Intel boosts nanotech work via Zyvex link
By David Lammers

AUSTIN, Texas — Intel Corp. is studying the use of carbon nanotube-based polymers in thermal-interface materials, the latest evidence that nanotechnology is no longer a curiosity but is being put to work in the electronics industry.
An Intel spokesman said Intel's enterprise laboratory will source the carbon nanotube (CNT) material from Zyvex Corp. (Richardson, Texas), one of the early nanotechnology startups to achieve commercial revenues from both materials and tools….read the wave

Nano-Tex Inks Deal With Domestic Workwear, Sportswear, Cotton Leader Avondale Mills

Nano-Tex, LLC, the leader in textile enhancements that deliver superior performance with maximum comfort in everyday fabrics, today announced it has licensed its technology to Avondale Mills, the country's largest producer of workwear and sportswear, and a leader in cotton apparel.
Avondale produces fabrics for casualwear, sportswear and career and uniform apparel for such leading brands as Gap, VF, Levi's, Haggar, Williamson-Dickie, Carhartt and Cintas.
The partnership with Avondale marks a significant expansion for Nano-Tex into the career and uniform apparel market, in addition to bolstering the company's presence in cotton casualwear and sportswear….read the wave

EU consortium to fund nanotechnology, nano-imprint litho

MALMO, Sweden -- Some 30 companies, including nano-imprint lithography specialist Obducat AB, have formed a nanotechnology consortium as part of European Union's sixth framework of collaborative research programs.
The consortium, called Emerging Nanopatterning Methods (NaPa), has been granted 16 million euros (US$19.9 million) in funding from the EU. NaPa will focus on the research and development of production techniques for nano-structuring and multifunctional polymers….read the wave

Nanoimprint litho progress reported at SPIE
By Ron Wilson

Steady progress in nanoimprint lithography reported Tuesday (Feb.24) at the SPIE conference here definitely caught the attention of attendees. In six papers, researchers from Hewlett-Packard Labs and from three nanoimprint equipment makers all reported the fabrication of structures or devices with existing equipment. In addition, progress in the materials field was described….read the wave

Self-assembly wins with gold rosette

Scientists at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have used the self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded rosettes to create nanostructures containing gold. The technique could have applications in the fabrication of nanowires.

“We demonstrated that the incorporation of metal atoms is fully compatible with the bottom-up strategy of building rosette assemblies via multiple hydrogen bonding,” Mercedes Crego-Calama told nanotechweb.org. “Normally this approach is carried out using biomolecules such as DNA that are less stable than the synthetic molecules presented here.” …read the wave

Two Michigan dendrimer companies are vying for 'world leader' status By Steve Pardo

In the promising, but sometimes slow-moving from a commercial point of view, world of dendrimers, companies specializing in the emerging technology are working to secure their futures.

Dendritic NanoTechnologies (DNT), based in Mt. Pleasant, put together a three-part strategy in the fall of 2002. The first part was designed to put the motions in place that would insure the company would be around for the foreseeable future, said Charles Burke, DNT's chief executive. That involved putting together grants and concentrating on the sales of dendrimers….read the wave

A little tiny bubble?

We take issue with the characterization of nanotechnology by Thomas Theis, head of physical science research at IBM that investing in the field today is "buying the equivalent of an Internet stock a couple years ago." Speaking to the Washington Post, which admittedly had the final say on what version of the conversation was published, Theis added: "If you think you're smart enough to get out before that bubble bursts, good luck."

With all due respect to Dr. Theis….read the wave

Dismissing Drexler Is Bad for Business by Simon Smith

Ignoring the potential of molecular manufacturing won't make it go away, so why is the US nanotech industry painting its advocates as kooks?

There's nanotechnology and then there's nanotechnology.

While "nano" always refers to billionth of a meter—half the width of a DNA strand—there's a big difference between stain-resistant nanopants and Star Trek-style replicators. For one thing, the pants won't make more of themselves out of other clothes in your closet….read the wave

New US Collaboration in Nanotechnology

Global nanotechnology company pSivida Limited (ASX:PSD) is pleased to announce that it’s UK operating subsidiary pSiMedica has signed a Materials Transfer Agreement with Pennsylvania-based NanoHorizons, Inc.

NanoHorizons are an emerging leader in nanoscale material and device
technologies. The company has developed a series of nanostructured silicon films
that have application in high speed mass spectrometry analysis of small molecules
(QuickMass™) as well as mechanically flexible high performance displays, MEMS,
sensors and optoelectronics (PostFlex Process). QuickMass™, which reduces time and cost of drug discovery research, is currently marketed through Shimadzu
Biotech. Through the micro- and nanofabrication of novel silicon structures,
NanoHorizons is also exploring nano-structured materials for applications in
healthcare.

pSiMedica together with NanoHorizons will examine opportunities to utilise these
films in areas such as tissue engineering and diagnostics. One of NanoHorizon’s
unique materials is a nanostructured silicon film which can be produced on a wide
variety of substrates such as glass, metals, ceramics or on flexible polymer surfaces.

Through the sensor applications of NanoHorizon’s devices, the company has
developed respiratory monitors and diagnostics. NanoHorizons adopt a
complementary manufacturing method to pSiMedica yielding structures that
potentially expand the opportunities of silicon in medicine.

NanoHorizons founding director and Chief Technical Officer, Professor. Stephen
Fonash, who also is Director of the Penn State Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization, said, “Working with pSivida will enhance our ability to address the needs of medicine with the opportunities of nanotechnology. pSiMedica’s worldwide base and NanoHorizons’ broad materials expertise should yield rapid, exciting results.”

pSivida Managing Director, Mr Gavin Rezos added, “We are pleased to be working
with Dr Fonash and his team at NanoHorizons. This program has the potential to
provide additional manufacturing and coating solutions to a number of pSivida
diagnostic and other development products. This nanotechnology collaboration
further demonstrates our expanding US presence.”

pSiMedica retains granted patents in relation to “in” and “on” the body applications of porous silicon. Nanohorizons have an exclusive license from The Penn State
Research Foundation for its intellectual property and will share any new intellectual
property directly resulting from this collaborative partnership with pSiMedica.

…read the wave pSivida Limited
...read the wave NanoHorizons, Inc

U.S.Firm to Unveil Cancer-Fighting Nanotechnology

By Rebecca Lipchitz, The Sun, Lowell, Mass. Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News

CHELMSFORD, Mass. - A local company working with UMass Lowell
is getting ready for clinical trials on a nanotechnology-based cancer
treatment for prostate and breast cancer.

"We're getting a little too big for our incubator. We're about to pop out of our shell," said Dr. Samuel Straface, CEO of Triton BioSystems, which collaborated with UMass Lowell to develop the treatment.

Representatives from Triton and UMass Lowell, as well as U.S. Rep.
Marty Meehan were scheduled to unveil details during a press
conference Wednesday at Triton's Turnpike Road headquarters.

The company uses technology developed by the Army to create a two-part
cancer treatment in which bioprobes -- nanoscale magnetic spheres
bound to an antibody -- are injected into the body. After the bioprobes attach themselves to cancer cells, the doctor activates the magnetic field, heating up the bioprobes and killing the cancer cells within minutes.

UMass Lowell scientists are working with Triton BioSystems to apply the technology to treatment of other cancers, such as lung, ovarian,pancreatic and renal cancers. U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan secured a $1 million grant from the Department of Defense to fund the project. The Army's research and development department funds projects that use military technology for the advancement of medical technology.

Straface said the money will mostly be put toward the cost of putting the new technology through clinical trials.

The materials are expensive, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has strict requirements for testing.

"There are so many standards to meet, it's good for the patient, but very expensive to reach (the market)," Straface said.Triton BioSystems has spent about $5 million of mostly private money on development of the technology since it opened two years ago as an offshoot of Triton Systems. But the cost of development in time and money has been cut in half by the partnership with UMass Lowell,
Straface said.

"We never could have done as much as quickly as we did without that
partnership," he said. "It makes two plus two equal five."

Nanotech shows great promise on medical application

The science of nanotechnology is rapidly moving from its early beginnings in electronics, computersand telecommunications into the expanding field of nanomedicine.

The emerging nanomedicine has the potential to change medical science dramatically in the 21st century, scientists said at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Seattle.

When nanotechnology started in the mid-1990s, it was mainly used to produce smaller and faster semiconductor chips. But in thepast two years, a number of breakthroughs were reported on using the technology to diagnose and treat human diseases.

Nanotechnology works at the atomic and molecular levels, equivalent to 1/100,000th the diameter of human hair.

Nanomedicine integrates technology, biology and medicine, usingtools and materials constructed from molecular and atomic-sized particles too small to be seen with a conventional laboratory microscope, according to Dr. Shuming Nie, professor of biomedical engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Speaking at the nanotechnology forum of the AAAS meeting, Dr. Nie said although nanoparticles are similar in size to biomolecules such as proteins and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), they can be humanly engineered to have specific or multiple functions.

Medical applications for nanoparticles will focus on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers, said Dr. Nie.

The most elementary nanomedical devices will be used to diagnose illness. Mobile nanorobots, equipped with wireless transmitters, might circulate in the blood and lymph systems and send out warnings when chemical imbalances occur or worsen.

Similar nanomachines could be planted in the nervous system to monitor pulse, brain-wave activity, and other functions.

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have recently developed a tiny nanorobot called "nanospring" structure, which could detect individual molecules and possibly create an extremelysensitive method of detecting cancer.

When the "nanospring" structure encountered even a single cancer-protein molecule, it would send a radio signal through the skin, the researchers said.

More advanced use of nanotechnology might involve nanoparticles to dispense drugs or hormones as needed in people with chronic imbalance or deficiency states.

US scientists have developed semiconductor nanoparticlescalled quantum dots, which can be bound to particular genes and proteins and deliver drug.

The most exciting nanomedicine is nanorobots working as miniature surgeons, which might repair damaged cells, or get inside cells and replace or assist damaged intracellular structures.

At the extreme, nanomachines might replicate themselves or correct genetic deficiencies by altering or replacing DNA molecules.

The American National Science Foundation estimates that the nanomedicine market could be worth 1 trillion US dollars by 2015.Nanomedicine is a priority in the recently released new Roadmap of the US National Institute of Health.

US President George W. Bush signed the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act in December, which invests 3.7 billion dollars over four years starting fiscal year 2005 in research and development programs of nanotechnology. More than half of the money will go to nanomedicine.

But some scientists stressed at the AAAS meeting that it will take 20 to 30 years before people have nanomedical products in their hands.

"That puts us at 2020 or 2025, before nanoscience really becomes part of your life," said Dr. Yi Cui from University of California, Berkeley. Enditem

From Frankenstein to Frog Steaks By Debra Jones

The image of a Jesus lizard, scampering across the surface of a pond on its hind legs, filled the screen in the auditorium.

"Wouldn't it be great to be able to design something like this?" asked Carlo Montemagno, co-director of the UCLA Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration. Like many nanotech researchers, Montemagno is fascinated by the possibilities of mimicking life to create hybrid devices that combine living tissue with inanimate components. …read the wave

Very small Robots: USA

First robot moved by muscle power

A SILICON microrobot just half the width of a human hair has begun to crawl around in a Los Angeles lab, using legs powered by the pulsing of living heart muscle. It is the first time muscle tissue has been used to propel a micromachine.
This distinctly futuristic development could lead to muscle-based nerve stimulators that would allow paralysed people to breathe without the help of a ventilator. And NASA- which is funding the research- hopes swarms of crawling "musclebots" could one day help maintain spacecraft by plugging holes made by micrometeorites.

