It seemed like science-fiction just a few years ago, but is now common practice for scientists at the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics (PDI) in Berlin. The scientists manipulate single atoms resting on surfaces and assemble them into wires or tiny clusters. In the world of nanometric dimensions, fundamental material properties such as magnetism, electrical conductivity or chemical reactivity differ from the conventional behaviour observed in everyday life. If metal clusters or semiconductor crystals are made just tiny enough, effects often arise which can be only explained by the laws of quantum physics. Recently, a team of scientists at the PDI documented the transition of the quantum world characteristics of atomic structures to the world of macroscopic material properties. They assembled individual copper atoms on a crystalline copper surface and examined the electronic properties of these artificial structures. Jérôme Lagoute, Xi Liu and Stefan Fölsch published their study in the journal Physical Review Letters *....read the wave

The same precise, mission-critical technology you count on to deploy your anti-lock brakes and airbags now is available to help companies better capture critical supply chain information. Intermec Technologies Corp. today introduced the use of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), a type of nanotechnology, to supply chain data collection equipment. The use of MEMS-based technology offers the first major revolution in laser-based data collection in 20 years, making it possible to produce laser data collection scanners that are significantly faster, smaller, lighter and more efficient than today's legacy scanners.

Millions of MEMS-based devices are already at work around the world, making life safer and more convenient. In fact, in June CNN named MEMS one of its Top 25 Innovations of the last quarter century. A CNN-commissioned panel of technology leaders placed MEMS at no. 11, ahead of ATMs, display panels, HDTV, the Space Shuttle and flash memory in terms of relevance, impact, or future potential to impact everyday Americans during the course of daily life...read the wave

GRENOBLE, France, The European Commission (EC) has launched a new project, Merging Optics and Nanotechnologies (MONA), to coordinate research in those fields. The project, which is part of the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP-6), will "leverage synergies in photonics and nanotechnologies, seeking to increase the impact and efficiency of investment on European research," the commission said in a statement.

Six European countries and regions are involved in launching MONA, under the leadership of CEA-LETI -- the Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies, based in Grenoble, France, run by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Also participating are industry and research organizations including...read the wave

Lowell, Mass., and Wilmington, Del. – September 28, 2005 – Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in developing and commercializing Power Plastic(tm) that converts light to energy, and Textronics, Inc., a pioneer in the field of electronic textiles, today announced a joint development program to create prototype garments and fashion accessories with portable, wearable power generation capabilities.

The technology will utilize Konarka’s light-activated Power Plastic and Textronics’ electronic textile systems to provide renewable, wearable energy sources for personal electronic devices.

Today’s techno-savvy consumers are carrying more and more mobile communication, computing and entertainment devices, such as phones, digital music players, cameras and PDAs. Each of these devices relies on batteries, but their functionality is limited by the available power and the inconvenience of recharging or replacing batteries. By combining Konarka’s Power Plastic and Textronics’ electronic textile systems into wearable electronics, the companies will overcome the shortcomings of conventional power technologies by enabling consumers to have energy generation ability with them at all times...read the wave

RENO, NV--(MARKET WIRE)--- Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (NasdaqSC: ALTI - News ), has announced that it has expanded its research, product development, manufacturing and marketing groups with the addition of eleven highly qualified advanced battery scientists, engineers, manufacturing and marketing specialists. These battery experts and specialists, mainly comprised of former Delphi and GM employees, have worked for over a decade building expertise in the development and manufacture of advanced lithium battery technologies for automotive applications, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), and other consumer, industrial and military applications.

The mission of the expanded Altairnano battery team is to accelerate the development of Altairnano's proprietary next generation nano-structured battery electrode materials and provide new capabilities to manufacture in-house prototype lithium ion cells, batteries and battery packs and increase Altairnano's product application testing capabilities. The additional electrode materials research and development personnel will be located in Altairnano's corporate offices, laboratories and manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada, augmenting Altairnano's present R&D and manufacturing teams. New personnel for development, testing and manufacturing of prototype lithium ion cells, batteries and battery packs incorporating Altairnano's nano-structured electrode materials for application development will move to a new facility located in central Indiana. Business development, marketing and sales personnel will also be located in the Indiana facility, which is in close proximity to target markets and key suppliers...read the wave

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Australia, which is fast becoming a world leader in smart nanotech materials such as "invisible" coatings, and revolutionary nanobio technology, has attracted one of the US nanotech leaders to its shores in search of breakthrough technology.

Zyvex President Dr. Tom Cellucci will tour the region with a special focus on R&D centers that are producing highly sought after nano products. Cellucci is also keynote at Australia's "Living in a Nano World" (26 - 28th September 2005, Melbourne).

The tour is being organized by Australia's investment attraction agency Invest Australia.

According to Senior Investment Commissioner for North America Robert Hunt: "Zyvex is visiting Australia to acquaint itself first-hand with the nanotechnology market opportunities, as well as to get a more in depth knowledge of a variety of break-through research being conducted at Australian research institutions." ...read the wave

Geckos are lizards with an impressive capacity to walk upside down on almost any surface, using just the attractive forces created by their feet to hold on. Borrowing the miraculous mechanism of the creature's feet, CAS researchers have succeeded in producing superhydrophobic nanotube films noted for their high adhesion.

How can geckos run upside down on polished glass? Some think that the creatures have suction cups on their feet, others say it is due to electrostatic attraction, and still others believe that they use hooks or claws or secrete glue on their feet. The question kept puzzling people for years until 2000, when a study published in Nature found that amazing climbing ability of geckos can be attributed to their nearly five hundred thousand tiny elastic hairs called setae, each of which branches at the end into up to 1,000 even tinier fibers called spatulas...read the wave

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A research team, led by UC Riverside's Ludwig Bartels , is the first to design a molecule that can move in a straight line on a flat surface. It achieves this by closely mimicking human walking. The “nano-walker” offers a new approach for storing large amounts of information on a tiny chip and demonstrates that concepts from the world we live in can be duplicated at the nanometer scale – the scale of atoms and molecules.

The molecule – 9,10-dithioanthracene or “DTA” – has two linkers that act as feet. Obtaining its energy from heat supplied to it, the molecule moves such that only one of the linkers is lifted from the surface; the remaining linker guides the motion of the molecule and keeps it on course. Alternating the motions of its two “feet,” DTA is able to walk in a straight line without the assistance of nano-rails or nano-grooves for guidance...read the wave

Innos, the UK's leading research and development company delivering expertise in silicon, MEMS and nanotechnologies, today announced its involvement in an EPSRC-funded project collaborative between Liverpool and Southampton Universities, which has demonstrated how high performance MOSFETs used in radio frequency applications can be manufactured at a low cost. The advance could enable more small to medium sized businesses to enter the radio frequency applications market and be used as part of a sensor network within ‘ambient intelligence' systems.

The research conducted at Liverpool and Southampton Universities shows how the adoption of vertical MOS transistors could enable a route to ultra-short channel MOS transistors using relaxed (hence cheaper) lithography rules and a reduced footprint. Classically, such devices are lateral but expensive lithography is required to achieve the ultra short channel lengths which are easily achieved with a vertical approach. The shortcomings of vertical transistors have been addressed by a number of novel solutions to drastically reduce parasitic effects generated by the geometric configuration of the device...read the wave

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has established two new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) at Yale University and the University of Washington, with a combined NSF investment of up to $14 million over the next six years. The centers will also receive substantial support from the participating academic institutions, state governments and industry.

The Center for Research on Interface Structure and Phenomena will investigate the electronic, magnetic and chemical properties of complex oxide materials and their interfaces, with potential applications to magnetic storage, spintronics, and chemical sensing. The Center is a partnership between Yale University, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Southern Connecticut State University. The Genetically Engineered Materials Science and Engineering Center at the University of Washington will support innovative research and education that integrates modern biology with state-of-the-art chemical synthesis to construct hybrid materials that cannot be achieved through traditional biology or Chemistry...read the wave

For about 40 years, the semiconductor industry has been able to continually shrink the electronic components on silicon chips, packing ever more performance into computers. Now, fundamental physical limits to current technology have the industry scouring the research world for an alternative. In a paper published in the Aug. 1 online edition of Physical Review Letters (PRL), Stanford University physicists present "orbitronics," an alternative to conventional electronics that could someday allow engineers to skirt a daunting limit while still using cheap, familiar silicon.

