blog~nano: Nanoscale Science, Nanotechnologies and Molecular Manufacturing

I believe in Renewable Energy, and here's why

2011-05-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Renewable energy (RE) is a subjective and divisive topic, one that is influenced by many factors, including corruption, greed and purposeful ignorance, scientific and technological advances, and simple entrepreneurial spirit vs. entrenched interests.

Here are some of the reasons that I believe that we will see RE replace old energy by the midpoint of this century:

* It has been estimated that an area 55 miles by 55 miles dedicated to current solar technologies could replace all the electrical generating power of coal and oil (in the US). Or an area 80x80 miles to replace oil, coal and natural gas. (Here in the US we have over 100,000 square miles of desert, so space isn’t a problem)

* Regarding storage technologies (1) for when the sun is down: consider the advances taking place in fuel cells, batteries (LI, redox flow batteries, and 1300-ton battery modules used for grid stabilization), flywheels, compressed air, ultracapacitors and the likelihood that we will also use battery powered vehicles as storage.

* Regarding “getting the power from the solar installation to the people” – consider advances in superconducting wire and other advanced materials which are very likely to enable cheap and efficient transmission of power from where ever it is generated to where ever it is needed.

* Rooftop and local solar: My solar powered home won’t have to worry about darkness; we’ll tap into the battery reserve, as will all rooftop solar installations. A small percentage of our overall use to be sure, but significant none the less.

And as for explicit subsidies: on a per-energy-unit basis, then yes, solar has received more subsidies than fossil fuels in the very recent past. However, on the amount that each of us taxpayers has spent in a recent five-year period, fossil fuels subsidies far exceed solar.

Estimates range: (2)

Coal subsidies = somewhere between $17B and $72B
Solar subsidies = somewhere between $500M and $5B

And let us not forget that coal subsidizes also include intangible (and often purposefully left out) costs for cleaning up the ecosystem, and the public health expenses associated with all of the damage that the mining and use of coal causes. (3)

In my opinion, at the end of the day it all boils down to two simple facts: 1) technological change is on a double exponential growth curve (4) and 2) simple entrepreneurial spirit.

While we certainly need to wean society off finite, dangerous, polluting resources like coal and oil, the earth can and may go to hell in a handbasket. However, I think that entrepreneurial spirit and the certain fact that there is a barrel of money to be made in renewable energy solutions suggests that we will see RE replace old energy by the midpoint of this century. (5)

(1) "Of the ten advanced energy storage technologies, eight have applications in storage for electric power utilities at some level of development, aiming to provide reliable, economic, and energy-efficient power back-up options." Technical Insights Analyst Miriam Nagel

A123 Systems currently sells 2MW to 200MW grid stabilization systems (battery systems). Being used for large-scale energy storage deployment to support wind and solar integration. Small in comparison to the overall needs, but just one of many rapidly improving technologies.

“If investments in the smart grid infrastructure continue, electric vehicles may become ubiquitous — both because of the economic and environmental sense they make for consumers, and because of the vast store of batteries that will be available to grid operators to balance out the intermittency of wind and solar resources.”

“There are several major studies and research showing how the United States could reach 100 percent renewable electricity by 2050. Over the next two decades, the continually rising costs of fossil fuels will make it prohibitive to continue burning them, so we’ll witness the overdue transition to a largely renewable system. Smart grid upgrades will feature two-way communication to consumer appliances, real-time pricing information, more efficient transmission infrastructure, and advanced battery and flywheel technologies to balance the inherent fluctuations of wind and solar resources.”

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/quayle-hodek-a-young-ceo-running-with-the-wind?hpt=Sbin

(2) “What if solar got the same subsidies as coal?” (Oct 21, 2010)
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/10/21/what-if-solar-got-the-same-subsidies-as-coal/

Coal subsidies: The U.S. coal industry enjoyed subsidies of around $17 billion between 2002 and 2008, including tax credits for production of "nonconventional" fuels ($14.1 billion), tax breaks on coal royalties ($986 million), exploration, and development breaks ($342 million), according to a study by the Environmental Law Institute.

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2010/03/does-the-coal-industry-get-subsidies.html

Solar and wind subsidies: So far, the government has handed out about $5.4 billion, according to the Energy Department.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/18/news/economy/renewable_energy_tax_credit/index.htm

(3) Very informative investigative article http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2011/02/03/manchin-coal-subsidies/

(4) “Most long range forecasts of technical feasibility in future time periods dramatically underestimate the power of future technology because they are based on what I call the “intuitive linear” view of technological progress rather than the “historical exponential view.” To express this another way, it is not the case that we will experience a hundred years of progress in the twenty-first century; rather we will witness on the order of twenty thousand years of progress (at today’s rate of progress, that is).” Ray Kurzweil http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns

(5) During the past 11 years, as the editor of the leading nanoscale technologies web portal, I read and posted over 50,000 articles about advanced and frequently mind-blowing technologies. I have closely followed the very rapid progress in our understanding and utilization of the unique properties of the nanoscale (which greatly differ from the properties that we already understand). At the very least, we are headed for a future that not one of us can predict; what we can predict is that we will undoubtedly see old myths about technologies shattered and changes beyond our current level of comprehension.

Carla wants to know

2010-10-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

In response to a question posed by one of my oldest and most perceptive friends, I posted what follows to my Facebook profile.

Her question was posed after watching this video http://vimeo.com/15979195

"Rocky, am I really ignorant and paranoid?

It seems like this technology holds they key to either really, really good stuff for us as a species, or it has the potential for really really bad stuff.

I trust the science and the scientists. I don't trust the Money that controls what's done with the science.

Einstein was a really nice guy. He had no idea his science would be used for war. I don't think any of the Manhattan Project scientists went into it knowing what they were unleashing on the world."