Whatever the ultimate applications of the technology, no one was more surprised to see the tiny musclebots finally move than Carlos Montemagno, the microengineer whose team is developing them at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has spent three disappointing years trying, and failing, to harness living muscle tissue to propel a micromachine. But when he and his team looked into their microscopes, they were amazed to see the latest version of their musclebot crawling around ...read the wave

Cabot Corporation and Super Sky Products Partner To Produce Polycarbonate Skylight Panels with Nanogel® Translucent Aerogel

Cabot Corporation (NYSE:CBT), a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, announced today it has mutually agreed to work with Super Sky Products, Inc., a world-renown leader in daylighting, a division of Vitro America, a Vitro (NYSE: VTO) subsidiary, to jointly produce and market a Polycarbonate skylight panel system filled with Nanogel® translucent aerogel. …read the wave

Building a Better Tree

Nanotechnology goes one step farther than genetic engineering, which deals with modifying organisms that already exist. The goal of this new science is to create completely new organisms that have never existed on Earth. Instead of bones or horns, artificial nanoorganisms will produce materials with pre-programmed properties and chemical composition, for example, a combination of ceramics and metal…read the wave

Marine sponges provide model for nanoscale materials production

"Nature was nano before nano was cool," stated Henry Fountain in a recent New York Times article on the proliferation of nanotechnology research projects. No one is more aware of this fact of nature than Dan Morse of the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research groups have been studying the ways that nature builds ocean organisms at the nanoscale for over ten years.
For example, they have studied the abalone shell for its high-performance, super-resistant, composite mineral structure.
Now they are now looking to learn new biotechnological routes to make high performance electronic and optical materials. …read the wave

Scientists Model Silicon Nanotubes That Appear to Be Metal

Using one large computer, one borrowed graduate student, one good friend and one piece of advice from dear old Dad, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln chemist and his team came up with an unexpected discovery -- at extremes of size, silicon may behave like a metal.
Xiao Cheng Zeng and his team used UNL's powerful supercomputer, PrairieFire, to create models of silicon tubes less than 1 nanometer in diameter (that is, less than one-billionth of a meter, essentially making them one-dimensional structures possessing length but virtually no thickness)….read the wave

Advanced Nano Products

www.nanotechnologyinvestment.com are featuring a private nanotechnology coating company involved in the environmental coatings industry.
The company Advanced Nano Products have seen Coatings and films becoming one of the more popular uses of nanotechnology in manufacturing. Advanced Nano Products manufactures and markets high performance environmentally friendly coating, including AMP Multifunctional Coating and AMP Fire Retardant Coating…read the wave

IITs To Focus On Biotechnology, Nanotechnology To Create IP

NEW DELHI: In order to cash in on the emerging growth areas like nanotechnology and biotechnology, Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Bombay and Roorkee are drawing their respective research road-map to generate intellectual property (IP).
The three IITs have identified these cutting edge technologies as their thrust areas for the next couple of years, where the greater focus would be to draw more funds for conducting research in these areas....read the wave

HARRIS & HARRIS GROUP NOTES NANOSYS AND DUPONT ANNOUNCEMENT

Nanosys, Inc. (www.nanosysinc.com) and the DuPont's Central Research & Development (CR&D) arm have agreed jointly to research the use of Nanosys's nanotechnology-enabled high-performance thin-film technology for applications in electronics. Under the agreement, DuPont will work with Nanosys to explore how to incorporate Nanosys's technology into specific products such as thin films for electronics, according to the companies.

Harris & Harris Group, Inc. owns a 1.7 percent interest in privately held Nanosys, Inc. Nanosys is a company with broad-based intellectual property that is initially commercializing applications in macroelectronics, photovoltaics, and chemical and biological sensing. These applications incorporate novel zero and one-dimensional, nanometerscale materials, such as nanowires and nanocrystals as their principal active elements.

Harris & Harris Group is a publicly traded venture capital company that now makes initial investments exclusively in tiny technology, including nanotechnology, microsystems and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The Company's last 12 initial private equity investments have been in tiny-technology enabled companies.

Harris & Harris Group is a business development company with 13,798,845 common shares outstanding.

Detailed information about Harris & Harris Group and its holdings can be found on …read the wave

IITs To Focus On Biotechnology, Nanotechnology To Create IP

NEW DELHI: In order to cash in on the emerging growth areas like nanotechnology and biotechnology, Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Bombay and Roorkee are drawing their respective research road-map to generate intellectual property (IP).
The three IITs have identified these cutting edge technologies as their thrust areas for the next couple of years, where the greater focus would be to draw more funds for conducting research in these areas....read the wave

Profiting From Nanotechnology
By Carl Wherrett and John Yelovich

In this Motley Fool special report, Carl Wherrett and John Yelovich, two longtime contributors to our nanotechnology discussion forum, will be offering an overview of what the science is and where opportunity may lie for investors. Join them for Part 2 next Tuesday, March 2.

In the past few months, most of us following the news wires will have seen the word nanotechnology, or will have seen the announcement of President Bush allocating some $3.7 billion to the research and development of it. Some of us will have seen it long before that, as President Clinton announced allocating some $500 million for nanotech research in 1999. And finally, some of us may well have been around in 1959 when Dr. Richard Feynman first brought the concept into the public arena….read the wave

Stanford goes large-scale on small-scale technology
BY SU FEN LEE

Although nanotechnology works at the tiniest molecular level, it is definitely making its presence felt across the many departments and research centers on campus.
“There is no internationally unified definition for nanotech, but most think that it is coming from the size of 100 nanometers and smaller down to the atomic scale,” said Yoshio Nishi, director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF) and a research professor in electrical engineering....read the wave

NaPa - Emerging Nanopatterning Methods

- Defined nano-patterned catalytic surfaces that may help to implement micro-reaction technologies towards better controlled chemical processes.
- The integration of bio molecules with nano-structured surfaces that promises new functionalities and cost/sample volume reductions in biotechnology and medical sciences….read the wave

Digital pioneers: Xerox PARC scientists honored for groundbreaking work on early computers

Worse Than Gray Goo

Extract from the ( CRN) Responsible Nanotechnology blog

“John Robert Marlow’s novel Nano and a subsequent interview with the author have generated considerable discussion over at the sci.nanotech group…….”
“ Sure, Marlow takes some creative liberties and exaggerates the technology a bit for dramatic purposes—but it’s a science fiction story, after all, and one purpose of storytelling is to make people think about and talk about important issues.
The discussion of how fast (or slow) gray goo could spread is important. Clearly it warrants further study. But other issues beyond gray goo must be studied—some quite urgently” …read the wave

Superswarm.... the superswarm interview

This interview appears jointly on Nanotechnology Now and johnrobertmarlow.com and is copyright © 2004 by John Robert Marlow....read the wave

NANOMAGNETICS HAS NEW MATERIALS IN STORE FOR MEMORY MARKET By Ben Wootliff

British data storage company NanoMagnetics Ltd. took a route down a blind alley, but may have turned around quick enough to put it in firmly in the pack of companies applying nanotechnology to data storage.
The company had planned to take on the hard-disk-drive market. But a slump in the sector forced it to change strategy and instead focus on producing a flexible storage medium…read the wave

Nano Biz: Vietnam

VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT APPROVES $25 MILLION PROJECT TO PRODUCE TITANIUM DIOXIDE PIGMENT;
ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES CONTRACTS WITH AVIRECO USA TO EVALUATE AHPP FOR PROJECT

Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ:ALTI) announced that, in a written statement issued February 5, 2004, the Vietnamese government has approved a $25 million project to exploit, process and export titanium dioxide pigment. Mineral Development Company No. 6 (Lidisaco), a subsidiary of the Vietnam Mineral Resource Department, will develop the project which is expected to produce approximately 10,000 tons of titanium dioxide annually. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan by the Ministry of Industry and Lidisaco to find additional investment capital for the project by establishing a joint venture with an international partner....read the wave

Nano Chemical: South Korea

LG Chem uses nano technology to develop leak-proof plastic

LG Chem Ltd., the nation's largest chemical company, has used nano technology to develop a plastic to make high-performance containers. The company says the innovation is a world's first and it hopes to lead the multi-trillion won container materials market.
The plastic, known as hyperier, is extremely leak-resistant….read the wave

Nano Biz: Morocco

A SPECIALTIES PLAY,
Technology for nanoparticle zinc oxide gives Moroccan company a noncommodity niche

One of the hottest sectors of nanotechnology—nanoparticle zinc oxide—is becoming a little bit hotter with the entrance of a new player into the marketplace.
The new producer, Casablanca-based Managem, is the mining arm of Moroccan financial holding company ONA. And its emergence as a supplier of specialty mineral derivatives is a linchpin of the firm's strategy to diversify from the ups and downs of commodity mining, according to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rachid Benyakhlef….read the wave

Nano Research: Germany

Tunneling Nanotubes by Henry Fountain

Nanotechnology is the buzzword of the moment in science. Hardly a week goes by without the announcement that a laboratory has developed a new nano-this or nano-that.

It's useful to remember, though, that nature was nano before nano was cool. The latest evidence for this comes from researchers who have discovered that some cells create nanotubes to connect with others….read the wave

Nano Research: USA

DNA Sorts Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes—rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms that have a variety of useful mechanical and electrical properties—promise to be an important ingredient in nanotechnology. One challenge, however, is separating different types of nanotubes.

Researchers from Du Pont Central Research and Development, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and MIT have come up with a way to use DNA to separate carbon nanotubes by electrical type—metallic or semiconducting—and by diameter. A carbon nanotubes's electrical properties and diameter are related…read the wave

Nano Research: USA

OHSU researchers discover way to grow silicon nanowires
OGI School of Science & Technology Research is one of a kind in Northwest

Oregon Health & Science University researchers have discovered a new way to accurately grow silicon nanowires on an electrode for use in fabricating transistors. A portion of these findings will be published in the Feb. 23 issue of Applied Physics Letter. The discovery has important implications for semiconductor research and may one day help engineers build faster computer chips.

A research group led by Raj Solanki, Ph.D., professor of electrical engineering professor in OHSU's OGI School of Science & Engineering, recently demonstrated it is possible to grow silicon nanowires exactly where you want them on an electrode using electrical fields. Solanki's team also can grow silicon-based nanowires in the exact direction necessary to fabricate electronic devices.
…read the wave

Nano Event: European NanoBusiness Association

Explaining the science - identifying the issues

March 3rd 2004- Brussels, Belgium: A hearing at the European Parliament (EP), Brussels, organised by the EPP-ED Group in association with the European NanoBusiness Association and Institute of Physics.

The hearing is chaired by Giles Chichester MEP. The speaker panel includes Professor Mark Welland (Director, Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Nanotechnology, University of Cambridge), Dr K Eijkel (Director Nanotechnology Institute Mesa and Technical University Twente), Professor Wolfgang Heckl (Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich), Ms Fiona Fox (Science Media Centre, London), Dr Renzo Tomellini (EC Nanotechnology Programme), Tim Harper (European Nanotechnology Business Association) and Dr Julia King (The Institute of Physics, London)

The hearing will be in English - there will be full interpretation …read the wave

Nano Event: Japan

World's Largest Nanotech Exhibition and Trade Show, March 17-19

The world's largest nanotechnology trade show and conference, nano tech 2004, will take place March 17-19, 2004 at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight).

Now in its third year the nano tech exhibitions draw more than 250 exhibitors including some of the world's largest companies as well as start-ups, universities and government laboratories from more than 18 countries. Some 30,000 attendees are expected, based on the R&D market growth of nanotechnology in Japan.

nano tech 2003 drew over 24,000 people. ''90% of attendees come from industry; about 50% of registrants are in R&D,'' said Mr. Takahiro Matsui, Secretary General of nano tech executive committee. ''The exhibition will create not only opportunities for direct sales but also opportunities for partnership development and technical applications relationships.''

nano tech 2004 International Conference will be held on March 17-18, in association with more than 10 nanotechnology conferences, during Japan's ''nano week''…read the wave

Semi Nano Event:

IMPACTS OF BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGIES

The Arlington Institute will sponsor a two-day seminar examining
"Breakthrough Technologies for the World’s Biggest Problems," to be held April 27-28 in Arlington, Virginia. The seminar will feature Ray Kurzweil, Hunter Lovins, Eric Drexler, and others invited to speak about the big problems and opportunities in the coming years. A collection of extraordinary breakthrough technologies for solving
global problems will also be showcased.

"The future of humanity is inextricably linked to technology," says John L. Petersen, president of the Arlington Institute. "The future of the globe pivots on the kinds of tools we do or do not create in the coming years. Enlightened people with old tools will be significantly limited in what they can do to change the planetary footprint. We have to learn how to utilize new breakthrough technologies to solve our biggest, intractable problems--and not kill ourselves in the process."
...read the wave

Nano Research: USA

Scientists Brew Tree-Shaped DNA

Researchers from Cornell University have synthesized a new type of DNA that can be used as a nanotechnology building block.

DNA, whether biological or artificial, consists of a series of nucleotide bases attached to a sugar-phosphate backbone. DNA usually comes in straight strands; these pair up and twist to form the familiar biological double helix.

The Cornell researchers have found a way to make branched, or Y-shaped DNA, and have constructed dendrimer, or tree-shaped, DNA by connecting branched DNA....read the wave

Nano Research:

Reactor made of Gold Tubes
Gold nanotubes in polycarbonate films for the investigation of catalytic reactions at gas-liquid phase boundaries

Nano Research: USA

Nanotechnology: Replicating the Snowflake in the Fab By Jeff Chappell

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Containing the cost of fabrication may be the key to realizing the future of nanotechnology and successfully implementing it in the world of information technology business.

