http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/nanotechnology/ Nanotechnology news. From nanoscience to nanotechnology applications such as nanotechnology in medicine, read the latest news from leading research institutes. en-us Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:05:01 EDT Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/nanotechnology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829135354.htm Scientists have developed a simple process for mass producing molecular tubes of identical -- and precisely programmable -- circumferences. The technological feat may allow the use of the molecular tubes in a number of nanotechnology applications. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829135354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821110115.htm Stained glass windows that are painted with gold purify the air when they are lit up by sunlight, experts have discovered. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821110115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819170439.htm Researchers from NIST and the Joint Quantum Institute have reported a new way to fine-tune the light coming from quantum dots by manipulating them with pairs of lasers. Their technique could significantly improve quantum dots as a source of pairs of entangled photons for applications in quantum information technologies. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819170439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160155.htm Scientists have theorized a way to increase the speed of pulses of light that bound across chains of tiny metal particles to past the speed of light by altering the particle shape. Application of this theory would use nanosized metal chains as building blocks for novel optoelectronic and optical devices. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815130425.htm Carbon nanotubes' atomic structure should, in theory, give them mechanical and electrical properties far superior to most common materials. Unfortunately, theory and experiments have failed to converge on the true mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Researchers recently made the first experimental measurements of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes that directly correspond to the theoretical predictions. They used a nanoscale material testing system based on MEMS technology. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815130425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163059.htm Chemical engineers have broken the "mucus barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus -- regarded by many as nearly impenetrable -- and carrying medication that could treat a range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer, cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research say. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163004.htm Engineers have created a tiny motorized positioning device that has twice the dexterity of similar devices being developed for applications that include biological sensors and more compact, powerful computer hard drives. The device, called a monolithic comb drive, might be used as a "nanoscale manipulator" that precisely moves or senses movement and forces. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160101.htm A new instrument enables researchers to make nanoclusters of 10 to 100 atoms with atomic precision. A new model of nanocatalysts of molybdenum sulfide is the first step in developing the next generation of materials to be used in hydrodesulfurization, a process that removes sulfur, a pollutant, from natural gas and petroleum products. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820162856.htm The semiconductor silicon and the ferromagnet iron are the basis for much of mankind's technology, used in everything from computers to electric motors. Scientists now report that they have combined these elements with a small amount of another common metal, manganese, to create a new material which is neither a magnet nor an ordinary semiconductor. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820162856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163105.htm The proliferation of solar, wind and even tidal electric generation and the rapid emergence of hybrid electric automobiles demands flexible and reliable methods of high-capacity electrical storage. Now materials scientists are developing ferroelectric polymer-based capacitors that can deliver power more rapidly and are much lighter than conventional batteries. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081154.htm Researchers have solved the structure of gold nanoparticles. Results of the study may yield important advances in medicine, biomolecule research and nanoelectronics. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081154.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160053.htm Fleets of inexpensive, pint-sized spacecraft are one giant leap closer to lift off. Researchers describe a new, razor thin temperature-regulating film that brings this sci-fi vision of "micro-spacecraft" weighing barely 50 pounds and 10-pound "nano-spacecraft" closer to reality. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818101155.htm Tracking down cancer at a very early stage, studying cell growth, developing new medicines: future lab-on-a-chip systems will use nanoscale electrical fields to enable the detection and manipulation of cells and biomolecules. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818101155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818082702.htm Materials such as milk, paper, white paint and tissue are opaque because they scatter light, not because they absorb it. But no matter how great the scattering, light is always able to get through the material in question. At least, according to the theory. Researchers have now confirmed this with experiments. By shaping the waveform of light, they have succeeded in finding the predicted 'open channels' in material along which the light is able to move. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080818082702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154323.htm A new manufacturing approach holds the potential to overcome the technological limitations currently facing the microelectronics and data-storage industries, paving the way to smaller electronic devices and higher-capacity hard drives. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813095718.htm When you make a new material on a nano scale how can you see what you have made? This research shows a newly developed technique to examine tiny protein molecules on the surface of a gold nanoparticle. This is the first time scientists have been able to build a detailed picture of self-assembled proteins on a nanoparticle and it offers the promise of new ways to design and manufacture novel materials on the tiniest scale. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813095718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814171128.htm A big challenge in treating cancer with chemotherapy is how to get the most medication into the cells of a tumor without "spillover" of the medication adversely affecting the healthy cells in a patient's body. Now researchers have addressed that problem using single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery vehicles. This method gets a higher proportion of a given dose of medication into the tumor cells than is possible with the "free" drug. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814171128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154335.htm Nanoscientists have mass-produced the 2008 Summer Olympics logo -- 15,000 times. All the logos take up one square centimeter of space. The researchers printed the logos as well as an integrated gold circuit using a new printing technique, called Polymer Pen Lithography, that can write on three different length scales using only one device. It is fast, inexpensive and simple and could find use in computational tools, medical diagnostics and the pharmaceutical industry. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814154335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140141.htm Scientists have developed a nanomaterial that makes plastic stiffer, lighter and stronger and could result in more fuel-efficient airplanes and cars as well as more durable medical and sports equipment. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164636.htm Electronic devices get smaller and more complex every year. It turns out that fragility is the price for miniaturization, especially when it comes to small devices, such as cell phones, hitting the floor. Wouldn't it be great if they bounced instead of cracked when dropped? Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164640.htm Researchers have developed a method for converting crop residue, wood pulp, animal waste and garbage into ethanol. The process first turns the waste material into synthesis gas, or syngas, and nanoscale catalysts then convert the syngas into ethanol. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811091257.htm A nanoproduct made from silver and calcium phosphate is lethal to bacteria. Its special feature is that the bacteria themselves invoke and dispense this disinfectant effect. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811091257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080810214010.htm Researchers have devised an inexpensive way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources. The new technology is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials, say the researchers. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080810214010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080808091557.htm Researchers report that nano-designed transistors for the large area display and sensor application field benefit hugely from quantum size effects. The unexpected superior switching performance (low leakage current, and steep sub-threshold slope) shown experimentally and analysed theoretically, demonstrate hitherto unexplored routes for improvements for transistors based on disordered silicon films. By making the conduction channel in these disordered transistors very thin, the team has shown this technology will enable the design of low power memory for large area electronics based on a low-cost industry standard material processing route. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080808091557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092450.htm Scientists have for the first time engineered 3-D bulk materials that can reverse the natural direction of visible and near-infrared light, a development that could help form the basis for higher resolution optical imaging, nanocircuits for high-powered computers, and, to the delight of science-fiction and fantasy buffs, cloaking devices that could render objects invisible to the human eye. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811092450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807144244.htm Researchers say brown carbons -- a nanoscale atmospheric aerosol species -- are being overlooked when scientists put together computer models for climate studies. They have developed a new technique to precisely determine optical properties of brown carbon nanoparticles over the entire visible light, ultraviolet and infrared spectrums. The method promises to provide more accurate prediction of climate change, including global warming. Sat, 09 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807144244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807144311.htm Researchers are using meta-materials, which mimic the behavior of ice, but are created out of completely different substances, to and figure out why water ice doesn't completely conform to the Third Law of Thermodynamics. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807144311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190641.htm In the budding field of nanotechnology, scientists already know that size does matter. But now, researchers have shown that shape matters even more -- a finding that could lead to new and more effective methods for treating cancer and other diseases, from diabetes and multiple sclerosis to arthritis and obesity. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805160209.htm Most cancer tumors that have clear borders and are well defined have traditionally been treated successfully by surgical removal. But not all cancers respond to conventional surgery. More importantly, conventional surgery brings risks of complications and long recovery periods that can negatively impact a person's quality of life. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805160209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190647.htm Scientists have created the world's first all-integrated sensor circuit based on nanowire arrays, combining light sensors and electronics made of different crystalline materials. Their method can be used to reproduce numerous such devices with high uniformity. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152141.htm If someone is charged up, the color of their face might change, but they don't immediately pull off one of their arms, only to reattach it as a third leg. With some molecules, however, the situation is quite different - for example, in a gold cluster with seven atoms. In a charged state, the atoms arrange themselves differently than when they are uncharged. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804124949.htm Oxide scales are supposed to protect alloys from extensive corrosion, but scientists have discovered metal nanoparticle chinks in this armor. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804124949.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152147.htm Certain sizes of nanostructures may be more susceptible to failure by fracture than others. As the size of a structure gets to the nanoscale, atomic vibrations (also known as phonons) begin to feel its size and shape in an effect called phonon confinement. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731173201.htm The first high-resolution x-ray diffraction imaging of an aerogel, performed at beamline 9.0.1 of the Department of Energy's Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has revealed the aerogel's nanoscale three-dimensional bulk lattice structure down to features measured in nanometers, suggesting that changes in methods of preparing aerogels might improve their strength. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731173201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152135.htm An international group of scientists working at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and at FLASH, the free-electron laser in Hamburg, Germany, has produced two of the brightest, sharpest x-ray holograms of microscopic objects ever made, thousands of times more efficiently than previous x-ray-holographic methods. Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080801152135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140237.htm Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a new method by which graphene films can be etched along flawless, crystallographic axes using hot nanoparticles, a technique that results in precise, macroscopic length ribbons of graphene. The advance could enable atomically precise and simple construction of integrated circuits from single graphene sheets with a wide range of technological applications. Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140313.htm Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania have characterized an aspect of graphene film behavior by measuring the way it conducts electricity on a substrate. This milestone advances the potential application of graphene, the ultra-thin, single-atom thick carbon sheets that conduct electricity faster and more efficiently than silicon, the current material of choice for transistor fabrication. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731140313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155342.htm Researchers have developed a method that mimics nature's way of producing dazzling colors at the nanoscale level. Their work demonstrates how such a method can be used to produce new materials, and how different nanoparticles of various sizes can produce "nanojewels" that display different optical properties. The discovery opens potential for applications in photonics, drug delivery, special coatings, sensors and microfluidics. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155342.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729234306.htm Researchers have created a 3-D image of a material referred to as "liquid smoke." Aerogel, also known as liquid smoke or "San Francisco fog," is an open-cell polymer with pores smaller than 50 nanometers in diameter. For the first time, Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley scientists have peered into this material and created three-dimensional images to determine its strength and potential new applications. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729234306.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133423.htm Medical physicists at the University of Virginia have created a novel way to kill tumor cells using nanoparticles and light. The technique, devised by Wensha Yang, an instructor in radiation oncology at the University of Virginia, and colleagues Ke Sheng, Paul W. Read, James M. Larner, and Brian P. Helmke, employs quantum dots. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanostructures, 25 billionths of a meter in diameter, which can confine electrons in three dimensions and emit light when exposed to ultraviolet radiation. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729234308.htm Ultra-miniature bialy-shaped particles -- called nanobialys because they resemble tiny versions of the flat, onion-topped rolls popular in New York City -- could soon be carrying medicinal compounds through patients' bloodstreams to tumors or atherosclerotic plaques. The nanobialys answered a need for an alternative to the research group's gadolinium-containing nanoparticles. Recent studies have shown that gadolinium can be harmful to some patients with severe kidney disease. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729234308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728193233.htm State and local officials have taken steps to begin monitoring the manufacture and storage of nanomaterials, a major step for a cutting-edge technology that has yet to be regulated by the federal government. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728193233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080725122631.htm Scientists have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate." Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080725122631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728192940.htm There's a new "gold standard" in the sensitivity of weighing scales. Using the same technology with which they created the world's first fully functional nanotube radio, Berkeley Lab researchers have fashioned a nanoelectromechanical system that can function as a scale sensitive enough to measure the weight of a single atom of gold. This NEMS scale could prove especially useful for measuring the mass of proteins and other molecules which don't fare well in mass spectrometry. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728192940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721124314.htm The first scanning tunneling spectroscopy of graphene flakes equipped with a "gate" electrode has found an unexpected gap-like feature in the energy spectrum of electrons tunneling into graphene's single layer of atoms. Scientists who performed the research believe the peculiar feature arises from the interaction of the tunneling electrons with phonons, the quantized vibrations of the 2-D graphene crystal. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721124314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723143553.htm NIST experiments with varying concentrations of nanoparticle additives indicate a major opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of large industrial, commercial, and institutional cooling systems known as chillers. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723143553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723134506.htm Researchers have overcome a major obstacle in producing transistors from networks of carbon nanotubes, a technology that could make it possible to print circuits on plastic sheets for applications including flexible displays and an electronic skin to cover an entire aircraft to monitor crack formation. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723134506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721093845.htm Scientists in Singapore are reporting development of a complete, palm-sized sensor that can detect disease-causing microbes, toxins, and other biological threats instantly without the need for an external power source or a computer. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721093845.htm