NanoWiki

NASA telescope finds elusive buckyballs

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:06:47 GMT

Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered carbon molecules, known as "buckyballs," in space for the first time.

"We found what are now the largest molecules known to exist in space," says astronomer Jan Cami of The University of Western Ontario and the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. "We are particularly excited because they have unique properties that make them important players for all sorts of physical and chemical processes going on in space."

The Cami team unexpectedly found the carbon balls in a planetary nebula named Tc 1. Planetary nebulas are the remains of stars, like the sun, that shed their outer layers of gas and dust as they age. A compact, hot star, or white dwarf, at the center of the nebula illuminates and heats these clouds of material that has been shed.

In 1970, Japanese professor Eiji Osawa predicted the existence of buckyballs, but they were not observed until lab experiments in 1985. Researchers simulated conditions in the atmospheres of aging, carbon-rich giant stars, in which chains of carbon had been detected. Surprisingly, these experiments resulted in the formation of large quantities of buckminsterfullerenes. The molecules have since been found on Earth in candle soot, layers of rock and meteorites. Sir Harry Kroto, who shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in chemistry with Bob Curl and Rick Smalley for the discovery of buckyballs, said, "This most exciting breakthrough provides convincing evidence that the buckyball has, as I long suspected, existed since time immemorial in the dark recesses of our galaxy."

Previous searches for buckyballs in space, in particular around carbon-rich stars, proved unsuccessful. Source: From NASA telescope finds elusive buckyballs by Heather Travis. This work is detailed in the paper Detection of C60 and C70 in a Young Planetary Nebula by Jan Cami, Jeronimo Bernard-Salas, Els Peeters, Sarah Elizabeth Malek.

Related news list by date, most recent first: astronomy fullerene video

SXM Project: An Open-Source Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:06:00 GMT

The emerging Nanotechnology is expected to change our world to a comparable extent as Microtechnology has (introducing integrated circuits, microsurgery and spacecrafts).

To give everybody an opportunity to make his own "hands on" experience with the Nanoworld we provide all information to build up and use some of the standard equipment of this fascinating field of science, starting with the Nobel-Prize-Winner of 1986: the Scanning-Tunneling-Microscope (STM).

Scanning tunneling microscopy, developed by Binnig and Rohrer in the early eighties, allows the investigation of molecular and also atomic structures. It is the only technique with such a high resolution, that even works in air and in liquid.

The STM consists of a very fine, electrically conducting tip, which is guided over a sample surface at an extremely small distance. Owing to an applied voltage a current flows between tip and sample, where the variation of the current reveals information about the electronic structure of the surface and can also render a height relief. A computer is used to collect single scan points and calculates a detailed map of the sample surface.

Today tunneling microscopy is a standard technique in nanoscience, which is not only used to investigate samples at the atomic scale, but can be employed to construct structures atom by atom as well.

We hope you enjoy the content of the following pages and have fun constructing our scanning tunneling microscope! Source: From SXM Project. Scanning Probe Microscope construction kit by the Interface Physics Group at the University of Münster

Related news list by date, most recent first: educational open microscope images

Artificial cells capable of self-organizing, performing tasks, and transporting cargo

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:01:00 GMT

Researchers develop first models for producing polymer-based artificial cells capable of self-organizing, performing tasks, and transporting “cargo,” from chemicals to medicine. Inspired by the social interactions of ants and slime molds, University of Pittsburgh engineers have designed artificial cells capable of self-organizing into independent groups that can communicate and cooperate. The research is a significant step toward producing synthetic cells that behave like natural organisms and could perform important, microscale functions in fields ranging from the chemical industry to medicine.

The team presents computational models that provide a blueprint for developing artificial cells—or microcapsules—that can communicate, move independently, and transport “cargo” such as chemicals needed for reactions. Most importantly, the “biologically inspired” devices function entirely through simple physical and chemical processes, behaving like complex natural organisms but without the complicated internal biochemistry, said the researcher Anna Balazs, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering.

The Pitt group’s microcapsules interact by secreting nanoparticles in a way similar to that used by biological cells signal to communicate and assemble into groups. And with a nod to ants, the cells leave chemical trails as they travel, prompting fellow microcapsules to follow. Balazs worked with German Kolmakov and Victor Yashin, both postdoctoral researchers in Pitt’s Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, who produced the cell models; and with Pitt professor of electrical and computer engineering Steven Levitan, who devised the ant-like trailing ability.

The researchers write that communication hinges on the interaction between microcapsules exchanging two different types of nanoparticles. The “signaling” cell secretes nanoparticles known as agonists that prompt the second “target” microcapsule to emit nanoparticles known as antagonists. Video of this interaction is available on Pitt’s Web site, one of several videos of the artificial cells Pitt has provided.