That was the conclusion today of long-time IBM Corp. research veteran Thomas Theis, director of physical sciences for IBM Research. Theis delivered a keynote address here at the SPIE Microlithography Conference….read the wave

Gold-Nanoröhrchen in Polycarbonatfilmen zur Untersuchung katalytischer Reaktionen an Gas-Flüssig-Grenzflächen

Brennstoffzellen brauchen Wasserstoff. Leider enhält Wasserstoff, der nach den üblichen Verfahren hergestellt wird, größere Mengen an Kohlenmonoxid (CO), das die Funktion der Brennstoffzelle beeinträchtig und entfernt werden muss. Wie Forschungen ergeben haben, sind Nanopartikel aus Gold auf einem Trägermaterial mit hoher Oberfläche gute Katalysatoren, um CO bei Raumtemperatur zu CO2 zu oxidieren. Aber was leistet das Gold dabei - und welche Rolle spielt der Träger? Forscher von der University of Wisconsin haben einen "Membranreaktor" entwickelt, mit dem sich der Katalystor ohne seinen Träger untersuchen lässt....read the wave

North American and Israeli nanotech researchers set sights on clean water By Bob Rosenbaum

Israel's nanotechnology program got a significant boost recently, with the first meeting of stakeholders in the Nanotechnology Clean Water Initiative. The Initiative - the result of combined efforts by Dr. Uri Sagman, Prof. Samuel Pohoryles and former prime minister Shimon Peres - has, for the first time, brought together major Israeli university researchers and global industry principals to work on nanotech-based solutions to the water shortage in the Middle East….read the wave

FIRM DEVELOPS METHOD FOR MAKING EXTREMELY SMALL PARTICLES:

Kevin Maloney points toward a 10-foot-by-10-foot office with three desks sublet from another company. That's corporate headquarters for his company, Quantum Sphere.
In a corner of the Irvine warehouse, materials scientist and company founder Doug Carpenter is machining his own parts while the company's major piece of equipment sucks zinc wire in and puffs out white powder…read the wave

C-70 molecules show decoherence

Physicists in Austria have observed decoherence - the transition from quantum to classical behaviour - in carbon-70 molecules. At temperatures below 1000 Kelvin the molecules demonstrate quantum behaviour when they pass through a double slit. However, the molecules gradually become classical at higher temperatures, and the interference pattern - which is the classic sign of quantum behaviour - becomes weaker…read the wave

The US NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The US National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network is looking for undergraduates for its summer research program. During the summer of 2004, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NNIN REU) from June through August. Engineering and science students with broad interests across disciplines focusing on nanotechnology…read the wave

Nano Research: Iran

NanoTechnology Newsletter from Iran

University of Southern California researchers have shown that the right amount of noise can enable carbon nanotube transistors to detect weak electrical signals. This is the same effect—stochastic resonance—that neurons use to communicate in biological brains….read the wave

Forschern des Halbleiter-Herstellers Infineon Technologies AG ist es jetzt zum ersten Mal gelungen, Kohlenstoff-Nanoröhrchen auch für die Herstellung von Leistungshalbleitern zu nutzen. Das berichten jetzt Infineon-Wissenschaftler aus München: Sie zeigen den ersten Schalter aus Nanoröhrchen, der Leuchtdioden oder Elektromotoren steuern kann. Dies gilt als Durchbruch für die Nanotechnik, da Wissenschaftler bisher davon ausgegangen sind, dass sich die winzigen Bauteile in atomaren Größenordnungen nicht für die hohen Spannungen und Stromstärken in Leistungshalbleitern eignen. Mit Leistungshalbleitern aus Kohlenstoff-Nanoröhren könnten Stromschalter eines Tages sehr viel kleiner und preiswerter hergestellt werden als bisher....read the wave

Canadian researcher: Cells can grow on silicon

CALGARY (CP) -- Researchers at the University of Calgary have found that nerve cells grown on a microchip can learn and memorize information which can be communicated to the brain.
"We discovered that when we used the chip to stimulate the neurons, their synaptic strength was enhanced," said Naweed Syed, a neurobiologist at the University of Calgary's faculty of medicine.
The nerve cells also exhibited memory traces that were successfully read by the chip, said Syed, co-author of the landmark study published in February's edition of Physical Review Letters, an international journal….read the wave

Studie bewertet Nanotechnologie in der Umwelttechnik

Fraunhofer IAO und das IAT der Universität Stuttgart haben das Zukunftspotenzial der Mikro- und Nanotechnologie für die Umwelttechnik in Baden-Württemberg bewertet. Die Ergebnisse wurden in einer Studie für das Umwelt- und Verkehrsministerium zusammengefasst.

Die Mikro- und Nanotechnologie zählt zu den Schlüsseltechnologien des 21. Jahrhunderts. Die Erwartungen reichen von der Hoffnung, bestehende Produkte und Prozesse zu optimieren bis hin zur Vision, die Produktion und das gesellschaftliche Leben revolutionär neu zu gestalten....read the wave

Nano- und pikofluidische Systeme für die Biomedizintechnik

Der Startschuss für das EU-Projekt GaNano ist gefallen. Ein internationaler Forschungsverbund arbeitet an der Entwicklung eines Systems , mit dem organische Substanzen wie z.B. Proteine und Bakterien in kleinsten Flüssigkeitsmengen wässriger Lösungen identifiziert und analysiert werden können.

Die Neuartigkeit des Systems besteht in der Verwendung des modernen Halbleitermaterials Galliumnitrid (GaN) zur Herstellung von transparenten elektronischen Sensoren sowie von optischen Emittern und Detektoren zur Analyse von Nanotröpfchen.

Vom 22.- 24. Februar 2004 findet am Zentrum für Mikro- und Nanotechnologien (ZMN) der TU Ilmenau das Auftakttreffen der internationalen Projektpartner statt.
Das vom Direktor des ZMN Professor Oliver Ambacher initiierte und künftig als Koordinator geleitete Forschungsprojekt trägt den Titel "Neue Generation von Galliumnitrid basierenden Sensoranordnungen für nano- und pikofluidische Systeme mit Anwendungen in schnellen und zuverlässigen biomedizinischen Tests" (GaNano)...read the wave.

PHOTONS ARE REAL

Does light consist of waves or particles? In the early 1920s physicists were
still not certain. Albert Einstein's description of particles or "quanta" of
light--now called photons--had been around since 1905, but at the same time,
over a century of experiments had confirmed that light behaves like water waves.
In May 1923, Arthur Compton of Washington University in St. Louis almost
single-handedly ended doubts about photons with his paper in the Physical Review.

He aimed x rays and gamma rays at electrons and showed that they emerged from the collisions just as would be expected for minuscule billiard balls....read the wave

SCIENTISTS MOVE CLOSER TO IDENTIFYING WORLD'S OLDEST ASEXUAL ORGANISM

PhoeniX B.V release FlowDB and OperatorDB

The Netherlands: PhoeniX B.V. is proud to announce the release of FlowDB and OperatorDB. These products are developed for the micro and nano technology market. FlowDB is developed to design hierarchic process flows. OperatorDB uses these process flows in manufacturing to gather data from the actual process.
Features of FlowDB:
· Hierachic design of process flows
· Reuse of designs
· Version control
· Arbitrary abstraction levels
Features of OperatorDB
· Interactive logbook facilities
· Active batch control
· Basis for statistical process control
The products can be used as standalone modules. Combining both, however, opens the possibility of using actual data from the factory in new process flow designs. Due to the standardization of information the communication between designers, process engineers and operators is always fast and correct.

Niels Olij (Project leader):"The process related information generation within the micro and nano technology market is very immature. In IC industry comparable tools are available but these are expensive and rather static. That is why most companies and institutes in micro and nano technology currently rely often on in-house solutions; mainly developed due to a lack of professional tools. These internal solutions seem to be cheap and fit internal needs; changing requirements, support and training does make these tools expensive and inflexible though."

Arjen Bakker (CTO):Data storage in a database nowadays is very common practice for all kinds off applications. FlowDB and OperatorDB distinguish themselves by being the first to address real-life cleanroom issues. Being able to (re)use measured data during the design phase of new components or improvements on current design, also reduces "time to market" considerably.

…read the wave

New Tools That Guide And Switch Light Could Enable Practical Home Fiber-Optic Lines

A Cornell University researcher is developing techniques for making photonic microchips -- in which streams of electrons are replaced by beams of light -- including ways to guide and bend light in air or a vacuum, to switch a beam of light on and off and to connect nanophotonic chips to optical fiber….read the wave

ARTICLE ON NANOSYS IN TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Shareholders of Harris & Harris Group, Inc. may be interested in
reading the article by Chuck Lenatti about Nanosys, Inc., in the
March 2004 issue of Technology Review, entitled, "Nanotech's
First Blockbusters?"

Nanosys, Inc. is Harris & Harris Group's largest investment
to date in tiny technology, at $1.5 million.

Harris & Harris Group is a publicly traded venture capital
company that now makes initial investments exclusively in tiny
technology, including nanotechnology, microsystems and
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The Company's last 12 initial
private equity investments have been in tiny-technology enabled
companies. …read the wave

Intel Corp. have claimed the world's first NOR flash memory device on 90-nanometer manufacturing technology.
Dubbed Wireless Flash Memory and clearly targeted at the wireless market, the technology is the company's ninth generation of flash memory and is the latest member of Intel's Stacked Chip Scale Packaging product line. …read the wave

Nano Meet: USA

Nanotechnology ForumFebruary 26, 2004

USA: CNSI is a co-sponsor of the MIT-Stanford-Berkeley Nanotechnology Forum, a monthly series of panel discussions in the Bay Area on nanotechnology topics of interest to the business and investment communities. The next event will cover the topic “The Future of Storing Bits: Nanotechnology’s Impact on Digital Memory.” It will occur on Thursday February 26, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. at Stanford University….read the wave

Chippewa Valley, Embraces Nanotechnology

Eau Claire, Wisconsin. - Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) President Bill Ihlenfeldt told a news conference last week, that CVTC will begin teaching nanotechnology as early as September 2004 and that the region should prepare for sweeping changes and opportunities.

Jack Uldrich, nanotechnology author, consultant and president of the NanoVeritas Group, described “a shift of historic proportions” brought on “by the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular level,” one definition of nanotechnology….read the wave

Nano Research:

ATTOGRAM MASS DETECTION
has been achieved…

ATTOGRAM MASS DETECTION has been achieved by Harold Craighead and
his colleagues at Cornell, with prospects of exquisite detection of
very tiny chemical and biological species, possibly with arrays of
detectors. With their lithographically fabricated nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) device, the Cornell researchers can measure the mass of a particle with a sensitivity of 10^-18 grams, far exceeding the precision of a comparable device with femtogram (10^-15 g) sensitivity reported last yearTo get any better measurement of mass you would have to vaporize the particle and shoot its constituent molecules through a mass spectrometer.

At Cornell, mass measurement works this way: when the minuscule
particle is absorbed onto a tiny sliver of silicon it alters the sliver's resonant oscillation.The oscillation in turn is monitored by reflecting laser light off the cantilever. It's as if a particle with a mass of a billionth of a billionth of a gram stepped onto a diving board whose springiness was observed by reflected light. So far Craighead's group has weighed small gold dots and tiny coatings of molecules on the dots, but the goal is to detect and identify viruses. (Previously the same group detected the immunospecific binding of a single bacterium using the
oscillating-cantilever method.

They did this by coating their with a specific antibody and therefore could bind and detect the added mass only of the corresponding antigen.) The mass sensitivity with the present cantilever (4 microns long, 500 nm wide, and at room temperature) is expected to be 0.39 attogram and will only get better as the size of the cantilever is reduced further, extending the sensitivity well into the zeptogram (10^-21 g) range.

Nanoscale insulation

NANO-PROPRIETARY, INC. COMPLETES PRIVATE PLACEMENT

AUSTIN, Texas, Nano-Proprietary, Inc. (OTCBB: NNPP) have announced that it completed a private placement in which it issued a total of 401,887 shares of its common stock in exchange for proceeds of $1,065,000. There were no significant expenses associated with the sale of these shares.

The offering was priced at $2.65 per share on January 28, 2004 when the Company’s common stock closed at $2.80 per share. As of the date of this press release, the Company’s cash balance will be approximately $4.5 million (with no debt).

“The main goal behind this financing was to increase the likelihood that our auditors will remove the going concern qualification from their audit opinion. We felt this to be an important step for the Company as we continue to negotiate development and license contracts,” said Marc Eller, CEO of Nano-Proprietary, Inc. “In addition, the Company is expanding the space in its offices by 60% (from 10,000 to 16,000 sq. ft.) to handle increased activity in the sensor side of the business and commence the assembly of the 25 inch color CNT (carbon nanotube) television,” continued Mr. Eller.
Nano-Proprietary, Inc. is a holding company consisting of two wholly owned operating subsidiaries. Applied Nanotech Inc. is a premier research and development organization dedicated to developing applications for nanotechnology with an extremely strong position in the field of electron emission applications from carbon film/nanotubes. Electronic Billboard Technology, Inc. (EBT) is geared toward licensing its electronic digitized sign technology. …read the wave

Thin tubes between cells transport organelles but block small molecules
A cell extends a threadlike tube to a neighbor, attaches, and transfers a small organelle from one cell to the other. Such a scenario describes a newly discovered type of cell-to-cell communication [Science, 303, 1007 (2004)].

“The discovery is spectacular,” says Owe Orwar, professor of biophysical chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden. Orwar has helped develop artificial systems that demonstrate similar transport…read the wave

Saving Semiconductors Means Acting Now
By Greg Blonder

Now is time for a few good researchers and entrepreneurs to come to the aid of the semiconductor industry. The ever-evolving system of battery, integrated circuit, and CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) transistor, which for 20 years has lived in harmony with Moore's Law, is reaching its limit….read the wave

Nanogen Reports 2003 Fourth Quarter and Year-End Financial Results

SAN DIEGO,Nanogen, Inc. (Nasdaq: NGEN), developer of molecular diagnostic products, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2003.

