Global News:

Fashion brings together nanotechnology and charity
russiatoday.com October 17th, 2009 Speaking of quality, it's hard not to mention Ludmila Norsoyan, whose name has become synonymous with first-class jersey clothing. "It's our know-how," Norsoyan explains. Her latest collection entitled "Jeanne d'Arc", which Norsoyan will present at Russian Fashion Week on October 17, has been created with the help of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology and Gold - From the World Gold Council
World Gold Council October 19th, 2009 What characteristics make gold an ideal material for such wide-ranging applications? The nobility of gold and its resistance to surface oxidation (which would hinder the operation of nano-scale technologies and devices based on other metals) is one important material characteristic. The optical properties of gold at the nanoscale are also exciting, (gold nanoparticles have a colour varying from red to purple depending on particle size, a property that can be successfully exploited in a range of applications).

Argonne scientists find new set of multiferroic materials: Breakthrough resulted from collaborative research with universities
The Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory October 19th, 2009 The trail to a new multiferroic started with the theories of a U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory scientist and ended with a multidisciplinary collaboration that created a material with potential impact on next generation electronics.

Researcher Honored for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology
Air Force Office of Scientific Research October 19th, 2009 Air Force-funded researcher, Dr. Óscar Custance from the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan has been chosen for the 2009 Feynman Prize for Experimental Work in Nanotechnology for his research in atomic-scale precision.

INL, ISU team on nanoparticle production breakthrough
Idaho National Laboratory October 19th, 2009 Every hour, the sun floods Earth with more energy than the entire world consumes in a year. Yet solar power accounts for less than 0.002 percent of all electricity generated in the United States, primarily because photovoltaic cells remain expensive and relatively inefficient. But solar may not be such a marginal power source for long. Chemists at Idaho National Laboratory and Idaho State University have invented a way to manufacture highly precise, uniform nanoparticles to order. The technology, Precision Nanoparticles, has the potential to vastly improve the solar cell and further spur the growing nanotech revolution.

Nanosystems institute at UCLA, Photron to collaborate on specialized instrumentation
The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA October 19th, 2009 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has announced a collaboration with Photron USA Inc., a manufacturer of high-speed imaging systems and image analysis software, to develop specialized instrumentation for the CNSI's core laboratory facilities.

Wanted: Ballarat Locals...No Science Knowledge Required
The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) October 19th, 2009 Amongst much fanfare, last week, Australia's first national science hub, The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus), was launched. Today, The RiAus proudly unveils its first-ever regional programme, The Free Range Science project, in Ballarat at the George Hotel on Wednesday, 21st October through support by the Victorian government. The RiAus Free Range Science project will be bringing science and scientists out of the lab and into the towns of regional Victoria. Designed specifically for adults without a science background, Free Range Science puts locals directly in touch with the people who research, design, create and use the sciences and technologies which power our lives. The first-ever event, "Nanotechnology- The Future is Small," is free to the public and explores the science of really small things. Perhaps the simplest definition is that it involves engineering at the scale of billionths of a metre - a million times smaller than the head of a pin!

Carbon nanotubes may cheaply harvest sunlight
University of Wisconsin-Madison October 20th, 2009 University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are studying how to create inexpensive, efficient solar cells from carbon nanotubes, which are sheets of carbon rolled into seamless cylinders 1-nanometer in diameter. Many researchers are studying how to use nanotubes for mechanical and electronics applications, but Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Michael Arnold is one of the first to apply them to solar energy.

Smallest Nanoantennas for High-speed Data Networks: Most Rapid Information Transmission –Also Applied in Microbiology, Photovoltaics, and Sensor Technology
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) October 20th, 2009 More than 120 years after the discovery of the electromagnetic character of radio waves by Heinrich Hertz, wireless data transmission dominates information technology. Higher and higher radio frequencies are applied to transmit more data within shorter periods of time. Some years ago, scientists found that light waves might also be used for radio transmission. So far, however, manufacture of the small antennas has required an enormous expenditure. KIT scientists have now succeeded for the first time in specifically and reproducibly manufacturing smallest optical nanoantennas from gold.

