Princeton researchers have untangled the mystery behind a puzzling phenomenon first observed more than a decade ago in the ultra-small world of nanotechnology. Why is it, researchers wondered, that tiny aggregates of soap molecules, known as surfactant micelles, congregate as long, low arches resembling Quonset huts once they are placed on a graphite surface?
Jan 30th, 2006
Read moreResearchers at The Johns Hopkins University have discovered that asymmetrical nanorings (tiny, irregularly shaped nickel or cobalt rings) can serve as memory cells.
Jan 27th, 2006
Read moreAn international team of scientists affiliated with the UW-Madison Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center has coaxed a self-assembling material into forming never-before-seen, three-dimensional nanoscale structures, with potential applications ranging from catalysis and chemical separation to semiconductor manufacturing.
Jan 27th, 2006
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A special report titled "Nanofactories: Glimpsing the future of process technology" is the cover article for the January 2006 issue of CleanRooms Magazine. The lengthy article, subtitled "Making sense of the molecular machine shop," concludes that, while the promise of medical nanorobotics and nanoscale factories and their products is still far off, the principle of molecular manufacturing already has been demonstrated in the laboratory and the next step, nanoscale systems that make other nanoscale systems, currently has a strong theoretical foundation.
Jan 27th, 2006
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Using state-of-the-art lab techniques and powerful computer simulations, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered how atoms pack themselves in unusual materials known as metallic glasses. Their findings should help scientists better understand the atomic scale structure of this material, which is used to make sports equipment, cell phone cases, armor-piercing projectiles and other products.
Jan 26th, 2006
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Single walled carbon nanotubes wrapped with DNA can be placed inside living cells and detect trace amounts of harmful contaminants using near infrared light, report researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their discovery opens the door to new types of optical sensors and biomarkers that exploit the unique properties of nanoparticles in living systems.
Jan 26th, 2006
Read moreFingerprints are usually used to identify people but, this time, they gave Penn State chemical engineers the crucial clue needed to discover an easy, versatile new method for making nanofibers that have potential uses in advanced filtration as well as wound care, drug delivery, bioassays and other medical applications.
Jan 26th, 2006
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Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are helping to open a new frontier in electronics, to be made up of very small and very fast devices. A new discovery by this group opens a path to new computer technologies and related devices, and could drive entire industries into the future, the researchers say.
Jan 25th, 2006
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A nanoscanning platform is being developed by Prof. Sang-Gook Kim at the Micro and Nano Systems Laboratory (MNSL) at MIT. The paper describes how the variable stiffness is accomplished by engaging or disengaging electrostatically actuated clutches, in addition to the discussions on many possible benefits of the in-plane scanning platform.
Jan 25th, 2006
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Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a single-step process for creating nonwoven fibrous mats from a small organic molecule ? creating a new nanoscale material with potential applications where biocompatible materials are required, such as scaffolds for tissue growth and drug delivery.
Jan 25th, 2006
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Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report that they have created a way for viral and gold particles to "directly assemble" and potentially seek out and treat disease where it resides in the body.
Jan 25th, 2006
Read moreA team of researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital has created a large library of nanoparticles, each with a different small molecule decorating its surface. They then screen this library to see if any of the nanoparticles will bind to any number of cancer cells while ignoring healthy cells.
Jan 25th, 2006
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A lightning-fast laser technique, led by Sandia National Laboratories researcher Paul Gourley, has provided laboratory demonstrations of accurate, real-time, high-throughput identification of liver tumor cells at their earliest stages, and without invasive chemical reagents.
Jan 24th, 2006
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University of Pittsburgh researcher Alexander Star and colleagues at a California-based company, Nanomix, Inc., have developed devices made of carbon nanotubes that can find mutations in genes causing hereditary diseases, they report in the Jan. 24, 2006 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Jan 24th, 2006
Read moreCentral Michigan University reports on the controlled growth of metal oxide nanoparticles using a dendrimer architecture will provide unprecedented opportunities for industrial applications.
Jan 24th, 2006
Read moreA form of matter held together by nothing more substantial than light has been created by physicists in the UK. The method, known as "optical binding", was used to glue together about 100 polystyrene beads ? each 400-nanometres in diameter ? in a flat two-dimensional structure.
Jan 24th, 2006
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