Nanotechnology News - June 2009 Archives

Singapore nanotechnology combats fatal brain infections (6/30/2009)

Minute antibacterial particles destroy drug-resistant germs ...> Full Article

Implant bacteria, beware: Researchers create nano-sized assassins (6/28/2009)

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. The finding, published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, is the first time that iron-oxide nanoparticles have been shown to eliminate a bacterial infection on an implanted prosthetic device. ...> Full Article

Making nanoparticles in artificial cells (6/27/2009)

Two processes can be used to control the size of nanoparticles, which could serve as tiny light sources. ...> Full Article

Southwest Nano Consortium established (6/26/2009)

Nanotechnology groups join forces to promote regional nanotechnology excellence ...> Full Article

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems (6/24/2009)

Tremendous growth in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics which are being used for commercial and medical applications prompts UCLA researchers along with colleagues in academia and industry take a proactive role in examining the nano-bio interface to identify potential risks of engineered nanomaterials and explore methods for safer designs for use in drug delivery therapeutics and commercial products. ...> Full Article

Scientists invent the world's only controllable molecule gear of minuscule size of 1.2 nm (6/24/2009)

Invention marks a radical shift in the scientific progress of molecular machines ...> Full Article

Researchers achieve breakthrough in effort to develop tiny biological fuel cells (6/23/2009)

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 pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs. The journal Chemical Science calls the technique "a significant breakthrough for nanotechnology." ...> Full Article

Nonstick and laser-safe gold aids laser trapping of biomolecules (6/20/2009)

Biophysicists at JILA have made gold more precious than ever -- at least as a research tool -- by creating nonstick gold surfaces and laser-safe gold nanoposts to aid in trapping and fixing individual biomolecules for study. ...> Full Article

Shape matters in the case of cobalt nanoparticles (6/19/2009)

New studies by scientists at NIST show that changing the shape of cobalt nanoparticles from spherical to cubic can fundamentally change their behavior. ...> Full Article

Nanocrystals reveal activity within cells (6/18/2009)

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created bright, stable and bio-friendly nanocrystals that act as individual investigators of activity within a cell. These ideal light emitting probes represent a significant step in scrutinizing the behaviors of proteins and other components in complex systems such as a living cell ...> Full Article

Researcher's nanoparticles could someday lead to end of chemotherapy (6/17/2009)

Nanoparticles specially engineered by University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez and his colleagues could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies. ...> Full Article

Scientists advance safety of nanotechnology (6/14/2009)

Scientists have identified for the first time a mechanism by which nanoparticles cause lung damage and have demonstrated that it can be combated by blocking the process involved, taking a step toward addressing the growing concerns over the safety of nanotechnology. ...> Full Article

Materials scientist finds plumber's wonderland on graphene (6/13/2009)

Engineers from the University of Pennsylvania, Sandia National Laboratories and Rice University have demonstrated the formation of interconnected carbon nanostructures on graphene substrate in a simple assembly process that involves heating few-layer graphene sheets to sublimation using electric current that may eventually lead to a new paradigm for building integrated carbon-based devices. ...> Full Article

Tunable semiconductors possible with hot new material called graphene (6/12/2009)

Transistors and LEDs are like radios that send and receive only one frequency. A new material called graphene is like a broadband receiver/transmitter, able to emit light across a wide range of infrared frequencies and with a tunable bandgap unheard of in today's semiconductors. UC Berkeley physicists have now demonstrated these properties in bilayer grapene -- two sheets slapped together. A tunable bandgap means electronic and photonic devices whose properties can be switched on the fly. ...> Full Article

Researchers create freestanding nanoparticle films without fillers (6/11/2009)

Nanoparticle films are no longer a delicate matter: Vanderbilt physicists have found a way to make them strong enough so they don't disintegrate at the slightest touch. ...> Full Article

Graphene may have advantages over copper for IC interconnects at the nanoscale (6/8/2009)

The unique properties of thin layers of graphite -- known as graphene -- make the material attractive for a wide range of potential electronic devices. Researchers have now experimentally demonstrated the potential for another graphene application: replacing copper for interconnects in future generations of integrated circuits. ...> Full Article

Scientists create nanoscale zipper cavity that responds to single photons of light (6/7/2009)

Device could be used for highly sensitive force detection, optical communications and more ...> Full Article

New, light-driven nanomotor is simpler, more promising, scientists say (6/6/2009)

...> Full Article

A breakthrough toward industrial production of fluorescent nanodiamonds (6/5/2009)

The laboratory Structure -- Activity of Normal and Pathologic Biomolecules-Inserm, in collaboration with the Material Center of Mines-ParisTech, the NRG-UMR 5060 CNRS/UTBM and the Physic Institute of Stuttgart University, discovered a novel route to fabricate fluorescent nanoparticles from diamond microcrystals. Results are published in Nanotechnology's June 10 issue. ...> Full Article

Biomimetic-engineering design can replace spaghetti tangle of nanotubes in novel material (6/2/2009)

Nanoelectromechanical systems devices have the potential to revolutionize the world of sensors: motion, chemical, etc. But taking electromechanical devices from the micro scale down to the nano requires finding a means to dissipate heat output. Researchers at MIT say the solution is to build these devices using a thermal material that dissipates heat from the device's center through a hierarchical branched network of carbon nanotubes. The template for this thermal material's design: a living cell. ...> Full Article