New technique for making thin electronics supported by stimulus funds
Cornell University October 20th, 2009 The National Science Foundation's Materials World Network program is supporting Cornell scientists who have invented a reliable way of processing organic devices with a patent-pending process called orthogonal lithography. The grant of $900,000 is from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and lasts through 2013.

Iranian, French Nano-Scientists Cooperate to Save Polluted Waters
farsnews.com October 20th, 2009 An Iranian researcher from University of Tabriz, in collaboration with colleagues from Nancy Université of France, applied nanocatalysts to degrade aqueous pollutants. Organic dyestuffs are considered as major sources of environmental pollutants. Therefore, removal of these materials from waste waters, through a practical and efficient method, seems essential. Among the alternatives proposed for removing these water contaminants like textile dyes, organic compounds, agricultural pesticide wastes, etc. during recent years, are the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) especially suitable for lower pollutants' concentrations.

Chemical engineering professor awarded two grants to investigate directed self-assembly
University of Delaware October 20th, 2009 Eric Furst, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, has received two grants totaling $727,000 for his work on directed self-assembly of soft materials.

Penn Team Uses Self-Assembly to Make Tiny Particles With Patches of Charge
University of Pennsylvania October 20th, 2009 Physicists, chemists and engineers at the University of Pennsylvania 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.

NIST Physicists Turn to Radio Dial for Finer Atomic Matchmaking
NIST October 20th, 2009 Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland and their collaborators have found that properly tuned radio-frequency waves can influence how much the atoms attract or repel one another, opening up new ways to control their interactions.

The truth about yams
jamaica-gleaner.com October 21st, 2009 It has taken 30 years of hard work for Professor Helen Asemota to get to this stage. However, that work is yet over. Yams and potatoes are foods many people don't think much of in Jamaica. They are always available and their use outside of being a replacement for our staple rice diet has not been thought of much. Professor Asemota has thought of it. Hailing from Nigeria, the professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the department of medical sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI) has made the journey across the middle passage and is daily achieving feats that benefit Jamaica in untold ways. Those benefits have earned Professor Asemota the 2009 Gleaner Honour Award in the category science and technology. Over those 30 years, and more, Professor Asemota has not only worked with a number of universities, but has been integral on a global level, of developing and executing new and improved research in her field. While her work in biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology is renowned, has recently she added the fairly new and certainly very exciting area of nanotechnology to her extensive résumé. Prof Asemota earned her professorial status at UWI but has found the time to also give service to Shaw University in North Carolina where she is head of the Nanobiology Division of the Shaw Nanotechnology Initiative - the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Centre. So respected is the woman that though she is only with Shaw University part-time, she is also the chairman of the Shaw Institutional Research Board.

Harvard scientists bend nanowires into 2-D and 3-D structures
Harvard University October 21st, 2009 New 'stereocenters' introduce triangular joints into otherwise linear nanomaterials

Russia's Medvedev blasts Putin-era state giants
news.my.msn.com October 21st, 2009 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday said the state should lessen its economic role, warning state corporations set up by his predecessor Vladimir Putin could ultimately cease to exist. "I believe that we at some point have let the creation of state corporations out of control," Medvedev told a meeting of leading tycoons at the Kremlin. "This does not mean that they should be shut down," he said, suggesting instead that they should be transformed into joint-stock companies. Joint-stock companies in Russia are divided between open joint-stock companies whose shares may be publicly traded and closed joint-stock companies whose shares are distributed among a limited number of shareholders. Under ex-president Vladimir Putin, now the prime minister, the government created a series of state champions to spur growth in sectors such as car making, civil aviation, nanotechnology, the nuclear industry and arms building.

Waterloo holds annual science open house, gem and mineral show this weekend
exchangemagazine.com October 21st, 2009 An annual science open house at the University of Waterloo will introduce children and their parents to a variety of scientific experiments this weekend, including some involving quantum computing and nanotechnology. This year's open house will also feature new activities from the Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the department of biology.

Oregon governor courting business in Europe
forbes.com October 21st, 2009 Kulongoski will travel to Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands, where he plans to meet with executives of Daimler AG, Vestas Wind Systems and FEI Co. The three companies employ about 1,500 people in Oregon. Kulongoski and other state officials are hoping those companies will double the number of Oregonians they employ in the next few years.