Total revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2003 were $2.1 million compared to $1.7 million in the third quarter of 2003 and $12.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2002. Fourth quarter product revenue increased by 45% over the prior quarter on the basis of eight new instrument sales and one reagent rental. Additionally, Nanogen signed two new strategic site agreements during the fourth quarter....read the wave

Intel Still Obeying Moore's Law
By Richard Ball

Intel remains committed to keeping its semiconductor process aligned with Moore's Law, citing extreme UV lithography, novel transistor layouts and new materials as the key factors.
Greg Spirakis, Intel VP and director of design technology, said: "Although there's been much discussion over the demise of Moore's Law, we don't see that happening any time soon." …read the wave

Patents

3D Fabrication Technique Uses Light-Activated Molecules To Create Complex Microstructures

A three-dimensional microfabrication technique that uses a unique class of light-activated molecules to selectively initiate chemical reactions within polymers and other materials could provide an efficient way to produce complex structures with sub-micron features….read the wave

Findings of Novel Nanoproperties in Selenium Produced By Bacteria Open New Area of Exploration Findings Could Lead to Faster Electronic Devices

Patents

ARMONK — Marie Angelopoulos, Edward D. Babich, Inna V. Babich, Kuang-Jung Chen, Wayne Martin Moreau and David E. Seeger were awarded a patent for an admixture of an electrically conductive material and an energy sensitive material resulting in a conductive energy sensitive composition. The structures are useful for lithography in microelectronic fabrication to avoid the effects of charging on resists from electron beams. The compositions are also useful in applications of scanning electron metrology and static dissipation. The patent was assigned to International Business Machines Corporation….read the wave

NANOPHASE TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES PILOT AVAILABILITY OF NANOCRYSTALLINE SILVER DOPED TIN OXIDE

Nanophase Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: NANX), a technology leader in nanomaterials and nanoengineered products, announced pilot availability of silver doped nanocrystalline tin oxide.

The new nanomaterial is approximately thirty nanometers with a 3% by weight silver content. Nanophase is targeting the material for certain industrial antimicrobial applications such as wood preservation, marine antifouling, specialty paints and coatings, and plastic and rubber additives, as well as conductive coatings and electronic materials.

“Nanophase is targeting antimicrobial applications, both industrial and in personal care, as a potential growth area for nanomaterials,” stated Dr. Ed Ludwig, Nanophase’s vice president of business development. “We expect to develop additional materials for these potential markets during 2004.”

Nanophase’s silver doped tin oxide consists of non-porous, dense, discrete, homogenous nanoparticles in the thirty nanometer range. The nanomaterial is available in pilot quantities and the Company is interested in joint development opportunities for industrial antimicrobial or electronic materials applications.

For additional information, contact Dr. Ed Ludwig eludwig@nanophase.com

Nanoparticle probes are destined for major new role in medical diagnostics and drug delivery.

Emory/Georgia Tech biomedical engineer previews emerging field of nanomedicine at AAAS Annual Meeting

5-terabit optics under 1V, products two years away

New technologies may soon allow scientists to identify some of the genes of humankind's oldest ancestors...read the wave.

Nano Research:

Help Required

I am a first year engineering student in Western NY. I have some interest in the field of nanotechnology.
I have recently been given an assignment in one of my introductory courses to interview an engineer in the field of engineering that interests me.

I would like to find someone to interview who has a background in Electrical engineering and is doing research/work in the nanoscience field. The interview would only take five to ten minutes. I would greatly appreciate any help in finding someone who meets this criteria.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Rashid Chaoua

Contact Rashid

Paint cleaner air

The Nanotech Buzz:

IIT Roorkee To Set Up Centre Of Excellence
BY PRACHI VERMA

It's hard enough to thread a needle. Imagine trying to manipulate threads and needles miniaturized to one-millionth the normal size. Now, you're thinking like the emerging group of nanotechnologists whose growing dexterity at fashioning new materials and devices may eventually improve every arena of technology, from aerospace to drug development. While many researchers focus on developing tools for working on nanoscale materials, others are pursuing a virtual pathway toward nanotechnology applications. As ever-more powerful computers have become ever more affordable, computational nanoscientists can readily simulate materials atom by atom...read the wave

Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), the leading manufacturer of step and flash (S-FIL*) imprint lithography equipment, continues to prove the capabilities of its systems with the latest sales of its Imprio* 100 tool to South Korea's new National Nanofab Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, as well as to a global electronics company headquartered in Northern California...read the wave

We are planning of organizing in the context of "SOCRATES/ERASMUS " I.P. intensive program of Europeans Union , with the Chemical Engineering Department of Aegean University-Turkey, on the subject of "Nano Science and Technology". The place may be a summer hotel with a convention center near the city of Izmir - Turkey and the program will be held during 1-10th of July 2005. or last week of June 2005.

Organizer : Dokuz Eylul University - Izmir Turkey
Partners: 1-Thessaloniki University -Greece
2-Institute of Geotechnics of SAS - Slovakia ??
3-Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche et d'Ingénierie des Matériaux - TOULOUSE - FRANCE
4- Bourgas University, Bourgas , Bulgaria
5-Aegean University - Izmir Turkey

We are urgently looking of partner, Prof. or Teaching Staff from a E.U. (European Union) University eligible to participate to SOCRATES ERASMUS programs.

As the deadline of submission of the project is very near, (1st of March), it is very important that you respond fast in case your answer is positive. In the case the project is accepted 3-5 graduate students from your university may also participate.

Hoping to hear from you soon I remain,
Sincerely yours

Professor Dr. Ismail Tavman

My address:
Prof.Dr. Ismail H. Tavman
DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
35100 BORNOVA/IZMIR - TURKEY

Fax: (90) 232-388 78 64
Phone: (90) 232-388 31 38/216
E-Mail: ismail.tavman@deu.edu.tr

(note from the Editor, if you have never been to Turkey make this your choice of NanoTech venue the people, the country & the food I can highly recommend )

With nanobiotech research growing at an astounding rate -- and funds starting to follow – what are the most promising near-term prospects for nanomedicine?

Predicting which applications will have the resources -- and luck --to succeed is a dicey proposition, experts acknowledge. But NanoBiotech News posed the questions to the field's preeminent pioneers and found that real-world applications of nanomedicine will happen within five years.

Ground-breaking nanotechnology researcher Ralph C. Merkle, Ph.D., and the father of nanomedicine Robert A. Freitas, Jr., JD, are among the industry heavyweights who weighed in with NanoBiotech News on the state of the science and where it's headed.

"Broadly speaking, we are entering a new era in which we can manipulate molecular structures with greater precision," Merkle tells NanoBiotech News.

In some ways, nanomedicine has already entered the clinic in the form of magnetic nanoparticles used as targeted contrast agents for MRI and optical imaging, says Erkki Ruoslahti, Ph.D., MD, professor at The Burnham Institute in La Jolla, CA.

"These show all kinds of promise, not only for diagnostics but for therapeutics," says Ruoslahti, who has conducted seminal research on targeting nanoparticles in vivo.

"The evolutionary spectrum in nanomedicine will start at the sensing and diagnostics end and move into therapeutics over time," predicts Freitas, research fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing
and author of Nanomedicine, the first book-length technical discussion of the medical applications of nanotechnology and medical nanorobotics.

Diagnostic applications are on a faster track simply because the clinical trials hurdles are fewer and easier, observes Jennifer West, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice
University in Houston and a leading researcher on the use of gold nanoshells. "Scientifically, it makes sense to go for in vitro diagnostics, such as blood tests, and we'll see some nice applications
in diagnostics in the next two to five years."

Freitas adds, "Most of my work is oriented toward the longer term, but if I had to guess, the applications nearest to commercialization are probably the fullerene-related and dendrimer-related drugs," Freitas
says. "The nanoshells are making their way toward commercialization, but the fullerenes and dendrimers are probably closest in terms of somebody making money from a product."

Industry observers and participants alike can stay on top of the nascent field by reading NanoBiotech News every week. Every major nanomedicine development -- from both business and scientific
perspectives -- is covered in this global nanobiotechnology
intelligence source …read the wave

Nanotechnology, the hot young science of making invisibly tiny machines and materials, is stirring public anxiety and nascent opposition inspired by best-selling thrillers that have demonized the science — and new studies suggesting that not everything in those novels is fantasy….read the wave

An MIT device that makes the world's most precise rulers--with "ticks" only a few hundred billionths of a meter apart--could impact fields from the manufacture of computer chips to space physics.
The Nanoruler is 10 to 1,000 times faster and more precise than other methods for patterning parallel lines and spaces (known collectively as gratings) across large surfaces more than 12 inches in diameter. Such large surfaces are key to a number of applications involving gratings, such as larger wafers for the production of computer chips and higher-resolution space telescopes....read the wave

Fachleute aus der Nanotechnologie in Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft erhalten eine neue Plattform für zielgerichteten Know-how-Transfer: Die Organisatoren der Nanofair und Nano Conference 2004 rufen Experten und Entscheidungsträger auf, sich mit Fachbeiträgen an der Nano Conference zu beteiligen. Die internationale Nanotechnologie-Messe mit angegliederter Konferenz findet vom 14. bis 16. September 2004 in St.Gallen / Schweiz statt und soll eine möglichst breite Übersicht über die Fortschritte in der Nanotechnologie bieten.

Damit diese Vorstellung verwirklicht werden kann, sind Vertreter aus Forschung, Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Bildung eingeladen, sich mit fachspezifischen Beiträgen zu beteiligen. Interessierte Experten auf dem Gebiet der Nanotechnologie sind gebeten, ihre Beiträge bis Ende März online einzureichen... read the wave

Nanotechnology specialists from the fields of science and business now have a new platform for targeted know-how transfer: The organizers of the Nanofair and Nano Conference 2004 are calling for specialist papers from experts and decision-makers to be presented at the Nano Conference. The international nanotechnology trade show with its concurrent conference will be held in St.Gallen, Switzerland, from September 14-16, 2004.
Its mission is to provide the broadest possible overview of the progress being made in the area of nanotechnology.To make this vision come true, representatives from research, science, business, and education will be invited in the coming weeks to contribute their specialist papers. Interested experts from the field of nanotechnologies are asked to submit their contributions by the end of March online at …read the wave 

Weekend Fun:

Maths secrets of M&Ms revealed

M&M sweets pack together more densely than perfect spheres when randomly jumbled in a container, scientists say. Same-sized spheres were previously thought to have the highest "packing fraction" - the relative density of objects when shoved in a container....read the wave

Nano Ethics:

Itty-bitty Ethics: Bioethicists see quantum plots in nanotech concern...and quantum bucks in buckyball brouhaha?

In a paper released 28th January, five ethicists at the University of Toronto's Joint Center for Bioethics (JCB) accuse Prince Charles of "fear-mongering" and ETC Group of condemning poor nations to exports of "bananas and t-shirts."[1] The authors speak enthusiastically about the potential of nanotechnology to improve conditions in the developing world and they express dismay that, in their view, "commentators" are now focusing primarily on risks instead of benefits. ETC Group responds to the JCB paper in a "Genotype" …read the wave

Nano Research USA:

NANOTUBES GO WITH THE FLOW

Researchers have assembled carbon nanotubes into arrays of loops, lassos, and hooks, according to the 13 February PRL. Physicists hope to use these several-nanometer-diameter tubes to build tiny mechanical and electronic devices, and the unexpected bending shows that they are more versatile than had been assumed. As one example, these bent tubes might lead to more sensitive sensors to detect fluid flow….read the wave

Nano Meet Ireland:  

E.T.S Walton Visiting Fellow, Prof. Gordon Wallace will present a seminar Entitled

ELECTRONIC POLYMERS AND CARBON NANOTUBES:
New Conduits to the Bioworld

On February 18th at 3pm in the NCSR Seminar Room, S206(Research & Engineering Building, DCU).

Prof. Wallace has joined the NCSR team for an eight month period to develop Novel Micropatterned Platforms Utilising Inherently Conducting Polymers.

The aim of this proposal is to use Inherently Conducting Polymers to control,and therefore optimize, how biomolecules interact with each other.

By application of an electronic potential or by chemically changing the reduction/oxidation state, conducting polymers can be used to alter a range of primary molecular interactions which can be further enhanced with the use of specific biological reagents. Using appropriate structures, similar effects maybe induced with optical stimulation.

This research will lead to the development of new instruments, which will enable doctors to diagnose critical diseases and allow patients to monitor their own health in their homes. Such technology will reduce the costs of healthcare while increasing the quality of service provided to patients….read the wave

Cloneing Issues USA:

CLONING: SCIENTISTS IN SOUTH KOREA CLONE MATURE HUMAN EMBRYOS. by Robert L. Park

It was a year ago that Clonaid Inc., owned by Raelians, announced the cloning of baby Eve (WN 3 Jan 03). Raelians believe the first humans were cloned by space aliens. (Ever notice how funny other people's religions are?)

That was a hoax, but this looks like a real breakthrough in therapeutic cloning. Embryonic stem cells with the same DNA as a donor mother were derived. In spite of great medical promise, it's already stirring up controversy in the Senate, which is deadlocked on whether to ban such research.

But whatever we do in the U.S., it now seems inevitable that reproductive cloning of a human will happen sometime, somewhere. Immortality is an easy sell, and this is as close as you can get.THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the University of Maryland, but they should be.

