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UK as a global graphene research hub

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:55:14 GMT

An additional £50 million will be spent to keep the UK at the forefront of research into 'wonder material' graphene.

The investment will help establish the UK as a graphene research and technology 'hub', funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), that will lead to the rapid commercialisation of graphene technologies in the UK.

A key element of the graphene hub will be a national institute of graphene research and commercialisation activities. The University of Manchester has been confirmed as the single supplier invited to submit a proposal for funding a new £45 million national institute, £38 million of which will be provided by the UK Government. This world-class shared facility for graphene research and commercialisation activities will be accessible by both researchers and business.

The national institute, funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and The University of Manchester, will offer access to specialist facilities and equipment which enable the simulation of manufacturing processes. The University of Manchester is an acknowledged research leader in graphene research with tens of thousands of citations for graphene papers, and is the academic home Nobel Laureates, and now Knights Batchelors, Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for demonstrating the remarkable properties of graphene.

Professor Andre Geim said: "Creating a National Graphene institute here at The University of Manchester would allow our world-class scientists and researchers to further explore the limitless potential of graphene. To have such a facility here is a testament to the expertise at the University and will offer fantastic opportunities for Manchester researchers to work closely with industry and business."

EPSRC Chief Executive, Professor David Delpy, said: "From the first grant of just over £500,000 in August 2001 which led to the demonstration of graphene, to a grant of more than £5 million awarded in October 2009 to investigate the potential of the material, EPSRC directly funded the research which led to the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics being awarded to Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov. This new investment will help accelerate commercialisation and open up new opportunities for growth. The applications for commercial use of graphene are vast, including the creation of new materials and the manufacture of innovative electronics. The £50 million in additional funding is an important step in ensuring we can reap the benefits of those applications. The race to be the first country to produce commercial products is well and truly on."

Professor Sir Peter Knight, President of the Institute of Physics, said: "We welcome the Government's commitment to additional investment in the science base. Graphene is a great success story for British science and an outstanding example of the value achievable from the application of physics." Source: From New investment aims to establish the UK as a global graphene research hub.

Context:
July, 2011. On UK nano. The rise and fall of UK nanotechnology?
May, 2011. "Graphene can trigger a smart and sustainable carbon revolution"
February, 2011. Graphene Will Replace Silicon in Electronics?

Related news list by date, most recent first: graphene national initiatives
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Nanoparticle capable of combating multidrug-resistant microbes

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:02:00 GMT

The quest to develop novel methods to combat drug-resistant and infectious diseases such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), which continue to pose serious challenges to human health worldwide due to the inherent ability of the disease-causing microbes to develop antibiotic resistance, has been spurring innovative research into the medical applications of nanotechnology in recent years.

One of the most remarkable achievements in the rapidly growing field of nanomedicine has been the successful synthesis of the first biodegradable polymer-based nanoparticle capable of combating multidrug-resistant microbes, which works by selectively targeting and tearing down bacterial cell walls and membranes. Designed by researchers at the A*STAR Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and the IBM Almaden Research Center, the unique nanoparticle has been featured as one of Scientific American’s top ten world changing ideas.

Antibiotics traditionally work on the principle of using chemical compounds to act on specific molecular targets within bacteria, which leads to therapeutic specificity but allow resistance development through mutation. In contrast, the bacteria-killing nanoparticle developed by the IBN research team and colleagues at IBM may help to circumvent many of the problems associated with conventional methods of antibiotic therapy by utterly disintegrating the bacteria’s physical structure at the outset. This novel methodology has therefore been garnering widespread interest due to the way in which it offers a fundamentally different approach to fighting disease.

The nanoparticles begin their assault on harmful bacteria by forming cationic (positively charged) clusters that are drawn towards the anionic (negatively charged) bacterial cell membranes. By selectively binding to the bacterial cell membranes in this way, the nanoparticles avoid harming human cell membranes, leaving red blood cells for example in tact. After targeting, puncturing and destabilizing the bacterial cell wall, the nanoparticles eventually break down and kill the bacterial cell. The physical destruction of the bacterial cell membrane delays or eliminates resistance development.

The team discovered that the nanoparticles could efficiently kill Gram-positive bacteria, MRSA and fungi, even at low concentrations. The nanoparticles showed no significant activity against red blood cells, and no obvious acute toxicity was observed during in vivo studies in mice, even at concentrations well above their effective dose.

The nanoparticles themselves are easily broken down by enzymes in the human body as they are composed of biodegradable polymers. Whereas most antimicrobial polymers developed to date have been non-biodegradable, which render difficulty in obtaining regulatory approval, the new nanoparticles offer a significant step forward for in vivo clinical trials. In addition, the biodegradable nanoparticles can be produced in large quantities and at low cost. Source: From Nanomedicine breakthrough hailed as ‘world changing’. This work is detailed in the paper "Biodegradable nanostructures with selective lysis of microbial membranes" by Fredrik Nederberg, Ying Zhang, Jeremy P. K. Tan, Kaijin Xu, Huaying Wang, Chuan Yang, Shujun Gao, Xin Dong Guo, Kazuki Fukushima, Lanjuan Li, James L. Hedrick & Yi-Yan Yang

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanomedicine

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New way to amplify extremely faint electrical signals

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:05:00 GMT

A team of physicists has developed a theory describing how to both detect weak electrical signals and cool electrical circuits using light and something very like a nanosized loudspeaker. If demonstrated through experiment, the work could have a tremendous impact on detection of low-power radio signals, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the developing field of quantum information science.

