Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Joint BASF-IMEC research to reduce production steps for 22-nanometer chips

BASF and IMEC, Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics research center, have announced that they are extending their joint development program. The process chemicals which the two partners plan to develop as part of their extended work together will enhance the performance of cleaning chemicals in the production of semiconductors. Research will also focus on reduction of process complexity and the number of production steps.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Inventors look to crack electric car conundrum

Researchers grappling with the problem of developing the most fuel-efficient electric cars are using micro-jet turbine engines and 'supercapacity' batteries to help energy-conscious consumers drive further.

July 30, 2009 Read more

The mystery of how neurons transmit information has been solved

Researchers from Belgium and the US say that while recycling is a major component in the transmission of nerve signals, it is the protein Tweek that is the key player.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Researchers find that RNA degradation can be launched in an unexpected location

Thousands of scientists and hundreds of software programmers studying the process by which RNA inside cells normally degrades may soon broaden their focus significantly.

July 30, 2009 Read more

A police woman fights quantum hacking and cracking

Our security and our data could be compromised overnight when the first quantum computer is built, says Dr. Julia Kempe of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Photonic Crystals, Theory, Applications and Fabrication

This is one of the first books to present both detailed theoretical background and the application of such theory towards the design and development of realistic photonic based devices.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Using scanning tunneling microscopes to study novel molecular motors and rotors

Charles Sykes at Tufts University aims to turn molecules into motors.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Nanoformulation among the areas benefitting from new EU-funded project

The InForm project will provide a boost to an exciting area of research known as formulation science.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Improved incorporation of copper nanoparticles into carbon layers

New researches disclosed a new way to produce copper nanoparticles into the carbon layers which have wide applications in the production of CO gas and biosensors.

July 30, 2009 Read more

ASTM revises nanotechnology standard E2490

A revision to an important ASTM nanotechnology standard incorporates a large-scale interlaboratory study that took place in 2008. The revised standard, ASTM E2490, Guide for Measurement of Particle Size Distribution of Nanomaterials in Suspension by Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS), is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee E56.02 on Characterization: Physical, Chemical and Toxicological Properties, part of ASTM International Committee E56 on Nanotechnology.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Nanoparticle-delivered 'suicide' genes slowed ovarian tumor growth

Nanoparticle delivery of diphtheria toxin-encoding DNA selectively expressed in ovarian cancer cells reduced the burden of ovarian tumors in mice, and researchers expect this therapy could be tested in humans within 18 to 24 months.

July 30, 2009 Read more

Planck's blackbody radiation law breaks down at the nanoscale

Bringing objects close together can boost radiation heat transfer, according to new study that shows breakdown in Planck's law .

July 29, 2009 Read more

Growing flying carpets with carbon nanotubes

Scientistst at Rice describe a method for making odako, bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes named for the traditional Japanese kites they resemble. It may lead to a way to produce meter-long strands of nanotubes, which by themselves are no wider than a piece of DNA.

July 29, 2009 Read more

New microbe strain makes more electricity, faster

Researchers have coaxed Geobacter, the sediment-loving microbe who produce electric current from mud and wastewater, to evolve a new strain. It dramatically increases power output per cell, overall bulk power, and with a thinner biofilm, cuts the time to produce electricity on the electrode.

July 29, 2009 Read more

Graphene's current carrying capacity fund to be a thousand times greater than copper

Recent research into the properties of graphene nanoribbons provides two new reasons for using the material as interconnects in future computer chips. In widths as narrow as 16 nanometers, graphene has a current carrying capacity approximately a thousand times greater than copper - while providing improved thermal conductivity.

July 29, 2009 Read more

A beacon or just a landmark? Reflecting on a seminal nanotechnology report

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of the Royal Society/Royal Academy of Engineering report, "Nanotechnology and Nanoscience: Opportunities and Uncertainties".

July 29, 2009 Read more