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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Nanogirl News<BR>March 8, 2004</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ribbons Into Rings. Unique crystal growth process
leads to seamless ZnO nanoring structure. Zhong L. Wang is, in a way, a lord of
the nanorings. By coaxing a zinc oxide nanobelt--a long, thin ribbon composed of
alternating layers of Zn2+ and O22--to coil up Slinky-style, he and his
coworkers at Georgia Institute of Technology have prepared the first
freestanding, seamless, single-crystal nanorings out of ZnO [Science, 303, 1348
(2004)]. Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering, says the
structures could be used to make semiconducting and piezoelectric-based
nanoscale components that are biocompatible. (C&E 3/1/04) <A
href="http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8209/8209notw3.html">http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8209/8209notw3.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Carbon nanotubes go magnetic. Physicists have shown
that carbon nanotubes can become magnetized when they are placed in contact with
a magnetic material. Michael Coey of Trinity College in Dublin and colleagues
believe the mechanism relies on the transfer of spin - carried by electrons -
from the magnetic substrate to the nanotube (O Céspedes et al. 2004 J. Phys.: CM
16 L155). (physicsweb 3/8/04) <A
href="http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/3/4">http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/3/4</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Device detects, traps and deactivates airborne
viruses and bacteria using 'smart' catalysts. An environmental engineer at
Washington University in St. Louis with his doctoral student has patented a
device for trapping and deactivating microbial particles. The work is promising
in the war on terrorism for deactivating airborne bioagents and bioweapons such
as the smallpox virus, anthrax and ricin, and also in routine indoor air
ventilation applications such as in buildings and aircraft cabins..."When the
aerosol particles come into the device they are charged and trapped in an
electrical field," Biswas explained. "Any organic material is oxidized, so it
completely deactivates the organism."...Anthrax is nasty stuff. An environmental
engineer at WUSTL uses smart catalysts in his device that can detect the
airborne presence of anthrax and other bioweapons and disable it. On the walls
of the device, Biswas has coated nanoparticles that catalyze the oxidation.
These nanoparticles are "smart" objects that are turned "on" and "off" by
irradiation. <BR>(Washington University in St.Louis 3/3/04) <A
href="http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/726.html">http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/726.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nano Patterning. IBM brings closer to reality chips
that put themselves together. Self-assembly has become a critical implement in
the toolbox of nanotechnologists. Scientists and engineers who explore the nano
realm posit that the same types of forces that construct a snowflake--the
natural attractions and repulsions that prompt molecules to form intricate
patterns--can build useful structures--say, medical implants or components in
electronic chips. So far much of the work related to self-assembling
nanostructures has been nothing more than demonstrations in university
laboratories. To go beyond being a scientific curiosity, these nanotech
materials and techniques will have to get from benchtop to a $2-billion
semiconductor fabrication facility. (Scientific American March issue 04) <BR><A
href="http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&colID=6&articleID=000170D6-C99F-101E-861F83414B7F0000">http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&colID=6&articleID=000170D6-C99F-101E-861F83414B7F0000</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Penn Researchers Introduce A New Nanotube-laced
Gel, Create New Means Of Aligning Nanotubes. Researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania have devised a new method for aligning isolated single wall carbon
nanotubes and, in the process, have created a new kind of material with liquid
crystal-like properties, which they call nematic nanotube gels. The gels could
potentially serve as sensors in complex fluids, where changes in local chemical
environment, such as acidity or solvent quality, can lead to visible changes in
the gel's shape. The researchers describe their findings in the current issue of
Physical Review Letters. (ScienceDaily 3/2/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040302080343.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040302080343.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A novel method of simulating protein behavior to
achieve new, desirable nanostructures has been achieved in prototype by two
researchers from Sandia National Laboratories. The method treats proteins like
little construction crews, sequencing and controlling their molecular behaviors
to build structures of interest. “A bird builds a nest differently each time,
but you end up with a nest that works,” says Sandia Fellow Gordon Osbourn, who
developed the method with his colleague and wife, Sandia physicist Ann Bouchard.