Nano Europe: German Nano News

Highlights Firmen

+Altair: 4. U.S.-Patent
+AMSC: HTS mit 30% mehr Leistung
+Biotrove: 10,9 Mio. U.S.-Dollar
+CNI mit neuem Patent
+Eikos: 1 Mio. U.S.-Dollar von ITOCHU
+FEI: Rekordumsatz im 4. Quartal 2003
+Hybrid Plastics: 100.000 U.S.-Dollar von der NSF
+ItN Nanovation: Beschichtung verhindert Anbackungen und Korrosion
+Nanogen: 936-Patent
+NVE: 450.000 U.S.-Dollar/Zahlen 2003
+Wachstum von Nanofasern beobachtet (HALDOR)
+PHILIPS forciert aufrollbare Displayentwicklung
+U-Right joggt mit Texcote davon
+VEECO: Verlust von 4,8 Mio. U.S.-Dollar

Highlights Forschung

+C60 als Faradayscher Kaefig
+Emission einzelner leuchtender Untergruppen eines Polymermolekuels
+EU-Projekt PRONACOM - Studie zu Nanokompositen
+Flexible, organische LEDs
+FZJ und RWTH Aachen gruenden nationales Kompetenzzentrum
+Kohlenstoff-Nanoroehren ohne amorphen Kohlenstoff
+Nanofasergeruest liefert bioaktive Epitope
+Nanofabrikation mit einer Vervielfaeltigungsmatrize
+Nanoskalig erstellte Bausteine aus Kugeln, Roehren und Kurven
+Selbstorganisation von molekular verbundenen Gold-Nanodraehten
+Synthetische Nanoroehren und Nanofaeden auf Mineralbasis
+Wirkung von Nanoroehren auf die PCR:
...read the wave

South Korean researchers leapfrogged American scientists Thursday when they announced they had derived the first embryonic stem cells from a human clone. So why wasn't the U.S. first? Kristen Philipkoski reports from Seattle. …read the wave

IBM puts its newly developed method, which uses a combination of SOI, strained silicon and copper wiring technologies, immediately to work in volume 90nm production…read the wave

Nano Research USA:

Photosynthesis inspires molecular-assembly process

By Chappell Brown, EE Times

Nanotechnologists have recently succeeded in their attempts to build molecular systems based on highly efficient versions of the molecular "machine" that plants use to turn sunlight into energy. Such molecular-assembly machines could be used in many applications, including sensors and other electronic devices.

One recent example is a chemical system devised at Sandia National Laboratory (Albuquerque, N.M.) that creates a wide variety of complex nanostructures from platinum. The system uses the porphyrin molecule, a protein essential to photosynthesis, as a catalyst for depositing platinum on small organic structures called lipids. The process resembles a molecular-scale electroplating technique, except that photons rather than electrons drive the plating operation. …read the wave

Nanobiotech Pioneers Predict Nanomedicine Impact within Five Years

With nanobiotech research growing at an astounding rate -- and funds starting to follow -- what are the most promising near-term prospects for nanomedicine? Predicting which applications will have the resources -- and luck -- to succeed is a dicey proposition, experts acknowledge. But NanoBiotech News posed the questions to the field's preeminent pioneers and found that real-world applications of nanomedicine will happen within five years…read the wave

Nano-origami: Scientists at Scripps research create single, clonable strand of DNA that folds into an octahedron

A group of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has designed, constructed, and imaged a single strand of DNA that spontaneously folds into a highly rigid, nanoscale octahedron that is several million times smaller than the length of a standard ruler and about the size of several other common biological structures, such as a small virus or a cellular ribosome….read the wave

Broad Range of Nanotech Issues Highlight Chemists’ Meeting

A wide variety of nanotechnology topics –– from “lab-on-a-chip" microsystems that quickly test for environmental contaminants to tiny sensors that detect bioterrorism ––highlight the American Chemical Society’s 227th national meeting in Anaheim, March 28 - April 1. The world’s leading experts will explore key issues related to this rapidly growing technology in more than a dozen sessions, including a special presidential colloquium…read the wave

Cloning advances faster than regulation

Cloning of human embryos succeeds for stem-cell research. Can a cloned human being be far behind?

By Peter N. Spotts | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

A smoldering global debate over human cloning is likely to flare following a report this week that researchers in South Korea have for the first time cloned human embryos and used them to produce a type of cell widely regraded as a potential key to treating a range of diseases….read the wave

CNSI Outreach Program Awarded Funding for 2004-2005.

The CNSI Outreach Program has just been awarded $35,000 by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation to continue working with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

In partnership with UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and the NSF sponsored Materials Creation Training Program, the CNSI is bringing nanoscience and nanotechnology experiments to high school students from the lowest performing public schools.

The program is spearheaded by CNSI Member Sarah Tolbert, Professor of Chemistry and includes a number of graduate students and postdocs from the basic sciences and engineering. Together they are working with over 35 high school science teachers on a number of experiments that can easily be taught in the classroom.

Some of these experiments include: understanding the self assembly of molecules; creating magnetic fluids; generating energy out of berry juice; using light to transfer patterns; and building their own scanning tunneling microscope. …read the wave

Clone News South Korea: Scientists clone 30 human embryos

Scientists produce the most advanced human embryo clones yet, to create cells that may one day be used to treat diseases....read the wave

The New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium is proud to be a partner with the
Molecular Engineering Commerce Forum 2004,
April 19-20, 2004, at the The Wyndham San Jose, San Jose, CA.

Dr. David Bishop, President of the New Jersey Nanotechnology Consortium and VP
of Nanotechnology Research at Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs, will be speaking
on the topic "Investing in Innovations Enabled by Nanotechnology". His
presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20th, at 945 a.m....read the wave

"Nanotubes do not couple well thermally to the surrounding material," Cahill said. "As a result, the heat transport across the nanotube-matrix interfaces will be very limited."…read the wave

Nano Research Australia:

House with a view by Julia Pierce
Come home to nanotechnology may seem an unlikely marketing slogan for one of the world's most controversial areas of technological research. But Australian researcher Dr Carl Masens believes home is precisely where nanotechnology could begin winning hearts and minds...read the wave

2nd Technology Transfer Days Nanobiotechnology
11. und 12. März 2004, Congresshalle Saarbrücken / Deutschland

Die internationalen Technologietransfertage bilden eine Plattform für Unternehmer und Wissenschaftler zur Diskussion neuester Ideen, Entwicklungen und Anwendungs-szenarien aus dem hochaktuellen Wissensgebiet Nanobiotechnologie. Internationale Referenten aus Wissenschaft und Industrie werden über F&E-Ergebnisse, Trends, erste Anwendungen und Vision berichten. Technologietransfer, Innovation und Schutzrechtsfragen werden von Spezialisten in einer eigenen Session behandelt. Weiterhin wird eine Laborbesichtigung angeboten.

Wer sollte teilnehmen?
Spezialisten, Entscheider und Wissenschaftler aus Medizintechnik, Materialentwicklung, Analytik, Lebensmittel- und Verpackungsindustrie, pharmazeutischer Industrie, Biotechnologie, Biosensorik und allen anderen Bereichen, in denen technische Strukturen in Kontakt / Interaktion mit biologischen Materialien sind...read the wave

Researchers at the University of Southern California have shown that the right amount of noise can enable carbon nanotube transistors to detect weak electrical signals. This is the same effect -- stochastic resonance -- that neurons use to communicate in biological brains....read the wave

Nano Research USA:

Findings of Novel Nanoproperties in Selenium Produced By Bacteria Open New Area of Exploration Findings Could Lead to Faster Electronic Devices

Working at the nexus of biology and nanotechnology, a researcher and an alumnus from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have released findings that could lead to the tailoring of bacterial processes for a host of smaller, faster semiconductors and other electronic devices. Pulickel Ajayan, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, and geobiologist Ronald Oremland reported that three different kinds of common bacteria “grow” the element selenium in the form of uniform nanospheres. The nanoscopic balls exhibit vastly different properties than selenium that is found as a trace mineral in topsoil
....read the wave

Nano Medicine: Nano in Medicine, and its socio-economic implications in Europe

Nanotechnology
In medicine, innovative devices can be developed by arranging atoms in small numbers, almost one by one. Nanotechnology works on a level as small as a millionth part of a millimeter. Tools operating on this tiny scale open possibilities for diagnosis, imaging and implantation that are not thinkable of with conventional techniques.

The EuropeanUnion sponsored network Nanoforum fosters nanotechnology and recently published a report on socalled "smart materials" for medical devices. Such materials are able to help, for example, selecting single cells from blood samples, or to label drug molecules in order to follow their path from the blood into the brain. Apart from these diagnostic purposes, advanced applications as retina implants are seen as well: miniaturised electrodes stimulate the retina cells in the eye and promise to restore a good deal of sight in blind patients.

The report focusses on the social and economic aspects of this new branch of technology, and is complemented with vived examples of current developments. Researchers from Germany, UK, Scandinavia and other countries are interviewed and highlight the pros and cons of the techniques they develop.

The report discusses the developments in the European market and shows a comparison with Japan and the USA: we aren't doing too bad at all. It furthermore gives an overview of existing European networks and European funding bodies that are committed to this 139 billion euros market. National programmes and networks in a number of active countries are presented too. Legislation and regulatory rules that are involved with marketing new products are listed. All together, the report provides with a good first orientation for those not familiar with this part of biomedical nanotechnology, and offers the broader scope for those working on one specific topic in this field....read the wave

Nano Research South Korea: Mechanical Storage Goes Low Power

Researchers from the LG Electronics Institute of Technology in Korea have devised a very low-power method of reading bits of information stored in areas of film that measure 50 nanometers, or 20 times narrower than an E. coli bacterium...read the wave

Nano Research China: New Chinese rules permit cloning for research

The Chinese government has introduced its first regulations allowing the cloning of human embryos for research purposes under tightly specified conditions. However, the regulations, which came into force last month, outlaw 'reproductive' cloning, or the cloning of a human to produce another human….read the wave

MEMS Workshop Argentina:

Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes on Micro Electro Mechanical systems (MEMS)

San Carlos de Bariloche
Patagonia, Argentina
June 21-30, 2004

You are invited to register and/or apply for financial assistance to participate in the Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes on Micro Electro Mechanical systems (MEMS). The deadline for registration and financial assistance is April 15, 2004.

Participants selected for financial assistance will have all their travel, living and accommodation expenses covered by the conference.The PASI on MEMS will provide a forum of multidisciplinary discussions regarding micromachined devices for researchers, engineers, and practitioners in various fields. Furthermore, it will provide an opportunity for the further exploration of selected topics and for the presentation of the most recent research and development in this rapidly changing field.…read the wave

Hosted by: US-Asia Technology Management Center, Stanford University
NEC Fundamental and Environmental Research Laboratories

Thursday, February 19, 2003
10:30 AM - 12 Noon

Nanotech, new burn therapy featured at chemists’ meeting in Anaheim, March 28 - April 1

The world’s top experts will take a close look at the big picture of nanotechnology in a special presidential symposium at the American Chemical Society’s 227th national meeting in Anaheim, March 28 – April 1. Other featured topics include ways to convert greenhouse gases into fuel, a new treatment for severe burns, a view of the L.A.P.D. crime lab, the first in the nation, and the latest developments in gene and stem cell research.

Program sessions will cover the gamut of health, food, agriculture, energy, new materials, astrochemistry and the environment.

ACS, the world’s largest scientific society, expects more than 14,000 scientists to attend the meeting. More than 8,300 papers will be presented at nearly 700 technical sessions, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, and at surrounding hotels.

The Presidential Colloquium: Big Promise from “Small” Science — How Nanotechnology will Change our Lives, will be held Sunday, March 28, from 2 p.m. - 5:40 p.m. The colloquium will examine the promise and possible impacts of nanotechnology and nanoscience now and in the future. The session, which brings together many of the top experts in the world, also will explore concerns over potential dangers and limitations of this evolving field. Including this colloquium, more than a dozen nanotechnology–related symposia will be featured during the meeting.

Another session, A Tripartite Presidential Symposium: The NRC Report, titled, Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, will be held Sunday, March 28 from 7 - 9:30 p.m. It will focus on a National Research Council report on challenges faced by the chemical sciences. Speakers will describe the opportunities for chemical practitioners to make major contributions in the areas of medicine, the environment, homeland security and the quality of life in general.

A symposium, Stem Cell and Vector Biology, organized by the Division of Biochemical Technology, will be held Monday, March 29, from 8:45 a.m. - to 11:30 a.m. This session will highlight new findings about uses for bone marrow transplants, stem cell and gene therapies. Researchers also will present data on the development of treatments for hemophilia and viral hepatitis infection.

In addition to the scientific research, there also will be an exhibition Monday through Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center by more than 300 companies providing goods and services of interest to the chemical community.

Other symposia and research papers on the Anaheim program include:

· · A new study looking at whether acrylamide, found in French fries and potato chips, is carcinogenic;
· · A new treatment for severe burns using cellulose from bacteria that may help with wounds and bedsores;
· · How natural foods, like tropical fruits, vegetables, and honey fight cancer and diabetes;
· · Evidence showing the Colorado River is contaminated with perchlorate. About 95 percent of the lettuce consumed in the United States is produced near this body of water;
· · A look inside the L.A.P.D. crime lab, the first in the nation, which opened seven years before the first FBI forensics lab;
· · The hidden hazards of the entertainment industry’s special effects;
· · A new method of treating diabetes; and
· · A presidential session reviewing polymers and other materials used for anti-terrorism and homeland defense....read the wave

Koller`s collaborators include Eran Segal and Michael Shapira (both of Stanford), Nir Friedman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Aviv Regev (Harvard Center for Genome Research), Dana Pe`er (Harvard-Lipper Center for Computational Genetics), Roman Yelensky (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and David Botstein (Princeton University)….read the wave

Nano’s Safety Checkup
Concerns over particle dangers could slow nanotech’s growth By Ivan Amato.

