists have now uncovered a complementary repulsive force. "This completes the picture," Tang said. "We've shown that this is indeed a bipolar light force with both an attractive and repulsive component." Labels: Nano
7/10/2009
Could NanoFET provide the thrust for bot-controlled asteroid belt mining trawlers? We can either let our species go extinct millions of generations earlier than necessary or we can spread our kind out into space. Rouge black holes, gamma ray bursts, atmosphere stripping cosmic dust clouds, planet scorching mega-solar flares, impacts from comets or asteroids, ice world causing super volcanoes, not to mention our own craziness. There is a long list of potential extinction level events for a species foolish enough to inhabit just a single world. We must spread outward, first to the mineral bonanza of the asteroid belt, and then onward to other stars systems. The only alternative is premature species extinction. Up until now, there have been three possiblities for powering the ships necessary for that effort. A space sail, Nuclear Pulse Fusion or the ion thruster are possibilities, but all have drawbacks. Now nano engineers may have found a fourth possibility that is far more efficient than any of the others. It is called the NanoFET (Nano-particle Field Extraction Thruster).
7/08/2009
Scientists put DNA to work inspecting and sorting carbon nanotubes Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are long, narrow cylinders of graphite with properties that vary according to the tubes' shape and structure. They have many potential uses, but current methods of producing CNTs yield mixtures of tubes with different in diameters and symmetry, which must be disentangled and sorted before they are of any use. Now a team of researchers from DuPont and Lehigh University has reported a carbon nanotube production breakthrough, developing a DNA-based method for sorting and separating specific types of CNTs from a mixture. The team has identified more than 20 DNA short sequences that can recognize individual types, or species, of carbon nanotubes and pluck them from a mixture.
7/08/2009
Forming complex 3-D nano-scale shapes in conductive polymers  Scientists have figured out how to achieve complex three-dimensional structural control to form conductive polymers into an amazing variety of nanoscale shapes through a direct pattern transfer via resist- and dose-modulated electron beam lithography. Labels: Nano
6/28/2009
Yale fabs first solid-state quantum processor  A team of researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, a breakthrough in the race to build a quantum computer. They also used the two-qubit superconducting chip to successfully run elementary algorithms, such as a simple search, demonstrating quantum information processing with a solid-state device for the first time. "Our processor can perform only a few very simple quantum tasks, which have been demonstrated before with single nuclei, atoms and photons," said Robert Schoelkopf, the William A. Norton Professor of Applied Physics & Physics at Yale University. "But this is the first time they've been possible in an all-electronic device that looks and feels much more like a regular microprocessor." Labels: Nano
6/28/2009
Nanoparticles that can combat fatal brain infections Major brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis are a leading cause of death, hearing loss, learning disability and brain damage in patients. Now scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of Singapore have developed peptide nanoparticles containing a membrane-penetrating component that enables them to pass through the blood brain barrier to the infected areas of the brain that require treatment. This offers a superior alternative to conventional antibiotics because the molecular structure of most are too big to cross the blood brain barrier membrane.
6/27/2009
How to fab a nano light bulb  Scientists from the Max Planck Institute have tailor-made nanoparticles that can be used as position lights on cell proteins or potentially as light sources for display screens or for optical information technology. The researchers produced cadmium sulphide particles in microscopically small membrane bubbles. First vesicles are created with different reactants and different fluorescent substances in their membranes (a). Then the bubbles are fused with red fluorescent nanoparticles form (b). The particles can be seen as bright dots under the transmission electron microscope (c). Labels: Nano
6/26/2009
Like burrs on your clothes, virus-size capsules stick to cells to target RNA delivery  It is now possible to engineer tiny containers the size of a virus to deliver drugs and other materials with almost 100 percent efficiency to targeted cells in the bloodstream. The technique involves filling the tiny lipid containers, or nanoscale capsules, with a molecular cargo and coating the capsules with adhesive proteins called selectins that specifically bind to target cells. A shunt coated with the capsules is then inserted between a vein and an artery. Much as burrs attach to clothing, the selectin-coated capsules adhere to targeted cells in the bloodstream. After rolling along the shunt wall, the cells break free from the wall with the capsules still attached and ingest their contents. As shown in the image, 36 hours after release nearly every target cell (round gray spheres) has ingested a nanocapsule containing a small-interfering RNA (in red).
6/26/2009
Nano bacteria assassins keep implants from causing infections  Infected implants now have a foe. Brown University researchers have created a nanoparticle that can penetrate a bacterial-produced film on prosthetics and kill the bacteria. It is the first time that iron-oxide nanoparticles have been shown to eliminate a bacterial infection on an implanted prosthetic device. Labels: Nano
6/24/2009
Lasers can lengthen quantum bit memory by 1,000 times Physicists have found a way to drastically prolong the shelf life of quantum bits, the 0s and 1s of quantum computers. Perturbation caused by magnetic field fluctuations from the nuclei of the atoms creating the quantum dot can cause it to forget the piece of information it was tasked with storing. A quantum dot is a semiconductor nanostructure that is one candidate for creating quantum bits. University of Michigan's Duncan Steel and colleagues used lasers to elicit a previously undiscovered natural feedback reaction that stabilizes the quantum dot's magnetic field, lengthening the stable existence of the quantum bit by several orders of magnitude, or more than 1,000 times.
