Nanotechnology News - April 2009 Archives

Nanoneedle is small in size, but huge in applications (4/30/2009)

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a membrane-penetrating nanoneedle 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 nanoneedle can also be used as an electrochemical probe and as an optical biosensor. ...> Full Article

Catching the lightwave: Nano-mechanical sensors 'wired' by photonics (4/29/2009)

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 nanocantilevers, smaller than the wavelength of light, that operate on photonic principles eliminating the need for electric transducers and expensive laser setups.The work reported in an April 26 advance online publication of Nature Nanotechnology ushers in a new generation of tools for ultra-sensitive measurements at the atomic level. ...> Full Article

Scientists moving closer to 'artificial noses' (4/26/2009)

Nanostrings are only tens of thousands millimeters long but still can detect single molecules with high precision. Scientists at LMU Munich have now developed a new kind of nanostrings, thousands of which can be produced on one chip -- to possibly serve as an "artificial nose." ...> Full Article

Discovery of an unexpected boost for solar water-splitting cells (4/25/2009)

A research team from Northeastern University and NIST has discovered, serendipitously, that a residue of a process used to build arrays of titania nanotubes -- a residue that wasn't even noticed before this -- plays an important role in improving the performance of the nanotubes in solar cells that produce hydrogen gas from water. ...> Full Article

Self-assembled nanowires could make chips smaller and faster (4/22/2009)

Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a new way to make transistors smaller and faster. The technique uses self-assembled, self-aligned and defect-free nanowire channels made of gallium arsenide. ...> Full Article

Bridging the gap in nanoantennas (4/21/2009)

A recent publication in Nature Photonics reports an innovative method for controlling light on the nanoscale by adopting tuning concepts from radio-frequency technology. The method opens the door for targeted design of antenna-based applications including highly sensitive biosensors and extremely fast photodetectors, which could play an important role in future biomedical diagnostics and information processing. ...> Full Article

Novel technique shrinks size of nanotechnology circuitry (4/18/2009)

A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed a new method of shrinking the size of circuitry used in nanotechnology devices like computer chips and solar cells by using two separate colors of light -- one to inscribe patterns, the other to erase their edges to create smaller structures. ...> Full Article

Singapore scientists synthesize gold to shed light on cells' inner workings (4/17/2009)

Highly fluorescent gold nanoclusters for sub-cellular imaging ...> Full Article

Researchers unzip the future (4/16/2009)

Simple process makes thin, conductive nanoribbons ...> Full Article

Next generation nanofilms created (4/15/2009)

With the human genome in hand, biochemists have cataloged the 3-D structures of thousands of proteins isolated from living cells. But one important class of proteins -- those stuck in the cell membranes -- has proven difficult to extract and study in 3-D crystals. Now an international team of scientists has developed a way to train such molecules to line up neatly on the surface of water in thin, tissue-like layers called nanofilms. ...> Full Article

New 'near-field' radiation therapy promises relief for overheating laptops (4/14/2009)

New cooling method dissipates heat by overcoming low rate of thermal coupling between carbon nanotubes and substrate ...> Full Article

New laser technique advances nanofabrication process (4/11/2009)

Promises manufacturing advances in electronics and biomedical devices ...> Full Article

First tri-continuous mesoporous Silica complex structure developed in Singapore (4/9/2009)

In Nature Chemistry, scientists at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology report that they have developed the first tri-continuous mesoporous material using a unique surfactant template. This completely new porous structure previously been predicted only mathematically. ...> Full Article

Team builds world's first nanofluidic device with complex 3-D surfaces (4/4/2009)

Chamber separates nanoparticles like a 'coin sorter' ...> Full Article

Researchers peer into nanowires to measure dopant properties (4/3/2009)

Using a technique called atom probe tomography, researchers at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, have provided an atomic-level view of the composition of a nanowire. ...> Full Article

Magnetic nano-'shepherds' organize cells (4/2/2009)

A multidisciplinary team of investigators from Case Western Reserve University, Duke University and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, created an environment where magnetic particles suspended within a specialized liquid solution acted like molecular sheep dogs by nudging free-floating human cells to form chains in response to external magnetic fields. ...> Full Article