"We envision coupling a nanomechanical membrane to an electrical circuit so that an electrical signal, even if exceedingly faint, will cause the membrane to quiver slightly as a function of the strength of that signal," says JQI physicist Jake Taylor. "We can then bounce photons from a laser off that membrane and read the signal by measuring the modulation of the reflected light as it is shifted by the motion of the membrane. This leads to a change in the wavelength of the light."

Present technology for measuring the wavelength of light is highly sensitive, which makes it ideal for detecting the nanoscopic motions of the loudspeaker caused by extremely faint electrical signals.

And the ability to detect extremely faint electrical signals may someday make MRI medical procedures much easier. "MRI machines are so big because they are stuffed with really powerful superconducting magnets, but if we can reduce the strength of the signals we need for a reading, we can reduce the strength, and the size, of the magnets," Taylor says. "This may mean that one could get an MRI while sitting quietly in a room and forgo the tube."

The same setup could be used to generate information-carrying photons from one qubit to another, according to Taylor. One popular quantum information system design uses light to transfer information among qubits, entangled particles that will exploit the inherent weirdness of quantum phenomena to perform certain calculations impossible for current computers. The 'nanospeaker' could be used to translate low-energy signals from a quantum processor to optical photons, where they can be detected and transmitted from one qubit to another.

All this, and the team will throw in cooling the system for free. According to their calculations, translating the mechanical motion of the little loudspeaker into photons will siphon a considerable amount of heat out of the system (from room temperature to 3 kelvin or -270 C), which in turn will reduce noise in the system and provide for better signal detection. Source: From Cool Nano Loudspeakers Could Make for Better MRIs, Quantum Computers. This work is detailed in the paper "Laser cooling and optical detection of excitations in a LC electrical circuit" by J. M. Taylor, A. S. Sørensen, C. M. Marcus and E. S. Polzik

Related news list by date, most recent first: detection nanomechanics nanophotonics

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tracking nanotechnology. january, 2012

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:15:00 GMT

27 January 2012
NAS: Health and Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials Remain Uncertain
"The future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain"
tags: nanomaterial national initiatives regulation nanotoxicology

25 January 2012
Nanotech biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood
The technique takes advantage of a convergence of nanotechnology and surface plasmonics
detection nanomedicine

23 January 2012
A step closer to new medical scanning devices
T-Rays technology could help develop Star Trek-style hand-held medical scanners
nanophotonics detection nanomedicine

20 January 2012
Organic matter behave like a magnet
Graphene reveals its magnetic personality
nanoscience graphene nanoelectronics spintronics

18 January 2012
Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors
Researchers hope sensor nanoparticles will reduce the need for animal testing
nanoethics animal testing nanoparticles detection

16 January 2012
Acoustic microscopy: A nanoear to listen at the microscale
A nanomicrophone that allows us to get closer than ever to microscopic objects
milestone detection microscope nanophotonics

13 January 2012
Nanotechnology feat with proteins
Reveals an isolated protein molecule, surprisingly, is neither a solid nor a liquid
milestone nanobiotechnology nanomechanics

11 January 2012
Wires shrink to atomic scale
The narrowest conducting wires in silicon ever made – just four atoms wide and one atom tall –
milestone nanoelectronics

9 January 2012
EPA Needs to Manage Nanomaterials More Effectively
"Doesn't have sufficient info to effectively manage the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials"
nanomaterial national initiatives regulation nanotoxicology

6 January 2012
Seven Religious Reactions to Nanotechnology by Chris Toumey
Religious belief is likely to be influential in shaping public reactions to nanotechnology
nanoethics concerns public opinion

4 January 2012
First reported naturally-occurring quasicrystal have extra-terrestrial origin
Evidence for the extra-terrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal
quasicrystals nano before nanotech astronomy

2 January 2012
Death Valley Microbe May Spark Novel Nanotech Uses
Researchers report that they identified, isolated and grew a new type of magnetic bacteria
nanobiotechnology nanomedicine nano before nanotech

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NAS: Health and Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials Remain Uncertain

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:40:00 GMT

Despite extensive investment in nanotechnology and increasing commercialization over the last decade, insufficient understanding remains about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. Without a coordinated research plan to help guide efforts to manage and avoid potential risks, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report presents a strategic approach for developing research and a scientific infrastructure needed to address potential health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. Its effective implementation would require sufficient management and budgetary authority to direct research across federal agencies.

Nanoscale engineering manipulates materials at the molecular level to create structures with unique and useful properties — materials that are both very strong and very light, for example. Many of the products containing nanomaterials on the market now are for skin care and cosmetics, but nanomaterials are also increasingly being used in products ranging from medical therapies to food additives to electronics. In 2009, developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials, and the market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015.

The committee that wrote the report found that over the last seven years there has been considerable effort internationally to identify research needs for the development and safe use of nanotechnology, including those of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which coordinates U.S. federal investments in nanoscale research and development. However, there has not been sufficient linkage between research and research findings and the creation of strategies to prevent and manage any risks. For instance, little progress has been made on the effects of ingested nanomaterials on human health and other potential health and environmental effects of complex nanomaterials that are expected to enter the market over the next decade. Therefore, there is the need for a research strategy that is independent of any one stakeholder group, has human and environmental health as its primary focus, builds on past efforts, and is flexible in anticipating and adjusting to emerging challenges, the committee said.