6/24/2009
Array of nanoparticles and polymers can sniff out disease  Using a chemical nose array of nanoparticles and polymers, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a fundamentally new, more effective way to differentiate not only between healthy and cancerous cells but also between metastatic and non-metastatic cancer cells. It's a tool that could revolutionize cancer detection and treatment, according to chemist Vincent Rotello and cancer specialist Joseph Jerry. Labels: Nano
6/23/2009
Making materials 10 times stronger by nanostitching in carbon nanotubes MIT researchers have found a way to fuse together materials that gives a whole new meaning to the concept of sewing. Nanostitching uses carbon tubes only billionths of a meter thick to reinforce advanced materials for airplane skins and more. The resulting composites could be more than 10 times as strong as their conventional counterparts. Labels: Nano
6/22/2009
New device designed to detect quantum effect in ordinary objects  Physicists have long wondered if large collections of atoms can exhibit the same quantum effects found in single particles. "It'd be weird to think of ordinary matter behaving in a quantum way, but there's no reason it shouldn't," says Keith Schwab, an associate professor at CalTech. "If single particles are quantum mechanical, then collections of particles should also be quantum mechanical. And if that's not the case - if the quantum mechanical behavior breaks down - that means there's some kind of new physics going on that we don't understand." Now, researchers have developed a new tool that can be used to search for quantum effects in an ordinary object. Labels: Nano
6/20/2009
Breakthrough in efforts to develop tiny biological fuel cells University of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power human implants and prosthetic limbs. "This technique gives us the control to systematically vary polymer architecture," said chemist Jason Locklin. "Opening up the possibility for various uses in electronic devices such as sensors, transistors and diodes." The ultra-thin films are between 5 and 50 nanometers—too small to see, even under a high-powered optical microscope.
6/16/2009
Nanoparticles are about to put an end to era of painful chemotherapy  UCF researcher's say that their nanoparticles could soon put an end to the era of painful and primitive chemotherapy. University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez used a drug called Taxol for their cell culture studies, because it is one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs. Taxol normally causes many negative side effects because it travels throughout the body and damages healthy tissue as well as cancer cells. However, the Taxol-carrying nanoparticles engineered in Perez's laboratory are designed so they carry the drug ONLY to the cancer cells, allowing targeted cancer treatment without harming any healthy cells. This is achieved by attaching a vitamin (folic acid) derivative that cancer cells like to consume in high amounts. The bottom line is much better treatment results with none of the normal chemotherapy caused damage to normal cells that makes chemo such a painful ordeal for many cancer patients. Labels: Nano
6/15/2009
FABulous breakthrough in precisely gluing micro/nano particles together  In a major step towards the powerful desktop fabricators we are all so eager to own, researchers at New York University have created a method to precisely bind nano/micrometer-sized particles together into larger-scale structures with useful materials properties.
6/15/2009
Scientists invent world's smallest (1.2nm) controllable molecule-gear Scientists from A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), led by Professor Christian Joachim, have scored a breakthrough in nanotechnology by becoming the first in the world to invent a molecular gear of the size of 1.2nm whose rotation can be deliberately controlled. This achievement marks a radical shift in the scientific progress of molecular machines Labels: Nano
6/11/2009
Quantum Dot LED tunable light breakthrough  Spectrally narrow electroluminescence of our QD-LEDs is tuned over the entire visible wavelength range from λ = 460 nm (blue) to λ = 650 nm (deep red). By printing close-packed monolayers of different QD types inside an identical QD-LED structure, we demonstrate that different color QD-LEDs with QDs of different chemistry can be fabricated on the same substrate.
6/09/2009
Breakthrough in manipulating light on a chip for quantum computers  In a major advance towards super-powerful quantum computers and ultra-precise measuring devices, a team of physicists and engineers at Bristol University has demonstrated precise control of four photons using a microscopic metal electrode lithographically patterned onto a silicon chip. The photons propagate in silica waveguides, much like in optical fibers, patterned on a silicon chip, and are manipulated with the electrode, resulting in a high-performance miniaturized device. "We have been able to generate and manipulate entangled states of photons on a silicon chip" said PhD student Jonathan Matthews, who together with Alberto Politi performed the experiments. "These entangled states are responsible for famously 'weird' behaviour arising in quantum mechanics, but are also at the heart of powerful quantum technologies."
6/09/2009
Two atom thick superconducting metal created by physicists  A superconducting sheet of lead only two atoms thick, the thinnest superconducting metal layer ever created, has been developed by physicists at The University of Texas at Austin by Dr. Ken Shih and colleagues. Shown is a scanning tunneling microscope image of the 2-atom thick lead film. The inset is a zoomed view showing the atomic structure. Superconductors are unique because they can maintain an electrical current indefinitely with no power source.