Resolution Beyond the Diffraction Limit
Carl Zeiss October 21st, 2009 Carl Zeiss Introduces Barrier-Breaking Superresolution Microscope Systems

€8m Purse for 15 Early Researchers
irishdev.com October 21st, 2009 Announcing the first Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Starting Investigator Research Grant (SIRG) awards at the Royal College of Physicians yesterday, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation: (Including) Dr. Paul Eastham (Trinity College Dublin) €474,506.50 Title: Strong interactions and collective effects in semiconductor optoelectronics Synopsis: Quantum dots are a kind of artificial atoms whose properties, e.g. the light they emit, can be manipulated in a very controlled manner. Quantum dots are nano-sized, man-made objects with a wide range of applications in optoelectronics, photonics and quantum computers. Dr Eastham and his team aim to investigate how quantum dots would interact with each other in laser or quantum computing devices. Dr. Nikolay Petkov (Tyndall National Insititute) €530,734.30 Title: Tuning surface and dopant properties of silicon and germanium Nanowires for high performance nanowire based field-effect transistors Synopsis: Over the years increased computer speed and capacity has been realized through a reduction of the size of the semiconductor components that make up the functional parts of the computers. The sizes are now nearing the nanometer regime where the components will have dimensions of no more than a few tens or hundreds of atoms. Nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter on an atomic scale, will in the next decade allow faster and more efficient computers. Dr Petkov and his team will contribute to the transition to nanotechnology computers by investigating nanowires made from silicon and germanium for use as transistors. Dr. Ray Duffy (Tyndall National Institute) €562,546.80 Title: N-type doping in germanium for sub-20nm technology CMOS devices Synopsis: One of the key factors in the coming of the modern Information Age has been the rapid increase of computational power. This has been led by the semiconductor device manufacturing industry which is constantly improving the speed and power of computer chips. This is done by manufacturing the components as small as possible. The state of the art in semiconductor device manufacturing is a process that creates features that are 45 nanometres wide. This proposal studies the use of germanium instead of silicon as one possible way to allow for sub 20 nanometre technologies. Dr. Michael Nolan (Tyndall National Institute) €472,244.40 Title: Engineering Metal Oxide Interfaces For Renewable Energy Photocatalysis Synopsis: Artificial photosynthesis is the process where light energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be used as a clean, renewable, easy to store, environmentally friendly fuel. Currently however the efficiency of the reaction is not high enough for the process to be viable. New materials could sufficiently improve the efficiency and speed of the reaction. The proposal will study metal oxides that have particular structures when measured on the nanometer scale. These metal oxides could be suitable new materials for the artificial photosynthesis process.

Two Indians win prestigious research grant for their project in New Zealand
punjabnewsline.com October 21st, 2009 Two India-born academics have won a prestigious research grant in New Zealand to help design public policy on the use of new and emerging technologies such as transgenics, cloning, and nanotechnology. Dr Priya Kurian and Dr Debashish Munshi of the University of Waikato in Hamilton were recently awarded a $560,000 Marsden research grant by the Royal Society of New Zealand for their path-breaking project on "sustainable citizenship".

Materials Science Prize Announced
Armourers and Brasiers Company October 21st, 2009 £25,000 venture Prize to be awarded to help commercialize early stage research

NC State Develops Material That Could Boost Data Storage, Save Energy
North Carolina State University October 21st, 2009 North Carolina State University engineers have created a new material that would allow a fingernail-size computer chip to store the equivalent of 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million pages of text, far exceeding the storage capacities of today's computer memory systems.

Argonne dedicates new microscopy facility at Center for Nanoscale Materials
Argonne National Laboratory October 21st, 2009 Research may lead to energy efficient engines, advanced medical therapy

New Berkeley Lab Report Shows That the Installed Cost of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the U.S. Fell in 2008
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory October 21st, 2009 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) released a new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S., showing that the average cost of these systems declined by more than 30 percent from 1998 to 2008. Within the last year of this period, costs fell by more than 4 percent.