~ Carla Conrad

My answer: A most perspicacious observation, and right on the mark. Occam’s Razor, 21st century style, meaning that you have hit upon the simplest explanation for the potential outcome; like every technological innovation in the past, nanoscale technologies have both the potential for tremendous good and/or tremendous bad. And don’t let my seemingly cavalier use of "tremendous" lull you into a false sense of security; I mean "tremendous" as in "things that have the potential to change everything we think we know about ourselves, while enabling each of us with the power to effect and experience our surroundings in ways heretofore only imagined."

I have been actively and intensely following nanoscale technologies since the early ‘90’s. At the end of the day, my most prescient observation would be that these technologies will have an impact on our global society many times greater than ALL past technological revolutions. Let me put it another way: nanoscale technologies - and the products thereof - will enable far greater change than our discovery, development and use of fire, bronze, iron, steel, electrical power, cars, planes and space travel put together.

Any person, institution or government entity that says "Oh yeah, nanotechnology, we got that handled" is lying their ass off. Equally, any person, institution or government entity that says "Oh yeah, nanotechnology, it’s gonna kill us all in one or more horrible ways" is also lying their ass off. Anyone that fervent usually has a hidden agenda, and one which serves a higher master. You’ll notice I said "usually" – many of my colleagues in the nanospace are humanitarians in the best sense and are talking about and planning for ways in which the good things can be emphasized and the bad minimized or eliminated.

My philosophy is summed up thus:

Nanotechnology will certainly play a pivotal role in our future; now, with the introduction of lighter/stronger materials in the auto, space, and military industries, and later, with the introduction of molecular manufacturing (making items per your specifications, in your own home, for pennies on the dollar of current prices – think "replicator" and you will not be too far off).

Expect to see revolutionary changes in solar, fuel cell and hydrogen storage technologies within the next few years. And expect to see a great deal of interest in and subsequent higher funding of nanotech-enabled sensor technologies for military, homeland security and civilian applications within the next few years. Put another (albeit obvious) way: expect to see cultural tsunamis of a magnitude that rival anything we have thus far experienced.

No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies – if not demands – our undivided attention. Will we be ready? (BTW: not kidding, not even the weensiest amount)

OK, off my high horse and back to your previously programmed station…

Picture of the Day

2010-04-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

SiC-SiC Composite
Francois Willaime, CEA/Saclay, France
SEM observation of a mechanical test performed on a SiC-SiC composite.

This wonderful image was selected from the MRS "Science as Art" competition held at recent MRS Spring and Fall Meetings.

Communicating about nanotechnologies

2010-03-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

A very nice, short video on emerging nanotechnologies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3DREmTiAqA&feature=related

And here, a longer video, Titled "Nano, the next dimension"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCpkq_AeX50&NR=1&feature=fvwp

And here, videos from Johns Hopkins:
http://inbt.jhu.edu/education/animation-studio

I continue to be amazed not only with the rapid advances that we are making in our understanding of nanoscale phenomena but also with our ability to communicate that understanding, as with these videos.

What Would You Say?

2010-03-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

After a yearlong hiatus, I thought it was about time that I got back on the nano-horse and giddy-yupped into some new thoughts and understandings regarding that tiny little thing we call “nanotechnology.”

As previous readers understand, when I say “nanotechnology” I mean all nanoscale technologies, of which there are thousands today and millions on the technological horizon.

In late 2009, I presented several thought-leaders with the same question that I had asked in years past. “If you had the attention of the entire world, what would you say about nanoscale technologies?”

The answers that I received bring us a step closer to realizing that there continues to be an urgent need for society to pay attention to the mind-boggling rapid growth in our understanding and implementation of nanoscale technologies. Let me put it another way: We are learning more about (and more really important stuff about) why things are different at the nanoscale.

There are maybe a few hundred individuals who understand advanced technologies and can articulate their impact as well as these contributors. (Full disclosure: these folks are long-time, long distance, global-connectivity friends and associates. I seriously respect their individual and collective understanding of and opinions regarding advanced technologies. Mike Treder, Robert A. Freitas Jr. , Neil Gordon, Jack Uldrich and Vic Peña are just some of the world-class minds who you should spend a small part of your time listening to, if you do not do so already.)

From the Futurist

From the futurist we learn that nanoscale technologies are simply another set of new technologies that we need to understand and prepare for. How important are they? They are important on the order of: today and every day that follows, we will be introduced to another of thousands of new products that owe their technological and market leadership to “nanotechnology.” Today and every day that follows we will be confronted by decisions regarding whether or not to allow a nanotech-enabled product into the market; whether or not to pull an existing product from the market because it is simply connected to “nanotech” (or is in fact faulty in some way, thereby tarnishing with the same brush every other nano-enable product). As sure as the day after today is tomorrow, nanotech-enabled products will create a huge stir within society. How well we adapt to those products depends on how much we pay attention, today.

From the Medical Scientist

From the medical scientist we learn that “Medical nanorobotics holds the greatest promise for curing disease and extending the human healthspan.” Cool! Count me in! Nanotech-enabled machines roving around in my body, repairing cellular damage, detecting disease and malfunction, and generally keeping me a fit old son, yeah, count me in. Make me smarter you say?! COUNT ME IN!

From the economists/business men

And from the economists/business men we learn that critically important dollars are not being spent on nanoscale technologies, but are instead being squandered on “business as usual” and politics. Why, oh why, do we sit ineffectively by and watch as our leaders, of both parties, waste our dollars and squander both our future and our grandchildren’s heritage?

We also learn to have a sense of excitement regarding the short- and long-term potential of nanoscale technologies (in spite of our leader’s ineptitude, short-term-gains mindset and back-room dealings).

