Nanotechnology News - January 2010 Archives

How many argon atoms can fit on the surface of a carbon nanotube? (1/29/2010)

Scientists have devised a way to explore how phase transitions -- changes of matter from one state to another without altering chemical makeup -- function in less than three dimensions and at the level of just a few atoms. ...> Full Article

Conference to discuss future of nanotechnology enabled sensors (1/23/2010)

The Micro and Nano Sensors Interest Group of the Sensors & Instrumentation KTN is organizing a conference and exhibition titled "Applications of Micro and Nanosensors in Security, Health and Environmental Monitoring" which will be held on the March 4, 2010, at National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, UK. This one-day event will showcase novel sensing technologies developed by UK companies and Universities leading to new applications in security, health and environmental monitoring. ...> Full Article

European collaboration makes breakthrough in developing super-material graphene (1/20/2010)

A collaborative research project has brought the world a step closer to producing a new material on which future nanotechnology could be based. Researchers across Europe, including the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL), have demonstrated how an incredible material, graphene, could hold the key to the future of high-speed electronics, such as micro-chips and touchscreen technology. ...> Full Article

New nanoparticles target cardiovascular disease (1/19/2010)

Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have built targeted nanoparticles that can cling to artery walls and slowly release medicine, an advance that potentially provides an alternative to drug-releasing stents in some patients with cardiovascular disease. ...> Full Article

Harnessing the divas of the nanoworld (1/16/2010)

Boron nitride nanotubes have been notoriously difficult to grow, requiring special instrumentation, dangerous chemistry, or temperatures of over 1,500 degrees Celsius to assemble. As it turns out, they just needed a little encouragement. Now, Michigan Tech physicist Yoke Khin Yap has created virtual Persian carpets of the tiny fibers on substrates made from simple catalysts. ...> Full Article

Game-changing nanodiamond discovery for MRI (1/15/2010)

A Northwestern University study shows that coupling a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent to a nanodiamond results in dramatically enhanced signal intensity and thus vivid image contrast. The researchers say it is a game-changing event for sensitivity and the first published report of nanodiamonds being imaged by MRI technology. The gadolinium(III)-nanodiamond complex demonstrated a greater than 10-fold increase in relaxivity -- among the highest per Gd(III) values reported to date. ...> Full Article

Paper strips can quickly detect toxin in drinking water (1/11/2010)

A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water. ...> Full Article

UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute welcomes new start-up to incubator space (1/9/2010)

Aneeve Nanotechnologies LLC has licensed related carbon nanotube technology from UCLA that was developed by Kang Wang, professor of electrical engineering at UCLA. The CNT technology increases hormonal detection sensitivity significantly allowing detection beyond traditional sensors. The company is using this technology to develop bio-medical applications that are low power consumption, small in size, and involve ultra-sensitive nanoelectronic technologies. ...> Full Article

Nanoscience goes 'big' (1/8/2010)

Nanoscience has the potential to play an enormous role in enhancing a range of products, including sensors, photovoltaics and consumer electronics. Scientists in this field have created a multitude of nano scale materials, such as metal nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes and semiconducting nanowires. ...> Full Article

'Nanodragster' races toward the future of molecular machines (1/7/2010)

Scientists in Texas are reporting the development of a "nanodragster" that may speed the course toward development of a new generation of futuristic molecular machines. The vehicle -- only 1/50,000th the width of a human hair -- resembles a hot-rod in shape and can outperform previous nano-sized vehicles. Their report is in ACS' Organic Letters, a bi-weekly journal. ...> Full Article

Biodegradable particles can bypass mucus, release drugs over time (1/5/2010)

Researchers have created biodegradable nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body's sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo. ...> Full Article

Novel nanotechnology heals abscesses caused by resistant staph bacteria (1/3/2010)

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses caused by bacteria resistant to most antibiotics. The study appears in the journal PLoS ONE. ...> Full Article