SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ - Tuesday, October 27, 2009

NEWSWORTHY

Nerves and Nanowires
To study the biocompatibility of nanoelectrodes researchers at Lund University injected nanowires into the brains of rats and found that microglia (the brain’s “clean-up” cells) ate away the nanowires, while a major astrocyte cells’ (who help in the healing process) response observed initially declined later on. The results prove that nanowires had no drastic or chronic affects on the brain. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanovip, and ACS Nano.

Optical Nanoantennas
Wireless data transmission requires a dipole antenna on both the transmitter and receiver ends, and communication is most effective and efficient when the total length of the dipole antennas is about half of the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. KIT scientists have developed for the first time gold nanoantennas with an extremely high frequency (1 million times higher than radio frequencies) allowing fast modulation causing high data transmission rates. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

Nanochip for massive data storage
Engineers at North Carolina State University have created a nanochip with an ability to store data equivalent to 20-high definition DVDs or 250 pages or texts. Selective doping was performed with nickel being added to magnesium oxide; groups of nickel atoms were formed no bigger than 10 square nanometers. This feature enables more data storage capacity in a chip than usual. See First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

“Nanotest” to detect prostate cancer
Using a process involving the use of gold nanoparticles with DNA that attach themselves to prostat-specific antigen (PSA) in blood, researchers of Northwestern University are able to now detect low levels of PSA in post-radical prostatectomy patients. They were able to measure PSA values of less than 0.1 milligrams per milliliter. See First Science, Nanotech Wire, Nanovip, Nanowerk, and PNAS.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

“Kinked” nanowires
Researchers at Harvard University have created two and three dimensional zigzag nanowires which can be useful in detecting small electrical currents in cells and tissues. The process involves the introduction of triangular “stereocenters” of 120° joints (which appear as “kinks”) into 1D nanowires. These kinked junctions enable functionality at different points on a nanowire, making it possible to develop nanoelectronics, photodetectors, or biological sensors into complex nanoscale structures. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanovip, Nanowerk, and Nature Nano.

Nanoscale crystal
Researchers at California Institute of technology (CalTech) have developed a method to confine both light and sound in a nanoscale crystal device called an optomechanical crystal. This confinement can lead to the production of frequencies as high as tens of gigahertz, making transmission of large amounts of information possible. See AtoZ Nano and Nanowerk.

Mechanism for nanopillars
Scientists from CalTach have devised a mechanism to build high precision arrays of nanoscale pillars of any pattern on a polymer film. The mechanism involves photolithography and can be used to create three dimensional nano and micro-scale structures for optical, photonic, and biofluidic devices. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, and Physical Review Letters.

Tiny battery
Researchers at Yale University and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a tiny battery with a capacity to generate electricity for ten minutes. The battery consists of two droplets, each consisting of a 200 nanoliter water based solution of potassium and chloride ions enclosed in a lipid wall. The small battery is created by varying the concentration of solution in two cells and inserting electrodes. These batteries are predicted to replace conventional solid-state energy-generating devices in the future. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Advanced Materials.

Carbon nanotubes harmful to lungs
Carbon nanotubes are being used in various applications and equipments without substantial knowledge of their effects on health. A study by North Carolina State University, the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences shows that inhalation of carbon nanotubes affects the pleura ( an outer lining of the lungs) causing fibrosis for a short time. A single exposure of the nanotubes resulted in either scarring of the pleural surface or fibrosis in mice. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

CNTs for crop growth
Scientists in Arkansas have reported that use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for seeds could be a new avenue in “nano-agriculture”. They found that CNTs penetrated the hard outer seed coating and enhanced its sprouting while making its seedlings heavier. These positive effects of germination and growth enhancement could reap economic benefits in agriculture, horticulture, and energy sector especially for plant-based biofuels. See Nanowerk and ACS Nano.