“We build simulated nanostructures the same way.” “There are many paths to a
useful outcome in our method,” says Bouchard. “Many details in how the assembly
happens don’t matter. As long as the conditions are met [for protein
interactions], we get a result we care about.” (NanoApex 3/6/04)<BR><A
href="http://news.nanoapex.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4348">http://news.nanoapex.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4348</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanoimprint litho progress reported at SPIE. Steady
progress in nanoimprint lithography reported Tuesday (Feb.24) at the SPIE
conference here definitely caught the attention of attendees. In six papers,
researchers from Hewlett-Packard Labs and from three nanoimprint equipment
makers all reported the fabrication of structures or devices with existing
equipment. In addition, progress in the materials field was described. EETimes
2/25/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.eet.com/at/n/news/OEG20040224S0024">http://www.eet.com/at/n/news/OEG20040224S0024</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Think Nano Has Ethical Problems? Just Wrap Your
Brain Around Neuro. What new tools to improve human performance will emerge from
the convergence of nanotech, biotech, infotech and cognitive science? This was
topic of discussion at the recent NBIC conference in New York, where several
hundred scientists, ethicists, government officials and business executives
gathered. Like nanotechnology 10 years ago, speculating about potential NBIC
applications is easy. Developing novel tools that solve real world problems
remains hard. Always keeping this in mind, Mike Roco, conference co-chair and
architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, performs the difficult task
of distinguishing practical applications from mere conjecture, while cultivating
an environment that encourages exploratory discussions. My goal was to explore
the political and economic issues that might arise as these converging
technologies make possible neurotechnology -- tools that can influence the
brain. (SmallTimes 3/5/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=7522">http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=7522</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Three university scientists are developing a
prototype device that they say will allow patients on blood thinning medication
to take their own blood-clotting readings at home. The cell phone-sized device
would work like the machines that diabetics use to check their blood glucose
levels, according to the Drexel University researchers, who recently founded a
firm called BioSensus to develop and market the NanoAcoustic Blood
Analyzer."Patients become more confident and in control of their own fate by
taking their own readings," said J. Yasha Kresh, a professor at Drexel's College
of Medicine. The researchers said that their device is different from other
blood analyzers on the market because it can be targeted to read the amounts of
specific kinds of proteins in the blood that are involved in clotting and
bleeding. Other blood-testing machines on the market use a system of
capillary-sized tubes to determine blood's thickness by measuring how quickly it
works its way through the tiny mazelike structure. The Drexel scientists say
their nearly submicroscopic technology _ analyzing particles 1/75th the width of
a human hair _ would more easily adapt to a wide variety of uses other than
blood thickness and to adjust for as-yet undiscovered medicines.
(NEPA3/5/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11079252&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6">http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11079252&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mercedes coating comes up to scratch. The new
Mercedes CLS Coupé, launched this week at the Geneva Motor Show, will come with
scratch-resistant, nanotechnology-based paint as standard. The new clear lacquer
top coat, which provides gloss and weatherproofing properties, is the result of
a four-year collaboration between Mercedes and US-based automotive coatings
supplier PPG Industries. Dennis Taljan, PPG's global director for decorative
projects, said existing scratch-resistant coatings 'have no elasticity and would
crack in the temperature extremes cars must withstand'. (e4engineering 3/5/04)
<A
href="http://www.e4engineering.com/item.asp?id=51409&type=news">http://www.e4engineering.com/item.asp?id=51409&type=news</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanotubes Boost Shape Recovery. Researchers from
the University of Dayton, Miami University and the Air Force Research Laboratory
have mixed carbon nanotubes with polymer to make a plastic that is good at
springing back into shape when heated. (Technology Review 2/27/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/rnb_022704.asp?trk=nl">http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/rnb_022704.asp?trk=nl</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(NanoGame-Review) Game Daze: '007 -- Everything or