Locomotion results as the released nanoparticles alter the surface underneath the microcapsules. The cell’s polymer-based walls begin to push on the fluid surrounding the capsule and the fluid pushes back even harder, moving the capsule. At the same time, the nanoparticles from the signaling cell pull it toward the target cells. Groups of capsules begin to form as the signaling cell rolls along, picking up target cells. In practical use, Balazs said, the signaling cell could transport target cells loaded with cargo; the team’s next step is to control the order in which target cells are collected and dropped off.

The researchers adjusted the particle output of the signaling cell to create various cell formations, some of which are shown in the videos available on Pitt’s Web site. Source: Pitt Team Designs Artificial Cells That Communicate and Cooperate Like Biological Cells, Follow Each Other Like Ants. This work is detailed in the paper Designing communicating colonies of biomimetic microcapsules by German V. Kolmakov, Victor V. Yashin, Steven P. Levitan, and Anna C. Balazs.

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanoparticles

Crystal Sponges to Capture CO2

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:45:00 GMT

Chemists from UCLA and South Korea report the "ultimate porosity of a nano-material," achieving world records for both porosity and carbon dioxide storage capacity in an important class of materials known as MOFs, or metal–organic frameworks.

MOFs, sometimes described as crystal sponges, have pores — openings on the nanoscale which can store gases that are usually difficult to store and transport. Porosity is crucial for compacting large amounts of gases into small volumes and is an essential property for capturing carbon dioxide.

The research could lead to cleaner energy and the ability to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans.

"We are reporting the ultimate porosity of a nano-material; we believe this to be the upper limit or very near the upper limit for porosity in materials," said the paper's senior author, Omar Yaghi, a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the UCLA–Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics.

With lead author Hiroyasu (Hiro) Furukawa, co-author Jaheon Kim and colleagues, Yaghi reports on two materials that not only break the porosity record, but do so by an extremely large margin. The materials are MOF-200, made at UCLA by Furukawa, a postdoctoral scholar in Yaghi's laboratory, and MOF-210, made at Seoul's Soongsil University in South Korea by Kim, a chemistry professor and former graduate student in Yaghi's laboratory, and colleagues.

Invented by Yaghi the early 1990s, MOFs are like scaffolds made of linked rods, with nanoscale pores that are the right size to trap carbon dioxide. The components of MOFs can be changed nearly at will, and Yaghi's laboratory has made several hundred MOFs, with a variety of properties and structures.

Since 1999, MOFs have held the record for having the highest porosity of any material. MOFs can be made from low-cost ingredients, such as zinc oxide, a common ingredient in sunscreen, and terephthalate, which is found in plastic soda bottles."If I take a gram of MOF-200 and unravel it, it will cover many football fields, and that is the space you have for gases to assemble," Yaghi said. "It's like magic. Forty tons of MOFs is equal to the entire surface area of California."

Yaghi, Furukawa and Kim also report a record for carbon dioxide storage capacity. MOF-200 and MOF-210 take up the highest amount of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide, by weight, ever achieved. Source: World records by UCLA chemists, Korean colleagues enhance ability to capture CO2 by Stuart Wolpert. This work is detailed in the paper Ultra-High Porosity in Metal-Organic Frameworks by Hiroyasu Furukawa, Nakeun Ko, Yong Bok Go, Naoki Aratani, Sang Beom Choi, Eunwoo Choi, A. Özgür Yazaydin, Randall Q. Snurr, Michael O’Keeffe, Jaheon Kim, Omar M. Yaghi

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanomaterial climate energy

Microscopy: molecules into view

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:55:00 GMT

Conventional wisdom holds that optical microscopy can't be used to "see" something as small as an individual molecule. But as it is wont, clever science has once again overturned conventional wisdom. Secretary of Energy, Nobel laureate and former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Steven Chu led the development of a technique that enables the use of optical microscopy to image objects or the distance between them with resolutions as small as 0.5 nanometers - one-half of one billionth of a meter, or an order of magnitude smaller than the previous best.

"The ability to get sub-nanometer resolution in biologically relevant aqueous environments has the potential to revolutionize biology, particularly structural biology," says Secretary Chu. "One of the motivations for this work, for example, was to measure distances between proteins that form multi-domain, highly complex structures, such as the protein assembly that forms the human RNA polymerase II system, which initiates DNA transcription."

Pertsinidis is continuing to work with Chu and others in the group on the further development and application of this super-resolution technique. In addition to the human RNA polymerase II system, he and the group are using it to determine the structure of the Epithelial cadherin molecules that are responsible for the cell-to-cell adhesion that holds tissue and other biological materials together. Pertsinidis, Zhang, and another postdoc in Chu’s research group, Sang Ryul Park, are also using this technique to create 3D measurements of the molecular organization inside brain cells.