Because the number of products containing nanoscale materials is expected to explode, and future exposure scenarios may not resemble those of today, selecting target materials to study on the basis of existing market size — as is the practice now — is problematic. To help guide research, the committee noted the following four research categories, which should be addressed within five years:
· identify and quantify the nanomaterials being released and the populations and environments being exposed;
· understand processes that affect both potential hazards and exposure;
· examine nanomaterial interactions in complex systems ranging from subcellular to ecosystems; and
· support an adaptive research and knowledge infrastructure for accelerating progress and providing rapid feedback to advance research.

While surveying the existing resources for research, the committee acknowledged a gap between funding and the level of activity required to support the committee's strategy. The committee concluded that any reduction in the current funding level of approximately $120 million per year over the next five years for health and environmental risk research by federal agencies would be a setback to nanomaterials risk research. Moreover, additional modest resources from public, private, and international initiatives are needed in critical areas — informatics, nanomaterial characterization, benchmarking nanomaterials, characterization of sources, and development of networks for supporting collaborative research — to derive maximum strategic value from the research investments.

Implementation of the strategy should also include the integration of domestic and international participants involved in nanotechnology-related research, including the NNI, federal agencies, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and the academic community. The committee said that the current structure of the NNI — which has only coordinating functions across federal agencies and no top-down budgetary or management authority to direct nanotechnology-related environmental, health, and safety research — hinders its accountability for effective implementation. In addition, there is concern that dual and potentially conflicting roles of the NNI, such as developing and promoting nanotechnology while identifying and mitigating risks that arise from its use, impede application and evaluation of health and environmental risk research. To carry out the research strategy effectively, a clear separation of management and budgetary authority and accountability between promoting nanotechnology and assessing potential environmental and safety risks is essential.

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. Panel members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion. For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf . Source: From Health and Environmental Effects of Nanomaterials Remain Uncertain; Cohesive Research Plan Needed to Help Avoid Potential Risks From Rapidly Evolving Technology, The National Academies.

Related news list by date, most recent first: national initiatives nanomaterial regulation nanotoxicology
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Nanotech biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:19:00 GMT

Engineers have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances.

For the 26 million Americans with diabetes, drawing blood is the most prevalent way to check glucose levels. It is invasive and at least minimally painful. Researchers at Brown University are working on a new sensor that can check blood sugar levels by measuring glucose concentrations in saliva instead.

The technique takes advantage of a convergence of nanotechnology and surface plasmonics, which explores the interaction of electrons and photons (light). The engineers at Brown etched thousands of plasmonic interferometers onto a fingernail-size biochip and measured the concentration of glucose molecules in water on the chip. Their results showed that the specially designed biochip could detect glucose levels similar to the levels found in human saliva. Glucose in human saliva is typically about 100 times less concentrated than in the blood.

“This is proof of concept that plasmonic interferometers can be used to detect molecules in low concentrations, using a footprint that is ten times smaller than a human hair,” said Domenico Pacifici, assistant professor of engineering and lead author of the paper.

The technique can be used to detect other chemicals or substances, from anthrax to biological compounds, Pacifici said, “and to detect them all at once, in parallel, using the same chip.”

“It could be possible to use these biochips to carry out the screening of multiple biomarkers for individual patients, all at once and in parallel, with unprecedented sensitivity,” Pacifici said.

The engineers next plan to build sensors tailored for glucose and for other substances to further test the devices. “The proposed approach will enable very high throughput detection of environmentally and biologically relevant analytes in an extremely compact design. We can do it with a sensitivity that rivals modern technologies,” Pacifici said. Source: From Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood. This work is detailed in the paper "Nanoscale Plasmonic Interferometers for Multispectral, High-Throughput Biochemical Sensing" by Jing Feng, Vince S. Siu, Alec Roelke, Vihang Mehta, Steve Y. Rhieu, G. Tayhas R. Palmore, and Domenico Pacifici.

related:
New biosensor benefits from melding of carbon nanotubes, DNA
Type 1 diabetes nanosensor and nanovaccine

Related news list by date, most recent first: detection nanomedicine
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A step closer to new medical scanning devices

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:01:00 GMT

Scientists who have developed a new way to create a type of radiation known as Terahertz (THz) or T-rays - the technology behind full-body security scanners - say their new, stronger and more efficient continuous wave T-rays could be used to make better medical scanning gadgets and may one day lead to innovations similar to the “tricorder” scanner used in Star Trek.

Researchers from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore and Imperial College London in the UK have made T-rays into a much stronger directional beam than was previously thought possible and have efficiently produced T-rays at room-temperature conditions. This breakthrough allows future T-ray systems to be smaller, more portable, easier to operate, and much cheaper.

The scientists say that the T-ray scanner and detector could provide part of the functionality of a Star Trek-like medical "tricorder" - a portable sensing, computing and data communications device - since the waves are capable of detecting biological phenomena such as increased blood flow around tumorous growths. Future scanners could also perform fast wireless data communication to transfer a high volume of information on the measurements it makes.

T-rays are waves in the far infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum that have a wavelength hundreds of times longer than visible light. Such waves are already in use in airport security scanners, prototype medical scanning devices and in spectroscopy systems for materials analysis. T-rays can sense molecules such as those present in cancerous tumours and living DNA as every molecule has its unique signature in the THz range. T-rays can also be used to detect explosives or drugs, in gas pollution monitoring or non-destructive testing of semiconductor integrated circuit chips. However, the current continuous wave T-rays need to be created under very low temperatures with high energy consumption. Existing medical T-ray imaging devices have only low output power and are very expensive.