Nothing' and 'Sonic Heroes'3 stars. We've come to expect a certain level of
panache, plot and playability from Electronic Arts' growing pantheon of James
Bond games, and its fifth offering, "007 ? Everything or Nothing" (Electronic
Arts; Xbox, PS2, GC; $49.99; Rated Teen), thoroughly delivers. This time around,
our stalwart hero is hot on the trail of a rogue political faction that has
stolen nanotechnology and kidnapped the project's overseer. The jaw-dropping
action, which takes place from a third-person perspective, starts immediately as
Bond sets down in a hostile drop zone to retrieve a heavily guarded
briefcase.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(postgazette 5/7/04) <A
href="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04065/281333.stm">http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04065/281333.stm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>California Firm PearLife's Products Offer Skin Care
Based on Nanotechnology. Mention nanotechnology and some might envision the B2
Stealth Bomber. After all, it is nanotechnology that allows the plane's
protective shielding to deflect enemy radar so the craft can fly undetected,
even at low altitudes. But an Industry-based company is using that same
technology in the production of its skin care line. The PearLife Co.'s products
-- including the firm's signature Fantastic O's Skin Care facial cream -- are
designed not only for cosmetic purposes, but also for protection from radiation
generated by computers, televisions and microwave ovens. (KRT Wire 3/4/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8107391.htm">http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8107391.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Negative normal stress, first observed in liquid
crystalline polymer melts, has now been reported in two other very different
systems. The first is in a semi-dilute suspension of carbon nanotubes dispersed
in a Newtonian polymer melt. The second is in a concentrated suspension of soft
water droplets in a Newtonian oil emulsion. (Physics News Update 2/23/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2004/split/674-2.html">http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2004/split/674-2.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the early sixties, investors stumbled on a neat
trick: if a company had “tron” or “tronics” in its name, its stock was a hit.
This was the dawn of the computer age, and a host of businesses straight out of
“The Jetsons”—Astron, Transitron, Videotronics—became the darlings of Wall
Street...Now investors have found a new crush: nanotechnology. Nanotech involves
designing, manipulating, and building things at atomic and molecular
levels—tinkering with the building blocks of matter. (The New York Times 3/8/04)
<A
href="http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040315ta_talk_surowiecki">http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040315ta_talk_surowiecki</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanotechnology is covered on the entire back of a
German division of Kellogg's cereal box. Read the article and see the box here:
-PDF format- (FMI 3/5/04) <A
href="http://www.fmi.org/advantage/issues/022004/pdfs/pub/nowyouseeit.pdf">http://www.fmi.org/advantage/issues/022004/pdfs/pub/nowyouseeit.pdf</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Holograms to sort, steer nanotubes, cells.
Scientists have found a simple way to use light to manipulate one of the most
important building blocks of future technologies: carbon nanotubes. Experts said
the technique could lead to the mass manufacture of a new generation of novel
devices."It's like having hands in the microscopic world," said researcher David
Grier, a physicist at New York University, one of the participating
institutions. "It's a new platform for doing things on small materials on a
large scale." (The Washington Times 3/3/04)<BR><A
href="http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040302-031523-8819r.htm">http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040302-031523-8819r.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It's Going To Be A Giant Business. After years of
promise, nanotubes can deliver. Three years ago, carbon nanotubes made gold look
like dirt. A pound of gold at the time cost just $3,500, a pittance compared
with the going rate of half a million dollars per pound of nanotubes. With 100
times the strength of steel at a fraction the weight, electrical conductivity
and high heat resistance, a carbon-based nanotube is certainly the Superman of
the polymer world. But its prohibitive cost precluded any practical use. One
Houston company is now beginning, however, to deliver on the vast promise of
nanotechnology. When Carbon Nanotechnologies Inc. built its first pilot plant
three years ago, it could make 1 pound of nanotubes a year. Six pilot plants
later, the company is in final testing of a unit capable of making 20 pounds a
day. Routine operation is expected within weeks. (Houston Chronicle 3/4/04) <A