Swiss Authentication USA Announces Exclusive Deal
Swiss Authentication October 22nd, 2009 Swiss Authentication USA announced today that it has become the exclusive agent to sell Swiss Authentication AG's Lanthanoid based anti-counterfeiting solutions in the United States.

Ion Drive: Improved Electric Propulsion Could Boost Lifetimes for Commercial, Government and Military Satellites
Georgia Institute of Technology October 22nd, 2009 Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have won a $6.5 million grant to develop improved components that will boost the efficiency of electric propulsion systems that are used to control the positions of satellites and planetary probes.

2009 Tokyo: Mazda Debuts Efficient SKY Gasoline and Diesel Engines
motortrend.com October 22nd, 2009 The SKY-G works in conjunction with a new single nano-catalyst (currently used in the new Mazda3) that reduces the amount of precious metals needed for exhaust gas purification. Mazda estimates that the new nano-catalyst technology has dropped precious metal content by 70% in the 2010 Mazda3 versus the previous-generation car, reducing production costs and unit weight.

Germany warns over dangers of nanotechnology
dw-world.de October 22nd, 2009 German authorities have warned of the risks posed by nanotechnology when used in food, clothing, cosmetics and other products. The promising potential of the technology comes with a risk for health and environment. Professor Dieter Stuermer from the Bonn-based Institute for Science and Ethics says people should be especially aware of the danger that nano particles can damage lungs and cause inflammation. In particular, he criticizes nanotechnology companies for not taking enough account of the possible negative side-effects of their products. Urban Wiesing from Tuebingen University: "I strongly believe that many of the risks associated with nanotechnology have at least in part been encountered in other technologies as well," he told Deutsche Welle. "That's why I'm confident that regulations can be found to ensure that these risks can be minimized in the interests of the users of nano products."

Indonesian Government to Invest $26.5m in Nanotechnology
thejakartaglobe.com October 22nd, 2009 The government appears to be taking notice of the huge potential of nanotechnology to improve industrial competitiveness. The Ministry of National Education will provide Rp 250 billion ($26.5 million) to fund nanotech research and development through 2010. The Ministry of Industry will provide another Rp 15 billion. "We will fund 60 studies on nanotech, as this is a sector that is taking off in the developed world," said Deddy Mulyadi, head of the research and development division at the Industry Ministry.

Nanoscience brings artworks back to life
rsc.org October 22nd, 2009 Italian chemists have developed a new polymer-based cleaning system to remove old residues from the surface of valuable works of art. The gentle gel has already been used to brighten up 15th century wall paintings and gilded frames darkened by aged varnish or polymeric coatings.

Obama Advisor Aneesh Chopra - New U.S. Tech Czar - on Innovative Solutions to Global Crises
Center for Nanotechnology in Society October 22nd, 2009 Chopra will address conference on using technology to solve environmental, energy, water, food security, and health problems in developing nations

New Material Could Efficiently Power Tiny Generators
University of Wisconsin-Madison October 22nd, 2009 To power a very small device like a pacemaker or a transistor, you need an even smaller generator. The components that operate the generator are smaller yet, and the efficiency of those foundational components is critical to the performance of the overall device.

Terepac, IMEC Partner for Low-cost Flexible Electronics
electroiq.com October 22nd, 2009 Terepac Corporation and research center IMEC will collaborate on novel packaging technologies for flexible electronics. The initial driver for this shared research is a next-generation wireless ECG system, developed in the Human++ Program at Holst Centre, Eindhoven. For many applications, like on-the-body devices, thin and flexible form factors greatly improve the comfort of wearable electronics. To allow large-scale manufacturing and market penetration, low-cost/high-value solutions are targeted in R&D programs. Traditional electronics packaging and assembly with rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) and pick-and-place machines are unable to cope with these demands, the research partners assert.