"The miniaturization of the present-day chips is limited by power dissipation," says Shoucheng Zhang, a professor of physics, applied physics and, by courtesy, electrical engineering, who co-authored the PRL study. "Up to 40 percent of the power in circuits is being lost in heat leakage," which he says will eventually make miniaturization a forbidding task...read the wave

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Headwaters NanoKinetix has announced the development of a technology that may allow for the production of flat-screen televisions that are higher-quality yet less expensive than ones currently on the market. Until now, the technology underpinning the fashionably slim monitors has limited both their size and life expectancy.

Dr. Bing Zhou, a pioneering molecular scientist at NanoKinetix, a research lab in Lawrenceville, New Jersey has developed a process that has the potential to overcome the limitations of the two predominant ways to make flat-screen monitors -- liquid-crystal-display (LCD) and plasma Digital Light Processing (DLP(TM)). An LCD monitor delivers high-quality pictures, but requires liquid crystals which are "grown" using an expensive and time-consuming process. The relatively high probability of imperfections in large crystal clusters limits the dimensions of LCD TVs to no bigger than 35 to 40 inches. Plasma monitors deliver bright colors and clarity without size limitations, but at the cost of expensive materials and a usable product life between 4 and 5 years. After that, picture quality begins to deteriorate and fade...read the wave

CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission) the major European Technological Research Organisation, announces the creation of the first French nanobiotechnology cluster. The official launch was made on September 9th with the signature of a real estate operation dedicated to host new equipments and research teams in Grenoble close to the Minatec facilities.

The new cluster, called NanoBio, gather three research partners: University Joseph Fourier, Hospital of La Tronche and CEA. A first phase is going to be funded by local authorities (Metropolitan Area of Grenoble, Rhone-Alpes Region, Isere Department and City of Grenoble) for a total amount of 23,5 M€. NanoBio will bring together engineers, physicists, chemists, biologists and medical doctors to develop new miniaturised tools for biological and medicine applications: biochips, lab-on-chips, biosensors… These tools will be used for medical diagnosis, food safety control, environmental monitoring, etc.
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PHILADELPHIA – Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have theorized a means of shrinking electronics so they could be run using light instead of electricity. In the search to create faster, smaller and more energy-efficient electronics, researchers have looked elsewhere in the electromagnetic spectrum, which ranges from the low-frequency energy used in everyday electronics to the high-frequency energy of gamma rays, to pass the limits of conventional technology.

In the Aug. 26 issue of Physical Review Letters, currently online, the Penn theorists outline how familiar circuit elements -- inductors, capacitors and resistors – could be created on the nanoscale (about a billionth of a meter) in order to operate using infrared or visible light. The Penn researchers describe how nanoscale particles of certain materials, depending on their unique optical properties, could work as circuit elements. For example, nanoscale particles of certain metals, such as gold or silver, could perform the same function in manipulating an "electric" current as an inductor does on a circuit board...read the wave

A new addition to the Bohlin Gemini family of rheometers from Malvern Instruments is optimized for the control of ultra-low torques, and opens up new opportunities to probe weak or sensitive material structures and low viscosity systems. The new instrument will make its debut at the 77 th Annual Meeting of the Society of Rheology ( October 16-20, 2005 ; Vancouver , BC ) for which Malvern is a primary sponsor.

Like all previous Bohlin High Resolution rheometers, the new Bohlin Gemini HR nano offers advanced technology with straightforward operation. While enabling the measurement and control of nano-torque levels, it retains a continuous working torque range to 200 mNm allowing complete rheological characterization. Allied to the most sensitive normal force measurement available, the Gemini HR nano offers the ultimate in instrument capabilities for weakly-structured systems...read the wave

Windscreens that no longer steam up, or paint that no longer gets dirty or can be scratched: all this could be everyday reality for car drivers in just a few years time. As part of their research work, engineers at the BMW Group are examining the use of nanotechnology in future cars. The range of possibilities is large. Currently the company is working on an agent that will counter dirt and paint damage, and small nanoparticles are of great help in this.

Purchasing a new car in 2020 - the scenario: the showroom dealer, in addition to exhibiting BMW's latest shiny new models, also sets up a stand with small, colourful seed packets. The packets, however, do not have pictures of exotic plants printed on them but instead car models. The customer chooses a car, pays for it, and is then handed over his dream car in a seed packet. He scatters the seed in his garden and waits, and at some point, just like a flower, his dream car sprouts up from the earth. Atom by atom, molecule by molecule...read the wave

ITHACA, N.Y. -- In a time of skyrocketing gasoline prices and concerns over global warming, Cornell University is helping to spearhead the next green revolution by using plants to produce energy, industrial chemicals and green materials.

Awarded more than $8.2 million in federal funding over four years through the recent signing of the federal Transportation Bill, Cornell has been tapped by the federal government as one of five Sun Grant Centers of Excellence -- regional hubs that will take the lead in researching the use of plant biomass in energy and chemical production; for education and outreach activities; and for soliciting and funding proposals that focus on using renewable agricultural resources to produce heat, electricity, biofuels, natural products, such as biopesticides and bioherbicides, and industrial chemicals.

"With our global community entering a less certain oil future, over the next 10 to 25 years, there will be a major transition to agricultural-based bio-industries," said Larry Walker, professor of biological and environmental engineering at Cornell and director of the institute...read the wave

MARKHAM, ON -- (Market Wire) --  AlphaRx Inc. ( OTC BB: ALRX ) has announced that it has completed the formulation development of a novel antibiotic formulation using its patent pending solid lipid nanoparticle delivery platform. The new product is under the trade name Vansolin(TM); the active ingredient is Vancomycin, a very powerful antibiotic being used mainly in hospitals around the world to treat life-threatening infectious disease such as hospital acquired pneumonia, ventilator associated pneumonia and severe sepsis. Vansolin(TM) is the Company's 4th product employing proprietary nanotechnology intended to increase the efficacy of existing drug compound while reducing its side effects.

Vancomycin was introduced into hospitals more than forty years ago in response to new strains of Staphylococci that were growing resistant to penicillin. Vancomycin is now seen as the last-resort drug because it is often the last opportunity that a physician may have to eliminate a bacterial infection, since bacteria have become resistant to so many other drugs...read the wave

Exclusively licensed to ALD NanoSolutions, Inc., the University of Colorado has been awarded U.S. Patent number 6,913,827 “Nanocoated primary particles and method for their manufacture,” which has been exclusively licensed to ALD NanoSolutions, Inc. The patent includes composition of matter and process claims on nanocoated micron and submicron particles. Three patents covering the platform Particle ALDTM coating technology have been issued.

Previous patents issued are: U.S. Patent 6,613,383 entitled: “Atomic Layer Controlled Deposition on Particle Surfaces;” and U.S. Patent 6,713,177 entitled “Insulating and Functionalizing Fine Metal Particles with Conformal Ultrathin Films.”

U.S. Patent Application No. 60/306,521 entitled “Method for the Deposition of an Inorganic Film on an Organic Polymer Surface Using Atomic Layer Deposition Techniques” is pending...read the wave

ATLANTA, Ga. – Sept. 20, 2005 – Nanostructured micro-devices may be mass produced at a lower cost, and with a wider variety of shapes and compositions than ever before, for dramatic improvements in device performance by utilizing very small biologically produced structures. These entirely new biologically-enabled approaches are detailed in the current issue of the International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, published on behalf of The American Ceramic Society.

This study's newly invented approaches for the low-cost mass production of micro-devices could yield unprecedented breakthroughs in genetically engineered microdevices (GEMs) for biomedical, computing, environmental cleanup, defense and numerous other applications.

Conventional microfabrication processes, similar to methods used to make computer microchips, are expensive (i.e., capital equipment intensive) and not well-suited for directly producing large numbers of complex, three-dimensional, nanostructured devices with a wide variety of chemistries and properties. Nature, on the other hand, provides...read the wave

Newswise — Editor in Chief Tuan Vo-Dinh envisions the new international peer-reviewed journal NanoBiotechnology providing a forum that leads to “explosive growth” where nanotechnology and biomedical sciences converge.

“Current and future research achievements in nanobiotechnology could ultimately lead to the development of revolutionary modalities of biomolecular manufacturing, early diagnostics, medical treatment and disease prevention beyond the cellular level to that of individual proteins,” said Vo-Dinh, a corporate fellow and group leader in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Life Sciences Division.