href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/2432521">http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/2432521</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Standford Engineering & Institute offers
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology online program. Explore the universe of nanotubes
and bucky balls. Expand your vision of a changed world, from the quality of our
goods to the quality of our lives. Presenting the latest nanoscience and
nanotechnology concepts, the Stanford Engineering and Science Institute will
explore the promise of a wide range of exciting new products and applications
capable of transforming and redefining many industries. Learn from Stanford
faculty and industry experts the potentially broad impacts of nanotechnology for
your business. (Standford University 3/3/04)<BR><A
href="http://scpd.stanford.edu/scpd/courses/proed/nano_online/default.asp">http://scpd.stanford.edu/scpd/courses/proed/nano_online/default.asp</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Keithley Releases Free Measurement Software Toolkit
for Nanotech Researchers. Keithley Instruments, Inc. (NYSE:KEI), a leader in
solutions for emerging measurement needs, has developed a Nanotech Toolkit, a
set of measurement software tools designed specifically for a variety of tests
common to nanotechnology researchers to assist them in making the very precise,
often complex electrical measurements associated with nanotechnology. The
Nanotech Toolkit and its software routines are available at no charge and are
compatible with Keithley's Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System.
(BusinessWire 3/3/04)<BR><A
href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040303005064&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view">http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040303005064&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view</A><BR> <BR>Quantum
Dots Capture First Movies of Cells ``Talking''; Nanotechnology Aids Researchers
in Revealing Mechanisms Vital to Drug Development. Researchers at Max Planck
Institute in Germany have used a new nano-sized imaging tool to capture the
first-ever movies of cells transmitting the messages that control genes. The
breakthrough is expected to help pharmaceutical companies speed and enhance the
process of screening candidate cancer drugs. In a study published in the
February issue of the respected science journal Nature Biotechnology, the
researchers reported they used quantum dots developed and manufactured by
Hayward-based Quantum Dot Corporation (QDC) to provide prolonged, real-time
visualizations in living cells of the signaling mechanisms of the erbB family of
receptors, the targets of many cancer drugs. Quantum dots are nano-scale
crystals of semiconductor material -- up to ten-billionths of a meter in size --
that glow in several different colors, depending on their size, when excited by
a light source such as a laser. The dramatic video-clip images mark the first
time researchers have been able to see moving images of a cell's basic means of
communication with its environment. (Businesswire 3/1/04)<BR><A
href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040301005297&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view">http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040301005297&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nanotechnology is already a billion-dollar
industry, and it's barely out of the lab. The U.S. government plans to plow
nearly $1 billion into nanotech research during fiscal 2004, and it'll add $3.7
billion more between fiscal 2005 and 2008, said Clayton Teague, director of the
National Nanotechnology Coordinator Office, a government department that
facilitates cooperation between academic researchers, corporations and other
government offices. "Our federal government is committed to the promise of
nanotechnology...without compromises to the public health," Teague said during a
speech Monday at the Nano Science and Technology Institute's Nanotech 2004 trade
show here. "With all that support, (the government and lawmakers) are really
looking to this field to be a major contributor to our economy over the coming
years." (ZDNet 3/8/04)<BR><A
href="http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5171602.html">http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5171602.html</A>
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gina "Nanogirl" Miller<BR>Nanotechnology
Industries<BR><A
href="http://www.nanoindustries.com">http://www.nanoindustries.com</A><BR>Personal:
<A href="http://www.nanogirl.com">http://www.nanogirl.com</A><BR>Foresight
Senior Associate <A
href="http://www.foresight.org">http://www.foresight.org</A><BR>Nanotechnology
Advisor Extropy Institute <A
href="http://www.extropy.org">http://www.extropy.org</A><BR>Tech-Aid Advisor <A
href="http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html">http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html</A><BR>Email:
<A
href="mailto:nanogirl@halcyon.com">nanogirl@halcyon.com</A><BR>"Nanotechnology:
Solutions for the future."<BR></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>