SEPARATING THE HYPE AND THE BUZZ - Thursday, December 10, 2009

NEWSWORHTY

Macroscopic yarns from boron-nitride nanotubes
Researchers at the NASA’s Langley Research Center, the Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and the National Institute of Aerospace used the pressurized vapor/condenser method with a welding laser to develop boron-nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) that can be spun into macroscopic yarn. BNNTs could be applied in energy, medical, and aerospace applications. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

Antibodies with Nanotubes to eliminate breast cancer
Scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology along with five other partners devised a new method to search and destroy breast cancer cells using carbon nanotubes and antibodies. Antibodies are attached to nanotubes, which then seek and destroy the HER2 protein associated with tumor cells. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, and BMC Cancer.

NanoCMOS
Scientists at the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Edinburgh, Manchester, Southampton and York universities developed a project called NanoCMOS for integrated circuits. They developed simulation tools that overcome the major obstacle of statistical variability and predict the performance of nano-transistors within a circuit. The study provides benefits in semiconductor manufacturing and chip designing. See AtoZ Nano and Nanowerk.

Semiconducting nanowires
Researchers from Purdue University, University of California at Los Angeles, and IBM have created semiconducting nanowires with sharply defined atomic-level layers of silicon and germanium. In order to create these layers, gold-aluminum alloy was heated and cooled in a vacuum chamber and later silicon, followed by germanium, was introduced onto it. This method provides an opportunity to create nanowire transistors. See AtoZ Nano, First Science, Nanowerk, and Science.

Hydrophobicity of nanoscale interfaces
Researchers at the Rensselaer University developed a method to measure the hydrophocity of nanoscale interfaces by performing molecular simulations of self assembled monolayers. They simulated hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers and observed their interaction with water molecules. They found a relation between hydrophobicity and fluctuations in density of adjoining water. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, Langmuir, Physical Review Letters, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Nano diet
Researchers at Finnish Universities created a drug delivery system using nanoporous silicon that could assist dieting processes. They created nanopores in silicon through electrochemical etching and dipped it in a drug solution, where peptides that control appetite were easily loaded into the silicon wafers. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, and Nanowerk.

Nanoparticles for arsenic removal
Researchers at Jackson State University developed an arsenic test with an ability to detect arsenic in drinking water down to 3 parts per trillion. Specific organic molecules were attached to gold nanoparticles that formed a complex with arsenic. As more and more arsenic got attached, the gold nanoparticles began to form a clump that changed color from red to blue, which was discernible to the naked eye. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, and Angewandte Chemie.

Nanoparticle removal from wastewater
Scientists using the ISIS Neutron Source from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s ISIS Neutron Source, along with colleagues from King’s College London and Oxford University found a method to remove nanoparticles from waste water during primary sewage treatment. The nanoparticles when coated with surfactant (a detergent-like material) formed sludge in sewage which could be removed and disposed. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Environmental Science & Technology.

Nano “peptide forests” for self-cleaning
Researchers from Tel Aviv University created a technology where self-assembled nanotubules grown in a vacuum under high temperature can tolerate heat and resist water. These nano “peptide forests” can be used to create self-cleaning windows or solar panels and help make batteries more efficient. See AtoZ Nano, Nanowerk, and Nature Nano.

Single-atom working transistor
Researchers from Helsinki University of Technology (Finland), University of New South Wales (Australia), and University of Melbourne (Australia) developed a transistor with a working region of a single phosphorous atom. The mechanism involved is the sequential tunneling of electrons, which is controlled by voltage on a nearby metal electrode that is a few tens of nanometers wide. See AtoZ Nano, Nanotech Wire, Nanowerk, and Nano Letters.