No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. -- Winston Churchill, November 1947

What can we learn from this? Depends on who you are. Average citizens may feel a bit overwhelmed by the exceeding complexity of the science, the enormous potential for societal change, and/or the continued nonsensical meddling in the markets by our elected officials. Scientists, economists, innovators, inventors, investors, and savvy business folk know without a doubt that nano-enabled technologies, followed by the inevitable advanced products, will create massive shock-waves in each of their respective areas. By the way, that means if you can answer “Yes” to “Do you live on Planet Earth?” then count on the fact that the future is going to present us with an increasingly complex and exuberantly abundant supply of new technologies that will change our lifestyles and force us sit up and pay attention.

Of course, that is just my take; the futurist, the medical scientist, and the economists/business men may hit you from a totally divergent p-o-v, and yet I bet we all agree that “May you live in interesting times” never meant as much as it does right here, right now (are you paying attention yet?)

Rocky Rawstern, March 15, 2010

Here are their answers

Mike Treder – Our Future Depends on Us / Technology is Only a Tool

Every technology—no matter how powerful—is never a solution in itself. It is only a tool, to be used by its owners for good or for ill. This is as true for nanotechnology as it was for electricity or for the printing press before it.

We should never fall into the trap of looking for or expecting our technologies to save us. Emerging technologies—whether nanotech or AI or synthetic biology do not emerge into nor from a vacuum. They are always developed within a context of political reality, amidst the daily tussle over regulation, funding, and proper usage. They do not arise fully-grown and pristine, but are hammered out, molded, shaped, and modified through endless discussions in corporate boardrooms and the halls of government.

Thus, the color of our future depends much more on us—that is, on our political practices and choices—than on our technologies.

(c) 2010 Mike Treder

Mike Treder is the managing director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, is a prolific writer, speaker, and activist with a background in media and communications. He has published dozens of articles and papers and been interviewed numerous times by the media. As an accomplished presenter on the societal implications of emerging technologies, Mr. Treder has addressed conferences and groups around the world, including in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.

Treder co-founded the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) in 2002 and served as its executive director for six years. CRN promotes public awareness and education about the implications of molecular manufacturing, with the aim of creating and implementing wise, comprehensive, and balanced plans for global management of the technology. Treder currently sits on the Board of Advisors for CRN.

In addition to his work with the IEET, Mike Treder is a consultant to the Millennium Project of the American Council for the United Nations University, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Lifeboat Foundation, is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, a consultant to the Future Technologies Advisory Group, and a member of the World Future Society.

Visit ieet.org/index.php/IEET/bio/treder/

Robert A. Freitas Jr. – Molecular Manufacturing and Medical Nanorobotics

The ultimate tool of nanomedicine is the medical nanorobot – a robot the size of a bacterium, composed of molecule-size parts somewhat resembling macroscale gears, bearings, and ratchets. Like a regular robot, a nanorobot may be made of many thousands of mechanical parts, such as bearings and gears, composed of strong diamond-like material. A nanorobot will have motors to make things move, and perhaps manipulator arms or mechanical legs for mobility. It will have a power supply for energy, sensors to guide its actions, and an onboard computer to control its behavior. Medical nanorobotics holds the greatest promise for curing disease and extending the human healthspan.

To build medical nanorobots, we need to create a new technology called molecular manufacturing. Molecular manufacturing is the production of complex atomically precise structures using positionally controlled fabrication and assembly of nanoparts inside a nanofactory. We’ve published the first description of a complete set of tools and positionally controlled reactions that should enable building small bits of perfect diamond crystal, based on extensive analysis and quantum chemistry simulations of a large number of potential tooltips and reaction sequences.

Ralph Merkle and I founded the Nanofactory Collaboration to coordinate a combined experimental and theoretical R&D program to design and build the first working diamondoid nanofactory. This long-term effort is developing the initial technology of positionally controlled mechanosynthesis of diamondoid structures using engineered tooltips and simple molecular feedstock. One of our international colleagues is undertaking direct experiments to build and validate several of our proposed mechanosynthesis tooltips.

(c) 2010 Robert A. Freitas Jr.

Robert A. Freitas Jr., J.D., published the first detailed technical design study of a medical nanorobot ever published in a peer-reviewed mainstream biomedical journal and is the author of Nanomedicine, the first book-length technical discussion of the medical applications of nanotechnology and medical nanorobotics. Volume I was published in October 1999 by Landes Bioscience while Freitas was a Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM) in Palo Alto, California. Freitas published Volume IIA in October 2003 with Landes Bioscience while serving as a Research Scientist at Zyvex Corp., a nanotechnology company headquartered in Richardson, Texas during 2000-2004. Freitas is now completing Nanomedicine Volumes IIB and III and is also consulting on diamond mechanosynthesis, molecular assembler design, and nanofactory implementation as Senior Research Fellow at IMM. He won the 2009 Feynman Prize in nanotechnology for theory, the 2007 Foresight Prize in Communication, and the 2006 Guardian Award from Lifeboat Foundation.

Visit www.rfreitas.com

Neil Gordon – 2009 was a bad year for nanotechnology

The financial demise of long established nanotechnology companies such as Nanogen, Evident Technologies, Luna Innovations, and NanoDynamics may be an expected fall-out of the economic downturn. However, the real impact of the financial crisis to nanotechnology is more pronounced.

Technology ventures need funding to develop and commercialize new products. Greater investments are required for advanced offerings employing nanotechnology because of the long time horizon for adopting nanotech into end user products or processes. Not only do nano-enabled products offer the potential for better, faster, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly applications, they also bring high tech R&D and manufacturing jobs that will be in demand for decades to come. So with unprecedented government stimulus spending one might expect a boom time for nanotech companies on the cusp of commercialization.