In a collaboration with Joe Gray, Berkeley Lab’s Associate Director for Life Sciences and a leading cancer researcher, postdocs in Chu’s research group are also using the super-resolution technique to study the attachment of signaling molecules on the RAS protein, which has been linked to a number of cancers, including those of the breast, pancreas, lung and colon. This research could help explain why cancer therapies that perform well on some patients are ineffective on others.

In addition to its biological applications, Pertsinidis, Zhang and Chu say their super-resolution technique should also prove valuable to characterize and design precision photometric imaging systems in atomic physics or astronomy, and allow for new tools in optical lithography and nanometrology. Source: Correcting a trick of the light brings molecules into view by Lynn Yarris. This work is detailed in the paper Subnanometre single-molecule localization, registration and distance measurements by Alexandros Pertsinidis, Yunxiang Zhang & Steven Chu

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone microscope images

A way to predict the organization of nanoparticles

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:58:00 GMT

A team of scientists led by Eugenia Kumacheva of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto has discovered a way to predict the organization of nanoparticles in larger forms by treating them much the same as ensembles of molecules formed from standard chemical reactions.

"Currently, no model exists describing the organization of nanoparticles," says Kumacheva . "Our work paves the way for the prediction of the properties of nanoparticle ensembles and for the development of new design rules for such structures."

The focus of nanoscience is gradually shifting from the synthesis of individual nanoparticles to their organization in larger structures. In order to use nanoparticle ensembles in functional devices such as memory storage devices or optical waveguides, it is important to achieve control of their structure.

According to the researchers' observations, the self-organization of nanoparticles is an efficient strategy for producing nanostructures with complex, hierarchical architectures. "The past decade has witnessed great progress in nanoscience - particularly nanoparticle self-assembly - yet the quantitative prediction of the architecture of nanoparticle ensembles and of the kinetics of their formation remains a challenge," she continues. "We report on the remarkable similarity between the self-assembly of metal nanoparticles and chemical reactions leading to the formation of polymer molecules. The nanoparticles act as multifunctional single units, which form reversible, noncovalent bonds at specific bond angles and organize themselves into a highly ordered polymer."

"We developed a new approach that enables a quantitative prediction of the architecture of linear, branched, and cyclic self-assembled nanostructures, their aggregation numbers and size distribution, and the formation of structural isomers."

"We treated them as molecules, not particles, which in a process resembling a polymerization reaction, organize themselves into polymer-like assemblies," says Kumacheva. "Using this analogy, we used the theory of polymerization and predicted the architecture of the so-called 'molecules' and also found other, unexpected features that can find interesting applications." Source: Chemists make breakthrough in nanoscience research. This work is detailed in the paper Step-Growth Polymerization of Inorganic Nanoparticles by Kun Liu, Zhihong Nie, Nana Zhao, Wei Li, Michael Rubinstein, Eugenia Kumacheva

Related news list by date, most recent first: self-assembly nanoparticles

'Molecular Glass Fibre'

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:19:00 GMT

Nanotechnologists have discovered that the photosynthesis system of bacteria can be used to transport light over relatively long distances. They have developed a type of 'molecular glass fibre', a thousand times thinner than a human hair.

All plants and some bacteria use photosynthesis to store energy from the sun. Researchers from the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology of the University of Twente have now discovered how parts of the photosynthesis system of bacteria can be used to transport light. In their experiments the researchers used isolated proteins from the so-called Light Harvesting Complex (LHC). These proteins transport the sunlight in the cells of plants and bacteria to a place in the cell where the solar energy is stored. The researchers built a type of 'molecular glass fibre' from the LHC proteins that is a thousand times thinner than a human hair.

In the experiment the researchers fastened the proteins onto a fixed background. They positioned them in a line, and in this way formed a thread. They then shone laser light to one point in the thread, and observed where the light went to. The line with the LHC proteins did not only transport the light, but transported it over much longer distances than the researchers had initially expected. Distances of around 50 nanometres are normally bridged in the bacteria from which the LHC proteins were isolated. In the researchers' experiments the light covered distances at least thirty times greater.

According to Cees Otto, one of the researchers involved, we can learn a lot from nature in experiments such as this. "The LHC proteins are the building blocks that nature gives us, and using then we can learn more about natural processes such as the transport of light in photosynthesis. When we understand how nature works, we can then imitate it. In time we will be able to use this principle in, for example, solar panels."

The research was carried out in partnership with the University of Sheffield, and fully financed by NanoNed. Source: MESA+/University of Twente nanotechnologists create ‘molecular glass fibres’. This work is detailed in the paper Long-Range Energy Propagation in Nanometre Arrays of Light Harvesting Antenna Complexes by Maryana Escalante, Aufried Lenferink, Yiping Zhao, Niels Tas, Jurriaan Huskens, Neil Hunter, Vinod Subramaniam and Cees Otto. "Here we report the first observation of long-range transport of excitation energy within a biomimetic molecular nanoarray constructed from LH2 antenna complexes from Rhodobacter sphaeroides."

