Nanotechnology News - November 2009 Archives

Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action (11/30/2009)

The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline at the Advanced Light Source. These protein motors play pivotal roles in gene expression and replication, and are vital to the survival of all biological cells, as well as infectious agents, such as the human papillomavirus, which has been linked to cervical cancer. ...> Full Article

Nanowires key to future transistors, electronics (11/28/2009)

A new generation of ultrasmall transistors and more powerful computer chips using tiny structures called semiconducting nanowires are closer to reality after a key discovery by researchers at IBM, Purdue University and the University of California at Los Angeles. ...> Full Article

Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging (11/26/2009)

A joint research team, working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has discovered a method of using nanoparticles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal the slow, complex processes taking place in a living cell. ...> Full Article

Nanoparticles used in common household items caused genetic damage in mice (11/25/2009)

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, caused systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study conducted by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. ...> Full Article

Nanotube defects equal better energy and storage systems (11/21/2009)

Most people would like to be able to charge their cell phones and other personal electronics quickly and not too often. A recent discovery made by UC San Diego engineers could lead to carbon nanotube-based supercapacitors that could do just this. ...> Full Article

Small optical force can budge nanoscale objects (11/19/2009)

With a bit of leverage, Cornell researchers have used a very tiny beam of light with as little as 1 milliwatt of power to move a silicon structure up to 12 nanometers. That's enough to completely switch the optical properties of the structure from opaque to transparent. ...> Full Article

New study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene (11/18/2009)

First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. ...> Full Article

New nano color sorters from Molecular Foundry (11/17/2009)

Berkeley Lab researchers at the Molecular Foundry have created bowtie-shaped antennae that function as the first tunable nano color sorters, able to capture, filter and steer light at the nanoscale. ...> Full Article

Nanotech in space: Rensselaer experiment to weather the trials of orbit (11/16/2009)

Novel nanomaterials developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are scheduled to blast off into orbit on November 16 aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. The project, funded by the US Air Force Multi University Research Initiative (MURI), seeks to test the performance of the new nanocomposites in orbit. The materials will be mounted to the International Space Station's outer hull and exposed to the rigors of space. ...> Full Article

In touch with molecules (11/15/2009)

The performance of modern electronics increases steadily on a fast pace thanks to the ongoing miniaturization of the utilized components. However, severe problems arise due to quantum-mechanical phenomena when conventional structures are simply made smaller and reach the nanometer scale. Therefore current research focuses on the so-called bottom-up approach: the engineering of functional structures with the smallest possible building blocks -- single atoms and molecules. ...> Full Article

Behavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles (11/14/2009)

In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage treatment plants -- their main gateway into the environment. Their study will be published online Nov. 12 in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. ...> Full Article

Understanding mechanical properties of silicon nanowires paves way for nanodevices (11/13/2009)

Silicon nanowires are attracting attention from the electronics industry due to the drive for smaller devices, from cell phones to computers. The operation of these devices, and an array of additional applications, will depend on the mechanical properties of these nanowires. Research from North Carolina State University shows that silicon nanowires are far more resilient than their larger counterparts, a finding that paves the way for smaller, sturdier nanoelectronics, nanosensors, light-emitting diodes and other applications. ...> Full Article

New nanocrystalline diamond probes overcome wear (11/12/2009)

Researchers at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University have developed, characterized, and modeled a new kind of probe used in atomic force microscopy, which images, measures, and manipulates matter at the nanoscale. Using diamond, researchers made a much more durable probe than the commercially available silicon nitride probes, which are typically used in AFM to gather information from a material, but can wear down after several uses. ...> Full Article

Scientists develop DNA origami nanoscale breadboards for carbon nanotube circuits (11/11/2009)

In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology has combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. ...> Full Article

Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat (11/7/2009)

The future for magentic nanoparticles (mNPs) appears bright With the design of "theranostic" molecules. mNPs could play a crucial role in developing one-stop tools to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat a wide range of common diseases and injuries. ...> Full Article

An exquisite container (11/6/2009)

A tiny cage of gold covered with a smart polymer responds to light, opening to empty its contents and resealing when the light is turned off. The smart nanocages could be used to deliver drugs directly to target sites, thus avoiding systemic side effects. ...> Full Article

Where do nanomaterials go in the body? (11/5/2009)

Tiny, engineered nanomaterials can already be found in many consumer products, and have been hailed as having widespread future uses in areas ranging from medicine to industrial processes. However, little is known about what happens if these nanomaterials get into your body -- where do they go? NC State researchers are working to answer that question under a grant from the National Institutes of Health. ...> Full Article

Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing (11/4/2009)

Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale manufacturing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers, a breakthrough that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. The method builds upon tried-and-true processes the chemical industry has used for decades to produce polymer fibers. Findings from Rice's methodical, nine-year program are detailed in this week's Nature Nanotechnology. ...> Full Article

Researchers create nanoparticle coating to prevent freezing rain buildup (11/1/2009)

Preventing the havoc wrought when freezing rain collects on roads, power lines, and aircrafts could be only a few nanometers away. A University of Pittsburgh-led team demonstrates in the Nov. 3 edition of Langmuir a nanoparticle-based coating developed in the lab of Di Gao, a chemical and petroleum engineering professor in Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering, that thwarts the buildup of ice on solid surfaces and can be easily applied. ...> Full Article