Even as the pace of nanotechnology research accelerates in labs around the world, a few early studies have raised concerns that tiny man-made particles might pose threats to human health or the
…read the wave

Nano Biz USA - Korea : MOLECULAR IMPRINTS SELLS NANO-LITHOGRAPHY SYSTEMS IN S. KOREA AND TO A GLOBAL ELECTRONICS COMPANY IN N. CALIFORNIA

Molecular Imprints, Inc. (MII), the leading manufacturer of step and flash (S-FIL*) imprint lithography equipment, continues to prove the capabilities of its systems with the latest sales of its Imprio* 100 tool to South Korea’s new National Nanofab Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, as well as to a global electronics company headquartered in Northern California...read the wave

Nano Biz Canada : AMR announces major new nanotechnology application

Ten year exclusive agreement to supply Nano Cerium Oxide

AMR Technologies Inc. ("AMR") (TSX:AMR - News) announced today that it has developed a novel form of nanosized Cerium oxide material which has significant implications for use in a major global consumer product. If this product succeeds in the marketplace, AMR estimates that sales…read the wave

Nano Money USA : Sony Group will invest $325 million in IBM's state-of-the-art 300mm semiconductor manufacturing

Governor George E. Pataki announced that the Sony Group will invest $325 million in IBM's state-of-the-art 300mm semiconductor manufacturing facility to facilitate production of cutting-edge, next generation 65 nanometer chips. SONY Group will partner with IBM's Systems and Technology Group to produce the next generation "Cell" microprocessor at IBM's 300 millimeter chip-fab in East Fishkill, the world's most advanced computer chip fabrication facility….read the wave

Check Beng Ng, Linda S. Schadler, and Richard W. Siegel were awarded a patent for nanoparticle-filled polymers. Polymer resins incorporating nanoparticles having a particle size in the range of 1-100 nm and a narrow particle size distribution have improved tensile properties and scratch resistance. The patent was assigned to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute…read the wave

Nano Europe UK: Nano-scientist's dark secret by Nick Green

One of the most brilliant scientific researchers of recent years stands accused of committing an elaborate scientific fraud, fooling many eminent experts.

In 2001, a team led by Hendrik Schoen appeared to have invented the smallest organic transistor ever made. Only a single molecule in length, it was hailed as a huge breakthrough, capable of transforming the world of computers...read the wave.

Nano Europe UK: It’s no longer ‘scary science’ in tomorrow’s world.

With decisions looming on our nanotech future, Vidhya Alakeson and Tim Aldrich look at how to win public engagement.

They’re coming – big time. Heavyweight reports with nanotechnology in their titles are hitting our bookshelves with increasing frequency.

Since the last Green Futures article on this little understood technology of the seriously small [GF34], we’ve a pile of studies by everyone from the ETC Group and Greenpeace to the Economic and Social Research Council and the Better Regulation Taskforce….read the wave

Robots get social conscience

They sniff, wag their tails, fetch and run in packs. Inside their plastic and metallic skins, robotic dogs programmed by engineering students at Yale University even have a social conscience. …read the wave

Nano Europe UK : DTI puts nano-cash up for grabs

Big opportunities come in small packages By Robert Jaques

The UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has earmarked £50m of funding to help British businesses research and develop applications that exploit the commercial potential of nanotechnology. The government department estimates the market for the technology will be worth $1tn in 10 years….read the wave

 
New pollution eating paint will clean the air

A new form of paint that can absorb some of the noxious gases from vehicle exhausts goes on sale across Europe next month. Its manufacturers hope it will give architects and town planners a new weapon in the fight against pollution, an article in New Scientist reports...read the wave

TIM HARPER : Nanotechnology in the forestry industry
...read more

Plants Give Up Their Secret of Splitting Water

Researchers said last Thursday they had taken another step toward understanding how plants split water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms -- which may provide a cheap way to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel….read the wave

Virtual Nanotech : Modeling materials one atom at a time By Alexandra Goho

It's hard enough to thread a needle. Imagine trying to manipulate threads and needles miniaturized to one-millionth the normal size. Now, you're thinking like the emerging group of nanotechnologists whose growing dexterity at fashioning new materials and devices may eventually improve every arena of…read the wave

Tiny "Diving Board" Can Catch a Cold
Microscopic silicon beam is sensitive enough to detect a single virus particle By Gabe Romain.

A tiny device sensitive enough to measure a single virus particle promises better disease detection, environment monitoring and bioterrorism defense….read the wave

In the 3 October and 6 February issues of PRL, however, researchers suggest a way to entangle and teleport electrons in a solid, using a device that's already commonly studied in physics labs. It would also open new possibilities for creating powerful quantum computers….read the wave

Philips reveals roll-up display : Dutch consumer electronics firm makes a 5-inch flexible organic display.

Philips says that it has manufactured the thinnest, most flexible active-matrix display demonstrated to date. The prototype 5-inch organic display has a resolution of 320x240 pixels (QVGA) and a bending radius of about 2 cm. It combines polymer electronics pioneered by Philips with electronic ink technology developed in the US by the E-ink Corporation. …read the wave

Weekend fun…. but seriously folks!

China People's Daily : Beijing businessman applies to trademark George W. Bush name to market nappies

A Beijing businessman has filed an application to trademark the Chinese name of US President George W. Bush to help market his disposable nappies. ...read the wave

Nano Event : USA

Licensing Converging Technologies - Bridging the Gap
Feb 11-13, 2004
San Francisco
Westin St. Francis

The next technological revolution is predicted to be the result of three converging technologies, Information Technology, Nanotechnology and Biotechnology. The effect can be widespread, from electronics and new materials to pharmaceuticals and patient specific therapy. What are these technologies? How are they converging? What are the implications of their convergence for licensing and intellectual property? How will this convergence affect each technology?

These and other topics will be addressed in both plenary and workshop sessions of the 2004 Winter Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society, February 11-13 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco. ...read the wave

Nano Research : Russia

THE NANOPOWDER CONSISTING OF IDENTICAL PARTICLES

High-quality nanopowders made of refractory ceramics are a rare and very expensive material. All known methods of their manufacturing face the same problems - scanty quantities, extensive variety of particle sizes and expensive production. Researchers from the town of Tomsk have invented and manufactured a device to produce a choice selection of particles – all particles are equal to the required size and inexpensive. The project has been funded by two foundations – the Russian Foundation for Basic Research
and the Foundation for Promotion of Small-Scale Enterprises Development in
Scientific and Technological Area....read the wave

Nano Biz Europe :

European Companies maintain a Strong Position in Packaging and Equipment for MEMS

European Companies maintain a Strong Position in Packaging and Equipment for MEMS, as American Companies take the Lead in Manufacturing and Engineering. Intelligence research undertaken by enablingMNT highlights the large regional differences in the business approach of suppliers and service providers for the microsystems market.

The latest intelligence information published by the enablingMNT team on ‘MST/MEMS equipment manufacturers’ shows a strong position for German companies involved in this market, while most of their US counterparts are based in California. Another remarkable trend shows...read the wave

Scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, claim to have made the first electronic hybrid nanotube-semiconductor devices. They encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes in epitaxially grown semiconductor heterostructures such as GaAs/AlAs and (Ga,Mn)As....read the wave

Global Nanotechnology Market To Reach $29 Billion By 2008

The total global demand for nanoscale materials, tools, and devices was estimated at $7.6 billion in 2003 and is expected to grow at an average annual growth rate of 30.6% to reach $28.7 billion in 2008, according to a report....read the wave

Nano Research: USA

UCLA to Use Nanotechnology to Study Cancer With $1.5 Million Grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation

UCLA researchers have received a $1.5 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation for a new interdisciplinary program that will use nanotechnology to understand the origins of the majority of solid tumor cancers.

"The W.M. Keck Epithelial Cell Cancer Biology Program will help UCLA scientists better understand the complex nature of tumors that share an epithelial cell origin such as breast, prostate, lung, bladder and pancreatic cancer, and facilitate the development of new ways to treat them," said Leonard Rome, principal investigator for the program, director of UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center's Cancer Cell Biology Program Area and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA....read the wave

Nanotechnology developments set to open way to faster and lower-power electronics.

This report examines the current state of nanomechanics and nanoelectronics technologies, organizes key issues and puts them in context, and succinctly explains how the technologies work....read the wave

Protein Orders Semiconductor Bits

Researchers working to make structures at the size-scale of molecules are tapping self-assembly techniques found in nature. National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers have found a way to construct fairly complicated nanostructures by combining a genetically engineered form of the protein cohesin with quantum dots....read the wave

Many research teams are working to make electronics that include carbon nanotubes—rolled-up sheets of carbon atoms that have useful electrical properties and that can be as narrow as the span of four hydrogen atoms. ...read the wave

Ostriches don't really bury their heads in the sand when confronted with danger. People, however, sometimes do.

Certainly that seems to be what's happening with the nanotechnology industry. Last week, I wrote about prospects for nanotechnology, and in particular about what I saw as the nanotechnology business community's rather shortsighted efforts to dampen public debate on the subject. I thought it was rather clear that my column, like all my nanotechnology writings, came from a generally pro-nanotechnology standpoint, though I concluded:…read the wave

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Nano Research: USA

Magma, Chinese Academy of Sciences Establish Nanotech Lab

Magma Design Automation Inc. and the EDA center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) today announced a joint agreement to establish the Nanotechnology Integrated Circuit Design Lab.

Under the agreement, the lab will develop and provide IC design solutions for nanometer technologies based on Magma's integrated RTL-to-GDSII flow. …read the wave

USA : NYC Governor George E. Pataki has announced that Infineon, Genus, and the UAlbany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics have signed a letter of intent to enter into a $12 million, three-year partnership to develop next-generation devices at the nanoscale.

"This new partnership is tremendous news for the Capital Region and will …read the wave

NASA just landed a second rover on Mars. President Bush wants to send people there, too. He's called for new technology to make space travel easier. As this ScienCentral News video reports, nanotechnology might lead the way, by making possible an elevator into space…read the wave

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Wrapped in parkas and scarves to battle the early morning cold, about 20 people gathered in front of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to protest the groundbreaking of the lab’s new Molecular Foundry.

Waving signs like “Bad Rad Lab,” demonstrators passed out fliers urging the community to halt construction of the foundry, which state legislators will visit tomorrow for a groundbreaking ceremony. The new facility will be dedicated to the study of nanotechnology. …read the wave

More Molecular Foundry or should we say “Bad Rad Lab” info …read the wave

Looking technology in the eye Researchers are designing robots with more human characteristics, like skin and moving eyes.

By Lori Valigra | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

In a decade or so, people may not have to tidy their house, clean up after the dog, or even nag their spouse to do chores. A friendly, human-like robot will take care of routine tasks, and it won't whine or fight back….read the wave

The chasm between have and have-not countries will grow even wider if nanotechnology research is upended by the unbalanced positions of high-profile opponents like Prince Charles, warns a new analysis from a leading global medical ethics think-tank. …read the wave

Introducing 'Nanotechnology' by David Brinkerhoff and Dane Hamilton - Reuters

Nanotechnology, according to its fans, will jumpstart a new industrial revolution with molecular-sized structures as complex as the human cell and 100 times stronger than steel. …read the wave

Nano Research: USA

TEDCO highlights booming nanotech By Robert J. Terry

USA : Maryland technology development leaders put nanotechnology -- the engineering of materials at the atomic and molecular levels -- on center stage.

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. highlighted research done at Adelphi's Army Research Laboratory in its latest showcase, designed to forge partnerships between companies, entrepreneurs and federal government scientists ...read the wave

Nanopulses tweak the innards of cells

A method that would allow doctors to tweak the innards of cells without even touching a patient's body is being developed in the US. The technique is still in its infancy, and it is still not clear exactly what it does to cells. But initial experiments suggest it might one day be possible to use the technique to treat cancer, speed up healing or even tackle obesity ...read the wave

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Nano Biz Europe : Germany

German Technology Company Tripled Turnover

The Berlin-based technology company Capsulution NanoScience AG can look back onto a very successful year after it tripled turnovers during the second half of 2003. According to a preliminary balance at the end of the second half of last year the Company was able to generate operational profits of some 45,000 euros compared with operational losses of some 585,000 euros during the first half of 2003.

Following the company's shake-up that was started last summer the overall performance during the financial year 2003 has been considerably better than expected. Based on the continuing development of innovative nanoproducts for numerous industrial applications and thanks to the acquisition of several renowned partners and clients during the course of last year Capsulution expects another substantial increase in turnovers for the current year and looks forward to breaking-even.