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanophotonics energy

World's first nanoparticle-based cancer treatment to come to market

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:02:00 GMT

Following more than 20 years of research and development efforts, MagForce Nanotechnologies AG, a majority-owned subsidiary of Nanostart AG, has received regulatory approval for medical use of its Nano-Cancer® therapy throughout the European Union. This momentous event marks the world’s first nanoparticle-based cancer treatment to come to market.

Approval was granted for the treatment of brain tumors.

This novel therapy involves the instillation directly into the tumor of a fluid containing special iron oxide nanoparticles. These magnetic nanoparticles are then subjected to a controlled magnetic field so that they oscillate and generate heat. The elevated temperature within the tumor causes the cancer cells to be damaged or destroyed.

This approval follows successful completion of the conformity evaluation procedure of the company’s NanoTherm® magnetic fluid by Medcert GmbH and of its NanoActivator® magnetic field applicator by Berlin Cert GmbH. Both of these medical certification and testing companies are officially authorized centers for the conformity evaluation of medical devices.

“With regulatory approval now received, our company has entered a new phase. MagForce is transforming itself from a medical R&D company to a commercial provider of medical technology,” said Dr. Peter Heinrich, CEO of MagForce Nanotechnologies.

MagForce founder and CSO Dr. Andreas Jordan added, “After research and development efforts spanning more than 20 years, we now have regulatory approval in hand. This is a historic moment for us.”

This regulatory approval gives the green light for the company to proceed with its planned market launch of Nano-Cancer® therapy, which will commence in the coming weeks.

Nanostart CEO Marco Beckmann underscored that “regulatory approval was granted not just for glioblastoma but for the treatment of all brain tumors, thus opening enormous market potential for the new therapy. We congratulate the management team and entire staff at MagForce on this tremendous success.”

The regulatory approval was received based on the results of a clinical study in patients suffering from recurrent glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of brain tumor. In these clinical trials, the new therapy was able to demonstrate its remarkable effectiveness, with median patient survival time increased from 6.2 months using conventional therapies to 13.4 months using Nano-Cancer® therapy in combination with radiotherapy. Median patient survival following diagnosis of the recurrence was thus more than doubled. Furthermore, compared to existing conventional treatments, the side effects and patient discomfort associated with the new therapy are minimal. Source: Nanostart subsidiary MagForce Nanotechnologies receives EU regulatory approval for its Nano-Cancer® therapy

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone nanomedicine nano-oncology nanoparticles

Self-assembling nanodevices that move and change shape on demand

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 08:30:00 GMT

By emulating nature’s design principles, researchers has created nanodevices made of DNA that self-assemble and can be programmed to move and change shape on demand. In contrast to existing nanotechnologies, these programmable nanodevices are highly suitable for medical applications because DNA is both biocompatible and biodegradable.

Built at the scale of one billionth of a meter, each device is made of a circular, single-stranded DNA molecule that, once it has been mixed together with many short pieces of complementary DNA, self-assembles into a predetermined 3D structure. Double helices fold up into larger, rigid linear struts that connect by intervening single-stranded DNA. These single strands of DNA pull the struts up into a 3D form—much like tethers pull tent poles up to form a tent. The structure’s strength and stability result from the way it distributes and balances the counteracting forces of tension and compression.

This architectural principle—known as tensegrity—has been the focus of artists and architects for many years, but it also exists throughout nature. In the human body, for example, bones serve as compression struts, with muscles, tendons and ligaments acting as tension bearers that enable us to stand up against gravity. The same principle governs how cells control their shape at the microscale.

“These little Swiss Army knives can help us make all kinds of things that could be useful for advanced drug delivery and regenerative medicine,” said lead investigator William Shih, Wyss core faculty member and associate professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at HMS and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “We also have a handy biological DNA Xerox machine that nature evolved for us,” making these devices easy to manufacture.

This new capability “is a welcome element in the structural DNA nanotechnology toolbox,” said Ned Seeman, professor of chemistry at New York University. Source: From Researchers create self-assembling nanodevices that move and change shape on demand. This work is detailed in the paper Self-assembly of 3D prestressed tensegrity structures from DNA by Tim Liedl, Bjorn Hogberg, Jessica Tytell, Donald E. Ingber, William M. Shih

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanodevice nanomedicine self-assembly dna nanotechnology architecture

In response to the Gulf oil spill

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:56:00 GMT

Researcher Says Simple Polymer-based Filter Successfully Cleans Water, Recovers Oil in Gulf of Mexico Tests. Developed by University of Pittsburgh engineering professor Di Gao in response to the "Deepwater Horizon" oil leak, the technique combines an ordinary cotton filter with a solution that repels oil while allowing water to pass through. The researcher reports that the filter was successfully tested off the coast of Louisiana and shown to simultaneously clean water and preserve the oil.

