Device features on computer chips as small as 40 nanometers (nm) wide--less than one-thousandth the width of a human hair--can now be measured reliably thanks to new test structures developed by a team of physicists, engineers, and statisticians at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SEMATECH, and other collaborators. The test structures are replicated on reference materials that will allow better calibration of tools that monitor the manufacturing of microprocessors and similar integrated circuits.

The new test structures are the culmination of NIST's more than four-year effort to provide standard "rulers" for measuring the narrowest linear features that can be controllably etched into a chip. The NIST rulers are precisely etched lines of crystalline silicon ranging in width from...read the wave

 

Tokyo, Japan, Feb 25, 2005 (JCN Newswire via COMTEX) -- Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) today announced it has been awarded the Nano Tech Award of the Nano Tech 2005 International Nanotechnology Exhibition and Conference, held in Tokyo from February 23 to February 25 with 350 exhibitors from around the world. The award is recognized as the most prestigious award presented at Nano Tech, and was presented today to Fujitsu Limited for its development with Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. of simulation technology which plays an important role in nanotechnology research and development, and in addition for its future-generation LSI (large-scale integrated circuit) via interconnection technology utlilizing carbon nanotubes...read the wave

 

Blacksburg, Va. -- Virginia Tech faculty and staff members and students who received 20 patents during 2004 will be honored by the university and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (VTIP) at a reception at the German Club on March 14. "The creativity, contributions to knowledge, and technology transfer that patents signify are an important form of scholarship," said Brad Fenwick, vice president for research at Virginia Tech

VTIP (www.vtip.org) is the not-for-profit organization that pursues patents and markets Virginia Tech discoveries. "The patents awarded to Virginia Tech faculty members, students, and staff represent a significant resource for economic development," said Mike Martin, VTIP executive vice president.

Patents were awarded in 2004 for technologies to increase the efficiency of the next generation of microprocessors, speed and protect the nation's power grid, protect and enhance human and animals health, and improve communication and education.
..read the wave

 

DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY News Release (Reference P/2005/066) issued by the Government News Network on 25 February 2005. Ensuring the safe and ethical development of new technologies so that their benefits can be rapidly gained is a priority for the Government, Lord Sainsbury, Science and Innovation Minister, said today at the launch of the Science Museum's new nanotechnology exhibition.

Lord Sainsbury set out the Government's response to the Royal Society and
Royal Academy of Engineering joint report on nanotechnology, and outlined
the work and research programme that the Government will undertake to ensure
the safe and ethical use of nanotechnologies. This includes...read the wave

 

Schaumburg-based American Pharmaceutical Partners Inc. defied the skeptics who never believed it would succeed in bringing to market Abraxane, the company's first proprietary product, a late-stage breast cancer treatment.

Abraxane differs from Taxol in its delivery method, which is based on a novel nanotechnology-generated drug delivery platform created by American BioScience Inc., a privately held company that holds a controlling interest in American Pharmaceuticals and is owned by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, American Pharmaceutical's founder and former CEO...read the wave

 

Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to become a trillion-dollar industry, fuelled by the pharmaceutical industry, which faces increasingly challenging market conditions. This has lead to an intensified search for better drug discovery technologies.

A new report has singled out various nanotechnologies, which are set to make a significant impact in drug research and development. Nanotechnology has been singled out as a tool, which could make the difference in an industry, which faces growing regulatory and pricing pressures. In addition there is the threat of antibiotic resistance seen in some disease-causing microorganisms and solid cancerous tumours...read the wave

 

Applied Nanoworks Inc. of Watervliet has developed a zinc oxide product that it said has unprecedented optical clarity.

The upgraded version of its Pinnacle Zinc Oxide product is the first of its kind that is completely transparent, according to the company. The product consists of nanoscale zinc oxide particles suspended in a water-based solution. Competing products are cloudy, according to the company....read the wave

 

IN THE hip science of ultrasmall nanotechnology, it is the fantastical future possibilities such as rampaging nanorobots that capture the most attention, but the first fruits of the field have been more mundane: tiny bits of mostly ordinary stuff that just sit there.

Yet these bits - nanoparticles - gain wondrous new capabilities simply because they are so small. Nanoparticles of various sorts are already found in products such as sunscreen, paint and inkjet paper. More exotic varieties offer promise in medicine for sensitive diagnostic tests and novel treatments: the detection of Alzheimer’s disease by finding a protein in spinal fluid, for instance, or nanoparticles that heat up and kill cancer cells.

