Nanotechnology News

Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat

Saturday, November 07, 2009 00:00 MST

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.

An exquisite container

Friday, November 06, 2009 00:00 MST

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.

Where do nanomaterials go in the body?

Thursday, November 05, 2009 00:00 MST

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.

Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

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.

Researchers create nanoparticle coating to prevent freezing rain buildup

Sunday, November 01, 2009 00:00 MST

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.

Study shows how carbon nanotubes can affect lining of the lungs

Saturday, October 31, 2009 00:00 MST

Carbon nanotubes are being considered for use in everything from sports equipment to medical applications, but a great deal remains unknown about whether these materials cause respiratory or other health problems. Now a collaborative study from North Carolina State University, the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences shows that inhaling these nanotubes can affect the outer lining of the lung, though the effects of long-term exposure remain unclear.

Rice University cuts deal to research graphene-infused drilling fluids

Friday, October 30, 2009 00:00 MST

Rice University and Houston-based M-I SWACO, the world's largest producer of drilling fluids for the petrochemical industry, have signed an agreement for research funds to develop a graphene additive that will improve the productivity of wells.

Knocking nanoparticles off the socks

Thursday, October 29, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists in Switzerland are reporting results of one of the first studies on the release of silver nanoparticles from laundering those anti-odor, anti-bacterial socks now on the market. Their findings, scheduled for the Nov. 1 issue of ACS' journal Environmental Science and Technology, may suggest ways that manufacturers and consumers can minimize the release of these particles to the environment, where they could harm fish and other wildlife.

Scientists trap light and sound vibrations together in nanocrystal

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have created a nanoscale crystal device that, for the first time, allows scientists to confine both light and sound vibrations in the same tiny space. "This is a whole new concept," notes Oskar Painter, associate professor of applied physics at Caltech. Painter is the principal investigator on the paper describing the work, which was published in the online edition of the journal Nature.

Researchers find new route to nano self-assembly

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 00:00 MST

By adding select small molecules to mixtures of nanoparticles and polymers, Berkeley Lab researchers can direct the self-assembly of the nanoparticles into arrays of one, two and even three dimensions with no chemical modifications.

Scientists solve decade-long mystery of nanopillar formations

Monday, October 26, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have uncovered the physical mechanism by which arrays of nanoscale pillars can be grown on polymer films with very high precision, in potentially limitless patterns. This nanofluidic process could someday replace conventional lithographic patterning techniques now used to build three-dimensional nano- and microscale structures for use in optical, photonic and biofluidic devices.

Transforming nanowires into nano-tools using cation exchange reactions

Monday, October 26, 2009 00:00 MST

A team of engineers from the University of Pennsylvania has transformed simple nanowires into reconfigurable materials and circuits, demonstrating a novel, self-assembling method for chemically creating nanoscale structures that are not possible to grow or obtain otherwise.

Nanowire biocompatibility in the brain: So far so good

Sunday, October 25, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists at Lund University have investigated this "worst case" by injecting nanowires in rat brains. The nanowires resemble in size and shape the registration nodes of electrodes of the future. The results show that the brain "clean-up cells," take care of the wires. After 12 weeks only minor differences were observed between the brains of the test group and the control group. The findings are published in Nano Letters.

Nanosatellites expected to benefit from advanced propulsion technology

Saturday, October 24, 2009 00:00 MST

A University of Michigan professor is developing an electric rocket thruster, NanoFET, that uses nanoparticle electric propulsion and enables spacecraft to travel faster and with less propellant than previous technology allowed.

Team uses self-assembly to make molecule-sized particles with patches of charge

Friday, October 23, 2009 00:00 MST

Physicists, chemists and engineers have demonstrated a novel method for the controlled formation of patchy particles, using charged, self-assembling molecules that may one day serve as drug-delivery vehicles to combat disease and perhaps be used in small batteries that store and release charge.