Gao's filter hinges on a polymer that is both hydrophilic-it bonds with the hydrogen molecules in water-and oleophobic, meaning that it repels oil. When the polymer is applied to an ordinary cotton filter, it allows water to pass through but not oil. The filter is produced by submerging the cotton in a liquid solution containing the polymer then drying it in an oven or in open air, Gao explained.

For the massive slick off the U.S. Gulf Coast, Gao envisions large, trough-shaped filters that could be dragged through the water to capture surface oil. The oil could be recovered and stored and the filter reused. Current cleanup methods range from giant containment booms and absorbent skimmers to controlled fires and chemical dispersants with questionable effects on human health and the environment.

Di Gao focuses his research in the development and application of chemical nanostructures, including liquid-resistant coatings. In 2009, Gao reported his demonstration of a nanoparticle-based solution that can prevent the formation of ice on solid surfaces, from power lines to airport runways and roads. Source: From Pitt Researcher Says Simple Polymer-based Filter Successfully Cleans Water, Recovers Oil in Gulf of Mexico Tests by Morgan Kelly.

Related news list by date, most recent first: water waste nanoremediation video

New York City the Future Metropolis

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:46:00 GMT

What will New York City look like in 20 years? Nanotech, energy monitoring, solar facades, building-integrated farms, tide turbine projects – these technologies and developments are currently underway and their future growth can dramatically affect the way we live and work.

During our recent event, “New York City the Future Metropolis,” we brought distinguished panelists speaking on an array of new technologies, research and development projects, and innovative, forward-looking design that will enhance our built environment.

Speakers Nanotechnology presentations:

* Edward M. Cupoli, Ph.D., Professor and Head, NanoEconomics Constellation, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University at Albany. "Buildings use more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy, consuming more than 70 percent of electricity and over 50 percent of natural gas", Source: Department of Energy

* Peter Yeadon and Martina Decker, Partners of Decker Yeadon LLC to speak on nanotechnology in architectural design

Source: Solar One » NYCFutureMetropolis

Related news list by date, most recent first: city

Converting brownian motion into work

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:34:00 GMT

Researchers from the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter and University of Twente in the Netherlands, and the University of Patras in Greece have for the first time experimentally realised, almost a century later, an idea dating from 1912. In that year the physicist Smoluchowski devised a prototype for an engine at the molecular scale in which he thought he could ingeniously convert Brownian motion into work. The team of scientists have now successfully constructed this device at the much larger scale of a granular gas. Moreover, they have shown that an intriguing exchange takes place between the vanes of the engine and the granular gas: once the vanes have started rotating, they in turn induce a rotating motion in the gas, a so-called convection roll. This reinforces the movement of the device and allows for a virtually continuous rotation. Molecular motors, such as those responsible for tensing and relaxing your muscles, move in a strange manner: they propel themselves forwards despite - or thanks to - a continuous bombardment of the randomly moving molecules in their surroundings. This random movement is called Brownian motion and a well-constructed motor at the nanoscale actually makes use of this to generate a directed movement (and therefore work). The device introduced by the physicist Marian Smoluchowski in 1912, as a thought experiment, is a classical example of such a motor. Source: From Classical thought experiment brought to life in granular gas. This work is detailed in the paper Experimental Realization of a Rotational Ratchet in a Granular Gas by Peter Eshuis, Ko van der Weele, Detlef Lohse, and Devaraj van der Meer. "We construct a ratchet of the Smoluchowski-Feynman type, consisting of four vanes that are allowed to rotate freely in a vibrofluidized granular gas. The necessary out-of-equilibrium environment is provided by the inelastically colliding grains, and the equally crucial symmetry breaking by applying a soft coating to one side of each vane. The onset of the ratchet effect occurs at a critical shaking strength via a smooth, continuous phase transition. For very strong shaking the vanes interact actively with the gas and a convection roll develops, sustaining the rotation of the vanes."

Movies of the experiment: http://stilton.tnw.utwente.nl/dryquicksand/ratchet/ratchet.html

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanodevice nanomachinery energy

New Open Access journal: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:26:00 GMT

The Beilstein-Institut publishes the Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry (BJOC) and starting in 2010, the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology (BJNANO).

Beilstein Open Access Journals support the unrestricted dissemination of scientific research results and information. Free access to publications maximizes the impact and visibility of scientific advances, allowing the rapid and efficient communication of new research ideas and discoveries among the scientific community.

Beilstein-Institut started this new funding programme in the spirit of the Berlin Declaration (2003), where renowned institutes and researchers advocate open access to scientific information.