In the new technique, the researchers demonstrated that it is possible to produce a strong beam of T-rays by shining light of differing wavelengths on a pair of electrodes - two pointed strips of metal separated by a 100 nanometre gap on top of a semiconductor wafer. The unique tip-to-tip nano-sized gap electrode structure greatly enhances the THz field and acts like a nano-antenna that amplifies the THz wave generated. The waves are produced by an interaction between the electromagnetic waves of the light pulses and a powerful current passing between the semiconductor electrodes from the carriers generated in the underlying semiconductor. The scientists are able to tune the wavelength of the T-rays to create a beam that is useable in the scanning technology. Source: From T-Rays Technology Could Help Develop Star Trek-Style Hand-Held Medical Scanners. This work is detailed in the paper "Greatly enhanced continuous-wave terahertz emission by nano-electrodes in a photoconductive photomixer" by H Tanoto, JH Teng, QY Wu, M Sun, ZN Chen, SA Maier, B Wang, CC Chum, GY Si, AJ Danner and SJ Chua.

related:
Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE. Disruptive innovation: a competition to change a broken healthcare system
A tunable graphene device for putting terahertz light to work

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanophotonics detection nanomedicine
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Organic matter behave like a magnet

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:06:00 GMT

Can organic matter behave like a fridge magnet? Scientists have now shown that it can. they used graphene, the world’s thinnest and strongest material, and made it magnetic.

Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a chicken wire structure. In its pristine state, it exhibits no signs of the conventional magnetism usually associated with such materials as iron or nickel.

Demonstrating its remarkable properties won Manchester researchers the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010.

This latest research led by Dr Irina Grigorieva and Professor Sir Andre Geim (one of the Nobel prize recipients) could prove crucial to the future of graphene in electronics.

The Manchester researchers took nonmagnetic graphene and then either ‘peppered’ it with other nonmagnetic atoms like fluorine or removed some carbon atoms from the chicken wire. The empty spaces, called vacancies, and added atoms all turned out to be magnetic, exactly like atoms of, for example, iron.

“It is like minus multiplied by minus gives you plus”, says Dr Irina Grigorieva.

The researchers found that, to behave as magnetic atoms, defects must be far away from each other and their concentration should be low. If many defects are added to graphene, they reside too close and cancel each other’s magnetism. In the case of vacancies, their high concentration makes graphene disintegrate.

Professor Geim said: “The observed magnetism is tiny, and even the most magnetized graphene samples would not stick to your fridge.

“However, it is important to reach clarity in what is possible for graphene and what is not. The area of magnetism in nonmagnetic materials has previously had many false positives.”

"The most likely use of the found phenomenon is in spintronics. Spintronics devices are pervasive, most notably they can be found in computers’ hard disks. They function due to coupling of magnetism and electric current.

“Adding this new degree of functionality can prove important for potential applications of graphene in electronics”, adds Dr Grigorieva. Source: From Graphene reveals its magnetic personality. The research is detailed in the paper “Spin-half paramagnetism in graphene induced by point defects” by R. Nair, M. Sepioni, I-Ling Tsai, O. Lehtinen, J. Keinonen, A. Krasheninnikov, T. Thomson, A. Geim and I. Grigorieva.

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanoscience graphene nanoelectronics spintronics
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Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:07:00 GMT

Experiments on animals have been the subject of criticism for decades, but there is no prospect of a move away from them any time soon. The number of tests involving laboratory animals has in fact gone up. Now, researchers have found an alternative approach: they hope sensor nanoparticles will reduce the need for animal testing.

Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science – and the situation is getting worse. While German laboratories used some 2.41 million animals for scientific research in 2005, by 2009 this number had grown to 2.79 million. One third were destined for fundamental biology research, and the majority were used for researching diseases and developing medical compounds and devices. People demand medicines that are safe and therapies that are tolerable, but hardly anyone is happy to accept the need for animal testing. This is why scientists have spent years looking for methods that can replace them. Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT in Munich have found an alternative: they hope to use novel nanosensors to reduce the number of experiments that are carried out on animals. “We’re basically using a test tube to study the effects of chemicals and their potential risks. What we do is take living cells, which were isolated from human and animal tissue and grown in cell cultures, and expose them to the substance under investigation,” explains Dr. Jennifer Schmidt of the EMFT. If a given concentration of the substance is poisonous to the cell, it will die. This change in “well-being” can be rendered visible by the sensor nanoparticles developed by Dr. Schmidt and her team.

Cells – the tiniest living things – that are healthy store energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). High levels of ATP are indicative of high levels of metabolic activity in cells. If a cell is severely damaged, it becomes less active, storing less energy and consequently producing less ATP. “Our nanosensors allow us to detect adenosine triphosphate and determine the state of health of cells. This makes it possible to assess the cell-damaging effects of medical compounds or chemicals,” says Schmidt.

The EMFT researchers’ nanoparticles are extremely well suited to the task at hand: they are not poisonous to cells, they can easily pass through cell membranes, and they can even be directed to particular points where the effect of the test substance is of most interest. But before this procedure can be applied, it must first be approved by the regulatory authorities – so the EMFT experts have a long journey ahead of them to gain approvals from various official bodies. This prospect has not, however, stopped the researchers from refining the technology and coming up with new applications for it – for instance to test the quality of packaged meat and its fitness for consumption. To this end they have developed nanosensors that can determine concentrations of oxygen and toxic amines. Source: From Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors.