Is Nanotechnology Dangerous?
spiegel.de October 22nd, 2009 Christoph Seidler: A background paper by Germany's Federal Environment Agency earlier this week triggered fearful headlines in some of the country's biggest newspapers. But the agency is distancing itself from the coverage, saying it had presented nothing new in the report -- and that it also sees opportunities in nano. Breathless headlines about nanotechnology have ruffled feathers at Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) this week. "Nanotechnology can make you sick," and "First official warning in Germany" about the dangers of nanotechnology, the headlines read. "The German Environment Agency warns against nanotechnology." The maelstrom began earlier this week, when UBA specialists posted a 28-page paper about nanotechnology on their Web site -- a move that prompted a very vocal response. But officials at the agency feel they have been misunderstood. They claim the posting is neither a warning nor a new study -- it's just a background paper. "We haven't done any of our own research," UBA scientist Wolfgang Dubbert told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Dubbert is one of the authors of the paper, an updated version of a document published in 2006.

£1m research boost for ‘intelligent’ nano self-assembly
Nottingham University October 22nd, 2009 What if material structures could ‘build themselves' by self-assembling their molecules — guided by ‘artificial intelligence'? It sounds like science fiction, but making this possible is now the serious research aim for computer scientists, physicists, chemists and nanotechnology experts, all working in collaboration at The University of Nottingham.

Nanowire biocompatibility in the brain: So far so good
Swedish Research Council October 22nd, 2009 The biological safety of nanotechnology, how the body reacts to nanoparticles, is a hot topic; researchers at Lund University have managed for the first time to carry out successful experiments involving the injection of so-called 'nanowires'

Seeing Previously Invisible Molecules for the First Time: New microscopic technique reveals previously unseen molecules in color
National Science Foundation October 23rd, 2009 A team of Harvard chemists led by X. Sunney Xie has developed a new microscopic technique for seeing, in color, molecules with undetectable fluorescence. The room-temperature technique allows researchers to identify previously unseen molecules in living organisms and offers broad applications in biomedical imaging and research.

Researchers Testing Nanotech for Hazardous Waste Cleanups
nytimes.com October 23rd, 2009 Scientists and environmental regulators are hoping that some extremely tiny materials might make a huge difference in hazardous waste cleanups. Researchers are exploring whether nanoscale materials -- so named because they are as small as 1/100,000 the width of a human hair -- can be cleanup assets. They have two reasons for optimism: Nanomaterials' size lets them penetrate otherwise impossible-to-reach groundwater or soil, and their engineered coatings allow them to stay suspended in groundwater, a major asset in cleanups. If they work, nanomaterials could slash cleanup prices by avoiding the extraordinary costs and risks of hauling materials away for burning or burial. "There is significant potential to target a number of very complicated sites that to date we have been unable to remediate adequately," said Denis O'Carroll, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Western Ontario.

Rensselaer To Lead Multimillion-Dollar Research Center for Social and Cognitive Networks
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute October 23rd, 2009 With $16.75 million in funding from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will launch a new interdisciplinary research center devoted to the study of social and cognitive networks.

Berkeley Researchers Find New Route to Nano Self-Assembly
Berkeley Lab October 23rd, 2009 If the promise of nanotechnology is to be fulfilled, nanoparticles will have to be able to make something of themselves. An important advance towards this goal has been achieved by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) who have found a simple and yet powerfully robust way to induce nanoparticles to assemble themselves into complex arrays.

SOURCE: NANOTECHWEB.ORG NEWSWIRE

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Charges band together in graphene

"Wonder material" exhibits collective behaviour http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/tech/40680

Graphene feels the strain

Engineering a "bend" gap could help make real-world electronic devices

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/tech/40672

Thermal noise highlights viscoelasticity in micro-cantilever Custom-built interferometric AFM deflection sensor captures dissipation process

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/tech/40651

Melting gold nanoparticles act as versatile catalyst Substrate-independent ZnO nanowire growth allows developers to move beyond silicon

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/tech/40649

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Nanotechnology drives innovation

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Field gradient guides nanoparticles through biological fluid Directed drug delivery team injects iron-oxide nanocomposite into an egg and uses MRI to observe particle transport http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/lab/40670

Nanocorner detects single magnetic nanoparticles Particle sensing device exploits the properties of domain walls in ferromagnetic nanostructures

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/lab/40664

Nanoenergetic materials team focuses on gas pressure evolution Engineers adopt a modified solution combustion synthesis approach to fabricate highly crystalline bismuth trioxide nanoparticles

http://nanotechweb.org/cws/m/1520/156981/article/lab/40661

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