Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Battery of the future

A new composite material being developed at Imperial College London, with European partners including the Volvo car company, may unlock the door to a new wave of invention.

April 16, 2010 Read more

European FP7 project surveys industry on the success factors in commercialization of nanotechnology

The EC NanoCom project has opened a web based industrial consultation to discover the key success factors in exploiting pre-competitive research. We are encouraging all nanotech companies to contribute to this study, which will help to influence the debate on the best mechanisms of commercialisation for nanotechnologies.

April 16, 2010 Read more

In the electron cloud

Mapping the shape and dynamics of a molecule's outer electron cloud is now possible using a novel experimental technique.

April 16, 2010 Read more

Scientists develop electronic 'nose' that is able to predict the pleasantness of novel odors

Weizmann Institute scientists have 'trained' an electronic system to be able to predict the pleasantness of novel odors, just like a human would perceive them - turning the popular notion that smell is completely personal and culture-specific on its head.

April 16, 2010 Read more

Using neutrons to peer inside a battery designed for hybrid locomotives

Scientists at the research neutron source FRM II of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen are taking a closer look at a high performance rechargeable battery for future hybrid locomotives. The study reveals the distribution of chemical substances within the battery during various states of charge.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Laser technology takes a quantum leap

An EU-funded research team from Austria's University of Innsbruck has invented a single atom laser which works on the same principle as a classic laser but also has quantum mechanical properties in its atom-photon interactions.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Cultured cells in microfluidic chambers enable systematic experiments at the synapse

A group of scientists led by the Frankfurt brain researcher Erin Schuman has successfully developed a novel method to grow cultured neurons in order to investigate basic mechanisms of memory.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Europaweite Datenbank zur Nanotechnologie listet Firmen, Produkte und Forschungsinstitute

Nanoversiegelungen fuer Glasflaechen, Textilimpraegnierungen oder Autolacke mit Nanopartikeln - das sind nur einige von rund 650 Produkten und Dienstleistungen der Datenbank Nanodata.

April 15, 2010 Read more

New nanotechnology biomedical therapy promotes growth of cartilage

Dr. Nirav A. Shah, MD, an orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon affiliated with Palos Community Hospital is the first to design a new nanotechnology biomedical therapy that promotes the growth of new, stronger cartilage to aid in the treatment of joint injuries.

April 15, 2010 Read more

How molecular chaperones influence protein structures

Chaperones enable newly synthesized proteins to adopt the precise three-dimensional conformation that is necessary for their biological function. Little is known about the changes in molecular structure of chaperones as they help substrate proteins to fold. Now, researchers have been able to follow in real time the structural changes that occur in an important type of chaperone as it coaxes an unfolded substrate protein into shape.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Sun shining on Norwegian silicon

Elkem Solar, a Norwegian producer of solar-grade silicon, has combined basic and applied research to develop production methods that cut costs and consume less energy than conventional silicon production.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Nanotechnology treatment for acne

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk - lauric acid - shines as a possible new acne treatment. Thanks to a 'smart delivery system' capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria that cause common acne.

April 15, 2010 Read more

Cat brain: A step toward the electronic equivalent

University of Michigan computer engineer Wei Lu has taken a step toward developing this revolutionary type of machine that could be capable of learning and recognizing, as well as making more complex decisions and performing more tasks simultaneously than conventional computers can.

April 14, 2010 Read more

Fundamental principles of quantum mechanics used for new kind of random number generator

Researchers have devised a new kind of random number generator, for encrypted communications and other uses, that is cryptographically secure, inherently private and - most importantly - certified random by laws of physics.

April 14, 2010 Read more

Using nanotechnology to mimick the body's natural processes

An EU-funded research team at Norway's University of Bergen is using nanotechnology to find a way of mimicking the body's natural processes, including inducing cells to create new blood vessels for biomedically engineered tissues.

April 14, 2010 Read more

New method for recovering pricey nanoparticles

Scientists are reporting first use of a new method that may make it easier for manufacturers to recover, recycle, and reuse nanoparticles, some of which ounce for ounce can be more precious than gold. The method, which offers a solution to a nagging problem, could speed application of nanotechnology in new generations of solar cells, flexible electronic displays, and other products, the scientists suggest.

April 14, 2010 Read more