All articles published in the Beilstein Journals are fully peer reviewed, to ensure their quality, originality, novelty and importance. Articles are freely available online worldwide immediately on publication, and are archived in public repositories. Authors retain the copyright to their work. The Beilstein Journals are supported by international editorial and advisory boards.

The Beilstein-Institut is responsible for the production and hosting of the journal and has developed the Beilstein Publication System to provide high-quality submission, peer-review, editorial and publication processes for authors. Source: Beilstein Open Access Journals

The Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology is an international, peer-reviewed, Open Access journal. It provides a unique platform for rapid publication without publication charges. At the same time, all articles are freely accessible to readers worldwide. Editor-in-Chief is Professor Thomas Schimmel, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

The Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology offers scientists the unique opportunity to publish their research free of charge in an Open Access scientific journal that is freely available online 365 days a year to any user worldwide. Source: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology - Home

Related news list by date, most recent first: dissemination open

Nano and art: Leonardo/ISAST cooperation with NanoWiki

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:32:00 GMT

"The critical challenges of the 21st century require mobilization and cross-fertilization among the domains of art, science and technology. Leonardo/ISAST fosters collaborative explorations both nationally and internationally by facilitating interdisciplinary projects and documenting and disseminating information about interdisciplinary practice." From Leonardo /ISAST Mission

Currently, "Leonardo, the Journal of the International Society of the Arts, Sciences and Technology, is seeking to publish papers and artworks on the intersections of chemistry, nanotechnology and art for our on-going special section on nanotechnology and the arts. With this special section of Leonardo, we hope to ignite artists' interest in the exploration of nanotech/nanoscience and encourage scientists, scholars and educators to contemplate the implications of an art-nanotech/nanoscience connection. Leonardo, in collaboration with the Exploratorium under the auspices of the Nanotech Informal Science Education Network, will publish a series of special sections periodically over the next 5 years exploring the intersections of nanotech/science and art." From Nanotechnology, Nanoscale Science And Art

In this framework, Leonardo/ISAST begin a cooperation with NanoWiki in the publication of capsules tagged "art", providing one new item a month; an abstract of a paper either accepted or published in one of the Leonardo journals or a related news that deal with nano and art. NanoWiki is a digital online publication, developed in the frame of NanoAracat, to track the evolution of paradigms and discoveries in nanoscience and nanotechnology field, annotate and disseminate them, giving an overall view and feed the essential public debate on nanotechnology and its practical applications.

This is the first post resulting from this cooperation of Leonardo with NanoWiki, send by Roger Malina from a call of Victoria Vesna and edited by NanoWiki team: SciArt NanoLab

Related news list by date, most recent first: art NanoWiki

Direct transformation of graphene to fullerene

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:56:00 GMT

Peering through a transmission electron microscope (TEM), researchers from Germany, Spain, and the UK have observed graphene sheets transforming into spherical fullerenes, better known as buckyballs, for the first time. The experiment could shed light on the process of how fullerenes are formed, which has so far remained mysterious on the atomic scale. Source: For the first time, researchers observe graphene sheets becoming buckyballs (w/ Video) by Lisa Zyga, PhysOrg.com. This work is detailed in the paper Direct transformation of graphene to fullerene by Andrey Chuvilin, Ute Kaiser, Elena Bichoutskaia, Nicholas A. Besley & Andrei N. Khlobystov. "Although fullerenes can be efficiently generated from graphite in high yield, the route to the formation of these symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing carbon cages from a flat graphene sheet remains a mystery. The most widely accepted mechanisms postulate that the graphene structure dissociates to very small clusters of carbon atoms such as C2, which subsequently coalesce to form fullerene cages through a series of intermediates. In this Article, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy directly visualizes, in real time, a process of fullerene formation from a graphene sheet. Quantum chemical modelling explains four critical steps in a top-down mechanism of fullerene formation: (i) loss of carbon atoms at the edge of graphene, leading to (ii) the formation of pentagons, which (iii) triggers the curving of graphene into a bowl-shaped structure and which (iv) subsequently zips up its open edges to form a closed fullerene structure."

Related news list by date, most recent first: graphene fullerene images microscope

Millennium Prize for Grätzel cells

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:05:00 GMT

The 2010 Millennium Prize Laureate Michael Grätzel is the father of third generation dye-sensitized solar cells. Grätzel cells, which promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels, have just made their debut in consumer products.

"For his invention and development of dye-sensitized solar cells, known as 'Grätzel cells'. The excellent price/performance ratio of these novel devices gives them major potential as significant contributor to the diverse portfolio of future energy technologies. Grätzel cells are likely to have an important role in low-cost, large-scale solutions for renewable energy. Besides photovoltaics, the concepts of Grätzel cells can also be applied in batteries and hydrogen production, all important components of future energy needs." - International Selection Committee

One of mankind’s greatest challenges is to find ways to replace the diminishing fossil fuel supply. The most obvious energy source is the sun, origin of almost all the energy found on Earth. The surface of the Earth receives solar radiation energy at an average of 81,000 terawatt – exceeding the whole global energy demand by a factor of 5,000. Yet, we are still figuring out a cost-effective way of harnessing it.