6/06/2009
Simpler light-driven nanomotor  A team of University of Florida chemists report building a new type of molecular nanomotor driven only by photons, or particles of light. While it is not the first photon-driven nanomotor, the almost infinitesimal device is the first built entirely with a single molecule of DNA -- giving it a simplicity that increases its potential for development, manufacture and real-world applications in areas ranging from medicine to manufacturing, the scientists say. "It is easy to assemble, has fewer parts and theoretically should be more efficient," said Huaizhi Kang, a doctoral student in chemistry at UF and the first author of the paper. In its clasped, or closed, form, the nanomotor measures 2 to 5 nanometers - 2 to 5 billionths of a meter. In its unclasped form, it extends as long as 10 to 12 nanometers. Labels: Nano
6/04/2009
More on the billion year memory chip  "We've developed a new mechanism for digital memory storage that consists of a crystalline iron nanoparticle shuttle enclosed within the hollow of a multiwalled carbon nanotube," said physicist Alex Zettl who led this research. "Through this combination of nanomaterials and interactions, we've created a memory device that features both ultra-high density and ultra-long lifetimes, and that can be written to and read from using the conventional voltages already available in digital electronics." See also: Nanotubes that can stably store your memories for over a billion years Labels: Nano
6/02/2009
The Coming Urban Terror - systems disruption, networked gangs, and bio-weapons 2009 is the year, researchers estimate, that humanity crossed over, with more of us now living in cities than in rural areas. Unfortunately, living in cities may prove to be incompatible with the super-empowerment of individuals and small groups offered by new technologies like smart machines, networks and genetic manipulation. Some comments worth thinking about: Thanks to global interdependence, state-against-state warfare is far less likely than it used to be, and viable only against disconnected or powerless states. But the underlying processes of globalization have made us exceedingly vulnerable to nonstate enemies. The mechanisms of power and control that states once exerted will continue to weaken as global interconnectivity increases. Small groups of terrorists can already attack deep within any state, riding on the highways of interconnectivity, unconcerned about our porous borders and our nation-state militaries. These terrorists likeliest point of origin, and their likeliest destination, is the city.Most bio-terror experts seem to believe that a single clever microbiologist could probably already mod a virus to wipe out much of the population of a city and the technology for doing mods of this kind improves with each passing day. As we have seen recently in a number of cities, such concentrations of people, make attractive terror targets. Until we learn more about the shape of the threat matrix created by the amazing wave of smart bot, nano, bio, and cloud technologies sweeping in on us today, choosing to live outside the large cities might prove to be a wise decision.
6/02/2009
Keeping nanoelectromechanical systems from getting too hot for their own good  Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) devices are on their way to revolutionizing our world, but one persistent problem has plagued designers, how do you dissipate the heat output from an electronic device this tiny? Now MIT engineers have solved this problem by looking at how the cells in their own bodies function. "We show that a precise arrangement of carbon nanotubes similar to those found in the cytoskeleton of cells will create a thermal material that effectively dissipates heat, which could prevent a NEMS device from failing or melting." said MIT Professor Markus Buehler. The illustration shows a hierarchical network of carbon nanotubes mimicking a cell's protein network to connect a small heat source (red area) to a larger area that serves as a heat sink. Labels: Nano
5/27/2009
New rotors could help develop nanoscale generators  Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a molecular structure that could help create current-generating machines at the nanoscale. In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, scientists have investigated the rotation of molecules on a fixed surface to understand how they may help in the development of future rotor-based machinery at nanoscale level. The research focused on rotating magnetic fields, which play an important part in machines, such as electric motors and generators. The researchers used a gold metal surface to anchor phtalocyanine molecules, which have a metallic center, in a large array. The anchor point - a single gold atom on top of the gold surface, and attached to a nitrogen atom of the molecule - allowed the molecules to rotate just off-center. Labels: Nano
5/26/2009
Breakthrough in fab of plastic, organic transistors  Some time ago researchers discovered a way to print large, flexible arrays of cheap, plastic transistors from organic materials that is much cheaper than silicon electronics. However, the performance of these organic electronics was not consistent enough for commercial use until Zhenan Bao, associate professor of chemistry at Stanford University, found a way to improve it by several orders of magnitude.  "In our process we can create organic semiconducting microwires (shown in first image) with the most desirable electronic properties, flow a dispersed solution of them into a stencil, or mask, and then stamp them onto a pattern of electrodes," said Professor Bao. "Because these wires can be precisely aligned with high density, the result is high-performance transistors." Labels: Nano
5/25/2009
Lots more tools in a nano-engineer's tool box, but you still need a microscope to see it We have covered each of the breakthroughs in turn, but ScienceNews has an overview on the growing size of the nano-engineer's tool box that you may wish to read. Scientists harness charge, magnetism and even DNA to guide matter's assembly into new materials. Labels: Nano
5/21/2009
Nanoparticles can deliver gene cure for most neurodegenerative disorders  University at Buffalo researchers, lead by Michal Stachowiak, Ph.D., director of the Molecular and Structural Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, have identified a new mechanism that plays a central role in adult brain stem cell development and prompts brain stem cells to differentiate into neurons. Their discovery, known as Integrative FGFR1 Signaling (INFS), is considered capable of repopulating degenerated brain areas, raising possibilities for new treatments for most neurodegenerative disorders. It may also be a promising anti-cancer therapy. The approach uses gene engineering and nanoparticles for gene delivery to activate the INFS mechanism directly and promote neuronal development. The INFS-targeting gene can prompt these stem cells to differentiate into neurons. The research team set out to see if it is possible to generate a wave of new neurons from stem cells and direct them to the affected areas using a mouse model. "In this way, targeting the INFS potentially could be used to cure certain brain diseases, particularly in the case of a stroke or injuries that happen as a single episode and are not continuously attacking the brain," said Dr. Stachowiak. "This study provides proof of concept for a novel approach to the treatment of neuronal loss by means of therapeutic gene transfer. This is a particularly attractive alternative to viral-mediated gene transfer"
5/20/2009
Metal sheets with DNA framework could enable future nanocircuits  Using DNA not as a genetic material but as a structural support, Cornell researchers have created thin sheets of gold nanoparticles held together by strands of DNA. The work shows a method for making thin nano transistors and other electronic devices. (Image: Michael Campolongo/Luo Labs) Labels: Nano
5/20/2009
Nanotubes that can stably store your memories for over a billion years  As digital storage devices have replace paper, archivists have begun to worry that all our memories might one day become as lost as tears in the rain. This is because all current digital storage devices tend to fail after relatively short periods of time, often as little as 5 years. But now Zettl Research Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley have come up with a solution. A digital memory device with the potential to store your memories at high density for an amazingly long time, in fact say researchers, calculations show that they should remain stable for at least a billion years. The device consists of a crystalline iron nanoparticle enclosed in a multiwalled carbon nanotube. The nanotube can be reversibly moved through the nanotube by applying a low voltage, "writing" the device to a binary state represented by the position of the nanoparticle. The state of the device can then be subsequently read by a simple resistance measurement. Labels: Nano
5/20/2009
Towards a bot capable of doing upgrade mods on your cells  Researchers have developed the fluidFM, a new atomic force microscope (AFM) based on hollow cantilevers that can inject molecules into a single living cells, even targeting a selected sub-cellular structure within the cell. The sensitive AFM force feedback allows controlled approach of the tip to a sample for extremely delicate modification of surfaces or gentle contact with a cell membrane or its perforation. The universality and versatility of the fluidFM will stimulate original experiments at the submicrometer scale not only in biology but also in physics, chemistry, and material science. Under bot control, devices like this might be used to alter cells in mass. Perhaps one day allowing cells to be extracted, given extensively genetic upgrade mods, then re-injection into humans to make routinely lifespan extension and cognition enhancement mods a reality.