However, what we are seeing is completely different. Money is being used:

- to reward financiers for bad investment decisions instead of infusing capital to early stage ventures and Series A venture capitalists.
- to create government programs that will increase the cost of health care instead of new technologies for lowering the cost of health care.
- for preventing the spread of a flu strain that killed less than 10% of the infected people from a typical seasonal flu rather than funding new technologies for treating more virulent diseases
- for deploying under-effective counter-terrorism activities instead of new surveillance technologies for the early detection of explosives, illegal drugs, infected people, toxic food, and contaminated water
- to finance bankrupt automobile companies to manufacture the same cars that caused the bankruptcies rather than funding disruptive production and performance innovations that will be competitive against low cost cars from China and India.
- for middlemen to manage and extract fees from carbon cap-and-trade schemes rather acquiring prototypes employing breakthrough energy technologies

So where does nanotechnology stand at the end of 2009? Apparently at the bottom of the 2009 priority list. 2010 appears to be an equally disappointing year.

(c) 2010 Neil Gordon

Neil is the CEO of Early Warning, a NASA spin-off company and co-inventor of the world’s first inline diagnostic nano-biosensor that automatically detects pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites in water in under 3 hours. He was previously the President of the Canadian NanoBusiness Alliance, and head of a nanotechnology consulting practice at Sygertech where he was involved in over 20 nanotechnology projects over the last 10 years.

Visit http://www.earlywarninginc.com/

and

nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2009/01/neil-gordon-goes-to-market.html

Jack Uldrich – The impact of nanotechnology is going to be huge

To those who don't believe nanotechnology will change the world in the near future just because it hasn't accomplished much in the last 20 years, consider this little quiz: If a single lily pad began doubling on a pond on the first day of June and doubled each day thereafter until the entire pond was covered by the end of the month, on Day 20 what percentage of the pond would be covered with lily pads?

The answer is one-tenth of one percent. That's right, .1%! What happens over the next 10 days is a little short of amazing -- the entire pond gets covered. Such is the nature of exponential growth.

Now, advances in nanotechnology aren't quite experiencing exponential growth but they are close and over the course of the next decade nanotechnology's impact on material sciences, medicine, and energy are -- like the lily pads' spread over pond in the last few days -- going to be extraordinary."

(c) 2010 Jack Uldrich

jumpthecurve.net
unlearning101.com
Follow Jack at http://twitter.com/jumpthecurve

Vic Peña – The future is here and achievable!

About five years ago, I responded to a similar question. Like this. At that time I was firmly convinced that we had reached an historic milestone in the evolution of science, namely the foundation for the research and development of nanoscale technologies. I still have this conviction. In fact, I am more enthusiastic of the possibilities open to the human experience through nanoscale technologies. “The future is here and achievable.”

The future is here. We are achieving it (especially during the last decade) by accelerating, building, and evolving the principles upon which nanoscale technologies research and development thrive. We have created myriad nano-applications for development and commercialization not generally known or available in the past. We have brought the future to the present and are progressing towards greater achievement.

At the same time, we can say we are not the yet. Achievement in nanoscale technologies is an evolutionary process integrating all disciplines of science. And, we recognize that nanoscale achievement is critically dependent on education and funding. In the United States, the National Nanotechnology Initiative is at the forefront in promoting these. Admittedly, these are subject to the vagaries of societal and economic factors, but consider the advances made in nanoscale technologies.

Imagine what is achievable in our now and present future.

So, what do I say about nanoscale technologies? The future is here and achievable!

(c) 2010 Vic Peña

Co-Founder, nanoTITAN, Inc. (now shuttered)
Former Member, President’s Council of Advisers in Science and Technology (PCAST), Nanotechnology Technical Advisory Group (NTAG)
Former Chairman, Nanotechnology Committee, Northern Virginia Technology Council
Former Member Nanotechnology Advisory Committee, The Virginia House of Delegates
Founding Member Initiative for Nanotechnology in Virginia

In closing

I would like to close with the response from Ray Kurzweil from the previous Q&A. Why am I closing with this quote? Because it best illustrates the immediacy of the need for us to start paying attention (with graphs and charts and things that even I can understand!). (1)

When we have full molecular manufacturing, we will be able to create any physical products we need from information files just as we can create music, movies, and books from pure information today. In about twenty years, the original goals of communism ("from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs") will be achieved not through forced collectivism but through the information technologies of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

When will we have full molecular manufacturing? About 10 years after people stop laughing about the difficulty of building the first nanofactory. Let me put it another way: sometime within the next 15 years, possibly a lot sooner. Does that give us enough time to prepare? Certainly, but only if we start now.

May you live in interesting times!

Rocky Rawstern

(1) http://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art0134.html?printable=1

From the previous Q & A:

http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2006/12/nanotechnology-q-pt-i.html

http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2006/12/nanotechnology-q-pt-i-more.html

http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2006/12/nanoscale-materials-q-pt-i.html

http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2006/12/nanotechnology-q-pt-i-more_21.html

Issues and Strategies for Marketing “Nano Inside”

2009-02-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Nanotechnology-based products that address large consumer markets are increasingly being launched. Management at companies making and selling such products must decide how to market those products. In particular, companies must decide whether their marketing campaigns should emphasize the nanoscale components or materials inside of the products. In this article, Patti Hill analyzes the issues associated with a “nano inside” marketing campaign. She provides examples of successful marketing campaigns such as the Intel Inside® Program, highlights the challenges associated with a “nano inside” marketing campaign, and makes recommendations for companies seeking to market nanotech-based products.

A very well considered article from one of today's leading PR minds.

In an earlier post, I told you about my small contribution of background info to Patti Hill's article, at this LINK.

Singularity University

2009-02-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

What is the mission of SU?

"Singularity University aims to assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity’s grand challenges."

If they can get funding this will be exciting!