The first edition of NanoBiotechnology, which has a 46-member editorial board, was issued this summer and features 10 papers. Topics include visualizing nature at work from the nano to macro scale, potential nanotechnology treatments for localized articular cartilage defects and an optical nanotool to study protein organization at the cell membrane...read the wave

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., /PRNewswire/ -- Interface Sciences Corporation ( www.interfacesciences.com ) has announced the launch of its RoHS-compliant, cost-effective solution to printed circuit board failure.

Because of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) mandate, printed circuit board manufacturers must stop using lead solder by July 2006. Use of lead-free solders leads to catastrophic board failures caused by related conductive anodic filamentation (CAF) problems.

Printed circuit boards are used with memory, motherboard, graphics cards and many other types of devices. RoHS mandates transition to lead-free solders, which will affect most electronic devices including all IT and telecom equipment and all consumer electronics...read the wave

Ness Ziona, Israel , Pascal Couchepin, Swiss Minister for Home Affairs (including Science), visited ApNano Materials' subsidiary, NanoMaterials, in Israel, with a delegation of leading figures from Swiss industry and academia.

Mr. Couchepin reviewed ApNano's revolutionary commercial nanotechnology-based solid lubricant – NanoLub, presented by ApNano executives:  Mr. Aharon Feuerstein - Chairman and CFO, Dr. Menachem Genut – CEO, and Dr. Niles Fleischer, Vice President of Business Development and Product Development.

"I was impressed by ApNano Materials and I hope it will succeed because it will help humanity," said Mr. Couchepin...read the wave

An ambitious EU project created new pollution sensors for the automotive industry that could enable a multibillion euro market in emission control systems by 2010. The sensors will also help Europe to meet its CO2 obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.

The IMITEC project developed an emission control system for light duty diesel vehicles. Diesel powered vehicles are increasingly becoming a major part of the European market and already occupy more than 50 per cent of the car fleet in several European countries such as France.

During its research IMITEC scored a remarkable number of firsts. "I think when we started the project it was considered highly ambitious, but we have met out targets and we now have several technologies that will be commercialised," says Dr Athanasios G. Konstandopoulos, project coordinator and director of the Aerosol and Particle Technology Laboratory at CERTH/CPERI in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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Putting pharmaceutical agents into the body isn't hard, but getting them into targeted areas can be problematic. If drugs aren't taken up by a large enough proportion of cells, a suitable “transport agent” must be used. A French and Italian research team has successfully used carbon nanotubes as transport agents for antimycotics (antifungal agents). In addition, they have developed a strategy for attaching a second agent or marker to the nanotubes in a controlled fashion.

Carbon nanotubes are long, narrow nanoscale tubes made of multiple layers of carbon atoms arranged in graphite-like sheets. “They can drill through cell membranes like tiny needles,” explains Alberto Bianco, “without damaging the cell.” If proteins or nucleic acids are attached to the nanotubes, they come right along through the membrane. Bianco and a team of scientists from CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of Strasbourg and the University of Trieste wanted to determine if this concept could also be extended to small pharmaceutical molecules such as antibiotics or cancer drugs...read the wave

Press Dispensary - 19 September 2005 - Bio Life Technical (http://www.biolifetechnical.com), a venture which employs renowned researchers from the fields of nanotechnology and personalised healthcare - such as Professor Chris Toumazou and Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub of Imperial College, London - is launching in London, UK. The company will provide independent technical due diligence services to world-wide investors.

Bio Life Technical is structured to aid venture capital groups, investment banks, business angels and institutional investors by providing a single point of contact and managing the technical due diligence reporting process on behalf of prospective investor clients. This will save time, resources and, therefore, money for the investment community.

Professor Chris Toumazou comments: ‘Technical due diligence and new medical technologies bring together different scientific disciplines that frequently need ‘cross-examination' by different experts...read the wave

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A Mayo Clinic research team has devised a new virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer. Researchers say their findings will help overcome hurdles that have hindered gene therapy cancer treatments.

The approach relies on "therapeutic hitchhikers" -- particles derived from retroviruses (RNA-containing viruses that incorporate into the genomes of infected cells and then produce a therapeutic gene). The viral particles attach to a specific kind of T cell in the immune system and "hitchhike" to the tumor because T cells home in on tumors naturally; T cells are the immune system's...read the wave

YAVNE, ISRAEL – El-Mul Technologies is developing a hardware-based device that can generate random numbers at bit rates of 1 GHz and higher.

El-Mul Technologies CEO Armin Schon announced today that El-Mul's patented carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitters will be the basis for a new generation of extremely high-speed true random number generators (TRNG), following two years of research and development work.

“We've worked very closely with the scientists at one of Israel's leading research centers to see how this device can be manufactured, and we're now looking at a prototype system,” Schon said. “While El-Mul knows how to manufacture CNTs as field emitters, our project partner has many years of practical experience in fast pulse processing and system engineering.”...read the wave

Das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) fördert die Entwicklung der Nanoelektronik, damit die Autos in Zukunft noch sicherer werden. Für die beiden Forschungsprojekte "KASS" und "AUTOSAFE" stünden in den nächsten drei Jahren 11,4 Millionen Euro zur Verfügung, teilte das BMBF am Donnerstag in Berlin mit. Das Entwicklungsziel ist ein "virtueller Copilot". Er könnte den Autofahrer in kritischen Situationen unterstützen und Unfälle vermeiden helfen.

Das BMBF unterstützt hierfür die Entwicklung von Halbleitertechnologien für neuartige nanoelektronische 3D-Chips. Sie sollen für modulare und integrale Sicherheitssysteme in Autos genutzt werden. An den Forschungsarbeiten sind die Firma Porsche, führende Unternehmen aus der Halbleiterbranche und öffentliche Forschungseinrichtungen beteiligt...read the wave

In delende cellen treden voortdurend breuken op in DNA-moleculen. Dit zijn ernstige fouten die kunnen leiden tot het afsterven van cellen of tot fouten in het kopiëren van DNA, met kanker als gevolg. Een eiwitcomplex, bestaande uit de combinatie van de eiwitten Rad50, Mre11 en Nbs1, houdt dit soort breuken bijeen totdat ze gerepareerd kunnen worden. Biofysici van het Kavli Institute of Nanoscience van de Technische Universiteit Delft, en moleculair-biologen van het Erasmus Medisch Centrum in Rotterdam, hebben nu directe waarnemingen gedaan van zo'n Mre11-complex aan het werk. Op filmpjes die de onderzoekers hebben gemaakt, is te zien hoe twee eiwitcomplexen die zich aan verschillende stukken (gebroken) DNA hebben gehecht...read the wave

Troy, NY, -- Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are exploring the potential of nanomechanical systems by making and testing springs, rods, and beams on the nanoscale. They have been awarded a $1.15 million grant from the National Science Foundation for the research.

The past decade has seen an explosion of interest in electronic devices at the molecular level, but less attention has been paid to nanoscale mechanical systems, according to Toh-Ming Lu , the R.P. Baker Distinguished Professor of Physics at Rensselaer and principal investigator for the project. “Nanomechanical devices may have as important an impact as nanoelectronics, but a number of challenges need to be overcome before these systems can be practically realized,” he says. “This represents a multi-billion-dollar high-technology industry that will save energy and improve the quality of lives.” ...read the wave

Leuven, Belgium -- IMEC's ASML XT:1250i step-and-scan system has been upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware last month. The first exposures show excellent performance in three key areas: improved CD uniformity across the wafer, improved overlay numbers up to values comparable to dry 193nm lithography, and a spectacular reduction in patterned defectivity.

At the second International Symposium on Immersion Lithography, IMEC presented the first conclusive exposure results on its recently upgraded ASML XT:1250i immersion lithography tool...read the wave

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)---Advance Nanotech, Inc., (OTC BB:AVNA.OB - News) announces execution of a licensing agreement between Advance subsidiary NANO Electronics Limited, SAMCO, INC., and the University of Cambridge for ferroelectric nanotube manufacturing technology. New York-based Advance is the premier provider of financing and support services to drive the commercialization of nanotechnology discoveries. SAMCO and the University of Cambridge have invested in a number of patents to support commercialization Kyoto-based SAMCO Inc. is a process equipment company that develops and manufactures a wide variety of unique deposition, etching, and surface treatment systems for a worldwide network of major industrial customers and academic facilities.