5/16/2009
Scientists make nanorod breakthrough  One dimensional (1D) diamond nanotubes, nanorods, nanowires, nanotips, nanopillars could be the components of future electronics, but fabbing thin one dimensional diamond nanostructures has been a challenge. Now engineers at the University of Ulster are the first researchers to create diamond nanorods with a diameter as thin as 2.1 nm. Labels: Nano
5/15/2009
DNA-wrapped carbon nanotube scaffolding allows replacement organ growth Soft tissues, such as tendons, muscles, arteries, and skin or other organs, obtain their mechanical support from the extracellular matrix, a network of protein-based nanofibers. Implants and scaffolding for tissue growth require porous, soft materials -- which are usually very fragile. Because many biological tissues are regularly subjected to intense mechanical loads, it is also important that the implant material have comparable elasticity in order to avoid inflammation. At the same time, the material must be very strong and resilient, or it may give out. It is possible to achieve this using DNA strands as a matrix with the strands completely "wrapping" a scaffold-forming carbon nanotube in the presence of an ionic liquid, networking them to form a gel. This gel can then be spun like silk into very fine threads when injected into a special bath. The dried fibers have a porous, sponge-like structure and soaking in a calcium chloride solution further cross-links the DNA, causing the fibers to become denser and more strongly connected. See also: Highly versatile nanotubes fabbed from DNA building blocks
5/12/2009
Magnetically controlled nano-swimmers  Abstract: For biomedical applications, such as targeted drug delivery and microsurgery, it is essential to develop a system of swimmers that can be propelled wirelessly in fluidic environments with good control. Here, we report the construction and operation of chiral colloidal propellers that can be navigated in water with micrometer-level precision using homogeneous magnetic fields. The propellers are made via nanostructured surfaces and can be produced in large numbers. The nanopropellers can carry chemicals, push loads, and act as local probes in rheological measurements. Rowland Institute at Harvard University. Labels: Nano
5/12/2009
Liquid lens creates tiny flexible laser on a chip Like tiny Jedi knights, tunable fluidic micro lenses can focus and direct light at will to count cells, evaluate molecules or create on-chip optical tweezers, according to a team of Penn State engineers. They may also provide imaging in medical devices, eliminating the necessity and discomfort of moving the tip of a probe. Labels: Nano
5/11/2009
New nanocrystals show potential for cheap lasers, new lighting  For more than a decade, scientists have been frustrated in their attempts to create continuously emitting light sources from individual molecules because of an optical quirk called "blinking," but now scientists at the University of Rochester have uncovered the basic physics behind the phenomenon, and along with researchers at the Eastman Kodak Company, created a nanocrystal that constantly emits light.
