EurekAlert! - Nanotechnology

Integrated optical trap holds particles for on-chip analysis

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - Santa Cruz) A new type of optical particle trap can be used to manipulate bacteria, viruses and other particles on a chip as part of an integrated optofluidic platform.

Natural compound stops retinopathy

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Oklahoma) Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States.

Researchers unite to distribute quantum keys

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Institute of Physics) Researchers from across Europe have united to build the largest quantum key distribution network ever built. The efforts of 41 research and industrial organizations were realized as secure, quantum encrypted information was sent over an eight node, mesh network.

Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Medical College of Georgia) Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. A Medical College of Georgia researcher hopes a new nanotechnology technique will extend the fillings' longevity.

Unexpectedly long-range effects in advanced magnetic devices

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) A tiny grid pattern has led materials scientists at NIST and the Institute of Solid State Physics in Russia to an unexpected finding -- the surprisingly strong and long-range effects of certain electromagnetic nanostructures used in data storage.

New statistical technique improves precision of nanotechnology data

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Georgia Institute of Technology Research News) A new statistical analysis technique that identifies and removes systematic bias, noise and equipment-based artifacts from experimental data could lead to more precise and reliable measurement of nanomaterials and nanostructures likely to have future industrial applications.

Stirred, not shaken: Bio-inspired cilia mix medical reagents at small scales

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Washington) Engineers used a novel underwater manufacturing technique to successfully build biomimetic cilia. The hairlike appendages mix tiny volumes of liquid to speed up biomedical reactions.

University of Leicester researchers discover new fluorescent silicon nanoparticles

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Leicester) Researchers in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Leicester have developed a new synthesis method, which has led them to the discovery of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles, and may ultimately help track the uptake of drugs by the body's cells.

MIT: A new approach to engineering for extreme environments

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Composite materials such as fiberglass, which take on a mix of properties of their constituent compounds, have been around for decades. Now, an MIT materials scientist is taking composites to the nanoscale, where entirely new properties, not found in any of the original compounds, can emerge.

Can a new implant coating technique create a new six million dollar man?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Tel Aviv University researcher Prof. Noam Eliaz of the TAU School of Mechanical Engineering has developed an electrochemical process for coating metal implants which vastly improves their functionality, longevity and integration into the body.

First step to converting solar energy using 'artificial leaf'

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Leiden University) An international team of researchers has modified chlorophyll from an alga so that it resembles the extremely efficient light antennae of bacteria. The team was then able to determine the structure of these light antennae. This is the first step to converting sunlight into energy using an artificial leaf.

Stanford researchers find a quicker, cheaper way to sort isotopes

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Stanford University) Stanford chemist Richard Zare and his research team have taken a novel approach to building a new device to determine the isotope ratios within a certain substance. It's a new twist on a old procedure used to solve crimes, identify chemicals and date ancient artifacts (think carbon-14 dating). In Zare's device, magnets are replaced with mirrors, and a laser is pointed into the gas produced by burning a sample of the substance.

Scientists create first electronic quantum processor

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Yale University) A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, and used the two-qubit superconducting chip to successfully run elementary algorithms, demonstrating quantum information processing with a solid-state device for the first time.

Singapore nanotechnology combats fatal brain infections

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore) In Nature Nanotechnology, Singapore scientists report that they have developed novel peptide nanoparticles that effectively seek out and destroy bacteria and fungal cells that could cause fatal infections.

Making nanoparticles in artificial cells

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) Two processes can be used to control the size of nanoparticles, which could serve as tiny light sources.

Implant bacteria, beware: Researchers create nano-sized assassins

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Brown University) Infected implants now have a foe. Brown University researchers have created a nanoparticle that can penetrate a bacterial-produced film on prosthetics and kill the bacteria. The finding, published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, is the first time that iron-oxide nanoparticles have been shown to eliminate a bacterial infection on an implanted prosthetic device.

SRNL to study applicability of solar cell coatings

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(DOE/Savannah River National Laboratory) A project under way at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory will study how special coatings that mimic structures found in nature can increase the usefulness of solar energy as a vital part of the nation's future energy strategy.

2 Springer authors receive NWO/Spinoza Prize in the Netherlands

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Springer) The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research has announced the winners of the NWO/Spinoza Prize for 2009. Two of the three laureates of this year's prize are Springer authors, Marten Scheffer and Albert van den Berg. The prize, also viewed as the "Dutch Nobel Prize," is the highest Dutch award in science, and is given for outstanding, pioneering and inspiring research.

NJIT membrane separation technologies expert to receive upcoming top honor

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(New Jersey Institute of Technology) Kamalesh Sirkar, PhD, distinguished professor of chemical engineering at NJIT and internationally renowned expert in membrane separation technologies, will be the recipient of the NJIT Board of Overseers Excellence in Research Prize and Medal. The award presentation and lecture will take place Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, in Kupfrian Hall on the NJIT campus.

Southwest Nano Consortium established

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Denver) An announcement was made today at the 2009 Nano Renewable Energy Summit in Denver that nanotechnology stakeholders in five states in the Southwest United States, along with northern Mexico, are joining forces to create the Southwest Nano Consortium.

UCF team's advanced nerve cell system could help cure diabetic neuropathy, related diseases

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Central Florida) University of Central Florida researchers have created the first lab-grown motor nerves that are insulated and organized the same way they are in the body. The group's model system could dramatically improve understanding of the causes of myelin-related conditions such as multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy and Guillian-Barré syndrome, potentially enabling the discovery and testing of new drug therapies.

Carnegie Mellon's Kris Matyjaszewski recieves EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Carnegie Mellon University) Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, a chemistry professor at Carnegie Mellon University, will receive the 2009 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency at a ceremony at 5:30 p.m., Monday, June 22 at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Matyjaszewski, the second Carnegie Mellon professor to receive the award, will be recognized in the academic category for the development of an environmentally low-impact form of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization, a widely used method for preparation of functional polymers.

UGA researchers achieve breakthrough in effort to develop tiny biological fuel cells

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Georgia) University of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs. The journal Chemical Science calls the technique "a significant breakthrough for nanotechnology."

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - Los Angeles) Tremendous growth in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics which are being used for commercial and medical applications prompts UCLA researchers along with colleagues in academia and industry take a proactive role in examining the nano-bio interface to identify potential risks of engineered nanomaterials and explore methods for safer designs for use in drug delivery therapeutics and commercial products.

Light sensor breakthrough could enhance digital cameras

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Toronto) New research by a team of University of Toronto scientists could lead to substantial advancements in the performance of a variety of electronic devices including digital cameras.