SAMCO and the University of Cambridge began collaborating in the field of thin film deposition systems for ferroelectric films in 1999. The ferroelectric nanotube manufacturing technology is based on SAMCO's "misted deposition" technique, which enables the ...read the wave

NEW YORK, /PRNewswire/ -- Innovest Strategic Value Advisors (ISVA) announces a new Nanotechnology Index covering fifteen publicly traded companies and a watch list of eight development stage firms. While the nanotech industry offers unique investment opportunities, Innovest's report highlights those companies that could have an even higher growth potential relative to competitors. For instance, companies like BASF AG (BAS-FF), Altair Nanotechnologies (ALTI - Nasdaq) and ApNano (IPO in 2006) scored well for transparency and product stewardship. While Headwaters (HW-Nasdaq), Nalco (NLC - Nasdaq), Nanodynamics (private) and Konarka (private) all get high marks for focusing nano efforts on clean technology applications. Innovest's findings highlight non-traditional sources of investment risks and out-performance, giving investors unique insight into factors that could enhance a company's corporate value...read the wave

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a way to significantly increase the amount of electric current carried by a high-temperature superconductor, a material that conducts electricity with no resistance. This is an important step in the drive to create superconductor-based electric and power-delivery devices, such as power transmission lines, motors, and generators. The results are explained in the September 12, 2005, online edition of Applied Physics Letters .

"In theory, superconducting materials can conduct an enormous amount of electric current. But when incorporated into actual devices, certain factors tend to limit the current," said Brookhaven materials scientist Qiang Li, a co-author on the paper. "We studied these factors and found that one, which we call 'substrate roughness,' can actually significantly increase the current-carrying capacity."
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Nano-sized carbon tubes coated with strands of DNA can create tiny sensors with abilities to detect odors and tastes, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Monell Chemical Sciences Center. Their findings are published in the current issue of the journal Nano Letters , a publication of the American Chemical Society.

According to the researchers, arrays of these nanosensors could detect molecules on the order of one part per million, akin to finding a one-second play amid 278 hours of baseball footage or a single person in Times Square on New Years' Eve. In the report, the researchers tested the nanosensors on five different chemical odorants, including methanol and dinitrotoluene, or DNT, a common chemical that is also frequently a component of military-grade explosives. The nanosensors could sniff molecules out of the air or taste them in a liquid, suggesting applications ranging from domestic security to medical detectors...read the water

Munich, Germany, – During discussions in the past weeks initiated by Infineon, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE/NYSE: IFX), Munich, and X-FAB Semiconductor Foundries AG, Erfurt, concluded that X-FAB will not take over the Infineon plant in Perlach. Both X-FAB and Infineon were prepared to make concessions to continue operations at the site and safeguard jobs. After investigating the matter in depth it proved, however, that there is no long-term guarantee of running the Perlach site with economic success and preserving the jobs.

Reinhard Ploss, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive, Industrial and Multimarket Group at Infineon, said, “We regret the development and would have welcomed selling the site and preserving the jobs. The discussions were...read the wave

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Using strands of genetic material, Purdue University scientists have constructed tiny delivery vehicles that can carry anticancer therapeutic agents directly to infected cells, offering a potential wealth of new treatments for chronic diseases.

The vehicles look nothing like delivery trucks, though that is their function once inside the body. Instead, these so-called nanoparticles, which are assembled from three short pieces of ribonucleic acid, resemble miniature triangles. The microscopic particles possess both the right size to gain entry into cells and also the right structure to carry other therapeutic strands of RNA inside with them, where they are able to halt viral growth or cancer's progress. The team has already tested the nanoparticles successfully against cancer growth in mice and lab-grown human cells...read the wave

One of the great challenges in the field of nanotechnology is optical imaging—specifically, how to design a microscope that produces high-resolution images of the nano-sized objects that researchers are trying to study. For example, a typical DNA molecule is only about three nanometers wide—so tiny that the contours of its surface are obscured by light waves, which are hundreds of nanometers long.

Now, researchers from Stanford University have greatly improved the optical mismatch between nanoscale objects and light by creating the "bowtie nanoantenna," a device 400 times smaller than the width of a human hair that can compress ordinary light waves into an intense optical spot only 20 nanometers wide. These miniature spotlights may one day allow researchers to produce the first detailed images of proteins, DNA molecules and synthetic nano-objects, such carbon nanotube bundles...read the wave

BOULDER, Colo. —Like the flashing of fireflies and ticking of pendulum clocks, the signals emitted by multiple nanoscale oscillators can naturally synchronize under certain conditions, greatly amplifying their output power and stabilizing their signal pattern, according to scientists at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In the Sept. 15 issue of Nature ,* NIST scientists describe “locking” the dynamic magnetic properties of two nanoscale oscillators located 500 nanometers apart, boosting the power of the microwave signals given off by the devices. While an individual oscillator has signal power of just 10 nanowatts, the output from multiple devices increases as the square of the number of devices involved. The NIST work suggests that small arrays of 10 nano-oscillators could produce signals of 1 microwatt or more, sufficient for practical use as reference oscillators or directional microwave transmitters and receivers in devices such as cell phones, radar systems and computer chips...read the wave

A new system for directing radiation to target cells has been developed in Melbourne, Australia. The new targeting system has the potential to specifically destroy cancer cells with minimal damage to healthy tissues.

Tom Karagiannis is a research officer from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre where the system was devised. Tom has been selected for Fresh Science, a national competition where early-career researchers present their work to the public for the first time.

One of the Fresh Scientists will win a trip to the UK courtesy of the British Council and present their work at the Royal Institution.

The new cancer targeting concept, for which an international patent is pending, uses a special class of radioactive atoms for which the radiation damage is confined to the molecules immediately adjacent to the radioactive atom...read the wave

HOUSTON, New research from Rice University has demonstrated an important analogy between electronics and optics that will enable light waves to be coupled efficiently to nanoscale structures and devices.

The research is available online from the journal Nano Letters and will appear in an upcoming print edition.

³We¹ve discovered a universal relationship between the behavior of light and electrons,² said study co-author Peter Nordlander, professor of physics and astronomy and of electrical and computer engineering. ³We believe the relationship can be exploited to create nanoscale antennae that convert light into broadband electrical signals capable of carrying approximately 1 million times more data than existing interconnects.²

Both light and electrons share similar properties, at times behaving like waves, at other times like
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SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JMAR Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: JMAR) has successfully completed the first test phase of a three-phase program at Kimpen, S.A. DE C.V., Mexico's leading beverage development and manufacturing company. Kimpen has reiterated that, based on its successful in-lab testing of BioSentry(TM), the company intends to purchase two production units and initiate operational testing in two factories.

Earlier in the year, Kimpen commenced a two-month beta-test of a BioSentry system in its research facility. During this test period, Kimpen validated BioSentry's capabilities to detect and classify E. Coli and Pseudomonas, should these bacteria occur in its beverage production water. The initial test period, ending August 29, 2005, reached successful completion by meeting all agreed-to test criteria.
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LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Amex: BPA - News ) has announced that it has signed a Material Transfer and Option Agreement with an undisclosed European pharmaceutical company for an exclusive option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license to use BioSante's calcium phosphate nanotechnology (CaP) in the development of a series of allergy products. The partner company will fund its development of potential products for the treatment of conditions including rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and allergic gastrointestinal diseases.

Under the terms of the option agreement, BioSante will receive a $250,000 upfront option payment. If the option is exercised and the parties enter into an exclusive license agreement, BioSante will receive a...read the wave

NAPLES, Fla., (PRIMEZONE) -- Industrial Nanotech, Inc., (Other OTC: INTK.PK - News ), a leader in the development and commercialization of nanotechnology related products, reports an increased interest in Nansulate(tm) Translucent insulating coatings by consumers due to the anticipated rise in energy costs. Nansulate(tm) Translucent provides superior thermal insulation protection in a thin, translucent coating, as well as significant protection against corrosion and condensation.

Industrial Nanotech's coatings can be applied to the walls and attics in homes, office buildings, or commercial facilities in order to reduce energy consumption. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that home heating fuel prices could rise as much as 21% this winter as natural gas, electricity and propane costs are all rising. According to projections by the Energy Information Administration, heating a home with natural gas could cost an average of about $1,200 this winter, up from $1,000 last year. The most effective way to conserve energy used to heat a home is for consumers to add insulation, reducing heat loss and heating bills...read the wave

EVANSTON, Ill. --- After the anthrax attacks in the United States in 2001 the threat of a larger and more deadly bioterrorism attack -- perhaps from smallpox, plague or tularemia -- became very real. But the ability to detect such biological agents and rapidly contain an attack is still being developed.