Related news list by date, most recent first: animal testing nanoethics nanoparticles detection
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Acoustic microscopy: A nanoear to listen at the microscale

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:00:00 GMT

How noisy is a walking flea? What sorts of sound waves are caused by motile bacteria? Physicists at the Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM) have managed for the first time to detect sound waves at such minuscule length scales. Their nanoear is a single gold nanoparticle that is kept in a state of levitation by a laser beam. Upon weak acoustic excitation the particle oscillates parallel to the direction of sound propagation. The scientists led by Dr. Andrey Lutich, who is a member of Prof. Jochen Feldmann’s group at LMU Munich, managed to detect such tiny displacements using a dark-field microscope and an ordinary video camera. The nanoear is capable of detecting sound levels of approximately -60 dB. Thus, it is about a million times more sensitive than the hearing threshold of the human ear, which by convention is set at 0 dB.

The new method realized by the Munich physicists opens a new world to scientists: for the first time, otherwise imperceptibly weak motions – minuscule sound waves – can be visualized. The scientists developed the nanoear in two stages. “First, we validated the basic principle using a relatively strong sound source” group leader Andrey Lutich explains. “In the second step we were able to detect significantly weaker acoustic excitations.” The main element in both cases is a gold nanoparticle, 60 nm in diameter, which is kept in levitation by a so-called optical trap using a red laser. Each of the experiments was done in a small water drop on a cover slide.

“With our nanoear, we have developed a nanomicrophone that allows us to get closer than ever to microscopic objects” Alexander Ohlinger, first author of the publication, explains. “By observing the oscillations of a single gold nanoparticle, tiny movements can be detected.” In this way, the nanoear could yield important information on the minute motions of cells, cell organelles or artificial microscopic objects. Additionally, no high-end devices are necessary as only well-established methods are used. Source: From A nanoear to listen into the silence. Gold nanoparticles detect tiny acoustic vibrations. The research is detailed in the paper “Optically Trapped Gold Nanoparticle Enables Listening at the Microscale” by Alexander Ohlinger, Andras Deak, Andrey A. Lutich, and Jochen Feldmann.

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone detection microscope nanophotonics
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Nanotechnology feat with proteins

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:02:00 GMT

Physicists have made nanomechanical measurements of unprecedented resolution on protein molecules.

The new measurements, by UCLA physics professor Giovanni Zocchi and former UCLA physics graduate student Yong Wang, are approximately 100 times higher in resolution than previous mechanical measurements, a nanotechnology feat which reveals an isolated protein molecule, surprisingly, is neither a solid nor a liquid.

"Proteins are the molecular machines of life, the molecules we are made of," Zocchi said. "We have found that sometimes they behave as a solid and sometimes as a liquid.

"Solids have a shape while liquids flow — for simple materials at low stresses. However, for complex materials, or large stresses, the behavior can be in-between. Subjected to mechanical forces, a material might be elastic and store mechanical energy (simple solid), viscous and dissipate mechanical energy (simple fluid), or visco-elastic and both store and dissipate mechanical energy (complex solid, complex fluid). The viscoelastic behavior characteristic of more complex matter had not been clearly seen before on isolated proteins because mechanical measurements tend to destroy the proteins."

Zocchi and Wang's new nanotechnology method allowed them to apply stresses and probe the mechanics of the protein without destroying it. Wang, now a physics postdoctoral fellow at the University of Illinois in Urbana–Champaign, and Zocchi discovered a "transition to a viscoelastic regime in the mechanical response" of the protein.

"Below the transition, the protein responds elastically, like a spring," Zocchi said. "Above the transition, the protein flows like a viscous liquid. However, the transition is reversible if the stress is removed. Functional conformational changes of enzymes (changes in the shape of the molecule) must typically operate across this transition."

In previous research, Zocchi and colleagues reported a significant step in controlling chemical reactions mechanically last year, made a significant step toward a new approach to protein engineering in 2006, created a mechanism at the nanoscale to externally control the function and action of a protein in 2005, and created a first-of-its-kind nanoscale sensor using a single molecule less than 20 nanometers long in 2003. A nanometer is roughly 2,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Source: From UCLA physicists report nanotechnology feat with proteins by Stuart Wolpert. This work was detailed in the paper “Viscoelastic Transition and Yield Strain of the Folded Protein”.

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone nanomechanics nanometrology
nanobiotechnology
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Wires shrink to atomic scale

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:08:00 GMT

The narrowest conducting wires in silicon ever made – just four atoms wide and one atom tall – have been shown to have the same electrical current carrying capability of copper. Despite their astonishingly tiny diameter – 10,000 times thinner than a human hair – these wires have exceptionally good electrical properties, raising hopes they will serve to connect atomic-scale components in the quantum computers of tomorrow.

“Interconnecting wiring of this scale will be vital for the development of future atomic-scale electronic circuits,” says the lead author of the study, Bent Weber, a PhD student in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia. The wires were made by precisely placing chains of phosphorus atoms within a silicon crystal, according to the study.

The researchers discovered that the electrical resistivity of their wires – a measure of the ease with which electrical current can flow – does not depend on the wire width. Their behaviour is described by Ohm’s law, which is a fundamental law of physics taught to every high school student. “It is extraordinary to show that such a basic law still holds even when constructing a wire from the fundamental building blocks of nature – atoms,” says Weber.

The discovery demonstrates that electrical interconnects in silicon can shrink to atomic dimensions without loss of functionality, says the Centre’s Director and leader of the research, Professor Michelle Simmons. Source: From Wires shrink to atomic scale. The research is detailed in the paper “Ohm’s Law Survives to the Atomic Scale”.