Alexander Herrmann, Chief Financial Officer of the Berlin-based company, commented very optimistically on the new financial year: "Despite our primary goal of becoming profitable we are continuing on the path of our vision, to apply our proprietary resources in laying the foundations for the introduction of our technology to new areas of application. In this respect we are very confident that also in 2004 we will be able to convince new industry partners of the versatility and benefits of our nanotechology. Additionally we are committed to offering interested financiers continual opportunities to invest in the successful progression of our technology and to participate in the value creation of our company."

About Capsulution NanoScience AG: Capsulution NanoScience AG develops innovative nano- and micron-sized capsules. The company applies its proprietary so-called LBL-Technology®. Based on their minute size, their functionality and their highly reproducible production process the capsules can be used for a multitude of different applications. Accordingly, the precisely sized capsules (500 nm to 50 µm) can be made to function in a manner to suit the intended application, and can be given the appropriate biochemical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties as required by the customer. The capsules can be applied for the delivery of drugs, in cosmetic products, and in diagnostics. Today, the Berlin-based company has 16 highly qualified employees. Amongst Capsulution's clients and partners are key industrial players such as Bayer AG, Gelita, SCA Hygiene Products, Cognis, OctoPlus and other renowned companies. ...read the wave

USA: Researchers at Purdue University have developed a miniature device sensitive enough to detect a single virus particle, an advancement that could have many applications, including environmental-health monitoring and homeland security.

The device is a tiny "cantilever," a diving board-like beam of silicon that naturally vibrates at a specific frequency. When a virus particle weighing about one-trillionth as much as a grain of rice lands on the
cantilever, it vibrates at a different frequency, which was measured by
the Purdue researchers.

"Because this cantilever is very small, it is extremely sensitive to added mass, such as the addition of even a single virus particle," said Rashid Bashir, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering.

Findings are detailed in a paper to appear next month in Applied Physics Letters, a journal published by the American Institute of Physics. The paper, which is likely to appear in the weekly journal's
March 8 issue, was written by doctoral student Amit Gupta, senior research scientist Demir Akin and Bashir, all in Purdue's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The work, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is aimed at developing advanced sensors capable of detecting airborne viruses, bacteria and other contaminants. Such sensors will have applications in areas including environmental-health monitoring in hospitals and homeland security.

"This work is particularly important because it demonstrates the sensitivity to detect a single virus particle," Gupta said. "Also, the device can allow us to detect whole, intact virus particles in real
time. Currently available biosensing systems for deadly agents require that the DNA first be extracted from the agents, and then it is the DNA that is detected."

The next step will be to coat a cantilever with the antibodies for a specific virus, meaning only those virus particles would stick to the device. Coating the cantilevers with antibodies that attract certain
viruses could make it possible to create detectors sensitive to specific pathogens.

"The long-term goal is to make a device that measures the capture of particles in real time as air flows over a detector," Bashir said.

Scientists are striving to create "lab-on-a-chip" technologies in which miniature sensors perform essentially the same functions now requiring bulky laboratory equipment, saving time, energy and materials.

Thousands of the cantilevers can be fabricated on a 1-square-centimeter chip, Akin said.

The Purdue researchers used the device to detect a particle of the vaccinia virus, which is a member of the Poxviridae family and forms the basis for the smallpox vaccine.

The cantilever is about one micron wide - or about one-hundredth the width of a human hair - 4 microns long and 30 nanometers thick. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, or roughly the length of 10 hydrogen atoms strung together.

"This cantilever mechanically resonates at a natural frequency, just like anything that vibrates has a natural frequency," Bashir said. "What we do is measure the natural frequency of the cantilever, which
is a function of its mass. As you increase the mass, the frequency decreases. And the way to increase the sensitivity is to make that starting mass very, very small."

A single vaccinia virus particle weighs about 9 femtograms, or quadrillionths of a gram.

"So, if a grain of rice weighs a couple of milligrams, one of these virus particles weighs about one-trillionth as much," Bashir said.

Because the cantilevers are mechanical parts measured primarily on the scale of microns, or millionths of a meter, they are called "micromechanical devices."

The researchers created the cantilever using the same technology used by the semiconductor industry to etch circuits in electronic chips. Silicon is deposited as a blanket onto the surface of a wafer and then formed into patterns during numerous steps, including chemical etching. In this case, a cantilever is formed instead of a circuit.

In addition to funding from NIH, facilities in Purdue's Birck Nanotechnology Center were used to carry out the experiments. ...read the wave

Nanocomputing Connections

Harvard and Caltech researchers have devised a scheme that makes connecting nanoscale components to ordinary-size circuits possible—marking a step toward the integrated memory and logic needed for a functional nanocomputer...read the wave

Nanotechnologists at Weizmann Institute say they have combined palladium, gold, silver and other nanoparticles to formulate a new type of nanotube....read more

U.S. Army Examining Nanotechnology

The U.S. Army next Tuesday will showcase its nanotechnology research as part of an effort to attract commercial partners. washingtonpost.com's Kyle Balluck toured the nanotech facilities at the Army Research Lab in Adelphi, Md ….hear the wave

Chinese, US scientists make headway in nano-wire research

Chinese, US scientists have recently collaborated to make headway in the research of nano optical wave guiding. Chinese, US scientists have recently collaborated to make headway in the research of nano optical wave guiding. …read the wave

Biotrove, Inc. secures $10.9 million to continue the development and commericalization of novel nano-scale drug discovery solutions

Woburn, MA, USA BioTrove, Inc. have announced that the company has successfully raised $10.9 million in venture capital funding. The investors supporting the financing include Catalyst Health and Technology Partners, CB Health Ventures, Zero Stage Capital and BioFrontier Partners. The funds will be used to continue the development and commercialization of the Company’s micro- and nano-scale products and services, the Living Chip™ and Momentum™ Assay Development and Screening….read the wave

Mr. Modzelewski is also a member of the Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group to President Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of nanotech's 5 "powerbrokers," and he has testified before the U.S. Senate on nanotechnology funding, investment, technology transfer and global competition. ...read the wave

WEST LAFAYETTE, USA Purdue University scientists have uncovered an unusual material that could lead to non-metallic magnets, which might be lighter, cheaper and easier to fabricate than magnets made of metal.

A team of researchers, including Paul G. Wenthold, has analyzed a radical hydrocarbon molecule whose electrons behave differently than they should, according to well-known principles. The compound is not the only molecule that exhibits such odd behavior in its surrounding cloud of electrons, but it is the first to be discovered that does not include a transition metal.

"In that respect, this is a unique exception to the electron-behavior rule, and it might help chemists think more clearly about where other exceptions lie," said Wenthold, an assistant professor of chemistry in
Purdue's School of Science. "Designing materials with novel properties depends on understanding the forces at work inside their molecules, and understanding the structure of this exceptional molecule could lead to new tools for material design."

The research, which Wenthold conducted with Anna I. Krylov of the University of Southern California and members of both their research groups, appears in today's (2/ 2) issue of Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a major European chemistry journal. The team deduced the structure of the compound using advanced techniques, including mass spectrometry.

Radical molecules, which contain unpaired electrons and are thus more reactive than molecules without them, have gained household notoriety primarily because so-called "free radicals" in the bloodstream can
damage healthy cells. While the molecule Wenthold's team has investigated is not found in the body and has no household name - it is referred to only by its chemical description, 5-dehydro-1,3-quinodimethane - it has a property that would raise the eyebrows of any observant student in a first-year chemistry course. The surprise stems from the uncommon way its three unpaired electrons arrange themselves around the nuclei in the molecule's atoms - an arrangement that students learn is virtually fundamental.

"It's called Hund's Rule," Wenthold explained. "It says that unpaired electrons line up facing the same direction when they arrange themselves around the molecular center. You might think of them as
three-ring binders lying flat on shelves: You want to be able to read the labels on all of their spines, so you lay each binder flat with its spine pointing outward."

Paired electrons, he explained, would resemble two binders stacked one atop another; if their spines were both facing the same way, the top face of the upper binder would not form a flat surface, and it would tend to slide off the lower binder. None of a radical's unpaired electrons is constrained by this need to face the opposite direction, as they all have their own "shelves," or quantum energy levels.

"Nonetheless, one of the three unpaired electrons in our molecule faces the opposite direction," Wenthold said. "Since this is the first time we've ever seen this happen in an organic triradical, it opens up a few
new possibilities for materials designers."

Krylov said the possibilities might include the building blocks for molecular magnets.

"People are already trying to build magnets from materials other than metals, such as the polymers that form plastic," she said. "Since magnetism is related to the behavior of unpaired electrons, this compound could be used as a building block for such polymers, leading to non-metallic magnets. It could extend a materials scientist's options."

The National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Tyrone Mitchell said that non-metallic magnets might have significant advantages over metal ones.

"Non-metal magnets would have several conceivable advantages," said Mitchell, who is program director in the NSF's chemistry division. "If we can find ways to magnetize hydrocarbons, for example, they would weigh less than metallic magnets, making them attractive to the space program and other commercial applications in which weight is always a concern. And since the raw materials would also be cheaper and easier to fabricate than metal substances, such magnets could conceivably save
money in the long run."

Wenthold and Krylov cautioned that such possibilities are only speculation for the moment, and for now the major significance of the find is the fundamental knowledge it provides.

"We still have a lot to learn about molecules such as this one," Wenthold said. "We have a long list of steps that will follow this one, such as comparing this molecule's properties with one that does not
have its unpaired electrons facing different directions. But the unique property this substance exhibits will be of interest in its own right, even before we come up with any actual applications for it. It is one
thing to discover magnets - designing them is far more difficult and requires an understanding of what makes them magnets in the first place."

http://www.chem.purdue.edu/Faculty/wenthold.htm

The University of California, Davis, College of Engineering has received a collection of patents and other intellectual property from DuPont on using nanotechnology to generate electron beams. The donation will support work in the Vacuum Microelectronics group led by Charles E. Hunt, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The donation includes: eight granted U.S. patents and current U.S. patent applications on field-emission vacuum microelectronics; multiple foreign patents and pending applications; other company technical information; support equipment; and funds to support graduate student research in Hunt's laboratory.

Hunt's laboratory applies nanotechnology to build tiny structures, hundreds of times smaller than the thickness of a human hair, that can confine enormous electric fields in a very small volume of material. This material then emits electrons that can be focused into a beam. These "field-emission" devices have numerous emerging applications ranging from high-efficiency lighting to novel biomedical devices, nanoscopic X-ray sources, cathode ray tubes and microwave devices, Hunt said.

The UC Davis researchers will be able to develop and add to the existing patents and license them to other companies or to startup companies spun off from UC Davis. Any future royalties or licensing fees will benefit the University of California.

"We are immensely pleased by the generous donation from DuPont," said Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering at UC Davis. "It allows us to build on an area in which the college already excels,and it is a vote of confidence on the part of an important industrial partner in our ability to make the best possible use of the patents. We know that our researchers in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering are poised to build on this gift.
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=6877

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To approach this conceptually-difficult but physics-rich topic, we will proceed in several parts: providing a quantum background, defining the word "degeneracy," summarizing the new atomic state, and finally
assessing the advantages of the new state.

1. Quantum background. In exploring the exotic landscape ofquantum gases, physicists have lavished much attention on bosonicatoms (atoms whose total spin has an integer value, such as 0 or 1or 2). In 1995 scientists succeeded in cooling (bosonic) atoms sothat in a quantum sense the atoms began to overlap, at which pointthey really could not be distinguished and had, in effect, becomepart of a single quantum entity called Bose Einstein condensate(BEC). Fermions (possessing half-integer spins, such as 1/2 or 3/2
or 9/2), whether elementary particles like electrons and quarks, orwhole atoms (and in determining whether an atom is a boson orfermion one has to add up the spins of all its constituent protons,neutrons, and electrons), do not act like bosons. The Pauliexclusion principle dictates that no two identical fermions may occupy the same quantum state. Most of chemistry here on Earth andelsewhere is dictated by the simple Pauli rule: electrons fillatomic orbitals in such a way that no two electrons have exactly thesame quantum values. Partially filled orbitals determine what kindof chemical affinity that atom will have. Note that fermion atomsare not precluded from interacting in ordinary chemical reactions(the atoms have differing nuclear and electronic internalc onfigurations). But they may not enter into an extensive BEC kind of quantum condensate where the atoms do possess the same quantum attributes.

2. Degeneracy. Pauli is on duty at all times, but he chieflymanifests himself in a quantum setting, such as in the orbitalswithin an atom or in the chilled molasses of a microkelvin-levelatom trap. In this rarefied realm, bosons can all fall into that singular BEC state. All having the same energy, these atoms are
said to be degenerate. With fermions, it's quite different. In aquantum setting---whether electrons moving through a crystal or fermion atoms chilled in a trap, fermions are obliged to fill, one by one, all the different possible quantum energy states, starting at the low end. On an energy level diagram, the fermions look as if they were perching on the rungs of a ladder, filling all the rungs singly. (The uppermost rung is called the fermi energy and the temperature that corresponds to that energy is called the fermi temperature.)

