Nanotechnology News - September 2009 Archives

Nanotech researchers develop artificial pore (9/29/2009)

Using an RNA-powered nanomotor, University of Cincinnati biomedical engineering researchers have successfully developed an artificial pore able to transmit nanoscale material through a membrane. ...> Full Article

Nanoparticle-based battlefield pain treatment moves a step closer (9/28/2009)

University of Michigan nanotechnology scientists have developed a combination drug that promises a safer, more precise way for medics and fellow soldiers in battle to give a fallen soldier both morphine and a drug that limits morphine's dangerous side effects. The scientists will devise ultra-small polymer particles capable of carrying the drugs into the body. ...> Full Article

New nanochemistry technique encases single molecules in microdroplets (9/25/2009)

Inventing a useful new tool for creating chemical reactions between single molecules, scientists at NIST have employed microfluidics to make microdroplets that each contain a single molecules of interest. By combining this new microfluidic with techniques to merge multiple droplets, the research may ultimately lead to new information on the structure and function of important organic materials such as proteins, enzymes, and DNA. ...> Full Article

New discovery reveals fate of nanoparticles in human cells (9/24/2009)

Scientists have uncovered what happens to biomimetic nanoparticles when they enter human cells. They found that the important proteins that make up the outer layer of these nanoparticles are degraded by an enzyme called cathepsin L. Scientists now have to take this phenomenon into account and overcome this process to ensure the exciting field of nanomedicine can progress. ...> Full Article

New nanostructure technology provides advances in eyeglass, solar energy performance (9/23/2009)

Chemical engineers at Oregon State University have invented a new technology to deposit "nanostructure films" on various surfaces, which may first find use as coatings for eyeglasses that cost less and work better. Ultimately, the technique may provide a way to make solar cells more efficiently produce energy. ...> Full Article

A recipe for controlling carbon nanotubes (9/22/2009)

The promise of carbon nanotubes to revolutionize everything from drug delivey to energy efficiency is thwarted by the difficulties of producing the right nanotubes for each job. Case Western Reserve University scientists have found that the right mix of metal catalysts can control the atomic-level structures that give the nanotubes desired properties. ...> Full Article

How to spell B-Y-U with DNA (9/21/2009)

DNA origami just got a new "twist" from BYU researchers who use DNA strands of customized length to spell "BYU."The advance puts them one critical step closer to building nanoscale electronic circuits. ...> Full Article

Strain on nanocrystals could yield colossal results (9/18/2009)

In finally answering an elusive scientific question, researchers with the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shown that the selective placement of strain can alter the electronic phase and its spatial arrangement in correlated electron materials. This unique class of materials is commanding much attention now because they can display properties such as colossal magnetoresistance and high-temperature superconductivity, which are highly coveted by the high-tech industry. ...> Full Article

Nanophotonic devices could revolutionize the telecommunications industry (9/17/2009)

This year's Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics will be awarded to Professor Motoichi Ohtsu for his pioneering and seminal work on nanophotonics and near field optics as well as for the development of innovative nanophotonic devices, fabrications, and systems. Ohtsu is a world-renowned optical scientist and one of the leaders of the optics community. The award will be presented on September 22, 2009, at the European Conference on Optical Communication in Vienna, Austria. ...> Full Article

Friction force differences could offer a new means for sorting and assembling nanotubes (9/16/2009)

Publishing in the journal Nature Materials, researchers report measuring different friction forces when a carbon nanotube slides along its axis compared to when it slides perpendicular to its axis. The observation could provide a new means for assembling and sorting nanotubes. ...> Full Article

Gold solution for enhancing nanocrystal electrical conductance (9/13/2009)

In a development that holds much promise for the future of solar electricity and fuel, Berkeley Lab researchers used gold tips grown in solution to increase the electrical conductivity of cadmium-selenide nanorod crystals by 100,000 times. ...> Full Article

Carbon nanotubes could make efficient solar cells (9/12/2009)

Using a carbon nanotube instead of traditional silicon, Cornell researchers have created the basic elements of a solar cell that hopefully will lead to much more efficient ways of converting light to electricity than now used in calculators and on rooftops. ...> Full Article

Graphitic memory techniques advance at Rice (9/11/2009)

Researchers simplify fabrication of nano storage, chip-design tools ...> Full Article

Analysis confirms that nano-related research has strong multidisciplinary roots (9/10/2009)

Research reported in the September issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology finds that nanoscience and nanotechnology are highly multidisciplinary -- but not much more so than other modern disciplines such as medicine or electrical engineering that also draw on multiple areas of science and technology. ...> Full Article

'NanoPen' may write new chapter in nanotechnology manufacturing (9/5/2009)

Researchers in California are reporting development of a so-called "NanoPen" that could provide a quick, convenient way of laying down patterns of nanoparticles -- from wires to circuits -- for making futuristic electronic devices, medical diagnostic tests, and other much-anticipated nanotech applications. A report on the device, which helps solve a long-standing challenge in nanotechnology, appeared in ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal. ...> Full Article

Researchers design new graphene-based, nano-material with magnetic properties (9/4/2009)

A possible pathway to simply synthesize ferromagnetic graphene ...> Full Article

Scientific pathways into the nanoworld (9/3/2009)

EUMINAfab offers open access to machines and know-how in micro- and nanotechnologies for users from science and industry. Today, this European infrastructure facility coordinated by KIT is starting operation: 10 leading institutions from research and industry in eight EU member states make available a total of 36 high-tech installations along with the corresponding scientific and technological expertise. Users are given cost-free access, provided that they agree to a publication of research results. ...> Full Article

Platinum nanocatalyst could aid drugmakers (9/1/2009)

Rice chemists design polymer-coated nanorods for industrial use ...> Full Article