Nanotechnology based dental filling stays longer

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

Whenever you went for a tooth filling your dentist must have warmed you that the filling was not long life and it might crack due to stressful chewing or biting but now dentists might be able to guarantee life long fillings and all the applause for this goes to nanotechnology. This technology can reduce incidences of cracking by producing tooth restoration which is tougher as compared to any decay fighting fillings available. Normally pure liquid resin is mixed with a powder containing coloring and reinforcement which packs the paste into the cavity and hence illuminates the teeth with a light which causes the polymerization of the paste and hardening but it tends to get weakened over a period of time. Now a spray drying technique has been introduced which uses dicalcium phosphate anhydrous which are fifty nanometers and twenty times smaller and since these nanoparticles have a higher surface to volume ratio it turns out to be quite effective in releasing ions and therefore offers more strength to the final filling. In order to make this possible nanoscale silica-fused fibers have been produced which are twice stronger as compared to the commericial variety available. image Via azonano

Identification of bacteria possible with fluorescent nanoparticles

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

Tiny fluorescent particles have been developed by University of Florida scientists which can be used for quick identification of bacteria by color coding them. It can certainly help in testing contaminants in food and prevention of bio terror attacks. The team at the university created nanoparticles with three colors – purple for Samonella typhimurium, blue for Escherichia coli and orange for Stapphylococcus aureus. As antibodies consist of proteins which stick to just one thing here nanoparticles containing antibodies cling onto a single type of bacteria. When these nanoparticles are put along with three different types of bacteria they are color coded by these nanoparticles so that it could be easy to identify them with the aid of a confocal microscope. These findings have already been published in Bioconjugate Chemistry. Image Via wired

Nanotechnology marine teak coating can increase the life of a boat

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

The boating industry stands to benefit from nanotechnology that is offering it a number of environmental and performance advantages. A new Teak Guard Marine coating product has been released by Nanovations Teak Guard Division which utilizes nanotechnology for absorbing harmful Sun rays and shields wood of the boat from harmful solar radiation. The development of this product involved four years of extensive research. Developed using a blend of nanoscale active ingredients Teak Guard Marine penetrates deeper into the wood grain and improves the life of the wood. It not only offers an attractive finish but also increases the strength and water resistance properties of the teak used for constructing boats. The nanoscale UV absorber of the coating maintains the natural properties of the wood and it even prevents graying of the wood. The coating dries up pretty fast. The micropores also prevent water vapor from escaping from the teak and therefore prevent peeling, flaking and cracking of the wood. Due to its high stain resistance and water repellant properties it is being labeled as a multifunctional all in one solution for the boating industry. Via prweb

Indian government gives a go ahead to the nanotechnology mission

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

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

Tiny nanogenerator helps you power small electronics on the move

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

Earlier we introduced you special light-emitting nanofibers in the size of viruses and tiny bacteria that would surely light up the nano world. Now, another breakthrough in nanoscience discovered by Professor Zhong Lin Wang is a tiny device that can be planted in your shoes to generate your own small current to power miniature electronics when you walk. These archetype nanogenerators are made of tiny wires those are free to bend till some extent and also captures the output of large numbers of nanowires in motion to produce 4 watts per cubic centimeter miniscule direct current output. The device can produce energy from ultrasonic waves, mechanical movement or even blood flow and can be said as another advanced exposure in today’s nanoscience. Via: Medlaunches

Nanotechnology based packaging can solve pollution problems

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Packaging waste problem may be a thing of the past as researchers are implementing nanotechnology for bringing down carbon dioxide emissions. Researchers from Europe are working towards modified natural fibre based intelligent packaging to put brakes on environmental pollution. Researchers are working on SustainPack packaging project in order to bring fibre based packaging in the mainstream by application of biotechnology and nanotechnology for delivering value added fibre based packaging. This is expected to bring nature based packaging into focus and besides controlling pollution it can also bring down the amount of energy required for producing packages. Additon of Nanoaddiitives is expected to add strength to the natural packaging based project. Developing sustainable packaging that can compete effectively with packaging derived from petrochemical-based polymers is extremely challenging. Sustainpack is addressing this challenge by creating a European research community focused on sustainable packaging which will pressure retailers to accept natural packaging as the way forward. A number of companies are showing interest in this project and it seems this nanotechnology based packaging may soon hit the streets. Image Via: nanowerk

Nanosonatas: Blending nanotechnology with classical music

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

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. Describing the entire collection of nanosonatas as avant-garde, Schlosser said, In terms of sound, the music of the first nanosonata imitates the changing pace of the nanomotor. Although the blending of technology with arts is impressive, what is left to be seen is if the new concept can actually bridge the rift between art and science?

Carbon nanohorns can replace altered viruses as intracellular delivery vehicle

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

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

Magnetic Resonance Imaging testing stands to benefit from Nanotechnology

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

Nanotechnology can be deployed in the arena of MRI too. IBM researchers have combined MRI with the accuracy of atomic force microscopes and created sixty thousand times small MRI images as compared to the traditional MRI where the nanometer resolution achieved was ninety which is ten times bigger as compared to the typical molecule. The researchers came up with a latest atomic force microscope probe and coupled it with high magnetic layers of cobalt, iron and rubidium. These magnetic tips are responsible for converting atomic force microscopes into little MRI machines. The advantage of this is that the magnetic resonance force microscope just requires around thousand atom spin in their tiny sample and hence can watch till a depth of forty nanometers in samples. The researchers even have a plan of increasing the resolution of the device by ten times which could help in looking into the molecules as they undergo chemical reactions. This will surely help the medical field and make their job easier. Image Via: usatoday

Now nanowire coating for effective, inexpensive bone implants and stents

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

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