Some nanoparticles are not even on the cutting edge. Medieval artisans unknowingly became nanotechnologists when they made red stained-glass by mixing gold chloride into molten glass...read the wave

 

No one wants to strangle a fast-expanding young industry with regulations. The internet illustrates the benefits of allowing an exciting new technology to explode in a virtually unregulated environment. But some promising new fields are likely to grow better inside a well-constructed regulatory framework, either because they are exceptionally sensitive in moral and ethical terms or because they pose a potential hazard to health and the environment

Nanotechnology comes clearly into the latter category. The UK government, perhaps sensitised by its unfortunate experience with genetically modified crops...read the wave

 

The performance of organic light-emitting diodes can be improved by doping them with carbon-60 according to scientists at Samsung in South Korea. The carbon-60 molecules can also extend the lifetime of the devices by a factor of two (Appl. Phys. Lett. 86 063514).

A typical LED contains a thin light-emitting layer sandwiched between layers that transport the holes and the electrons. One way of improving the performance of organic LEDs is to increase the mobility of the holes in the hole-transport layer by adding a dopant. This should lead to more holes combining with electrons in the device...read the wave

 

Assoc Prof Dr Supakorn Rojananin, head of Siriraj Hospital's Department of Surgery, said: ``It's impossible for breasts to be made bigger by a cup size within 15 minutes. Massaging makes breasts swollen, not bigger.'' The doctor warned that fat cells in breasts could turn cancerous if breasts were massaged too hard.

Dr Pakdi Phosiri, FDA secretary-general, said the FDA would ban advertisements of St Herb Nano Breast Cream and summon representatives of St Herb Cosmetics Company, the cream manufacturer, for an explanation...read the wave

 

On May 9 – 11, the n-ABLE 2005 conference will take place in Saarbrücken, Germany. The event is co-organized by the Asia-Pacific Nanotechnology Forum (APNF), the INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, and CC-NanoChem, the German federal network of excellence in chemical nanotechnology.

Vertical manufacturing in nanotechnology, accelerated commercialization, on-demand custom development, and break throughs in nanotechnology development are this year's focus areas.

The number of participants is limited. For detailed information and registration please go to http://www.apnf.org/ocs/index.php?cf=4.

 

New York, NY, (UPI) -- Edible forms of nanotechnology could help make smart programmable drinks and more effective drugs. If the prospect of edible nanotech sounds frightening, "it is not about carving little robots for use in food," physicist Anthony Dinsmore at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst told UPI's Nano World.

Instead, scientists are creating edible capsules only nanometers...read the wave

 

Two superconducting devices have been coaxed into a special, interdependent state that mimics the unusual interactions sometimes seen in pairs of atoms, according to a team of physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The experiments, performed at the NIST laboratory in Boulder, Colo., are an important step toward the possible use of "artificial atoms" made with superconducting materials for storing and processing data in an ultra-powerful quantum computer of the future.

The work, reported in the Feb. 25 issue of the journal Science*, demonstrates that it is possible to measure the quantum properties of two interconnected artificial atoms at virtually the same time. Until now, superconducting qubits--quantum counterparts of the 1s and 0s used in today's computers--have been measured one at a time to avoid...read the wave

 

The St. Petersburg researchers suggest that infrared emission should be used to treat burns. The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) will help the authors in the framework of the "Start" program to develop and begin production of devices required for such treatment based on silicon light-emitting diodes.

A unique device based on silicon light-emitting diodes was developed by the St. Petersburg physicists - specialists of the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University. Emission of far infra-red range of wave-lengths generated by this device will help to cure in an ordinary hospital even such burns that could be previously treated only in specialized burn centers. The Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) will help the researchers to arrange production of remarkable devices...read the wave

 

A new hydrogen storage technology being commercialised by The University of Queensland spin-off company, Hydrexia Pty Ltd, could propel hydrogen gas into the mass market as an alternative green fuel.

Hydrexia was established by UQ’s commercialisation arm, UniQuest, to commercialise the hydrogen storage technology developed by Associate Professor Arne Dahle and Dr Kazuhiro Nogita from the Division of Materials Engineering.

According to Professor Dahle, practical storage is one of the largest barriers to hydrogen’s adoption as a clean fuel source.

“Current hydrogen storage methods are expensive and suffer from performance disadvantages but we’ve developed a range of magnesium alloys which has the potential to overcome these problems,” said Professor Dahle.

“Using standard casting equipment, we’re able to produce alloys that absorb hydrogen like a sponge, store it safely for long periods and release it on demand when either the pressure or temperature is varied...read the wave

 

" NanoBot is in danger of coming to an unceremonious, crashing halt. Information needs to be free, and nanotech information in particular needs an open and free forum such as this one. " Howard Lovy

I agree 100% with Howard on this issue, and even with the obvious danger of Nano Tsunami missing out on any possible donation’s I felt compelled to cover this issue.

Surely the flow of open and free nanotech information from what ever source ( NanoBot or Nano Tsunami ) must not be compromised by the lack of a few dollars.

So click on HOWARD to help support NanoBot or HERE to support Nano Tsunami.

