Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Walking microdroplets collect viruses and bacteria

A barely visible, electric-field-controlled droplet moves on an appropriately prepared surface, harvesting viruses, bacteria and protein molecules deposited thereon. This is how a novel method of collecting bioparticles looks like in real life. The method has been for the first time successfully tested.

Jun 8th, 2011

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A silicon waveguide that converts the polarization mode of light could speed up the operation of photonic circuits

Silicon is the dominant material for the fabrication of integrated circuits and is also becoming a popular material for making photonics circuits - miniaturized circuits that use light instead of electronic signals for processing information. One of the challenges in the field, however, has been silicon's intrinsic sensitivity to the polarization of light, which can limit the rate of information transmission. Jing Zhang, Tsung-Yang Liow and co-workers at the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics have now developed a novel solution to this problem.

Jun 8th, 2011

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'Catch and release' program could improve nanoparticle safety assessment

Depending on whom you ask, nanoparticles are, potentially, either one of the most promising or the most perilous creations of science. These tiny objects can deliver drugs efficiently and enhance the properties of many materials, but what if they also are hazardous to your health in some way? Now, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to manipulate nanoparticles so that questions like this can be answered.

Jun 8th, 2011

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Researchers tune 'metasurface' with fluid in new concept for sensing and chemistry

Like an opera singer hitting a note that shatters a glass, a signal at a particular resonant frequency can concentrate energy in a material and change its properties. And as with 18th century "musical glasses," adding a little water can change the critical pitch. Echoing both phenomena, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a unique fluid-tuned 'metasurface', a concept that may be useful in biomedical sensors and microwave-assisted chemistry.

Jun 8th, 2011

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Development of a FRET sensor for real-time imaging of intracellular redox dynamics

A multidisciplinary research team within the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign reports a FRET-based biosensor with defined sensitivity and dynamic range for imaging changes in the intracellular redox environment that appear to dictate cell fate. The FRET-based biosensors are a significant advance for routinely measuring oxidative stress in real-time. The sensor is most useful for monitoring intraorganellar glutathione potentials in the relatively high oxidative environments of ER, Golgi and lysosomes.

Jun 7th, 2011

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Researchers produce high-quality graphene with a single step

Graphene is the electronic miracle material of the 21st century. Until now, only sheets that were very small or of a somewhat inferior quality could be produced that were too small or not well suited for high-tech applications. Now, researchers have developed a process capable of producing a high-quality product with a single step.

Jun 7th, 2011

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Presentations from EU event 'Towards a regulatory framework for nanomaterials' available for download

The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union organized a high level event on September 14, 2010, bringing together representatives of various associations, scientists, regulatory experts as well as national and European regulatory bodies, in order to review the legislative initiatives in progress with regard to nanomaterials and to establish an operational framework for the management of incidents in the short term and to achieve improved risk management in the long term.

Jun 7th, 2011

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