In a significant finding, researchers at Northwestern University's Center for Quantum Devices have demonstrated solar-blind avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that hold promise for universal biological agent detection. Once optimized, these sensitive detectors could be combined with the ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (LEDs) already pioneered by the Center for Quantum Devices to create an inexpensive detection system capable of identifying the unique spectral fingerprints of a biological agent attack.
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The tests at the ESRF have demonstrated the unique properties of a new material, the Aggregated Diamond Nanorods (ADNR). Synthesized recently by a team from the University of Bayreuth, this material has been identified as the hardest and least compressible material in the world. It could potentially replace diamonds in industry.

Nanorods of many materials are proving very successful, and their properties often exceed that of nanotubes, making them excellent candidates for industrial applications. Theoretical calculations predicted that diamond nanorods too would have properties superior to that of carbon nanotubes. But, so far, nobody had been able to actually synthesize diamond nanorods. This is no longer true. A team from the Bayerisches Geoinstitut (Universität Bayreuth) has just reported the synthesis of these aggregated diamond nanorods (ADNR) and their remarkable properties, after having measured them at the ESRF...read the wave

EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2005--Nanomix Inc. announces the initiation of development relationships with the Naval Research Laboratories (NRL), the COINS Center at University of California Berkeley, and the University of Pittsburgh. These leading institutions involved in nanotechnology research and innovation are working with Nanomix to further develop a variety of medical and bio molecule detection applications that leverage the benefits of Sensation(TM) technology.

Nanomix has signed a Corporate Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NRL related to bio detection applications. COINS is a National Science Foundation nanotechnology center located at University of California, Berkeley, and research focuses on various aspects of detection device development. The University of Pittsburgh research collaboration will address innovative medical breath applications...read the wave

Somerset, New Jersey. September 14, 2005. NanoOpto Corporation, who is applying novel design methods and proprietary nano-fabrication technology to produce a broad range of unique optical components that enable higher quality, low-cost optical components and systems, today announced that Dr. Nada O’Brien has joined the company as Vice President of Product Development.

O’Brien brings 12 years of progressive experience in research and development, technology, and product development in the fields of optics and thin film coatings to NanoOpto. O’Brien started her career at Optical Coating Lab, Inc. (OCLI) as an R&D Engineer, and was later promoted to lead the R&D group for OCLI’s Telecommunications Division...read the wave

European scientists from the EU-funded research project SOUVENIR take a new approach to smash the cost of leading-edge nano-research at the sub-50nm scale. Experts are tipping it could be the next-generation lithography (NGL) technology to revolutionise chip manufacturing.

Next-generation lithography is the Holy Grail of the semiconductor industry. It will allow rapid, large-scale manufacture of modern microchips at a sub-50nm scale. Industry giant Intel has spent 15 years and millions of dollars looking for it. A nimble team of dedicated EU-funded researchers may well have found a relatively low-tech but clever solution in three years at a cost of just €2.3 million.

The current generation of electron beam lithography (EBL) is relatively inexpensive – at around €2 million per machine – compared with what it could cost for sub-50nm alternatives. The new so-called soft ultraviolet (UV) imprint machine, developed by the EU-funded SOUVENIR project could cost under €200 000 for a basic version...read the wave

Microbian evolution on a wide variety of surfaces can produce phenomena such as corrosion, dirt, smells and even serious hygiene and health problems.

It is well known there is a great interest in the design and development of the so-called “hygienic surfaces”, referring to surfaces that not only provides biocidal activity but also to those that are easy to clean and even self-cleaning.

Achieving these properties on a surface is possible by means of coatings and treatments on specific surfaces, and in which nanotechnology plays a key role. Most of these coatings acquire their biocidal/self-cleaning capacity by incorporating specific nanoparticles: basically silver (Ag) and titanium oxide (TiO 2 ).

The development of these coatings is key mainly in sectors such as architecture and construction, textiles, heat exchangers, air conditioning circuits, hygiene-health (hospitals, schools) and food processing...read the wave

Atlanta — Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have uncovered important evidence that explains how water, usually an inhibitor of catalytic reactions, can sometimes promote them. The findings could lead to fewer constraints on reaction conditions potentially leading to the development of lower cost techniques for certain industrially important catalytic reactions. The results appear in the September 6, 2005 issue of Physical Review Letters.

“Normally, in most catalytic reactions, water can stop the reaction. It kills the catalyst,” said Uzi Landman, director of the Center for Computational Materials Science, Regents' and Institute professor and Callaway chair of physics at Georgia Tech...read the wave

Troy, N.Y. – Diamonds have always been alluring, but now a team of scientists has made them truly magnetic -- on the nanoscale.

In a paper published in the Aug. 26 issue of Physical Review Letters, the researchers report a technique to make magnetic diamond particles only 4-5 nanometers across. The tiny diamond magnets could find use in fields ranging from medicine to information technology.

Ferromagnetism has been historically reserved for metals, but scientists are becoming increasingly interested in the prospect of creating metal-free magnets, particularly from carbon-based materials. Diamond is a naturally occurring crystalline form of carbon.

Magnets made from carbon could have a number of advantages over their metal counterparts. "Carbon is lightweight, very stable, simple to process, and less expensive to produce," says Saikat Talapatra, a post-doctoral research associate with the...read the wave

Although still in the qualifying rounds, U.S. researchers are helping manufacturers win the race to develop low-cost ways to commercialize a multitude of products based on inexpensive organic electronic materials--from large solar-power arrays to electronic newspapers that can be bent and folded.

In the on-line issue of Advanced Materials,* researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of California at Berkeley report success in using a non-destructive measurement method to detail three structural properties crucial to making reliable electronic devices with thin films of the carbon-rich (organic) semiconductors. The new capability could help industry clear hurdles responsible for high manufacturing development costs that stand in the way of widespread commercial application of the materials...read the wave

A group of Israeli scientists has developed a unique approach to creating nanotransistors based on DNA. This method might eventually lead the way to the development of new ultra-small transistors as well as tiny chemical and biological sensors.

In another important advance in the Israeli nanotechnology industry, Prof. Ron Naaman and his research group, from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, have developed a new method for creating ultra-small electrical components. The team created a miniature "bridge" made of carbon nanotubes connecting two tiny gold contacts on a silicon surface (see image below). This marks another step in the development of nano electronics which many analysts see as the next stage in the computer and electronics industry...read the wave

Tesimorph ® EAB-80, a new experimental aluminium / boron material with a particle size of 80 nm , has just been developed under a research contract from the UK MOD by QinetiQ Nanomaterials Limited (QNL).  It offers significant potential for applications like pyrotechnics for air bags, rocket motors (both hybrid motors and solid propellant) and other propellants where enhanced energy and faster burn rates are required.

“This is the first time an aluminium boron hybrid particle has been produced at the nano scale and it's many times smaller than anything currently available,” explained Dr Paul Reip, Managing Director of QNL.  “Conventional process methods for aluminium powders tend to produce relatively large, micron size particles.  Our experimental work on alloyed and structured metal nanoparticles using our Tesima ® process not only produces commercial quantities of nano size aluminium particles, opening up a wide range of potential applications, it can also result in hybrid materials and alloys that cannot otherwise be produced.”...read the wave

ARGONNE, Ill. – The newest promising material for advanced technology applications is diamond nanotubes, and research at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory is giving new insight into the nature of nanodiamond.

Argonne researcher Amanda Barnard, theorist in the Center for Nanoscale Materials, is working with colleagues at two Italian universities who produced innovative diamond-coated nanotubes.

The diamond-coated tubes resemble a stick of rock candy, holding a layer of diamond 20 to 100 nm thick. A nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter. The period at the end of this sentence is about one million nanometers long. The technology in its fledgling state has already caught the eye of the electronics industry for the promise of ultra thin televisions with cathode ray tube-like quality picture at a fraction of today's current flat panel television costs...read the wave

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Efficient and highly scalable new chemical synthesis methods developed at the University at Buffalo's Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics have the potential to revolutionize the production of quantum dots for bioimaging and photovoltaic applications.

A patent has been filed on the methods, which were described last month in papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Applied Physics Letters.