Context:
Ohm’s Law Survives at the Atomic Scale by Saswato R. Das, IEEE Spectrum. "Ohm’s Law is extended to the atomic level, and Moore’s Law may get a reprieve."
Aussie Brains Move Chip Design to Quantum Realm by Eric Smalley , Wired. "A big step forward for quantum computer chips. The team has built quantum bits, or qubits. Atoms spin. By subtly controlling this spin, researchers have been able to perform quantum logic.“We realized fairly early on that to control these single-atom spins we would need interconnects at the same scale as the atoms themselves,” says Simmons. "

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanoelectronics milestone
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EPA Needs to Manage Nanomaterials More Effectively

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:08:00 GMT

The purpose of this review was to determine how effectively the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is managing the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials.

Nanomaterials are currently used in a wide variety of applications, including consumer products, health care, transportation, energy, and agriculture. The Agency considers nanomaterials as chemical substances that are controlled at the scale of approximately one-billionth of a meter. EPA has the authority, through several environmental statutes, to regulate nanomaterials. Although the development of nanomaterials and nanomaterial-enhanced products is expanding rapidly, the health implications of nanomaterials have not yet been determined.

We found that EPA does not currently have sufficient information or processes to effectively manage the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. EPA has the statutory authority to regulate nanomaterials but currently lacks the environmental and human health exposure and toxicological data to do so effectively. The Agency proposed a policy under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to identify new pesticides being registered with nanoscale materials. After minimal industry participation in a voluntary data collection program, the Agency has proposed mandatory reporting rules for nanomaterials under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and is also developing proposed rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

However, even if mandatory reporting rules are approved, the effectiveness of EPA’s management of nanomaterials remains in question for a number of reasons:

Program offices do not have a formal process to coordinate the dissemination and utilization of the potentially mandated information.
EPA is not communicating an overall message to external stakeholders regarding policy changes and the risks of nanomaterials.
EPA proposes to regulate nanomaterials as chemicals and its success in managing nanomaterials will be linked to the existing limitations of those applicable statutes.
EPA’s management of nanomaterials is limited by lack of risk information and reliance on industry-submitted data.

These issues present significant barriers to effective nanomaterial management when combined with existing resource challenges. If EPA does not improve its internal processes and develop a clear and consistent stakeholder communication process, the Agency will not be able to assure that it is effectively managing nanomaterial risks.

What We Recommend: We recommend that the Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention develop a process to assure effective dissemination and coordination of nanomaterial information across relevant program offices. The Agency agreed with our recommendation and provided a corrective action plan with milestone dates. This recommendation is open with agreed-to actions pending. Source: EPA Needs to Manage Nanomaterial Risks More Effectively. At a Glance. The review is detailed in the report EPA Needs to Manage Nanomaterials More Effectively by the Office of Inspector General, December 29, 2011

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Seven Religious Reactions to Nanotechnology

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:25:00 GMT

Abstract: Nanotechnology—the control of matter at the level of atoms and molecules—has evoked a large body of literature on moral and ethical issues. Almost all of this is expressed in secular voices. Religious commentaries about nanotechnology have been much more rare. And yet survey research indicates that religious belief will be one of the most powerful influences in shaping public views about nanotechnology. This paper argues that it is worth knowing what religious voices have said about nanotechnology, so that we might anticipate additional religious reactions in the future. After that, this paper presents seven cases of religious reactions to nanotechnology from a variety of faiths. This information gives us some insights about how religious individuals and institutions think about this technology, and also insights about how a new technology evokes a variety of hopes and fears.

"I conclude with three observations. First, religious belief is likely to be influential in shaping public reactions to nanotechnology, and religious belief about nanotech can be thoughtful and provocative. Even so, secondly, religious reactions are still distinctly small in numbers compared with reactions expressed in secular voices. This is not to say that religious and secular voices need to compete with each other to see who can produce more commentaries on nanotechnology, but it is regrettable that most religious organizations have disregarded the moral and ethical issues involved with this family of sciences and technologies.

My third observation is that nanotechnology looks different to various religious organizations (which is also true of secular organizations). Some of these religious statements aspire to identify moral or ethical issues that are particular to nanotechnology, but in other cases a generic ethical template is assumed, as if the ethical issues in nanotechnology are new itera- tions of earlier ethical issues from biotechnology or information technology." Source: Seven Religious Reactions to Nanotechnology by Chris Toumey

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First reported naturally-occurring quasicrystal have extra-terrestrial origin

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:06:00 GMT

Researchers finds evidence for the extra-terrestrial origin of world’s only known natural example of a quasicrystal.

Researchers report that a rock fragment containing a previously undescribed natural quasi-crystal might be a remnant of a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite. Unlike crystalline solids, quasi-crystals contain a quasi-periodic arrangement of atoms and symmetries not normally found in crystals.

Paul J. Steinhardt and colleagues performed mass spectrometry and oxygen isotope analysis on quasi-crystalline grains of iron, aluminum, and copper arranged in a pattern with icosahedral symmetry (six separate axes of five-fold symmetry) and embedded in a fragment of rock previously unearthed in the Koryak Mountains of Russia.

The quasi-crystals, the authors report, were intermeshed with silicates and crystalline metals. In addition, the rock fragment contained a quasi-crystalline grain encased in stishovite, a mineral with the chemical composition of silica that forms only under extremely high pressures typical of the Earth's deep mantle and of meteoritic impacts. According to the authors' dating analysis, the fragment's oxygen isotope signature, which resembles that of certain carbonaceous meteorites, suggests an extra-terrestrial origin, possibly a meteorite that originated in the early solar system around 4.5 billion years ago. The events that led to the extraordinary assemblage of minerals found in the rock fragment remain a mystery, but the findings suggest that quasi-crystals — until recently represented exclusively by man-made materials — can form in nature and remain stable over cosmic time scales, according to the authors. Source: An extra-terrestrial quasi-crystal. This work was detailed in the paper “Evidence for the extra-terrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal” by L. Bindi, J. Eiler, Y. Guan, L. Hollister, G. Macpherson and N. Yao.