5/08/2009
Graphene on copper promises much faster, power sipping computers  The creation of large-area graphene using copper may enable the manufacture of new graphene-based devices that meet the scaling requirements of the semiconductor industry, leading to faster computers and electronics, according to a team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin.... READ
5/07/2009
Researchers build a nano-size box out of DNA with DNA keys  Danish researchers at Aarhus University have made a nano-sized box out of DNA that can be locked or opened in response to 'keys' made from short strands of DNA. By changing the nature or number of these keys, it should be possible to use the boxes as sensors, drug delivery systems or even molecular computers.... READ Labels: Nano
5/05/2009
Electrospun fibers that can create wearable power  Electrospinning, the most general way to make a continuous polymer nanofiber, uses an electrical charge to draw the fiber from a liquid polymer. As a jet of charged fluid polymer sprays out the bottom of a nozzle, an electric field forces the stream to whip back and forth, stretching the fiber lengthwise so its diameter shrinks from 100 microns to as little as 10 nanometers.... READ
5/05/2009
The many uses of graphene  Its unique electrical characteristics could make graphene the successor to silicon in a whole new generation of microchips, surmounting basic physical constraints limiting the further development of ever-smaller, ever-faster silicon chips. And that's only one of this amazing material's many potential applications. The image shows a graphene transistor.... READ Labels: Nano
5/01/2009
Researchers fab nanotube device that can detect every color of the rainbow  Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the first carbon nanotube device that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light, a feat that could soon allow scientists to probe single molecule transformations, study how those molecules respond to light, observe how the molecules change shapes, and understand other fundamental interactions between molecules and nanotubes.... READ Labels: Nano
5/01/2009
World's tiniest lamp made from a single nanotube The smallest ever incandescent lamp, made from a single carbon nanotube, has been created by physicist Chris Regan's team at the University of California, Los Angeles. The nanotube is attached to palladium and gold electrodes and which spans a tiny hole in a silicon chip and is held in a vacuum. It is bright enough to see with the naked eye, but jokes Regan, "It would make a poor reading lamp.".... READ Labels: Nano
4/28/2009
Nano-needle can inject single molecule into cell Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nano-needle for the targeted delivery of one or more molecules into the cytoplasm or the nucleus of living cells. In addition to ferrying tiny amounts of cargo, the nano-needle can also be used as an electrochemical probe and as an optical bio-sensor.... READ Labels: Nano
4/27/2009
Nano-cantilever sensors, smaller than the wavelength of light  In nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS), cantilevers are the most fundamental mechanical sensors. These tiny structures -- fixed at one end and free at the other -- act like nano-scale diving boards that "bend" when molecules "jump" on them and register a change that can be measured and calibrated. As researchers push towards detection of single molecules, single electron spins and the smallest amounts of mass and movement, Yale researchers have demonstrated silicon-based nano-cantilevers, smaller than the wavelength of light, that operate on photonic principles eliminating the need for electric transducers and expensive laser setups.... READ Labels: Nano
4/27/2009
Highly versatile nanotubes fabbed from DNA building blocks A team of researchers led by Prof. Hanadi Sleiman of McGill University have succeeded in fabbing nanotubes in a variety of geometric shapes using DNA as their building blocks. Using DNA made it possible to accurately control geometry, stiffness and porosity.... READ Labels: Nano
4/23/2009
Nanostrings used to fab an "artificial nose"  Scientists at LMU Munich have developed a new kind of nanostrings, thousands of which can be produced on a single chip to make possible the creation of an "artificial nose."... READ Labels: Nano
4/15/2009
Simple process unzips nanotubes to make thin, conductive incredibly useful nanoribbons Research by the Rice University lab of Professor James Tour has uncovered a room-temperature chemical process that splits, or unzips, carbon nanotubes to make flat nanoribbons. The technique makes it possible to produce the ultrathin ribbons in bulk quantities.... READ Labels: Nano
4/09/2009
Nanoscale generator harnesses both sunlight and mechanical energy Nanoscale generators can turn ambient mechanical energy--vibrations, fluid flow, and even biological movement--into a power source. Now researchers have combined a nanogenerator with a solar cell to create an integrated mechanical- and solar-energy-harvesting device.... READ Labels: Nano
4/09/2009
Coding DNA "origami seeds" to assemble nano-scale objects Man-made objects typically are built "top-down", with the structure of the thing imposed from outside. Biological objects instead use a "bottom-up" approach, with order imposed from within the object being made, so it "grows" according to a encoded design. Caltech researchers are now combining bottom-up approaches with molecular fabrication processes to construct nanometer-scale objects from DNA "origami seeds" that essentially assemble themselves.... READ Labels: Nano
4/06/2009
Researchers squeeze light out of quantum dots Researchers have successfully amplified light with so-called "colloidal quantum dots." Over the last 15 years, repeated quantum dot research efforts failed to deliver on expected improvements in amplification, and many researchers started to believe that an unknown but insurmountable law of physics was blocking their path. However, after extensive research, Professor Patanjali (Pat) Kambhampati and colleagues at McGill University's Department of Chemistry determined that colloidal quantum dots do indeed amplify light as promised. The earlier disappointments were due to accidental roadblocks, not by any fundamental law of physics, the researchers said.... READ Labels: Nano
4/02/2009
Researchers discover persistent spin state that could revolutionize spintronics  By controlling the collective spin state of highly mobile electrons in semiconductors, researchers in the Materials Sciences Division (MSD) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have taken a major step forward in the technology of spintronics.  At the same time they have discovered a new conservation law, an important advance in fundamental physics. "With our spin-orbit tuning, electrons that start at point A with the same spin may take many different paths, but when they reach point B they'll end up with the same spin again," says MSD's Jake Koralek... READ Labels: Nano
4/02/2009
Engineers develop way to disperse graphene in organic solvents A method for creating dispersed and chemically modified graphene sheets in a wide variety of organic solvents has been developed by a University of Texas at Austin engineering team led by Professor Rod Ruoff, opening the door to use graphene in a host of important materials and applications such as conductive films, polymer composites, ultracapacitors, batteries, paints, inks and plastic electronics.... READ Labels: Nano