Solar cells, converting energy from the sun into electricity, were first used in the 1950s to power orbiting satellites and other spacecraft. Applied to power generation on Earth, the price does matter. Selected silicon based technology was – and still is – expensive, even if the cost of photovoltaics has declined steadily since the first solar cells were manufactured.

Grätzel's innovation, the dye solar cell (DSC), is a third generation photovoltaic technology. The technology often described as ‘artificial photosynthesis’ is a promising alternative to standard silicon photovoltaics. It is made of low-cost materials and does not need an elaborate apparatus to manufacture. Though DSC cells are still in relatively early stages of development, they show great promise as an inexpensive alternative to costly silicon solar cells and an attractive candidate for a new renewable energy source.

In the 1980s Grätzel was working doing basic research on nanotechnology. They were the first to make nanoparticles from titanium oxide. The properties of the new material were examined in many ways. "That was a fundamental study, just driven by our curiosity. Nobody had done it before. However this experiments provided important insight in the sensitization process that formed the scientific basis for the subsequent realization of dye sensitized solar cells."

Source: Millennium Prize - PROFESSOR MICHAEL GRÄTZEL: DEVELOPER OF DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS. The original landmark paper presenting an entirely new paradigm in photovoltaic technology: A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films by Brian O'Regan & Michael Grätzel.

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone energy nanoparticles

Atomic art promotes sustainability

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 09:53:00 GMT

University of Queensland scientists have earned their place alongside artists in a new exhibition that promotes sustainability through creative practice.

An animation and images created by Dr David Poger and Professor Alan Mark from the School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences are featured in the Bio-diverse-city exhibition.

The animation shows how phospholipid molecules, the main component of cell membranes, will spontaneously self-assemble to form a well-ordered functional membrane from a random mixture in water.

The water molecules are depicted in blue, the lipid "tails" are drawn as grey sticks while the yellow and green balls represent the "head group" of the lipid molecules. The animation is the result of computer simulations that are being used by Professor Mark and his laboratory to understand how cells operate at an atomic level.

"Molecular self-assembly is one of the most fundamental properties of life," Professor Mark said.

"Understanding this process is not only a major scientific challenge but is also central to unravelling the origins of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and the rational design of nano-materials modelled on biological systems.

"The great thing about the exhibition is that it can help convey the sense of amazement you get when studying life in atomic detail."

The Bio-diverse-city project aims to explore new concepts around building social and environmental resilience through diversity.

The work of Dr Poger and Professor Mark was selected for the exhibition not only because it is striking but also because it represents one of the most fundamental processes involved in building and sustaining life.

The Bio-diverse-city exhibition forms part of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council's Treeline Project – a series of environmentally focused art events being staged between January and July 2010. Source: Atomic art promotes sustainability

Bio-diverse-city: the Treeline Project 2010: One of Australia's most innovative art exhibition concepts is entering its second phase. In tune with the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity, the Bio-diverse-city project explores new concepts around building social and environmental resilience through diversity by putting visual artists, scientists, architects, urban planners and social scientists together in the 'white cube', setting up unique visual dialogues about the emerging future.

Why 'Bio-diverse-city' ? This is a way of forcing the two ideas together - the idea of the 'city' and the idea of 'biodiversity'. There is an obvious play around the word 'biodiversity' of course. Beyond that, hyphenating the components of the title implies a deconstruction into individual parts that nevertheless still belong to the whole. Thus 'bio' might suggest the natural world, or 'organic' rather than 'mechanical', while 'diverse' suggests a spread of characteristics and increased complexity. The city is the preferred ecological niche now for Homo sapiens and inevitably will be where much of the focus is directed for planning human futures in the face of great environmental change. Fusing the ideas of biodiversity and the city reflects a growing world view of the importance of containing one within the other in planning. From Bio-diverse-city site project

Related news list by date, most recent first: art city

Awarded for the discovery of graphene

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:05:00 GMT

The Royal Society, the UK’s independent academy for science, has announced the recipients of its 2010 Awards, Medals, Royal Medals and Lectures. The scientists receive the awards in recognition of their achievements in a wide variety of fields of research - the uniting factor is the excellence of their work and the profound implications their findings have had for others working in their relevant fields and wider society. From Royal Society recognises excellence in science

The Royal Society awarded Professor Andre Geim the Hughes Medal for his revolutionary discovery of graphene, and explanation of its remarkable properties.

The director of the Manchester Centre for Mesoscience and Nanotechnology adds the medal to his long list of awards [1] which reflect his stature in the world of scientific research after the discovery of graphene – the world’s thinnest material – in 2004.

