Nanotechblog

For the crazy scientists, there is nothing impossible like converging hard science with art, music and musical notes! And, with a recent work, a scientist has led the extremes merge ‘ nanotechnology and classical music!

If it means, hearing the sweeter tones of ‘nano-music’, it’s it. Milton Schlosser, a University of Alberta music professor will soon be performing music using biomolecular nanomachines. If you are a music-lover, and are ready to take up exciting challenges of refocusing your music senses, Schlosser’s ‘nanosonatas’ are just the right experiment for you.

American composer Frederic Rzewski have created the ‘Nanosonatas, Volume 1′ by essentially compressing the form of 20- to 40-minute — the 19th-century sonatas into 7 three-minute segments.

Here is some good news for all. The scientists from Arizona State University’s Centre for Applied Nanoionics will soon empower your memory devices with high performance, long battery life and enriched storage capacity.

They are articulate in applying nanotechnology in almost all the memory devices from digital cameras to laptops available in the market. It is inexpensive and compatible to any memory device.

Michael Kozicki, Director at Centre for Applied Nanoionics says,

In using readily available materials, we’ve provided a way for this memory to be made at essentially zero extra cost, because the materials you need are already used in the chips — all you have to do is mix them in a slightly different way.

As of now, the memory devices are based charge. Thus, the performance of such devices largely depends upon the physical size. If the device is smaller in size, then it can not store sufficient charge. Ultimately, less memory and poor performance!

The scientists have developed a resistance-based memory using nanotechnology which is capable of storing multiple bits on one site. The unique feature of this memory is that it does not alter, even when the power is down.

The Centre for Applied Nanoionics has carried out the research partnering with Research Center Julich in Germany.

Via: Advanced Nanotechnology

Image: Vintage Calculators

Chemotherapy is the only known cure for cancer today. It involves the use of cytotoxic drugs and is dreaded due to the numerous side effects like nausea, anemia, malnutrition, hair loss etc.Chemotherapy may just become the thing of the past based on some breakthrough research that has been made by a 63-year-old leukemia patient from Florida named John Kanzius.

Kanzius has built a device which yet does not have a name. The device is cancer cell generator based on nanotechnology. Nanotechnology, has been called as ‘the manufacturing technology of the 21st century” .It is helping to economically build a broad range of complex molecular machines through which doctors can now intervene in a sophisticated and controlled way at the cellular and molecular level.

Kanzius’s method works by a patient first receiving an injection of gold nanoparticles, which would attach themselves to the cancer cells. The patient would then enter the machine and be administered a dose of radio frequency waves, which would heat the nanoparticles and surrounding cancer cells to a temperature high enough to kill the cancer cells, but would leave nearby cells untouched. The machine does not use radiation. Many scientists are using Kanzius’ machine in their research and the most challenging part yet is finding a way to target the cancerous cells with nanoparticles.
Kanzius said that he was inspired to investigate the potential of nanotechnology and radio waves after receiving 24 rounds of chemotherapy, and wishing that others–especially children–wouldn’t have to endure the same treatment.

Via:Inventorspot

Image1

If you are one of those who will soon require either a hip replacement, dental reconstruction or vascular stenting, here is ‘nanotechnology’ to your rescue. Yes, this is yet another introduction of nanotechnology in the field of medical sciences.

Scientists have designed an effective nanowire coating for creating more effective surfaces for such medical replacements or reconstructions. They have created this coating on biocompatible titanium surface.

What is of your interest is its creating process being cost-effective. And, for the manufacturers, the process of designing it is simpler in comparison to the existing methods.

For developing the titanium oxide-based ceramic nanowires, researchers used an alkali and heat, used for effectively coating the surface of a titanium medical device.

By simply varying the time, temperature and the concentration of alkali in the reaction, the length, height, the pore openings and their volumes can be controlled within the nanowire scaffolds - that’s amazing!

Importantly, adding on to its inexpensiveness and simpler designing, the new process is also extremely sustainable, as claimed by Z. Ryan Tian, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

What is required is just a rinse of the device in reusable water, following the heating process.

So, next time you require any such medical replacement and reconstruction, resort to the new ‘inexpensive’ nanowire-coating magic.

Image Courtesy: Z. Ryan Tian

Nanotechnology, creeping into almost all fields of science is now showing its magical powers at the service of the soldiers. Injured at the battle fields, most soldiers have remote chances to avail immediate medical assistance, mostly because of their inability to be carried to difficult terrains.

So, now nanotechnology has gifted the war-zones with ‘easily supply-able’ super-small nanoparticle-painkillers that can be delivered to injured soldiers - thanks to a team of impertinent University of Michigan-researchers. For the cause, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has granted them with a $1.3 million grant for conducting the study.

The researchers are up with arms developing tiny painkiller-bearing particles, which can be injected into injured soldiers’ comrades or even injured soldiers themselves on the battlefield straightaway.

To inject it, a pen-like device will be used which would provide both safe as well as, importantly, effective pain relief especially when no immediate expert medical help can be extended to a wounded soldier.