"We are now in the steep part of the exponential trajectory of information technologies in a broad variety of fields, including health, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. It is only these accelerating technologies that have the scale to address the major challenges of humanity ranging from energy and the environment to disease and poverty. With its strong focus on interdisciplinary learning, Singularity University is poised to foster the leaders who will create a uniquely creative and productive future world.”

Ray Kurzweil

Better Tools

2009-01-21T20:46:00.001-08:00

In our quest to better understand the properties of nanoscale materials (which differ from their larger macroscale cousins) scientists are developing new tools such as the one used to create the image above.

"This image of an early moment in the simulated mixing of two fluids was created by researchers using a powerful new algorithm they developed to extract features and patterns from massive data sets. In the image, blue and red spheres and the lines between them represent the branching of pockets of fluid."

"A powerful computing tool that allows scientists to extract features and patterns from enormously large and complex sets of raw data has been developed by scientists at University of California, Davis, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The tool - a set of problem-solving calculations known as an algorithm - is compact enough to run on computers with as little as two gigabytes of memory."

Credit: Attila Gyulassi/UC Davis copyright UC Regent

Click on the title to read the whole article at Nanotechnology Now

Giving Science Back it's Voice

2009-01-20T11:07:00.000-08:00

In today’s inaugural speech, President Obama gives us hope that science and technology won’t be strangled by special interests nor it’s voice hushed by our leaders in government for political gain.

“The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.”

Why mention this on a nanotechnology blog? Simple, really; every one of the areas mentioned above will be enabled by nanoscale technologies.

Picture of the day

2009-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

VLS Silicon Nanowire

High-crystalline silicon and other semiconducting nanowires are key building blocks for electronic devices, light emitting devices, field emission sources and sensors. Pictured is a crystalline silicon nanowire grown by the vapour-liquid-solid mechanism (VLS). VLS growth is so named because the constituents in gas form precipitate through a liquid catalyst onto a solid crystallin surface. Thermal-vapour-growth from solid precursors, usually in a high temperature furnace, is the most common way to obtain a bulk production of nanowires.

Source: K.B.K. Teo

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

Nanomedicine Today

2009-01-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

To get excited about the potential of nanomedicine (AKA: nanobiotechnology) all one need do is read the headlines at sites like Nanotechnology Now.

Here are a few since January 1st:

Nano "Tractor Beam" Traps DNA
Revolutionize the utility of adult stem cells through nanotechnology
Tiny capsules deliver
Wireless microgrippers grab living cells
Tool Gives a Glimpse of Biomolecules in Motion
New guidelines open up the potential of molecular diagnostics
Lab-in-a-Cartridge for Fast and Accurate Detection of Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Nanotubes Sniff Out Cancer Agents in Living Cells
Artificial Antibody Delivers Nanoparticles to Tumors
Toxin-Nanoparticle Combo Inhibits Brain Cancer Invasion While Imaging Tumors
Microfluidic Devices Capture and Analyze Single Cancer Cells
Biodegradable Nanoprobe Images New Blood Vessel Growth
Polymer Nanoparticle for Oral Anticancer Drug Delivery
A fantastic voyage brought to life
Synthetic HDL: A New Weapon to Fight Cholesterol Problems (as illustrated, next)

“The researchers successfully designed synthetic HDL and show that their nanoparticle version is capable of irreversibly binding cholesterol. The synthetic HDL, based on gold nanoparticles, is similar in size to HDL and mimics HDL's general surface composition.”

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=31934

Now, more than ever, nanobiotechnologies are looking increasingly promising for applications in screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of today’s more pernicious diseases. While I was cautiously optimistic back in the 1990’s and into the ‘00’s, I am now certain that nanobio will enable many lifesaving technologies in the next decade. Some of which may do more than just detect and cure; they may even help extend our productive life spans, giving each of us several more decades (or more) of good health and vitality.

There is also good news on the “safety” front:

Nanotech Safety High on Congress' Priority List

My advice? If you have time only for visits to just two sites per day, consider time spent at Nanotechnology Now and Responsible Nanotechnology a must.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/
http://crnano.typepad.com/

Want to learn more about nanotechnology in general? Here are a few sites that offer information essential to understanding nanoscale technologies:

What is Nanotechnology? -- http://www.crnano.org/whatis.htm
Howard Lovy’s Nanobot -- http://nanobot.blogspot.com/
Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies --http://www.nanotechproject.org/

And by all means read the books you see listed on the right column on this blog.

Memo to Pres. Obama: Advanced Nanotechnology - What, When, and Why

2009-01-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

"Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. In its advanced form, which should be achieved within the next decade or two, the technology will allow a revolution in manufacturing—building powerful products with atomic precision from the bottom up—and could fundamentally alter our ability to confront challenging issues such as climate change.

Some experts confidently predict that once exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing is achieved, our worries about global warming and climate change will be over. A relatively simple solution like tiny balloons fitted with adjustable mirrors could, they say, give us all the control we will need to moderate warming and create preferred climate conditions."

Mike Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
http://CRNano.org

Bristles hugging a polystyrene sphere

2009-01-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

“From the structure of DNA to nautical rope to distant spiral galaxies, helical forms are as abundant as they are useful in nature and manufacturing alike. Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered a way to synthesize and control the formation of nanobristles, akin to tiny hairs, into helical clusters and have further demonstrated the fabrication of such highly ordered clusters, built from similar coiled building blocks, over multiple scales and areas.

The finding has potential use in energy and information storage, photonics, adhesion, capture and release systems, and as an enhancement for the mixing and transport of particles. Lead authors Joanna Aizenberg, Gordon McKay Professor of Materials Science at SEAS and the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and L Mahadevan, Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at SEAS, reported the research in the January 9 issue of Science.”