Follow up:
The quasicrystal from outer space by Richard Van Noorden, Nature. "Hundreds of synthetic quasicrystals have now been created in controlled conditions in laboratories. Steinhardt started a search to find a quasicrystal in nature"
Nobel prizewinning quasicrystal fell from space by David Shiga, New Scientist. It is still not clear exactly how quasicrystals form in nature. Laboratory specimens are made by depositing metallic vapour of a carefully controlled composition in a vacuum chamber. The new discovery that that they can form in space too, where the environment is more variable, suggests the crystals can be produced in a wider variety of conditions

Related news list by date, most recent first: quasicrystals nano before nanotech astronomy
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Death Valley Microbe May Spark Novel Nanotech Uses

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:48:00 GMT

Researchers report that they identified, isolated and grew a new type of magnetic bacteria that could lead to novel biotech and nanotech uses.

Nevada, the "Silver State," is well-known for mining precious metals. But scientists Dennis Bazylinski and colleagues at the University of Nevada Las Vegas do a different type of mining. They sluice through every water body they can find, looking for new forms of microbial magnetism. In a basin named Badwater on the edge of Death Valley National Park, Bazylinski and researcher Christopher Lefèvre, from the French National Center of Scientific Research, hit pay dirt.

Magnetotactic bacteria are simple, single-celled organisms that are found in almost all bodies of water. As their name suggests, they orient and navigate along magnetic fields like miniature swimming compass needles. This is due to the nano-sized crystals of the minerals magnetite or greigite they produce. The presence of these magnetic crystals makes the bacteria and their internal crystals — called magnetosomes — useful in drug delivery and medical imaging.

"The finding is significant in showing that this bacterium has specific genes to synthesize magnetite and greigite, and that the proportion of these magnetosomes varies with the chemistry of the environment," said Enriqueta Barrera, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.

While many magnetite-producing bacteria can be grown and easily studied, Bazylinski and his team were the first to cultivate a greigite-producing species. Greigite is an iron sulfide mineral, the equivalent of the iron oxide magnetite. "Because greigite-producing bacteria have never been isolated, the crystals haven't been tested for the types of biomedical and other applications that currently use magnetite," said Bazylinski. "Greigite is an iron sulfide that may be superior to magnetite in some applications due to its slightly different physical and magnetic properties. Now we have the opportunity to find out."

Researchers found the greigite-producing bacterium, called BW-1, in water samples collected more than 280 feet below sea level in Badwater Basin. Lefèvre and Bazylinski later isolated and grew it leading to the discovery that BW-1 produces both greigite and magnetite. A detailed look at its DNA revealed that BW-1 has two sets of magnetosome genes, unlike other such bacteria, which produce only one mineral and have only one set of magnetosome genes. This suggests that the production of magnetite and greigite in BW-1 is likely controlled by separate sets of genes. That could be important in the mass production of either mineral for specific applications. Source: Badwater Basin: Death Valley Microbe Thrives There. This work was detailed in the paper “A Cultured Greigite-Producing Magnetotactic Bacterium in a Novel Group of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria” by Christopher T. Lefèvre, Nicolas Menguy, Fernanda Abreu, Ulysses Lins, Mihály Pósfai, Tanya Prozorov, David Pignol, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski.

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanobiotechnology nanomedicine nano before nanotech
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Natural nanopolymers used as drug carriers

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Nano-cellulose drug carriers were produced by Iranian researchers from Islamic Azad University in association with their colleagues from Northern Carolina University of the US in a bid to fight various types of illness-causing bacteria such as bacteria that are resistant against antiseptics.

"Natural nanopolymers, among which nano-cellulose is one of the most important ones, attracted the attention of researchers about 10 years ago. Nano-cellulose consists of crystalline and biological particles and they can be used as the base material in many industries due to their ability of surface modification," Dr. Hassan Sadeqifar, member of the Scientific Board of Islamic Azad University, told the news service of the INIC.

Studying at Northern Carolina State University in the United States at post-doctorate level in the field of natural nanomaterials, Sadeqifar has carried out research aiming at presenting a new method for the production of cellulose nanoparticles from cellulose fibers and to carry out chemical modification on the surface of such particles in order to be used in antibacterial and medical purposes.

"Cellulose nanoparticles are chemically neutral but biologically degradable and compatible with human's body. Therefore, in addition to compatibility with human body's tissues, such materials degrade gradually when they are used as the base material in the production of antiseptics or drug carriers," Sadeqifar continued.

Cellulose nanoparticles have applications in numerous industries such as polymer, food, nano-electronics, paper fabrication, filters for chemical materials and gases neutralization, textile, and so forth. However, their application in medical purposes and drug carriers was the main purpose of this study. Source: From Iranian, American Researchers Produce Nano-Cellulose Drug Carriers. This work was detailed in the paper “Photobactericidal porphyrin-cellulose nanocrystals: synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial properties” by Feese, E., Sadeghifar, H., Gracz, H. S., Argyropoulos, D. S., & Ghiladi, R. A.