Quantum dots are tiny semiconductor particles generally no larger than 10 nanometers that can be made to fluoresce in different colors depending on their size. Scientists are interested in quantum dots because they last much longer than conventional dyes used to tag molecules, which usually stop emitting light in seconds. Quantum dots also are of great interest for energy applications because they can produce electrons when they absorb light, making possible extremely efficient solar-energy devices.

Both fabrication methods developed by the UB researchers involve using a single container, or "pot," and take just a few hours to prepare...read the wave

One single photon. One solitary quantum pulse of electromagnetic radiation, no more, no less, produced by one single electron, will be the product of a new device under construction by nanotechnologists at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

Colleagues at the University of Texas/Austin will build the USC device's counterpart, a detector for that single pulse, as their part of a joint $1.3 million study just funded by the National Science Foundation. The interdisciplinary team includes three members of the National Academy of Engineering.  

John D. O'Brien of the Viterbi School's electrical engineering department, principal investigator in the project, says the ultimate goal  is to use such singleton photons in cryptographic devices and, ultimately, general purpose computers, as part of the continuing search for smaller, faster, and more efficient information processing devices...read the wave

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.,/PRNewswire/ -- Interface Sciences Corporation (www.interfacesciences.com) announced that in response to oil spill problems stemming from the current Hurricane Katrina disaster and oil crises, the company is launching its proprietary oil remediation and recovery application.

Interface Sciences treated material absorbs about 40 times it weight in oil, far exceeding existing commercially available remediation materials. Because water is completely rejected by the ISC material, the oil can be recovered for use, a substantial benefit in oil spill cleanup efforts. The new oil cleanup solution uses patented Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAMs) technology.

ISC Chief Executive Officer Mitch Hawkins said, "Interface Sciences Corporation wants to make this highly effective material widely available to help mitigate the environmental and health impacts caused by the approximate 3,000 worldwide annual oil spills, and in particular oil spill damage caused by Hurricane Katrina."...read the wave

BUFFALO, N.Y. --NanoDynamics, a leading manufacturer and developer of nanotechnology-enabled products and quality nanomaterials, is pleased to announce that its CEO Keith Blakely, continues to drive the vision for the continued development and commercial adoption of nanotechnology with invitations to participate in and provide leadership to two prominent industry organizations:  the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative ( iNEMI) and the American Ceramics Society (ACerS).

In September, Mr. Blakely has been invited to speak along with other well-known industry executives at the iNEMI Innovation Leadership Forum.  The Forum is being convened to launch a coordinated initiative that will stimulate innovation and manufacturing research for the electronics industry.  The Forum was organized in response to...read the wave

According to the motto Nano + Women = Future²! the University of Paderborn invites scientifically-minded students, doctoral candidates and scientists which are concerned with nanotechnology and contiguous sciences to the Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum at Fürstenallee 7, 33102 Paderborn , Germany . Latest trends and innovations, possibilities and visions of the future scope of nanotechnologies will be discussed. The event should also initiate an efficient cross-national professional network under www.nano4women.com , which is supposed to promote the development of future research and project co-operations as well as the professional start for women in science and industry.

At the second day of the event, the “nano-day 4 girls” ( www.nano4girls.de ) high school students will have the possibility to...read the wave

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)---EVAL Company of America (EVALCA) today announced the launch of its new KURARISTER(TM) transparent gas barrier film for retort food packaging.

KURARISTER film delivers outstanding gas barrier properties to meet the needs of the rapidly growing retort packaging market. Retort packaging offers manufacturers and consumers an appealing alternative to metal cans, with advantages that include higher food quality, more cost-effective shipping and superior shelf aesthetics.

The new KURARISTER film features a polyester (PET) film substrate with a coating layer based on nanotechnology. The film delivers outstanding oxygen barrier properties of less than 1cc/m2.day.atm, enabling packagers to eliminate metal foil layers from retort packaging, allowing for microwavability and improving environmental performance. The film also offers high transparency and retort resistance, maintaining excellent clarity through the retort sterilization process...read the wave

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cientifica, the World's leading nanotechnology consultancy and business intelligence provider, has widened its global presence by setting up multiple offices in Asia to support nanotechnologies in the world's fastest growing and most dynamic economies.

According to Cientifica estimates, governments and companies across the region will ramp up annual investment in nanotechnologies to over US$4 billion a year by 2010. Cientifica's offices in India and Singapore now span the region covering India, China, Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and South East Asia.

Cientifica's flagship event, The World Nano-Economic Congress ( www.world-nano.com ) returns to Singapore for the second year after its hugely successful debut in 2004. The annual event draws hundreds of high level participants from companies ranging from LG Electronics to Applied Materials as well as the foremost universities and research institutes in the region. The next event in the series will be held in Mumbai, India in February 2006...read the wave

LITTLE FALLS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---"Nanotechnology for Dummies," the newest in the "Dummies" paperback series designed to simplify the complexities of technology for average people, is a good introduction to the topic and worth exploring by investors, according to Ron Durando, CEO of mPhase Technologies (OTC: XDSL), a noted pioneering company in the field.

"If you are an investor who has been confused about nanotech, here is a good introduction that should promote your understanding of the science, applications, and growth trajectory for nanotechnology," said Durando, whose company is commercializing a revolutionary nano-based "smart" battery. He added that the company is looking into using the smart battery in energy harvesting applications to potentially reduce energy consumption.

The book from Wiley Publishing describes the mPhase battery in a section called, "It just keeps on going," focusing on its ability to store energy for decades and produce current virtually on demand...read the wave

Mobile phones could one day have the memory capacity of a desktop computer thanks to a microchip that mimics the functioning of the brain, scientists report today (9 September) in the journal Science.

Researchers from Imperial College London, Durham University and the University of Sheffield say their new computer chip design will enable large amounts of data to be stored in small volumes by using a complex interconnected network of nanowires, with computing functions and decisions performed at the nodes where they meet a similar approach to neurons and axons in the brain.

Currently the memory chips of mobile phones have a very limited capacity, making it impossible to store the videos that the new generation of phones can record. Electronics firms have been looking at miniature hard drive disks as a possible solution but so far the high expense of this option has rendered it unattractive...read the wave

A previously-unknown zinc oxide nanostructure that resembles the helical configuration of DNA could provide engineers with a new building block for creating nanometer-scale sensors, transducers, resonators and other devices that rely on electromechanical coupling.

Based on a superlattice composed of alternating single-crystal "stripes" just a few nanometers wide, the "nanohelix" structure is part of a family of nanobelts – tiny ribbon-like structures with semiconducting and piezoelectric properties – that were first reported in 2001.

The nanohelices, which get their shape from twisting forces created by a small mismatch between the stripes, are produced using a vapor-solid growth process at high temperature. Information about the growth and analysis of the new structures...read the wave

Düsseldorf - Saturday afternoon, and the weekly family shopping is about to begin. And unlike in earlier times, it is now "mega easy” in the supermarket or furniture store, in the bookshop or the DIY center.No whining children, no lines at the cash desks,no unfriendly staff. Wouldn't work? Many experts are convinced that RFID chips will play a crucial role in making such wishful thinking a reality. In future, intelligent labels could be affixed to any kind of item, including milk cartons, paperback books, T-shirts and CDs – the list is endless. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. At the core of this technology are flat chips of varying sizes that use an antenna to send data by radio to a reader.These data include details such as price and manufacturer, shelf-life and country of origin. Because radio transmission is used,data transfer is extremely rapid. This also helps to significantly speed up shopping – as soon as the customers reach the cash desk their bill is already waiting. “We regard RFID as one of the key technologies for the retail trade of the future”, says Zygmunt Mierdorf, the Metro Management Board member whose responsibilities include IT...read the wave

Columbus, OH --- Ohio State University researchers have just completed the first comprehensive study of human hair on the nanometer level.

Special equipment enabled Bharat Bhushan and his colleagues to get an unprecedented close-up look at a rogue's gallery of bad hair days – from chemically overprocessed locks to curls kinked up by humidity...read the wave

A novel material that may demonstrate a highly unusual "liquid" magnetic state at extremely low temperatures has been discovered by a team of Japanese and U.S. researchers, according to research published in the Sept. 9 issue of Science.

The material, nickel gallium sulfide (NiGa2S4), was synthesized by scientists at Kyoto University. Its properties were studied by both the Japanese team and by researchers from The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The scientists studied the polycrystalline sample using both X-rays and neutrons as probes to understand its structure and properties. The neutron experiments were conducted at the NIST Center for Neutron Research in Gaithersburg, Md.