3/31/2009
In nano-fab breakthrough, team builds world's first nanofluidic device with complex 3-D surfaces  Cornell University has built a Lilliputian prototype chamber for manipulating and measuring different types of nanoparticles in solution. Among the potential applications are measuring and processing nano-particles for fabbing, drug delivery, gene therapy, toxicology, and the isolation and confinement of individual DNA strands for scientific study as they are forced to unwind and elongate. Image is overhead view of the nano-fab device showing the different depth levels within the chamber as horizontal bands.... READ Labels: Nano
3/31/2009
Nano magnetic sheep dogs can organize cells into tissue structues  A multidisciplinary team of investigators from Duke University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst created an environment where magnetic particles suspended within a specialized solution act like molecular sheep dogs. In response to external magnetic fields, the shepherds nudge free-floating human cells to form chains which could potentially be integrated into approaches for creating human tissues and organs.... READ
3/31/2009
New molecular force probe stretches molecules, atom by atom Chemists at the University of Illinois have created a simple and inexpensive molecular technique that replaces an expensive atomic force microscope for studying what happens to small molecules when they are stretched or compressed. The researchers use stiff stilbene, a small, inert structure, as a molecular force probe to generate well-defined forces on various molecules, atom by atom.... READ Labels: Nano
3/30/2009
DNA-based assembly line for precision nano-cluster fabbing  Building on the idea of using DNA to link up nanoparticles, scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have designed a molecular assembly line for predictable, high-precision nano-construction.... READ ....WATCH Labels: Nano
3/28/2009
Taking a walk to charge your cell phone or iPod  The illustration shows the microfiber-nanowire hybrid nanogenerator, which is the basis of using the motion of fabrics for generating electricity. "Quite simply, this technology can be used to generate energy under any circumstances as long as there is movement," says lead researcher Zhong Lin Wang, Regents' Professor, School of Material Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.... READ
3/28/2009
Causing nanotubes struts to form, boosting structural integrity of composites  Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a new technique for provoking unusual crazing behavior in epoxy composites. The crazing, which causes the composite to deform into a network of nanoscale pillar-like fibers that bridge together both sides of a crack and slow its growth, could lead to tougher, more durable components for aircraft and automobiles.... READ Labels: Nano
3/27/2009
Scientists create molecular building block for superfast quantum computers Researchers at the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh have created components for molecular scale quantum computers much faster than conventional computers. Scientists have achieved the breakthrough by combining tiny magnets with molecular machines that can shuttle between two locations without the use of external force -- the basic component of a quantum computer.... READ Labels: Nano
3/26/2009
Quantum tunneling could achieve faster, cheaper genomic sequencing  A ghostly property of matter, called quantum tunneling, may aid the quest for accurate, low-cost genomic sequencing, according to Stuart Lindsay and his collaborators at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. Tunneling permits a particle like an electron to cross a barrier when, according to classical physics, it does not have enough energy to do so, and could give rise to a sequencing technique far faster and cheaper than those currently in use. Image shows a gold probe, outfitted with a dangling nucleotide approaches its complementary base, protruding upward from a monolayer. A set point current is established for the tunnel junction as the bases self-assemble.... MORE
3/25/2009
Gold nanoparticles able to 'cook' cancer cells  Show is an electron microscope image of a gold nanosphere, magnified by a factor of one billion. The darker ring shows the "wall" of the nanosphere, while the lighter area to the right of the ring shows the interior region of the shell.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/25/2009
Researchers find a new family of self-assembling molecules -- the carboranes  To be useful in real-world applications, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of molecules on a surface must have a stable and controllable geometry. Researchers at Penn State have found a way to control geometry and stability by making SAMs out of different carboranethiol isomers, which are cage-like molecules. Schematic shows relative dipole orientations for the carboranethiol isomers, M1 and M9.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/24/2009
A nano-coating that traps more power and self cleans solar cells  Using two different types of chemical etching to create features at both the micron and nanometer size scales, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a surface treatment that boosts the light absorption of silicon photovoltaic cells in two complementary ways. The surface treatment increases absorption both by trapping light in three-dimensional structures and by making the surfaces self-cleaning – allowing rain or dew to wash away the dust and dirt that can accumulate on photovoltaic arrays. Because of its ability to make water bead up and roll off, the surface is classified as superhydrophobic.... MORE
3/24/2009
Morphing programmable matter gadgets could soon be a reality A bracelet or a watch that morphs into something else when you take it off. Perhaps it becomes a phone, or perhaps a small computer screen and keyboard. Researchers are just a few years away from bringing to life revolutionary morphing devices known as programmable matter which can change size, shape and function.... MORE .... MORE Labels: Nano
3/21/2009
Light-as-air, nearly indestructible, flexing nano-ribbon bot muscles  Carbon-nanotube ribbons have been developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas from long, entangled 11-nanometer-thick nanotubes, that can stretch to more than three times their normal width but are stiffer and stronger than steel or Mylar. They can expand and contract thousands of times and withstand temperatures ranging from -190 to over 1,600 °C and are almost as light as air, transparent, conductive, and flexible They appear to provide the perfect material for tendon-driven bot arms and legs.... MORE
3/21/2009
Graphene chips can breakthrough the silicon processor speed barrier  New research findings at MIT could lead to microchips that operate at much higher speeds than is possible with today's standard silicon chips using graphene, a form of pure carbon that was first identified in 2004. Researchers at other institutions have already used the one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms to make prototype transistors and other simple devices, but the latest MIT results could open up a range of new applications.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/18/2009
DNA can force nanoparticles to self-assemble into bots Trapping nanoparticles in cages made of DNA can force them to self-assemble into transistors, meta-materials and even nanobots. The technique can prevent nanoparticles from clumping together at random, the biggest roadblock to nanoscale self-assembly of useful devices.... MORE
