[extropy-chat] The Nanogirl News~

Gina Miller nanogirl at halcyon.com
Tue Mar 9 02:43:59 UTC 2004


The Nanogirl News
March 8, 2004

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) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/topstory/8209/8209notw3.html

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) http://physicsweb.org/article/news/8/3/4

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. 
(Washington University in St.Louis 3/3/04) http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/726.html

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) 
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&colID=6&articleID=000170D6-C99F-101E-861F83414B7F0000

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)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040302080343.htm

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)
http://news.nanoapex.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4348

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)
http://www.eet.com/at/n/news/OEG20040224S0024

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)
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=7522

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)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11079252&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6

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) http://www.e4engineering.com/item.asp?id=51409&type=news

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)
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/rnb_022704.asp?trk=nl

(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.
(postgazette 5/7/04) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04065/281333.stm

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)
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8107391.htm

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)
http://www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2004/split/674-2.html

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) http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?040315ta_talk_surowiecki

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) http://www.fmi.org/advantage/issues/022004/pdfs/pub/nowyouseeit.pdf

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)
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040302-031523-8819r.htm

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) http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/2432521

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)
http://scpd.stanford.edu/scpd/courses/proed/nano_online/default.asp

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)
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040303005064&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view
 
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)
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040301005297&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view

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)
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5171602.html 

Gina "Nanogirl" Miller
Nanotechnology Industries
http://www.nanoindustries.com
Personal: http://www.nanogirl.com
Foresight Senior Associate http://www.foresight.org
Nanotechnology Advisor Extropy Institute  http://www.extropy.org
Tech-Aid Advisor http://www.tech-aid.info/t/all-about.html
Email: nanogirl at halcyon.com
"Nanotechnology: Solutions for the future."
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