The team found that the triangular arrangement of the material's atoms appears to prevent alignment of magnetic "spins," the characteristic of electrons that produces magnetism. A "liquid" magnetic state occurs when magnetic spins fluctuate in a...read the wave

BERKELEY, CA -- Researchers in the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have simulated the process by which a quantum computer could calculate to high precision an important basic property of two small molecules. Simulated quantum calculations of the ground-state energies of water (H2O) and lithium hydride (LiH) are the first of this kind ever done for specific molecules.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Anthony Dutoi, Peter Love, and Martin Head-Gordon report on their work in the 9 September issue of the journal Science.

Head-Gordon is a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Chemical Sciences Division and a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley; Aspuru-Guzik is a postdoctoral fellow and Dutoi a graduate student in the Head-Gordon group. Love is a senior applications scientist on the staff of D Wave Systems, Inc. in Vancouver, B.C...read the wave

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A healing cut or a developing embryo are examples of what a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher calls a hallmark of living systems – biological self-assembly. A team of scientists led by Gabor Forgacs, professor of biological physics at MU, received nearly $5 million from the National Science Foundation to answer the fundamental biological question: What controls this self-assembly process? The answer help provide breakthroughs in regenerative medicine by means of a new process called organ printing, developed by Forgacs’ team.

“We probably will never learn exactly how biological self-assembly works but we will not need too,” Forgacs said. “What we want to know is how to control self-assembly and be able to mimic what the biological system does. Once we understand the fundamental organizing principles that control this self-assembly and the cues that are necessary to provide to the system, we can use that knowledge in our organ printing technology.”...read the wave

A key technological breakthrough led by the University of Edinburgh suggests that a futuristic world where people can move objects about ‘remotely' with laser pointers could be closer than we think. Chemists working on the nanoscale (80,000 times smaller than a hair's breadth) have managed to move a tiny droplet of liquid across a surface – and even up a slope – by transporting it along a layer of light-sensitive molecules.

Scientists at Edinburgh, Groningen and Bologna are the first to manipulate tiny nanoscale machines (two millionths of a millimetre high) so that they can move an object that is visible to the naked eye. The team has shifted microlitre drops of diiodomethane not just across a flat surface, but also up a one millimetre, 12 degree slope against the force of gravity. It may be the tiniest of movements, but, in the emerging discipline of nanotechnology, it represents a giant technological leap forward...read the wave

A major breakthrough in the use of molecules as information processors is to be announced at this year's BA Festival of Science in Dublin.

Nanotechnology experts are exploring the capabilities of molecules that act like conventional computers but can operate in tiny places where no silicon-based chip or semiconductor can go. Now, for the first time, they have used these molecules to perform logic operations and process information in spaces a few nanometres across.

This advance has been achieved by chemists at Queen's University Belfast, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Professor Amilra de Silva, Chair of Organic Chemistry at the university, says: “Computing isn't just confined to semiconductors. Molecules have been processing information ever since life has been around on our planet. Harnessing this remarkable ability really does have the potential to make a big difference to people's lives.”.
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The UK Micro and NanoTechnology Network (MNT), has initiated a MNT Quality Mark for firms involved in the nanotechnology industry. The objective of the MNT Quality Mark is to benchmark development and implementation of best practice and to set a strict minimum standard of performance and achievement.

The new MNT Quality Mark initiative follows the recent announcement that the UK has been awarded the Chair and Secretariat of the International Organization for Standardisation's (ISO) technical committee for nanotechnologies. Through this committee the UK can further support this emerging discipline and use standardisation to help ensure its successful global growth.

In an inaugural UK pilot, five companies have achieved this 'Seal of Approval' and will receive their awards at the end of September...read the wave

AUSTIN, Texas, -- Applied Nanotech, Inc. ("ANI"), a subsidiary of Nano-Proprietary (OTCBB:NNPP), has announced that in conjunction with its consortium of six prominent Japanese display component manufacturers (see press release of September 30, 2003), it has completed its proof of concept of a high resolution, full color, 25-inch diagonal carbon nanotube (CNT) TV (280 x 200 color lines or pixels).

A demonstration video of the proof of concept in operation is available to view on the Company's website, www.nano-proprietary.com , under the ANI tab by selecting Demonstrations. The video clip clearly shows that, as with the 14-inch, the video image does not suffer from the "ghost images" that can be observed in large LCD and plasma TVs as a tail of the image moving across the screen. As expected, the image and its characteristics are similar to the cathode ray tube, since CNT TVs are a flat and thin extension of the CRT technology...read the wave

ApNano Materials, Inc. (www.apnano.com), a provider of nanotechnology-based products, has announced that a study published in the June 2005 issue of the journal Advanced Materials clearly shows that the company's proprietary nanoparticles are excellent shock absorbing materials and among the most impact resistant substances known in the world today. These revolutionary nanoparticles are nested spheres of special metal compounds termed inorganic fullerene-like nanostructures, or IF for short. Fullerenes are soccer ball-like clusters of atoms, named after R. Buckminster Fuller, architect of the geodesic dome that he designed for the 1967 Montreal World Exhibition.

Shock absorbing materials are commonly used in impact resistant applications such as ballistic protection personal body armor, bullet proof vests, vehicle armor, shields, helmets, and protective enclosures. The IF nanomaterials have up to about twice the strength of the best impact resistant materials currently used in protective armor applications like boron carbide and silicon carbide, and are 4-5 times stronger than steel...read the wave

Houston, TX, --- In an important advance toward the large-scale manufacture of fluorescent quantum dots, scientists at Rice University have developed a new method of replacing the pricy solvents used in quantum dot synthesis with cheaper oils that are commonplace at industrial chemical plants.

Rice's study, which was conducted under the auspices of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN), is published online and slated to appear in the October issue of the journal Nanotechnology .

"CBEN started to undertake some exploratory work more than a year ago on the scale-up issues of quantum dot manufacture, but the solvents turned out to be so expensive that we just couldn't afford to run more than a few large-reactor experiments," said the study's lead author, Michael Wong, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry. "That was a great reality check, and it made us look at the problem of solvent cost sooner rather than later."

Quantum dots typically cost more than $2,000 per gram from commercial sources, and pricy solvents like octadecene, or ODE - the least expensive solvent used in quantum dot preparation today - account for about 90 percent costs of raw materials...read the wave

GETI will sponsor a research and commercialization mission to mainland China and Hong Kong from October 17th 2005 in order to understand efforts to support leading edge, applied micro (Microsystems and MEMS) and nanotechnology R&D activities, commercialization efforts and their potential impact on growing technology sectors. The purpose of the mission will be to canvass the leading research centers of China and review commercialization efforts taking place for new enabling micro and nanotechnologies with a particular focus on applications for certain key sectors including new/novel materials, semiconductors and related tools and equipment. China is expected to expand its R&D activities in order to support its plans to become a significant player in developing standards on the world stage, with foreign companies, especially from the US actively participating in and supporting such growth...read the wave

Not all libraries contain books. In chemistry, the word library is used to refer to a collection of molecules. University of Oregon chemist Jim Hutchison's new way of rapidly generating libraries of tiny particles with great promise for research and development at the nanoscale is featured on the cover of the Sept. 5 issue of Inorganic Chemistry.

"We've discovered a method for generating a diverse library of functionalized gold particles quickly and easily," said Hutchison, who directs the university's Materials Science Institute. "Basic research of this type is the key to finding out what kinds of new electronic, optical and pharmaceutical products actually will come to market."

The article describes how to synthesize the versatile particles, built with cores of 11 gold atoms, and discloses their properties. Nanomaterials and technologies are projected to become a trillion dollar industry by 2010 and affect every industrial and consumer product sector, Hutchison said
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UPTON, NY -- As part of ongoing research to make hydrogen a mainstream source of clean, renewable energy, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have determined how titanium atoms help hydrogen atoms attach to an aluminum surface. Their study isolates the role of titanium, which is used as a catalyst in the crucial first step to trap hydrogen within a particular class of hydrogen-storage materials. The work may also help identify and develop similar hydrogen-storage systems.