For his award, Professor Geim paid tribute to his colleagues, saying: "I am honoured to receive this award that recognises original discoveries in the physical sciences.

“Graphene is a supreme representative of a new class of materials that are one-atom-thick and until recently remained missing from our perception of the universe. During the last five years, graphene has become one of the hottest research topics, and the interest shows no sign of receding.

“The area continues deliver a new exciting science, and the applications are no longer wishful thinking. Our work previously attracted a number of awards, and the recognition by the Royal Society is of course a great source of personal pride.

“Also, it is testament to the hard work and dedication taking place here at the University of Manchester, with my many colleagues contributing to this achievement." Source: Professors honoured by Royal Society for excellence in science

The original paper with the discovery: Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films by K. S. Novoselov, A. K. Geim, S. V. Morozov, D. Jiang, Y. Zhang, S. V. Dubonos, I. V. Grigorieva, A. A. Firsov. "We describe monocrystalline graphitic films, which are a few atoms thick but are nonetheless stable under ambient conditions, metallic, and of remarkably high quality. The films are found to be a two-dimensional semimetal with a tiny overlap between valence and conductance bands, and they exhibit a strong ambipolar electric field effect such that electrons and holes in concentrations up to 10¹³ per square centimeter and with room-temperature mobilities of 10,000 square centimeters per volt-second can be induced by applying gate voltage."

References:
^{[1] Awards:
2010 NAS John J Carty Award for “realization and investigation of graphene, the two-dimensional form of carbon”
2009 Körber Science Prize for “developing the first two-dimensional crystals made of carbon atoms”
2008 Europhysics Prize “for discovering and isolating a single free-standing atomic layer of carbon (graphene) and elucidating its remarkable electronic properties“ (shared with Kostya Novoselov)
2007 Mott Prize “for the discovery of a new class of materials – 2D atomic crystals – particularly graphene}

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone graphene

“Rudimentary molecular manufacturing by 2020″

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:46:00 GMT

Question by Sander Olson for the website NextBigFuture.com: What single development will have the biggest impact in promoting nanotech development?

Answer by Zyvex founder Jim Von Ehr: The big game-changer to my mind is Digital Matter. For enzymes, catalysts, and increasingly even for transistors, every atom has to be in the correct place in order for the molecule or component to function. Although we are not as proficient in engineering at that level as we want to be, we are clearly getting closer and closer to that level of capability.

Question: When is your best assessment of when molecular manufacturing will emerge?

Answer: We are confident that we will be able to create simple, blocklike objects within the next five years. From that point, capabilities should grow fairly rapidly. Once simple block objects are created, we can programmably assemble them to make more complex objects. Zyvex has already identified a number of market opportunities for these. Once we get the basic capability of creating these simple objects, we can expand their complexity and sophistication rapidly. From the first integrated circuit to an extremely valuable integrated circuit business ecosystem took a surprisingly short amount of time, compared to previous technological revolutions. I’d expect a Digital Matter ecosystem to also develop rapidly once the basics are in place. Although I don't feel comfortable making specific predictions as to when molecular manufacturing will emerge, by 2020 we should have rudimentary molecular manufacturing systems in operation. Once we can create these blocks, the technology of molecular manufacturing will advance exponentially. Digital matter will eventually change everything.

Source: Jim Von Ehr says Zyvex will Achieve Digital Matter from Building Blocks by 2015 and Rudimentary Molecular Manufacturing by 2020

Related news list by date, most recent first: nanodevice nanomanufacturing

Kavli Prize “for unprecedented methods to control matter on the nanoscale”

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:58:00 GMT

These are the second group of recipients of the biennial Kavli Prizes, following the successful launch of the awards in 2008.

The nanoscience prize was awarded jointly to US scientists Donald M. Eigler, of IBM’s Almaden Research Centre, San Jose, California, and Nadrian Seeman, of New York University.

Donald M. Eigler is recognized with the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience for the development of Atom Manipulation with the STM and for the elucidation and demonstration of quantum phenomena with precisely controlled atomic and molecular arrangements on surfaces.

Nadrian C. Seeman is recognized with the Kavli prize for nanoscience, for inventing DNA nanotechnology, for pioneering the use of DNA as a non-biological programmable material for a countless number of devices that self-assemble, walk, compute and catalyze.

Eigler reserved his place in the history of science in 1989 when he became the first person ever to pick up an individual atom and move it precisely to another location, and then went on to make a series of breakthroughs that have helped us to understand some of the the most basic units of matter. A decade before Eigler’s historic achievement, Seeman invented structural DNA nanotechnology when he realised the building blocks of the genetic blueprint of living organisms could be harnessed to create the raw materials for new, nanoscale circuits, sensors and medical devices.

Related news list by date, most recent first: milestone microscope dna nanotechnology