Context:
Bridging the gap: Science help brings Iranian and UNC researchers together by Robert Tilford, Charlotte City Buzz Examiner. "It’s not every day I run across an article in Iran which mentions North Carolina State University, or for that matter the United States in a positive light, but today I did. I guess I was surprised it didn’t have to do with CIA spies, secret drones, nuclear weapons or terrorism. God knows we hear enough of that kind already. Instead it had to do with a incredible medical break though that holds great promise in dealing with super resistant bacteria that can cause food borne illness (colloquially referred to as food poisoning)."

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanofiber nanocrystals food nanomedicine drug delivery nano before nanotech
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Online course on fundamentals of nanotechnology

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:02:00 GMT

Online courses covering the fundamentals of nanotechnology will be offered beginning in 2012 by the science portal nanoHUB, the national Network for Computational Nanotechnology and Purdue University. Registration fees for each of the two five-week courses is $30, and continuing education credits are available for an extra fee.

Students in the courses will make use of simulation and modeling tools and the computational resources found at nanoHUB.org, allowing students to execute actual nanotechnology engineering simulations as part of their training.

The courses are aimed at engineers, academics, graduate students and others who need to understand both the basics and the latest developments in the field of nanoelectronics.

Supriyo Datta will be teaching nanoHUB's first two courses. "Although we will be discussing cutting-edge concepts in nanoelectronics, the course should be understandable to anyone with a basic background in science and mathematics," Datta says. "We make every effort to avoid using specialist jargon so that it is accessible to people from all branches of engineering and science."

Datta is an award-winning researcher and teacher whose books on nanoelectronics - "Electronic Transport in Microscopic Systems" (Cambridge, 1995) and "Quantum Transport: Atom to Transistor" (Cambridge, 2005) - are used as standard texts in the field of nanoelectronics.

Mark Lundstrom, Purdue's Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, says Datta's previous lectures have been viewed more than 75,000 times at the nanoHUB.org site. "Most of us in the field would agree that Supriyo is the Richard Feynman of nanoelectronics," Lundstrom says.

"We're rethinking applied science and engineering, and we're inviting a worldwide audience to participate in that," he says. "The aim is to present and package nanotechnology in a way that's never been done before." Source: From Online course on fundamentals of nanotechnology offered by Steve Tally. Additional course information and registration are available at https://nanohub.org/groups/purdue

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Lawsuit on Risks of Nanotechnology

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:59:00 GMT

Nanowire-based single-cell endoscopy

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:11:00 GMT

An endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell, has been developed by researchers. This highly versatile and mechanically robust nanowire-based optical probe can also be applied to biosensing and single-cell electrophysiology.

A team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley attached a tin oxide nanowire waveguide to the tapered end of an optical fibre to create a novel endoscope system. Light travelling along the optical fibre can be effectively coupled into the nanowire where it is re-emitted into free space when it reaches the tip. The nanowire tip is extremely flexible due to its small size and high aspect ratio, yet can endure repeated bending and buckling so that it can be used multiple times.

“By combining the advantages of nanowire waveguides and fibre-optic fluorescence imaging, we can manipulate light at the nanoscale inside living cells for studying biological processes within single living cells with high spatial and temporal resolution,” says Peidong Yang, a chemist with Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division, who led this research.

Despite significant advancements in electron and scanning probe microscopy, visible light microscopy remains the workhorse for the study of biological cells. Because cells are optically transparent, they can be noninvasively imaged with visible light in three-dimensions. Also, visible light allows the fluorescent tagging and detection of cellular constituents, such as proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. The one drawback to visible light imaging in biology has been the diffraction barrier, which prevents visible light from resolving structures smaller than half the wavelength of the incident light. Recent breakthroughs in nanophotonics have made it possible to overcome this barrier and bring subcellular components into view with optical imaging systems. However, such systems are complex, expensive and, oddly enough, bulky in size.

“Previously, we had shown that subwavelength dielectric nanowire waveguides can efficiently shuttle ultraviolet and visible light in air and fluidic media,” Yang says. “By incorporating one of our nanophotonic components into a simple, low-cost, bench-top fibre-optical set-up, we were able to miniaturize our endoscopic system.”

To test their nanowire endoscope as a local light source for subcellular imaging, Yang and his co-authors optically coupled it to an excitation laser then waveguided blue light across the membrane and into the interiors of individual HeLa cells, the most commonly used immortalized human cell line for scientific research.

“The insertion of our tin oxide nanowire into the cell cytoplasm did not induce cell death, apoptosis, significant cellular stress, or membrane rupture. Moreover, illuminating the intracellular environment of HeLa cells with blue light using the nanoprobe did not harm the cells because the illumination volume was so small, down to the picolitre-scale.”

Having demonstrated the biocompatibility of their nanowire endoscope, Yang and his co-authors next tested its capabilities for delivering payloads to specific sites inside a cell. While carbon and boron nitride nanotube-based single-cell delivery systems have been reported, these systems suffer from delivery times that range from 20-to-30 minutes, plus a lack of temporal control over the delivery process. To overcome these limitations, Yang and his co-authors attached quantum dots to the tin oxide nanowire tip of their endoscope using photo-activated linkers that can be cleaved by low-power ultraviolet radiation. Within one minute, their functionalized nanowire endoscope was able to release its quantum dot cargo into the targeted intracellular sites.

“In the future, in addition to optical imaging and cargo delivery, we could also use this nanowire endoscope to electrically or optically stimulate a living cell,” Yang says. Source: From A Single Cell Endoscope. Berkeley Lab Researchers Use Nanophotonics for Optical Look Inside Living Cells. This work was detailed in the paper “Nanowire-based single-cell endoscopy”.

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