3/18/2009
Revolutionary nano-memristors fabbed into first 1 kilbit chip A University of Michigan electrical engineer has built the first chip composed of nanoscale memristors that can store up to 1 kilobit of information. The memristor is a computer component that offers both memory and logic functions in one simple package that has the potential to transform the semiconductor industry, enabling smaller, faster, cheaper chips and computers. Memristors could bring cheap enough computing to allow anything and everything to become a bot providing personal RES devices with ubiquitous locale data.... MORE
3/17/2009
Nanotubes make for more efficent transistors  Charge injection from a single carbon nanotube electrode is more than an order of magnitude more efficient than charge injection from metal electrodes. Moreover, organic thin film transistors that use arrays of carbon nanotube electrodes have nearly ideal linear output characteristics, indicating that carbon nanotubes are a viable alternative to metal electrodes for next-generation transistors.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/17/2009
Lighting up individual DNA binding proteins with Quantum Dots  This work demonstrates a potential to precisely read protein binding position or, alternatively, write such information on extended DNA with quantum dots via sequence-specific molecular recognition.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/17/2009
A polymer material that heals its own scratches Small scratches to the surface of the material close up in only a few minutes when the material is exposed to the ultraviolet light in sunlight. This life-like healing occurs because the damaged polymer molecules around the edges of a scratch use the energy from the UV to form new cross-links and recreate the network that makes up the material.... MORE Labels: Nano
3/14/2009
Nano-solar that can turn air and water into methane Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers.... more
3/14/2009
A doughnut shaped by-products of quantum dots to slow and even freeze light Research led by the University of Warwick has found a way to use doughnut shaped by-products of quantum dots to slow and even freeze light, opening up a wide range of possibilities from reliable and effective light based computing to the possibility of "slow glass," first imagined in Bob Shaw's short story "Light of other days" one of the most imaginative sci-fi stories ever.... more Labels: Nano
3/11/2009
Researchers create a nano-sized photocatalyst for artificial photosynthesis  Plants employ photosynthesis to capture energy from sunlight and convert it into electrochemical energy. Now researchers at Berkeley Lab have taken the critical step towards developing an artificial version of photosynthesis that can be used to produce liquid fuels from carbon dioxide and water. As shown in the image, nano-sized crystals of cobalt oxide can effectively carry out the critical photosynthetic reaction of splitting water molecules to free up electrons and oxygen (O2) that then react with carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce a fuel, shown here as methanol.... more
3/06/2009
Mass fab of nano-scale protein-based molecular transistors  This vertical-type device was fabricated using conventional photolithography and self-assembly methods and was processed in parallel fashion. We used this transistor to investigate the transport properties of a single layer of bovine serum albumin protein. This 4-nm-channel device exhibits low operating voltages, ambipolar behavior, and high gate sensitivity ... more
3/06/2009
That's a great looking new pair of nano eyes Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, in Livermore, CA, have created the first carbon-nanotube devices that can detect the entire visible spectrum of light. Their work might one day find a range of applications, including in solar cells that absorb more light, tiny cameras that work in very low light, and better artificial retinas ... more
3/04/2009
Nanotubes can make airplane skins 10X stronger for only a nominal extra cost When lighting strikes a metal airplane, it runs along the metal skin, usually doing little damage, but not necessarily so with composite aircraft. But now MIT engineers are using carbon nanotubes only billionths of a meter thick to stitch together aerospace materials in work that could make airplane skins and other products some 10 times stronger at only a nominal increase in cost. Plus, by reinforcing advanced composites with nanotubes, they become one million times more electrically conductive than their counterparts without nanotubes, meaning aircraft built with such materials would have vastly greater protection against damage from lightning ... more Labels: Nano
3/04/2009
Metallic nanoparticles can manipulate light in controlled ways not possible with conventional optics In a recent example of this, Rice University researchers discovered that cup-shaped gold nanostructures can bend light in a controllable way. The cups act like three-dimensional nano-antennas ... more Labels: Nano
3/03/2009
Researchers discover an on-off switch for nanoelectronics  Elecrical resistance through a molecular junction can be turned on and off simply by pushing and pulling the junction. This feature could be used as a switch in future nanoscale electronic devices ... more Labels: Nano
2/27/2009
Carbon nanotubes can deliver much cheaper fuel cells Fuel cells have been hailed as saviours of the environment, because they can cleanly and efficiently turn hydrogen and other fuels into electricity. But so far this technology has been hobbled by the high cost of the platinum catalysts needed to make it work. Now a new type of fuel cell based on carbon nanotubes promises to be much cheaper, as well as more compact and more efficient ... more ... more
2/25/2009
Polymers that self-assemble into nanostructures can store 10 terabits per square inch Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have found a simple way to coat square inches of substrate with block copolymers to create a highly ordered pattern that can let hard disks squeeze 10 terabits into each square inch of surface ... more Labels: Nano
2/25/2009
MIT Engineers use 'nano-origami' to build tiny electronic devices  A team of researchers led by George Barbastathis, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is developing the basic principles of "nano-origami," a new technique that allows engineers to fold nanoscale materials into simple 3-D structures. The tiny folded materials could be used as motors and capacitors, potentially leading to better computer memory storage, faster microprocessors and new nanophotonic devices ... more Labels: Nano
2/25/2009
Nanowire design offers much faster, cheaper computer memory  All previous computer memories, hard drive or flash have been two dimensional. Now IBM fellow Stuart Parkin has design a far faster and more dense memory system that is three dimensional using an array of U-shaped nanowires to both store, read and write the data. The nanowire design can theoretically pack 100 times more data into the same area as a flash-memory chip, and at the same cost ... more Labels: Nano
2/23/2009