David W.G. Voyle
Editor

 

CORDIS RTD-NEWS--- An EU project is bringing science and engineering together in an attempt to find new processes for dispersing nanoparticles in liquid forms such as body lotions and detergents.

Using nanoparticles in certain products can make them more attractive to consumers, for example by making a body lotion less visible on the skin, or protecting paint from sunlight. But in order to be effective, the particles must be dispersed within the liquid. While manufacturers are currently doing this, 'there is currently no fundamental understanding of how the engineering parameters interact with the chemical parameters,' the PROFORM project coordinator, Dr Gul Ozcan-Taskin, told CORDIS News.

The dispersal process can involve several steps, depending on the particle type.
..read the wave

 

Hydrogen Solar’s is pleased to announce its carbon-free hydrogen generating technology, the Tandem Cell™ has been chosen as a lead exhibit for London’s Science Museum exhibition, Nanotechnology: small science, big deal.

The Tandem Cell will be on display at the Museum’s Antenna gallery from February 25th to August 31st 2005, after which it will tour four UK venues.

The Tandem Cell converts the energy of sunlight directly into hydrogen gas by splitting water into its constituent elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. The cell has nano-crystalline coatings of metal oxides, which have vast surface areas and enable the cell to capture the full spectrum of ultraviolet light.

In August 2004 the company announced the cells were able to directly convert just over 8 percent of the sun’s energy into hydrogen gas. The result is a very pure form of hydrogen and unlike current industrial processes does not produce any carbon dioxide...read the wave

 

CARDIF Wales /PRNewswire/ -- Surface Technology Systems plc (STS), (FTSE: SRTS), and Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd. (SPP) have announced its plans to create a new professorial chair at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London (UCL).

The new professorial appointment, will sit at the LCN and work to strengthen the relationship between STS and the educational organizations and pursue research in a number of important areas. The role will be particularly geared towards producing new nanotechnology devices, materials and processes for a range of important applications. This will enable a growing range of commercial, scientific, engineering and biomedical applications and produce real economic and societal impact through the creation of new healthcare, IT and environmental products....read the wave

 

Burbank, CA - Microfabrica, the leader in microdevice and microsystem fabrication, has extended the capabilities of its breakthrough EFAB(r) process to fabricate complex three-dimensional microdevices over a millimeter tall, bridging the gap between micro and macro worlds.

The EFAB process is the first micro-manufacturing technology to allow the fabrication of 1mm tall and taller, truly 3-D microsystems and devices with micron precision. Taller heights allow for easier interface and seemless integration into macro-scale systems, while complex 3-D designs open the door to numerous applications that require miniaturized metal parts in military, medical and consumer electronics applications...read the wave

 

Sheffield is a world leader in nanotechnology research, and now it is also taking a leading role in educating the general public in the importance of this science. Experts from the city’s two Universities have made a short film about how nanotechnology affects everyday life, which will be a central part of an exhibition at the Science Museum in London.

‘Nanotechnology – Small Science, Big Deal’ will be opened by Lord Sainsbury on 25 February 2005, who will announce the Government’s response to the Royal Society’s report on nanotechnology.

The film was developed by Professor Richard Jones and Professor Tony Ryan at the University of Sheffield and Jeff Baggott, Film Director and Nick Dulake, Senior Visualisation Consultant from Design Futures at Sheffield Hallam University. It is presented by Professor Ryan, and looks at how nanotechnology makes the sole of a training shoe more effective...read the wave

 

New research from Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology finds that nanoparticles of gold and palladium are the most effective catalysts yet identified for remediation of one of the nation's most pervasive and troublesome groundwater pollutants, trichloroethene or TCE.

The research, conducted by engineers at Rice and the Georgia Institute of Technology, will appear next month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, a publication of the American Chemical Society.

"The advantages of palladium-based TCE remediation are well-documented, but so is the cost," said lead researcher Michael Wong, assistant professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Rice. "Using nanotechnology, we were able to maximize the number of palladium atoms that come in contact with TCE molecules and improve efficiency by several orders of magnitude over bulk palladium catalysts.".
..read the wave

 

NEW YORK, (PRIMEZONE) -- Advance Nanotech, Inc. (OTCBB:AVNA) subsidiary NanoFED Limited recently announced the launch of a $2M collaborative project with the University of Bristol to develop a new emissive display technology based on diamond dust. The Bristol group comprises lead scientist Dr. Neil Fox, Professor Mike Ashfold in the School of Chemistry and Professor David Cherns, Head of the Microstructures group in the Department of Physics. Hard on the heels of this development, the Royal Society announced a $300,000 award to Professor Ashfold and two colleagues in the School of Chemistry under its Royal Society Wolfson Laboratory Refurbishment Grants Scheme, to enable refurbishment of the laboratory environment available to NanoFED.