Credit: Courtesy of Aizenberg lab at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Click title to read entire article at Nanotechnology Now

Self Assembling Cubes

2009-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Nanobiotechnology is forecast to be one of the nanosciences that will make near-term and dramatic changes to how we detect and treat disease, and therefore to society.

The Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University is one of the rapidly growing number of first-class research organizations that is at the forefront of nanobio.

“The Gracias Lab at Johns Hopkins University develops minimally invasive microscale and nanoscale tools and devices for medicine. They trigger specially prepared 2d surfaces to assemble into 3d objects.”

Click on the title to go to the video.

Thanks to:

Martin Rietveld
Web Director
Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology
http://inbt.jhu.edu

Picture of the day

2009-01-06T09:50:00.001-08:00

A microfabricated gold ring for Aharonov-Bohm type experiments, which test the modulation of quantum-interference contributions of electrons due to the presence of a magnetic field. Dimensions are: 70 nm wide, 20 nm thick with a diameter of about 800 nm.

Source: Christian Schönenberger

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

In My Opinion

2009-01-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

In the late 1980’s, I became aware that science effects society at an ever-growing pace. As a 20-year observer of the nanospace and the daily news thereof, I know that nanotechnologies will be those that are responsible for the lion’s share of radical change; you cannot read about the significant number of advances in the nanosciences and come to any other conclusion. "Nano" is not a fad.

I also know this: the more rapid the growth in the number of new/advanced technologies the sooner we must start preparing for subsequent changes in society; changes real and imagined, and in most cases, difficult to predict. Given the exponential growth in our understanding of the nanoscale and the likelihood that many of our new insights will turn into commercial products and services, the time for discussion and preparation is now.

No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time-frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies--if not demands--our undivided attention. Will we be ready?

Zinc Oxide Microtrumpet

2009-01-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

Prismatic zinc oxide microtubes have been fabricated by vapor transport. Room-temperature ultraviolet lasing action has been demonstrated in these microtube arrays. The ZnO microtubes, mainly appearing in a tapped bell-mouthed shape, form natural laser cavities along the length direction. The hexagon diagonal and length of the microtube vary from 1 um to 20 um and 10 um to a few hundred um respectively. Under 355nm optical excitation, lasing action is observed at room-temperature around 393nm. Multi-longitudinal modes are also observed with significantly narrowed emission linewidth.

Source: Sun Xiao Wei

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society

2009-01-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

In her latest book Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society Dr. Deb Bennett-Woods talks about the ethics of dealing with rapidly changing technologies, in specific, those enabled by our greater understanding of the nanoscale. Depending on who is talking, nanotechnology means many different things. What everyone can agree on is that a) nanotechnology (whatever it is) will enable a huge number of new technologies and consumer products, and b) we need to prepare now.

Another in a growing chorus of knowledgeable persons and organizations, Dr. Bennett-Woods brings her expertise to bear in an exceedingly complex topic: ethics of scientific discovery and the subsequent technologies and products.

As part of her research, Dr. Bennett-Woods asked that I say a few words, which you see, above. Click image to see larger version.

From the book: Nanotechnology promises to be the next great human technological revolution, but such change often comes at the price of unforeseen consequences. Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society explores several of the practical and ethical dilemmas presented by this technological leap.

Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society
By Deb Bennett-Woods
Published by CRC Press, 2008
ISBN 1420053523, 9781420053524
312 pages

Learn more about Deb Bennett-Woods, Director and Associate Professor, Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions at Regis University

http://www.nanoscienceworks.org/people/bennett-woods-deb

http://www.regis.edu/regis.asp?sctn=rhhce&p1=fac&p2=dbennett

Foresight Institute Prize in Communication
http://bir-consulting.com/2005-Foresight-Prize-in-Communication.htm

Picture of the day

2009-01-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

Interfacing semiconducting nanostructures with conducting or insulating substrates to attain a three-dimensional (3D) integrated platform is highly desirable for advanced nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics applications. As such, the assembly and synthesis of these nanostructures, which demonstrate multiple dimensionality, using a bottom-up approach would be useful. In this example, 1D ZnO nanowires about 80nm in diameter grow vertically out of the junctions of 80nm thick ZnO nanowalls.

Source: Hou Tee Ng

Original post by Ryan Munden at http://www.nanopicoftheday.org/

Solar Power Game-Changer

2009-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have been, perhaps, overly enthusiastic regarding practical applications of nanoscale technologies. Given the huge number of announcements and the abundant zealous fervor accompanying discoveries of nanoscale material properties, it seemed that "game changing" technologies were just around the corner. Well, they’ve been around the corner for the last 10 years.

Now, however, comes an announcement from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) regarding solar energy, titled "’Near Perfect’ Absorption of Sunlight, From All Angles."

What does that mean? I’ll let them tell it: "By developing a new antireflective coating that boosts the amount of sunlight captured by solar panels and allows those panels to absorb the entire solar spectrum from nearly any angle, the research team has moved academia and industry closer to realizing high-efficiency, cost-effective solar power."

The words to watch here are "closer to realizing," so don’t count your chickens just yet. While it looks promising, and their statement "After a silicon surface was treated with (the) new nanoengineered reflective coating … the material absorbed 96.21 percent of sunlight shone upon it" could portend a game changing technology, I’m not going to step out on a limb until someone coughs up the bucks to turn this cool lab technology into a real-world cost-effective application. It does look promising. Game changing? Who knows. I’ll let the market decide.

100 Years

2009-01-02T16:55:00.001-08:00

Old friend and Access Nanotechnology colleague Jack Uldrich is spreading the "Jump the Curve" message via YouTube, which I believe is a very smart move. Prior to this move to video you could read a lot of Jack’s very well considered and insightful words on the Internet. NOW you can hear him speak his mind; a much more enlightening medium, in my opinion.