Research team leader James R. Baker Jr. said,

This proposal provides an approach to achieve sustained, safe pain control on the battlefield.

Since, painkiller-morphine can cause breathing problems and needs careful monitoring, the new application of nanotechnology will thus, importantly, be used in controlling the morphine’s release over extended periods.

Soldiers, get ready for a nanoparticle-injection before heading for the battlefield in the near-future.

Image

Scientists have developed a new type of nanoparticles that can aim, image and destroy tumor cells. This technology can also be used to develop means by which cancer can be cured.

The system contains gold nanoparticles which branching polymers called dendrimers. These dendrimers sprout out from the surface of the nanoparticles. These particles can be used to launch a multiprong attack against the tumors.

The arms of these dendrimers can carry many different molecules, including those that can fight cancer cells and even drugs that can slow their growth or destroy them completely.

Scientists aim that this method should be able to destroy the cancer cells without harming anything else in the body. Currently researchers are pursuing tests on animals and once the technology pass some more tests then it should be made available for human use.

Via: Medlaunches

Now, Physicists of the University of Pennsylvania are developing nanostructure metal, not more than 10 nanometers. Physicists at the University of Pennsylvania are using a new technique to craft some of the tiniest metal nanostructures ever created, none larger than 10 nanometers.

They are using new technology to create nanostructure metal. The technology uses transmission electron beam ablation lithography or TEBAL to carve nanostructures from thin sheets of gold, silver, silver, aluminum and other metals. Drndić and Michael Fischbein of Penn’s Department of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences has conducted the study.

TEBAL provides reliable method to produce quality version of these microscopic devices, which are studied for their novel mechanical properties and it can be used in next generation sensors and electronics. The method allows real time imaging of the devices as they are made.

Traditional techniques, which are used for building nanodevices requires electron beam lithography and also require the use of polymers and chemicals, in which meatl can be evaporated. In addition, the TEBAL method also creates a resistance free connection between the nanostructure and an electrical lead, which can provide power to the device. Additionally, structures made from bottom-up techniques need to be firstly placed on a chip and then connected to larger circuitry.

The team uses the superior control of the electron beam to reproduce multiple, which is similar copies of each structure. The research may lead to computer-based creation of such devices with more intricacy. Penn physicists has also proposed a rapid method of DNA sequencing, which can be developed from this process, by threading DNA strands through an electronic “nanoport” that could read the base pairs that constitute a species’ genetic code.

Image Credit: ND Edu

Via: Physorg

Nanotechnology, after expanding its horizon in leaps and bounds, has eventually penetrated the world of plant biology, thanks to a team of U.S. scientists. They have used nanotechnology for penetrating the walls of plant cells.

With the use of nanotechnology, the experts have delivered a gene and a chemical into the cell walls to precisely trigger the expressions of the genes.

This innovation with introducing nanotechnology to plant biology and agricultural biotechnology has helped in creating a powerful tool to target plant cell-deliveries.

Though, scientists have already successfully introduced a gene into a plant cell, unlike this new application, in other cases, chemicals are used to just activate the functions of a gene. But, the process is not as precise as the new nanotechnology-based one, and the chemicals could also be toxic to the plant.

It is a real breakthrough by the team of Iowa State University researchers.

Study leader Professor Kan Wang said,

With the mesoporous nanoparticles, we can deliver two biogenic species at the same time. We can bring in a gene and induce it in a controlled manner at the same time and at the same location. That`s never been done before.

So, here comes ‘nanotechnology’ to help a more precise gene activation in plant cell as well as trigger their expressions at the same time.

Image

We would never believe the notion that glues could ever be fabricated in order to develop computer microchips some years back, but now it is not that hard to imagine with US scientists manufacturing a “Nanoglue” that is 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. Surprisingly this “Nanoglue” boasts of withstanding high temperatures and is extremely reliable. The binding energy of the molecules keeps the glue super tough.

This super strong “Nanoglue” has been made from ultrathin materials. The “Nanoglue” is developed at the “Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute” in Troy, New York. Key developer and science researcher, Ganapathiraman Ramanath, threw some light on this stating that –“It is really mind-boggling to think about a single layer of molecules improving the adhesion of something, our work shows the possibility of having organic-based nanolayers that are about a 1000 times thinner than the thinnest organic-based glues.”

This glue speaks of high receptivity and super strong characteristics that do not loose their adhesiveness even if the Nanoglue is cut into sheets as thin as one-millionth of a meter. So, how many types of glue you can think of that can withhold their characteristics with such perfection and longevity?

During a telephonic interview, Ramanath said that -”This is a single layer of molecules that are organized like soldiers, this glue chain lines up in very orderly fashion all on its own. Nature does most of it for you. You just have to put the right thing on the top and the right thing on the bottom and it will work.”

Looking into the chemical composition of this glue – it has a chain of carbon molecules consisting of silica-oxygen at one end and sulphur at the other. The intramolecular bonds make this Nanoglue strong and bondable.

