Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Targeted immune stimulation based on DNA nanotechnology

Researchers have developed a DNA origami construct that serves as a carrier system to selectively stimulate immune responses of living cells.

December 22, 2011 Read more

Researchers develop paint-on solar cells (w/video)

Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light-electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside. A team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame has made a major advance toward this vision by creating an inexpensive "solar paint" that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Silk microneedles deliver controlled-release drugs painlessly

Bioengineers at Tufts University School of Engineering have developed a new silk-based microneedle system able to deliver precise amounts of drugs over time and without need for refrigeration. The tiny needles can be fabricated under normal temperature and pressure and from water, so they can be loaded with sensitive biochemical compounds and maintain their activity prior to use. They are also biodegradable and biocompatible.

December 21, 2011 Read more

National activities on life cycle assessment of nanomaterials

This document provides a snapshot of information on national activities on the life cycle assessment of nanotechnologies provided by OECD countries. As a "living document", it is expected to be updated as new information becomes available.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Information gathering schemes on nanomaterials: Lessons learned and reported information

This document presents lessons learned from information gathering surveys carried out by OECD countries and summarises non-confidential business information and statistics on nanomaterials. It includes useful information on how to design/implement information gathering surveys and the most commonly used nanomaterials along with use patterns and volumes used among OECD countries.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Monitoring the transformation of silver nanowires into gold nanotubes with in situ transmission X-ray microscopy

A technique for real-time monitoring of the galvanic replacement reaction between silver nanowires and aqueous gold salt solutions using in situ flow-cell transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) has been developed by scientists in the Center for Nanoscale Materials Nanophotonics Group and the Advanced Photon Source X-Ray Science Division at Argonne.

December 21, 2011 Read more

NIST releases first certified reference material for single-wall carbon nanotubes

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the world's first reference material for single-wall carbon nanotube soot.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Prototyp device measures absolute optical power in fiber at nanowatt levels

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a prototype device capable of absolute measurements of optical power delivered through an optical fiber.

December 21, 2011 Read more

How to build doughnuts with Lego blocks

Complex polymer rings with breathtaking nanoscale architecture revealed.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Consumer Safety Groups file first lawsuit on risks of nanotechnology

Concerned by the growing body of scientific reports cautioning against the unregulated use of nanotechnology in consumer products, a coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today. The case is the first lawsuit over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology and nanomaterials.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Nanostructured polymers release their drug cargo in response to body temperature

A team of scientists has reported the preparation of biodegradable, water-soluble polymers that can be loaded with the cancer drug Paclitaxel and injected directly into tumor tissues.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Killing cancer cells with plasmonic nanocrosses

Researchers have developed gold plasmonic nanocrosses that are particularly suited to eliminating cancer cells in cancer therapy. The team demonstrated the usefulness of these nanocrosses by using them to kill human lung cancer cells.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Nanowire electronics: Seamless memory

Vertical silicon nanowires prove to be an excellent platform for nonvolatile memory devices without the need for doped junctions.

December 21, 2011 Read more

Nanowire-based single-cell endoscopy

Berkeley Lab researchers use nanophotonics for optical look inside living cells.

December 20, 2011 Read more

Seven things you may not know about catalysis

Catalysts are one of those things that few people think much about, beyond perhaps in high school chemistry, but they make the world tick. Almost everything in your daily life depends on catalysts: cars, Post-It notes, laundry detergent, beer.

December 20, 2011 Read more

Fastest X-ray images of protein nanocrystals

An international research team headed by DESY scientists from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) in Hamburg, Germany, has recorded the shortest X-ray exposure of a protein crystal ever achieved. The incredible brief exposure time of 0.000 000 000 000 03 seconds (30 femtoseconds) opens up new possibilities for imaging molecular processes with X-rays.

December 20, 2011 Read more