As Professor Ashfold commented...read the wave

 

Malvern has added the SV-10 Vibro viscometer to its range of material characterization instruments for use with its Zetasizer Nano particle characterization systems. The SV-10 is exceptionally easy to use and clean, is relatively low cost and gives rapid, highly accurate viscosity measurements in the range 0.3 to 10,000 mPa.s.

With 1% accuracy across the whole measurement range, the data it generates can be used to enhance the accuracy of particle size measurements by dynamic light scattering. Used together, the SV-10 and the Zetasizer Nano provide an excellent option for the study of emulsions and dispersions, and more particularly for the characterization of proteins in solution prior to crystallization...read the wave

 

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has submitted to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) a proposal for a new field of ISO technical activity on nanotechnologies.

The scope of the proposal identifies specific standardization tasks in the field of nanotechnologies such as classification, terminology and nomenclature, basic metrology, characterization, including calibration and certification, risk and environmental issues. Test methods include approaches for determining physical, chemical, structural and biological properties of materials or devices for which the performance, in the chosen application, is critically dependent on one or more dimension of <100nm. Test methods for applications, and product standards shall come within the scope of the Technical Committee...read the wave

 

TROY, N.Y.,PRNewswire/ -- Evident Technologies (Evident) have announced it has received an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant from the Office of Strategic Defense for a project to develop a high performance thermoelectric material using Evident's proprietary quantum dot technology. The quantum dot thermoelectric project is scheduled to be completed in June of 2005. Dr. Gregory Scholes of the University of Toronto will be collaborating with Evident Technologies to measure and characterize these materials. The award is under the United States Department of Defense's Office of Strategic Defense SBIR Phase 1 proposal OSD04-EP3 "Nanostructure-Enhanced Bulk Thermoelectric Materials" and the program is managed by the Navy's Office of Naval Research.

The objective of the project is to demonstrate that quantum dots can be used to...read the wave

 

AUSTIN, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/23/2005 -- Using technical resources at the recently opened Advanced Materials Research Center, Austin-based Xidex Corporation and SEMATECH have developed one of Texas' first commercial applications of nanotechnology for semiconductor production.

The process uses carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as surface sensors for scanning probe microscopes (SPMs), which can peer down to the level of molecules and groups of atoms, and which can be used to measure the dimensions of extremely small features in semiconductor devices. Individual CNTs are hollow tubes formed by hexagons of carbon atoms, and are about 10,000 times thinner than a human hair. Single CNT tips are grown to customer specifications directly on commercially available silicon SPM cantilevers...read the wave

 

NAGANO- Electric equipment manufacturer Shinano Kenshi Co. has developed a composite powder of carbon nanotubes and carbon silk that features high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity.

The composite can conduct electricity just as well as electrolytic copper , but because it contains no metal it is strongly resistant to alkaline environments and will not oxidize

Shinano Kenshi has also developed a way to mass produce this material and it plans to begin shipping samples in or after May. One possible application for the composite is the electrodes of fuel cells.

Carbon nanotubes are very good conductors of both electricity and heat. Composites made by mixing the nanotubes with copper or other metals retain both of these features but tend to corrode.Composites made by mixing the nanotubes with resin are electrically conductive but are not good heat conductors

The new composite is made by mixing nanotubes into a solution of carbon silk, which is obtained by sintering silk at high temperature. Mixing of the two components with ultrasound yields a composite powder that can conduct heat around 10 times better than nanotube-resin composites.

Source:Asia Pulse

 

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, 23rd February 2005 – Toppan Printing – a leading information and communications company of Tokyo, Japan, and Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) (NASDAQ:OLED), of Cambridge, UK, have just announced the commencement of Phase Two of their joint programme to explore alternative printing processes for the fabrication of displays based on light emitting polymer (PLED) technology.

Phase One, completed at the end of 2004, concentrated on proving the feasibility of using a roll printing process to deposit light emitting polymer materials onto a glass substrate. This technique would enable device manufacture based on roll-to-roll processing with attendant low costs of production...read the wave

 

The discovery of the atomic structure of technological materials like vanadium pentoxide nanotubes may support nanoscale industrial applications.

Valeri Petkov, a faculty member in Central Michigan University’s physics department and lead researcher in an experiment at Argonne and Brookhaven National Laboratories, used a nontraditional experimental technique called Pair Distribution Function analysis to determine the three-dimensional structure of vanadium oxide nanotubes. An accurate knowledge of its three-dimensional structure is needed to better understand and control the material’s useful properties.

“Once a good structural model is found, its parameters may...read the wave

 

CORDIS RTD-NEWS---The European Parliament's committee on industry, research and energy adopted a report on the future of EU research policy on 21 February, giving support to the broad ideas presented in the Commission's communication 'Science and technology - Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research'.

Rapporteur Pia Elda Locatelli emphasised the need for an