Another interesting fact about this glue is that it gets stronger and stronger when heated to temperatures around 400 degrees Celsius or more! At such extreme temperatures, the silica and copper configure to a stronger chemical bonds. He added -”When you heat it, it becomes a better glue, that was something we hadn’t bargained for.”

Price: $US35 ($NZ48.04) per 100 grams

Via: Stuff

Now nanotechnology has been embraced by the fashion world too. Fiber scientists and fashion designers have come together to create a piece of clothing which can not only shield you from flu and cold but does not even require any washing. The other piece of clothing which has also been created using nanotechnology not only offers protection against smog and air pollution but also safeguards you against dangerous gases.

If you look closely at these pieces of clothing with a microscope you will realize that these are group electrostatically charged nanoparticles which create a protective shield around the cotton fibers in the dress. Created using solutions containing nanoparticles the color achieved is not the result of any dye but reflections of manipulation of nanoparticles. It looks certain that nanotechnology would get the needed popularity through the world of fashion.

Image

Via: medlaunches

HP has entered into its first nanotechnology licensing deal which would make it possible to manufacture powerful semiconductors in a cheap manner. Technique based on HP approach to nanoimprint lithography has been developed by Nanolithosolutions which would be used for stamping out patterns for wires for making computer chips. This is the first deal with regards to nanotechnology that the company has signed in the past twelve years.

The technology costs one tenth of the existing systems and this tool can help in adapting existing equipment to high resolution nanoimprint lithography machines and then are used for creation of miniaturized patterns which can be measured in nanometers. After creation of master mold copies can be stamped out in a quick manner and filled with wires for a manufacturing process in order to develop powerful chips at effective costs. As of now prototypes have been created with fifteen nanometers width of wire which is just one third of the size of the advanced chips.

Image

Via: iht

Next time you board a train in Taiwan you won’t have to face any bad odor or dust as the Taiwan Railway Administration or TRA is implementing nanotechnology in its trains to combat all these problems. The technology will be implemented on Taroko Express which will travel between Taipei and Hualien.

People traveling on Taroko Express will no longer have to encounter bad smell in the restrooms aboard the train. Around $84.84 million have been invested in this train which would also bring down the journey time. Industrial Technology Research Institute has used nanotechnology for sterilizing the restroom of the train and cleaning its glass windows. Dust-fighting coating material will be used for preventing dust from getting deposited on the glass and results have shown that the amount of dust came down by half. Later on this technology will be used in other trains too.

Image

Via: cna

Nanotechnology is the future and the Indian government can not ignore it. The government has given a go ahead to the launch of a mission on Nano Science and Technology. The mission will cost around Rs.1000 crore and will be spread across a span of 5 years. The nodal agency for this mission will be the Department of Science and Technology.

The utmost priority for the Nano Mission will be the Capacity-building. This is a step to put India on the map of Nanotechnology. The national mission has been designed in a way that there exists a synergy between the efforts of various agencies and the national research agencies. In case a need for international collaboration is felt then steps will be taken to facilitate it.

Till now around 100 research projects have been funded. A lot of centers on nanoscience and nanotechnology have also been established also a number of post-doctoral fellowships have been awarded. The effort of the government of India will soon put India on the map of Nanoscience where India will be at par with any other developed country.

image

Via nanowerk

A combo of nanotechnology and biology can be used for repairing damaged tissues and organs. Researchers have stated that nanotechnology can be used for mobilizing the healing abilities of the body. Experiments conducted on mice showed that a paralyzed mouse with spinal cord injuries was able to regain the ability of using its hind legs six weeks after being injected with customized nanomaterial injection.

Nanofibers which are at least a thousand times thinner as compared to human hair have been found out to prevent harmful scar tissue formation which blocks the healing of spinal cord and at the same time stimulates the regeneration of damaged cells. The customized molecules self assembeled into nanofibers after being injected in the body and when they are immobilized in the affected area they can help in activation of some of the biological process. The same technique could also be applied in case of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. If it turns successful in humans then it could be a path breaking discovery for millions of people with damaged body parts.

image

Via sciencedaily

Up till now altered viruses were used as common carrier vehicles for delivering therapeutic drugs but one of the side effects of this technique was that the virus infected the cells but now with the aid of nanotechnology nonviral nanocarriers it has become possible to deliver gene and drugs. Besides virus even inorganic nanomaterials and polymeric systems are being considered for nonviral delivery vehicles.

Carbon nanohorn or CNH have a dahlia flower like structure and large surface area can be fabricated with large purity and it offer benefits over and above nanorods and nnaoparticles for serving as synthetic intracellular delivery vehicles. CNHs have higher adsorbability for holding therapeutic drugs and they can dissolve quickly in water. Incubation of modified CNHs along with human cervical cancer cells was used for studying the cytotoxicity of CNHs. This has proved that CNHs are toxic and high purity can be achieved without using metallic catalysts. Further studies are being undertaken for making it a success.

image

Via nanowerk