One clear message that I have picked up is Jack’s reminder that in the next 25 years we will likely experience as much or more change (advances) in technologies than we did in the past 100 years. We’re talking exponential rate of change, especially in our understanding of the nanoscale; that’s a doubling each and every 6 – 18 months. "The year 2025 will be as different from today as today is from 1900." That alone should make you stand up and take notice.

Sign up for his Channel; I just did.

http://www.youtube.com/user/juldrich

http://access-nanotechnology.com/

Neil Gordon Goes to Market

2009-01-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Old friend and Access Nanotechnology colleague Neil Gordon, formerly of the Canadian NanoBusiness Alliance, is now at the helm of a company that will soon have an actual nanotechnology-enabled product. Neil’s new company, Early Warning, is in the sensor business. Biohazard Early Warning System, that is.

Neil’s background in the development and commercialization of diverse high technology products in information technology, aerospace and defense, engineering-construction, and nanotechnology sectors will serve him well in his new position as President and Chief Executive Officer.

His focus has shifted from nanotechnology to the application of nanotechnology in preventing the transmission of biohazards. Why? Biohazards kill 18.4 million and sicken over 1 billion people each year.

Expect to see their water testing product line in the winter of 2008/09.

From their site: "Early Warning has an exclusive license from NASA to commercialize its revolutionary nanotechnology-based biosensor developed for space applications. The biosensor works when a single strand of nucleic acid comes into contact with a matching strand of nucleic acid attached to the end of an ultra-conductive nanotube. The matching strands form a double helix that generates an electrical signal which is used to determine the presence of specific microorganisms in the sample. Because of their tiny size, millions of nanotubes can fit on a single biosensor chip allowing identification of very low levels."

Personally, I have very high expectations of success for both Neil, Early Warning, and their nanotechnology-enabled products.

http://access-nanotechnology.com/

http://www.earlywarninginc.com/

He's Back!

2009-01-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

"...where my nano obsession began back in 2001, when I helped launch one of the first nanotech magazines and Website. Small Times has asked me to return as a contributing editor and blogger" says Howard Lovy, most recently holding forth at his blog, Nanobot.

Howard will be a once-again-welcome voice at an excellent resource for both new and old nanotechnologistas. His interpretation of the nanospace and subsequent writings continue to be a must-read for stakeholders.

Along with his wit and wisdom, I look forward to reading more of Howard’s insightful analysis and commentary.

Nano Trees

2009-01-02T15:05:00.001-08:00

3-dimensional Si composite nanostructure, taken with a scanning electron microscope, by Ghim Wei Ho.

Nano Today Cover Competition

2009-01-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Spiraling pine tree-like PbS nanowires are evidence of nanowire growth driven by screw dislocations without the help of metal catalysts. Screw dislocation drives the rapid growth of the nanowire tree trunk and causes the lattice of the trunks to twist (called "Eshelby Twist") and their epitaxial branches to spiral. See Science 2008, 320, 1060.Matthew J. Bierman, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

In the Blink of an Eye

2009-01-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Drexler's original definition of nanotechnology was "the ability to
construct shapes, devices and machines with atomic precision and to
combine them into a wide range of products inexpensively." Since then,
however, nanotechnology has come quite a ways from this purely
theoretical understanding, according to Rocky Rawstern, editor of
Nanotechnology Now.

Says Rawstern, "I have seen Mercedes-Benz using nanoparticle paint
that helps prevent wear and other companies make [nanotech] golf balls
that reduce slice, nanopowder aluminum for better rockets, stainless-
steel metal for injection-molding, nanosilver particles for anti-
bacterial and disinfectant agents, fullerenes (nanoparticles of
tungsten disulfide) as lubricants, and the list goes on."

According to Rawstern, there are several contemporary definitions of
nanotechnology, of which at least three were "created by different
groups, each with their own agenda."

"Nanotechnology has evolved via a terminology drift and purposeful
misapplication to mean anything smaller than microtechnology," says
Rawstern, "but without referring to mechanisms that have been
purposefully built from nanoscale components, as was originally
intended. This 'evolved' version of the term is more properly
labeled "nanoscale bulk technology,' while the original meaning is now
labeled "molecular nanotechnology' or 'molecular manufacturing (MM).'"

In addition to Drexler's theoretical definition is a working format is
maintained by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a federal
research and development program established to coordinate nanoscale
science, engineering and technology, which includes:

development of research and technology at the atomic, molecular or macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1 nm to 100 nm range
creation and use of structures, devices and systems that have novel properties and functions because of their small and/or intermediate size
ability to control or manipulate on the atomic scale

According to Rawstern, the third definition comes from "the nano-
charlatans of the world, who have hijacked the term and are using it
to promote products that are neither nanoscale mechanisms nor
nanoscale materials" by any industry definition.

"Read the news most any day and you will find one or more nano-posers
promoting their wares, none of which are "nanotechnology' in any
meaningful sense of the term," he says. "Their definition: anything we
can slap the label nanotechnology on and get away with."

Inner Space

If Rawstern sounds a little irked, it's not because the field of
nanotechnology is expanding at an exponential rate (some analysts
predict the nanomaterials market will reach $1.4 billion in 2008);
rather, the financial and resource investment necessary to adequately
fund successful nanotech research is too great to squander on
pretenders.

Yet for all this hype, Rawstern says, this technology remains on the
drawing board, not purposefully pursued by any known entity, but
promoted by several. "It has yet to be proven, primarily because there
has been no substantial investment in developing a proof of concept,"
he adds.

What's To Come

The intermarriage of nanotechnology and imaging promises to be a long and prosperous one, with glimpses of additional advances, from imaging to interventional techniques, coming as fast as research allows. Sitharaman, for one, hopes his work will lead to cellular-level diagnosis of treatment efficacy and possibly even spur development of future medicine delivery systems.