To be a mainstream source of fuel, hydrogen must be stored safely and efficiently. Conventional high-pressure storage tanks can be dangerous and are too big and heavy for certain applications, such as hydrogen-based fuel cells in automobiles. Hydrogen-storage materials, however, incorporate hydrogen safely and compactly, and temporarily hold large quantities of it that can be recovered easily under safe, controlled conditions...read the wave

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The counterintuitive rules of physics at the nanometer scale create several thorny problems for scientists when they try to fashion three-dimensional channels in fluid-handling devices.

Now, University of Michigan researchers think they've solved at least one of these problems of micro- and nano-fluidic devices by developing a way to push debris out of the way as they machine tiny tunnels.

Using ultra-fast pulsed lasers to cut materials submersed in fluids, the researchers have made three-dimensional microfluidic devices laced with tiny tunnels, less than a micrometer in diameter, that form completely clear of debris. The new process can be performed in glass and other hard materials, making them a suitable substitute for the soft materials commonly used in microfluidics, which have many shortcomings, such as lack of solvent resistance, protein attachment, leaching, and inability to withstand high pressures...read the wave

Twisted nanostructures are an important biological motif - just think of the DNA double helix or proteins with helical sections important to their function. Researchers are anxious to produce artificial helices, which could be useful in nanotechnological applications. Korean researchers have now successfully created a molecular system that can even form helices “on demand,” turning the initially liquid solution into a gel.

A team at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, headed by Myongsoo Lee, have developed a special type of molecule as the basic building block for their helices. This involves a base consisting of three aromatic rings which is bent like a boomerang. The central ring has a long, branched side-chain hanging from it. When a silver salt is added to a solution of these molecules, complexes form between the molecules and the positively charged silver ions; the “boomerangs” really get a hold on the silver ions...read the wave

A team of scientists led by ASU biophysicist Stuart Lindsay, director of the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics at the Biodesign Institute and an ASU professor of physics, recently created the first reproducible single molecule negative differential resistor (NDR).

“NDR is the basis for memories, switches and logic elements,” Lindsay says. “It has been observed in molecules before, but never in controlled conditions, never at low voltages and not in a predictable way.”

Lindsay's team designed a molecule, called a hepta-aniline oligomer, which belongs to a group of molecules that biochemists believe is capable of being molecular switches but that has failed to exhibit those properties in conductance experiments.

The team solved the problem by developing a technique in which the molecule could be tested in an electrolyte solution, a condition that past experiments didn't attempt because of interaction problems between the solution and the electrodes...read the wave

Because the properties of nanoparticles depend so closely on their size, size distribution and morphology, techniques for controlling the growth of these tiny structures is of great interest to materials researchers today.

A research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Drexel University has discovered a surprising new mechanism by which polymer materials used in nanocomposites control the growth of particles. Reported on August 28th at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the findings could provide a new tool for controlling the formation of nanoparticles...read the wave

Under a powerful microscope it looks like an alien – something out of Roswell, N.M., or “The X-Files.”

But a brand-new, tiny fiber dubbed the “alien nanofiber,” co-invented by a North Carolina State University textiles professor and a chemical engineering professor from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, has the potential to become a big deterrent to counterfeiters.

NC State's Dr. Juan Hinestroza, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science, and Dr. Carlos Rinaldi, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, created novel nanoscale fibers that can be placed inside a garment or paper document and serve as a “fingerprint” that proves the garment or document is genuine. Graduate student Carola Barrera and high school student Aldo Briano are also involved in the research....read the wave

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In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten sind nach elektronischen auch mechanische Bauteile auf immer kleinere Dimensionen geschrumpft: Mittels lithografischer Verfahren aus der Mikroelektronik ließen sich winzige mechanische Komponenten und schließlich mikroelektromechanische Systeme herstellen. Einen neuen Grenzstein in Sachen Miniaturisierung haben jetzt Wissenschaftler am Stuttgarter Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung gesetzt. Ihnen gelang es, mikroskopisch kleine "Paddel" aus Metall schwenkbar auf Kohlenstoff-Nanoröhrchen von nur eineinhalb millionstel Millimeter Durchmesser zu lagern (Science, 2. September 2005)...read the wave

Hitachi Europe Ltd. has announced that a Hitachi-Cambridge team has developed a new silicon device for quantum computing: a quantum-dot charge qubit. This structure, based on years of work on single-electronics, is the first step in the development of a quantum computer based on conventional silicon technology.

The world's most powerful supercomputers could be made obsolete in the future, by a totally different approach to processing information. In a classical computer, the basic unit of information is the ‘bit', which can exist in one of two possible states, 0 or 1. Quantum computers make use of quantum bits (qubits), which can exist in a superposition of both states - a mixture of both 0 and 1 simultaneously. Qubits are also subject to quantum entanglement. When two or more are entangled, they behave as one system, so that the state of one qubit depends directly on the state of the others. Thus the potential processing power of a quantum information system increases exponentially rather than linearly with the number of qubits.

Although the principles behind quantum computing have been established and small model systems constructed, it still remains a considerable task to scale these up to practical, working computers. However, it is a valuable objective as it would make possible certain types of computation that are currently either impossible or impractical within a sensible timescale using classical computers. There are a raft of potential applications including bioinformatics, molecular modelling, codebreaking and encryption. Quantum computers could also be used as simulators to solve quantum mechanics problems...read the wave

Washington, D.C.August 31, 2005 --- Stealth nano particles may some day target tumor cells and deliver medication to specific body locations, according to Penn State chemical engineers.

"Mainly we have focused on chemotherapy drugs," says Dr. Michael Pishko, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering. "But others are considering using this delivery system to deliver genes in gene therapy."

The researchers first produce nano-sized powders of the drug they wish to deliver and encapsulate them in a polymer nanoshell. The drug used for this project was paclitaxel -­ an anti breast cancer drug ­ and dexamethasone -­ a steroid frequently used to treat eye inflammation. This shell allows the drug to travel in stealth mode through the bloodstream.

"A layer-by-layer self-assembly technique was used to encapsulate core charged drug nanoparticles in a polymeric nanoshell," the researchers told attendees today (Aug. 31) at the 230th American Chemical Society Meeting, Washington, D.C...read the wave

Using nanotechnology, Shanghai Silicate Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently created a ball-shaped device that can deliver drugs directly to targeted areas of the body.

About one three-hundredth (1/300) of the diameter of human hair, the device is small enough to travel through blood vessels and can carry drugs the same weight as itself.
The device's surface is full of cavities where drugs are stored. Magnetic material within the device helps it to be directed to target areas. When it arrives at its destination, the protective coating will dissolve and start to release the drug.

Two leading scientific magazines, Journal of the American Chemical Society and Germany's Angewandte Chemie, have published articles about the invention.

A nanometre is a metric unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter. Thanks to their ability to gain access throughout the body, nanometre-sized devices have the potential to treat diseases like cancers in previously inconceivable ways. Source : english.eastday.com

ARGONNE, Ill. – Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have combined the world's hardest known material – diamond – with the world's strongest structural form – carbon nanotubes. This new process for “growing” diamond and carbon nanotubes together opens the way for its use in a number of energy-related applications.

The technique is the first successful synthesis of a diamond-nanotube nanocomposite, which means for the first time this specialized material has been produced at the nanometer size – one-millionth of a millimeter, or thousands of times smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

The result established for the first time a process for making these materials a reality, setting the stage for several fundamental advances in the field of nanostructured carbon materials.

The resulting material has potential for use in low-friction, wear-resistant coatings, catalyst supports for fuel cells, high-voltage electronics, low-power, high-bandwidth radio frequency microelectromechanical/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), thermionic energy generation, low-energy consumption flat panel displays and hydrogen storage...read the wave

Physicists in Germany have created a material that is harder than diamond. Natalia Dubrovinskaia and colleagues at the University of Bayreuth made the new material by subjecting carbon-60 molecules to immense pressure. The new form of carbon, which is known as 'aggregated diamond nanorods' (ADNR), is expected to have many industrial applications.

Due to combination of unique physical and chemical properties such as hardness, high thermal conductivity, wide band gap, high electron and hole mobility and chemical inertness, diamond has been used for a wide range of applications in modern science and technology. There is growing demand for diamond-like materials in electronic applications.

Although there is little prospect of diamond-based microelectronics ousting silicon totally, diamond devices could function in situations when silicon electronics fail: diamond chips potentially could still work at temperatures of several hundred degrees, whereas silicon devices generally fail above 450 degrees Kelvin....read the wave