Using light to activate brain circuits with nanoparticles Traditionally, stimulating nerves or brain tissue involves cumbersome wiring and a sharp metal electrode. But a unique collaboration between chemists and neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University has led to the discovery of a remarkable new way to use light to activate brain circuits with nanoparticles. By using semiconductor nanoparticles as tiny solar cells, the scientists can excite neurons in single cells or groups of cells with infrared light. This eliminates the need for the complex wiring by embedding the light-activated nanoparticles directly into the tissue. This method allows for a more controlled reaction and closely replicates the sophisticated focal patterns created by natural stimuli. Say hello to the ultimate mind/computer interface ... more
2/23/2009
Muscle-driven biomechanical electricity nanogenerator You have numerous sources of mechanical energy, such as muscle stretching, arm/leg swings, walking/running, heart beats, and blood flow. We demonstrate a piezoelectric nanowire based nanogenerator that converts biomechanical electric energy ... more
2/22/2009
Moore's Law can continue for decades thanks to nano breakthroughs New developments in nano technology will let computer power continue to double every 18 months or so for decades to come, as two US groups announce transistors almost 1000 times smaller than those in use today, and a version of flash memory that could store all the books in the US Library of Congress in a 4 inch (10 cm) square ... more Labels: Nano
2/21/2009
Coordinated quantum dance discovery could revolutionize computing In addition to electrical charge, electrons possess rotational properties, which could be used to better store data. Now scientists have actually recorded swarms of electrons spinning in a synchronized quantum dance, a coordinated behavior involving a strange form of rotation. "This quantum weirdness -- a coordinated twist in the spin of electrons even though there is no magnetic field around -- is what we've been searching for by fine tuning our experiments over the last few years," said Zahid Hasan. "We believe this discovery is not only an advancement in the fundamental physics of quantum systems but also could lead to significant advances in electronics, computing and information science." ... more
2/20/2009
Breakthrough allows imaging of the position of atoms in a quantum dot A new imaging technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois overcomes the limit of diffraction and can reveal the atomic structure of a single nanocrystal with a resolution of less than one angstrom ... more Labels: Nano
2/19/2009
New method to assemble nanoscale elements could transform data storage  An innovative and easily implemented technique in which nanoscale elements precisely assemble themselves over large surfaces could soon open doors to dramatic improvements in the data storage capacity of electronic media, according to scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst). "I expect that the new method we developed will transform the microelectronic and storage industries, and open up vistas for entirely new applications," said co-lead investigator Thomas Russell, director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UMass Amherst ... more Labels: Nano
2/19/2009
Nanoscale fab can create near single-atom scale electronics University of Pittsburgh researchers have created a nanoscale versatile fab platform for creating electronics at a nearly single-atom scale. The fab can yield high-density memory devices, transistors and computer processors. "We've demonstrated that we can make important technologies that are significantly smaller than existing devices and all from the same material," said physics Professor Jeremy Levy ... more Labels: Nano
2/19/2009
Powerful new technique for complex nano-device assembly discovered  By manipulating the magnetization of a liquid solution, Duke University researchers have for the first time coaxed magnetic and non-magnetic materials to form intricate nano-structures. The resulting structures can be fixed, meaning they can be permanently linked together. Changing the levels of magnetization of the fluid controls how the particles are attracted to or repelled by each other. By appropriately tuning these interactions, the magnetic and non-magnetic particles form around each other much like a snowflake forms around a microscopic dust particle. This technique has the potential to make possible efficient commercialization of complex nano-device assembly ... more Labels: Nano
2/17/2009
Breakthrough nano-fabbing technique molds like plastic but stronger than steel  Yale engineers have created a process that may revolutionize the manufacture of nano-devices from computer memory to biomedical sensors by exploiting a novel type of metal. The material can be molded like plastics to create features at the nano-scale and yet is more durable and stronger than silicon or steel. All of the variety of nano devices shown were fabbed using the new technique ... more Labels: Nano
2/17/2009
Breakthrough nano-fabbing technique molds like plastic but stronger than steel Yale engineers have created a process that may revolutionize the manufacture of nano-devices from computer memory to biomedical sensors by exploiting a novel type of metal. The material can be molded like plastics to create features at the nano-scale and yet is more durable and stronger than silicon or steel. All of the variety of nano devices shown were fabbed using the new technique ... more Labels: Nano
2/15/2009
Molecular machines drive plasmonic nanoswitches Plasmonics, a possible replacement for current computing approaches, may pave the way for a new generation of computers that operate faster and store more information than electronically-based systems and are smaller than optically-based systems, according to a Penn State engineer who has developed a plasmonic switch ... more Labels: Nano
2/03/2009
Nanotubes & stem cells cure broken bones  A group of UC San Diego bioengineers and material science experts have developed a nano-bio method of placing mesenchymal stem cells on top of very thin titanium oxide nanotubes in order to control the differentiation of the stem cells into osteoblasts or bone building cells. Mesenchymal stem cells are extracted from a patient's own bone marrow ... more
2/03/2009
New nanocars are way cooler than old ones  The 2009 models of Rice University's amazing little nanocars have the ability to roll at room temperature, making these breakthrough nanobots much easier to adapt to a wider range of uses than the originals, which had to be heated to 200 degrees Celsius before they could move across a surface ... more Watch the nanocars in action ... watch Labels: Nano
2/02/2009
Get ready for atom-sized electronics & pocket super computers  The same scientists at the University of Manchester that in 2004 discovered the breakthrough material, graphene -- a one-atom-thick crystal with unusual highly conductive properties that has quickly become one of the hottest research areas in materials science. Have now found that the addition of a hydrogen atom on each of the carbon atoms in graphene achieves a new material without altering or damaging the distinctive one-atom-thick chicken wire construction itself. And this addition makes the graphene no longer highly conductive, but gives it insulating properties instead. Hmmm, conductors and insulators on the atomic scale ~ time to get ready for tiny electronic devices with mind boggling computational powers ... more Send comments to: humods [at] gmail [dot] com |