Commonplace example: the free-roaming electrons in a metal crystal, even at room temperature, are obliged to assume a set of discrete quantum-allowed energies in this way. These electrons are said to constitute a degenerate fermi gas. In the fermion context, "degenerate" means that the particles fill up the plenum of possible energy states. Creating such a gas of degenerate fermion atoms proved more difficult to make than a degenerate (BEC) gas of boson atoms. In fact, a degenerate fermi gas was first accomplished
only in 1999 (www.aip.org/enews/physnews/1999/split/pnu447-1.htm) in an experiment by Deborah Jin and her NIST/JILA colleagues, the same lab where the new results have been performed. By the way, although
physicists had long assumed the Pauli principle would apply to atoms (composite objects) as well as to electrons (truly elementary particles), it was only in recent work that this was demonstrated experimentally.

3. New state of matter. Fermions, if you pair them, can become bosons. And in that way, fermions can enter pairwise into a quantum condensate. There are, however, a whole spectrum of pairing mechanisms. At one extreme is the case where the atoms pair strongly, after which they can (as molecules) collapse into a Bose Einstein condensate (BEC). At the other end of the spectrum the atoms can pair weakly, or more to the point, combine in an unbound but correlated state analogous to the Cooper pairs of electrons that form the essence of quantum currents in superconductors or the pairs of helium-3 atoms that constitute a superfluid. In previous months a number of labs have reported forming condensations of
strongly-bound molecules

(see www.aip.org/enews/physnews/2003/split/663-1.html ). Now Deborah Jin and her colleagues Cindy Regal and Marcus Greiner at NIST and the University of Colorado report making great progress in moving across the plain between the BEC and BCS pairing alternatives. The type of pairing can be adjusted by subtly altering the strength of an external magnetic field. The NIST researchers, who cool potassium-40 atoms to microkelvin temperatures, are at the cross-over region: they are not at the BEC regime because the applied magnetic field would not permit the kind of pairing one needs for a BEC condensate. Also they can affirm that they are not in the BCS regime either because the strength of the interaction among atoms is too strong for the kind of weak Cooper pairing that occurs in superconductivity or helium-3 superfluids.

This new condensed form of atomic matter should not be thought of merely as a way station between the BEC and (weak) BCS pairing alternatives, but as a unique state in its own right. Eric Cornell (also at NIST but not part of Jin's group), who won a Nobel prize for his part in the discovery of BEC, describes the new NIST state as "a dramatic new sort of fermionic condensate, basically Cooper pairing in the strong-field limit."

4. Assessment. One of the goals in pursuing this research is the chance to form novel types of Cooper pairs or superfluids, and possibly to custom make different kinds of superconductivity. In these cold fermi gases the interactions (and the strength of the pairing) can be adjusted by turning a knob (changing the magnetic field), which is more than you can say about conventional superconductivity, metallic or ceramic. Here is one hint that this work might lead to warmer, even room temperature, superconductivity: In the new potassium fermionic condensate the ratio of transition temperature (at which condensation of pairs
occurs) to fermi temperature is about 1 to 5. In conventional low-temp superconductors the ratio is 1 to 1000 (or even 100,000).

Even in high-temp superconductors, the ratio is 1 to 100. (Regal et al., Physical Review Letters, 30 January 2004; additional background in Physics Today, Oct 1999 and Oct 2003.)

``The light shines brilliantly these days at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL),`` said U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. ``The start-up of SSRL`s new synchrotron light facility, SPEAR3, guarantees a world-class program in x-ray science for years to come.``

SPEAR stands for Stanford Positron Electron Asymmetric Ring. SPEAR3 was formally opened at a dedication ceremony at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) on Jan. 29. It incorporates the latest technology - much of it pioneered at SSRL and SLAC - to make it competitive with the best synchrotron sources in the world.

Some 2,000 scientists from around the country will use SPEAR3`s extremely bright x-ray light each year to illuminate the long-kept secrets of materials, chemical and biological matter.

Synchrotron light has revolutionized our view into the sub-microscopic world and has contributed to major innovations in fields such as solid-state physics, materials science, environmental sciences, structural biology and chemistry. Synchrotron light is created when electrons traveling the speed of light take a curved path around a storage ring, a structure in which high-energy particles can be circulated many times and thus ``stored.`` The electrons emit electromagnetic light in x-ray through infrared wavelengths. The resulting light beam has characteristics that make it ideal for revealing the intricate architecture and utility of many kinds of matter.

``This facility will be crucial to advancing the field of structural biology, which is growing in importance to the NIH [National Institutes of Health] mission, by enabling cutting-edge targeted drug design projects and major efforts such as the Protein Structure Initiative and the Structural Biology arm of the NIH Roadmap,`` said Dr. Elias Zerhouni, NIH director. ``From its very genesis as a joint project between NIH and DOE [Department of Energy], this new facility exemplifies the collaborative nature of science and the productive cross-fertilization between biological and physical disciplines.``

Said SSRL physicist John Arthur: ``SPEAR3`s brilliant x-ray beams provide the ability to study smaller objects at higher resolution. In many cases the greater brightness at SPEAR3 will also enable researchers to take their data faster, do more difficult experiments and use smaller samples of material.``

Noted Abraham: ``This is the first time the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health have joined in funding an accelerator research facility.``

Thirty years ago, SSRL was among the first laboratories in the world to use synchrotron produced x-rays for studying matter at atomic and molecular scales, and the first to offer beam time to a broad community of scientists from academic, industry and government labs submitting research proposals for peer review. The original SPEAR ring, built for particle physics programs at SLAC, yielded two Nobel prizes and provided fertile ground for innovating synchrotron techniques and making important discoveries. SPEAR3 is a complete rebuild and upgrade of the SPEAR2 ring, which was the original ring adapted for improved performance in synchrotron radiation research.

Lines extend from the ring to carry synchrotron radiation to experimental stations. The new ring has the capacity to easily add eight to 10 more beam lines, with associated experimental stations, beyond the existing 11 beam lines. A $14.2 million gift from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to the California Institute of Technology, announced Jan. 28, will allow scientists at Caltech and Stanford to collaborate on the building of a designated beam line at SPEAR3 for structural molecular biology research. The exceptional quality and brightness of SPEAR3`s x-ray light is perfectly suited to studying complicated biological systems.

The first electron beams circulated in the new SPEAR3 ring in mid-December 2003, and the first experiments are scheduled to begin in March.

``SPEAR3 is a remarkable resource that will enable state-of-the-art science in numerous fields,`` said SSRL Director and Stanford Professor Keith Hodgson. ``The $58 million project was completed on time and on budget. I thank the people whose extraordinary teamwork made the project successful. In a remarkable accomplishment, the old accelerator was dismantled, a new tunnel floor poured, SPEAR3 installed and commissioned, and users back online - all within a mere 11 months.``

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory:
http://www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/

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MOLECULAR FOUNDRY GROUNDBREAKING MARKS BERKELEY LAB'S LEAP INTO THE NANOREVOLUTION

BERKELEY, CA ,  USA. The term “Molecular Foundry” suggests a place where objects are forged and new materials are molded. Like the foundries of the industrial revolution, this new concept, on a nanoscale, promises to revolutionize the way the world works. It begins at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – ceremonially, on Friday, Jan. 30).

That’s when ground was turned for the official beginning of construction on a six-story, $85 million, 94,500-square-foot research building that will be one of the centerpieces of the DOE’s Nanoscale Research Program. Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry is one of five DOE research centers to be constructed over the next few years.

“This facility will assist scientists in reaching new frontiers in the study of nanoscale research and its practical application,” Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said. “It represents a beginning of a revolution

in science, opening up a broad array of innovation in materials science, biology, medicine, technologies for environmental research and national security.

“Berkeley is blessed with tremendous resources, such as the national supercomputing center (NERSC), the Advanced Light Source, and the National Center for Electron Microscopy,” he added. “All will be

instrumental in the revolution in science offered by the Molecular Foundry.”

“Nanoscale research will, in many respects, represent the new building blocks for new technologies and applications across the science and industry spectrum,” said Berkeley Lab Director Charles Shank.

“Understanding the properties of materials on the tiniest scale will have an impact on everything, from medicine to manufacturing.”

Nanoscale research enables scientists literally to build novel structures atom by atom. The fundamental properties of materials and systems are established at the nanoscale.  Nanomaterials, typically on

the scale of billionths of a meter, or 75,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, offer different chemical and physical properties than the same materials in bulk form, and have the potential to form the

basis for new technologies. This especially includes the realm of molecular biology.

Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry – actually the research building around which Foundry programs will be developed – will include six facilities available to users from around the world. These include labs and experts devoted to inorganic nanostructures; nanofabrication; organic, polymer/biopolymer synthesis; biological nanostructures; imaging and manipulation; and theory. Its focus will be on the design, synthesis and characterization of both “soft” (biological and polymer) and “hard” (inorganic and microfabricated) substances and the integration of these into complex assemblies.

The SmithGroup of San Francisco designed the structure, which will follow the contours of a hillside site between a materials research building and the microscopy center. Construction will be coordinated by

Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. of Foster City. When completed in 2006, the Foundry building will house more than 200 scientists and support staff, using state-of-the-art instrumentation for imaging and manipulation.

Berkeley Lab’s facility is one of five in the DOE’s proposed Nanoscience Research Program; others will be developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory

and Sandia National Laboratories/Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The possibilities to grow out of this and other initiatives dedicated to the field of nanoscience are virtually limitless. Some potential outcomes that have been suggested include:

*  Carbon nanotubes -- sheets of graphite rolled into extremely narrow tubes a few nanometers in diameter– could be the possible building blocks of future electronic devices.

*  Nanotechnology may one day enable the detection of disease on the cellular level and the targeting of treatment only to tissues where it is needed in a patient’s body, potentially alleviating many unpleasant

and sometimes harmful side effects.

*  Nanomanufacturing of parts and materials “from the bottom up”—by assembling them on an atom-by-atom basis—may one day be used to reduce waste and pollution in the manufacturing process.

*  Nanosensors already are being developed to allow fast, reliable, real-time monitoring for everything from chemical attack to environmental leaks.

*  Woven into a cable, carbon nanotubes could provide electricity transmission lines with substantially improved performance over current power lines.

*  Certain nanomaterials show promise for use in making more efficient solar cells and the next-generation catalysts and membranes that will be used in hydrogen-powered fuel cells.

U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, was featured speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony. Honda was co-sponsor of the Boehlert-Honda Nanotechnology Act of 2003, which authorizes $3.7 billion over the next

three years for nanotechnology research and development programs

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nano news 30 - 01- 2004

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Das Wachsen von Nanoröhrchen lässt sich beobachten

Stig Helveg von der Katalysator-Firma Haldor Topsoe und Wissenschaftler von der Technischen Universität von Dänemark in Lyngby haben den Wachstumsprozess von Kohlenstoff-Nanoröhrchen an nur etwa 20 Nanometer großen Nickel-Wachstumskeimen beobachten können....read the wave

Christine Peterson, president of the California-based Foresight Institute, addressed the Committee meeting: "The original goal for nanotechnology -- systems of molecular machines, building cleanly with atom-by-atom precision, as described by Nobel physicist Richard Feynman -- is entirely absent from the report. His name does not even appear.Instead, the concept of molecular machines appears only in the form of 'plagues of self-replicating nanobots,' as in Michael Crichton's thriller Prey. The environmental benefits of molecular manufacturing may be needlessly delayed by this confusion." Foresight is the leading public interest group in nanotechnology.

Ray Kurzweil, a National Medal of Technology winner who serves on Foresight's Board of Advisors, commented: "While the report has its visionary elements -- such as projecting 'intracellular intelligent machines' within 15 years -- the omission of molecular machine systems is extremely disappointing and, if not corrected, may contribute to the state losing its natural lead in this area."

Prof. Ralph Merkle, a winner of the Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology and current chair of the Prize Committee, stated, "This confusion was distressing enough when it first appeared in Washington, but it is far more so in California, where Feynman set the goal in 1959 at Caltech. It's true that Caltech and Hollywood - where Michael Crichton thriller films are made -- are not far apart geographically, but Californians should know the difference."

Building with atomic precision using molecular machine systems, also known as molecular manufacturing, is seen as a key technology for the environment, medicine, and defense. "This proposed technology -- the 'nanofactory' - is our best hope for ending chemical pollution as we know it today," said Peterson. "California's strengths in design, systems engineering, and software -- combined with its strong interest

in restoring the natural environment -- give it an edge in this area. The state's proposed Nanotechnology Research and Workforce Advisory Council should include molecular manufacturing as a major focus." ...read the wave

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New form of matter created in lab

Scientists have created a new form of matter saying it could provide a new way to generate electricity.

The fermionic condensate is a cloud of cold potassium atoms forced into a state where they behave strangely….read the wave

It's the best of times for nanotechnology. Or is it the worst of times? There's evidence in both directions.
On the upside, nanotechnology is becoming real, with increasing numbers of applications and breakthroughs. Even a dedicated observer of the field (like, er, me) can't keep up with all the new research and applications. And while we're a long way from Drexlerian nanobots, we're a long way beyond mere gimmicks like stain-resistant nano-pants, too….read the wave

Nano Europe : UK

Civil society groups call for more communication between nanotechnology stakeholders

The UK working group charged with carrying out a study on the likely developments in nanotechnology has heard calls for the creation of a 'space' where scientists, government representatives, civil society groups and industry can communicate as needed...read more