"The rational leap of this technology should be to attach antibodies and peptides to these contrast agents to treat diseases," says Sitharaman. "You can attach different kinds of molecules to the fullerene for a more specific sequencing approach. Since they show such high relaxivity rates, we should hopefully be able to look at individual cells."

Of a similar mind is Rawstern, who also believes nanotechnology will expand its presence into the field of drug delivery systems, aided by imaging advances.

"In the next five years, I expect to see human trials on gold nanoshells come to a conclusion regarding their viability," says Rawstern. "They represent a potential end to the scourge of many cancers and an end to the suffering of thousands, if not millions, in the coming decade. Nanosuspension technology, which makes poorly soluble drugs with increased absorption rates, also looks promising. There are many more possibilities; more than anyone would have guessed only 10 years ago."

"No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant," says Rawstern. "We debate the time-frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies – if not demands – our undivided attention. Will we be ready?"

Tomorrow's Kitchen & Bath

2009-01-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

Nanotechnology is another major force that will change the shape of
things to come in kitchens and baths. "In the near term, we’ll see
lighter materials, improved energy efficiency in lighting, and energy
storage devices for those who find themselves off the grid or wish to
employ backup devices,” reports Rocky Rawstern, Editor of
Nanotechnology Now.

Over the next few years, lightweight insulation will reshape kitchen
appliances, and organic light-emitting diodes will be widely used.
Within a decade or more, Rawstern claims, most surfaces will be coated
with antibacterial materials, thereby making disinfecting kitchens and
baths a thing of the past.

According to Rawstern, we’ll also enjoy a host of new materials that are lighter, stronger, and have properties we can only imagine, such as self-cleaning surfaces and embedded sensors.

The Twinkie Guide to Nanotechnology

2009-01-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is the most well reasoned presentation on current and future nanotechnologies that I have seen. Well worth the time to view and consider, and should be mandatory viewing for all stakeholders (that’s you and I and everybody).

Dr. Andrew Maynard is Chief Science Advisor to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Dr. Maynard's bio: http://www.nanotechproject.org/about/leadership/staff/andrew_maynard/

Preparing an anticancer drug carrier

2008-12-25T12:14:00.001-08:00

A research team led by Prof. MA Guanghui with the CAS Institute of Processing Engineering has developed a one-pot approach to couple the crystallization of CaCO3 nanoparticles and the in-situ symmetry-breaking assembly of these crystallites into hollow spherical shells under the templating effect of a soluble starch.

Nano for Kids

2008-12-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Good educational resources for kids at the Nano for Kids site within the CNSE (College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering).

The videos they have done are great entry-level tools: http://cnse.albany.edu/Nano_for_Kids/iKnowNanoTVSegments.html

Nano 'Bama

2008-12-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

The nanobama structures are made of carbon nanotubes, and the pictures were taken using optical and electron microscopes. Structures and images made by John Hart, Sameh Tawfick, Michael De Volder, and Will Walker

Nanotube fireball

2008-12-15T14:33:00.001-08:00

Found this image last week but cannot locate the site where it originated. If you know who made it please contact me.

NanoArt 2008

2008-12-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

I have been chosen as one of two judges for NanoArt 2008.

Here is the announcement:

The worldwide competition NanoArt 2008 is open to all artists 18 years and older. The online exhibition will open for public on January 20, 2009. Judges: Jeanne Brasile, artist, director and primary curator of the Walsh Gallery at the Seton Hall University; Rocky Rawstern, artist and consultant, former editor of Nanotechnology Now, awarded with the 2005 Foresight Institute Prize in Communication. Winners will be notified and published online on March 31, 2009. The competition will be promoted on different venues online, nanoart21.org contacts, word-of-mouth. The artists could also promote the competition on their websites and other venues.

2008-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

The following is an email “conversation” I had with one of my Access Nanotechnology team members, Patti Hill . The Questions and Statements are her’s; the Answers are mine.

Q: Are there advantages to products with “nano inside”?

A: The short answer to this seemingly simple Q is “yes.” A better answer is “Caveat emptor.”

Statement: The consumer marketplace has become rich with nanotechnology-based or enhanced products from sunscreens to water repellant and stain-resistant clothing, gum, car wax, sporting equipment, heat-resistant windshields, consumer electronics, and nanoparticle-laden cosmetics.

Q: They all suggest significant strides from the scientific perspective - but from your point of view, does it matter?

A: Yes, as long as the “nano inside” the product has A) made it cheaper to the consumer, while making it no more harmful to the environment or the consumer, B) made the product more effective or better able to meet a need (with the same caveat as above), or C) created an altogether new product that serves a new market (again, with the caveat as above).

Additionally, the fact that we are making real strides in our understanding of nanoscale properties means that we have a whole new set of tools that will also enable the creation of products that are less harmful to the environment, as well as those that help remediate environmental damage. Those two categories alone make the effort and investment worthwhile.

Q: Are these products simply new or different versions of products in an already crowded marketplace, or would you purchase a product that claims to have “nanotechnology inside”?

A: “Claims to have,” no. Does have, and meets the criteria as above, then yes. Addressing “simply new or different versions” my answer would be “what have product promoters done in the past?” Have they always been truthful? Do the products always do what they say they will do? You get my drift.

Q: Do you believe the integration of nanotechnology boosts a product’s strength, durability or performance?

A: It certainly can, but may not always. In the “certainly can” area, take a look at products that contain sunlight-activated (photocatalytic) nanoscale titanium dioxide (Tio2).

There are several Tio2-enable surface coatings products on the market that have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-mold properties. In addition, some of these coatings reduce pollution and improve air quality, while protecting from environmental contamination. Such coatings are, or will soon be, economical for building owners (for reducing maintenance costs) and anyone who simply wants to coat a surface to take advantage of one or more of those properties.

Having said that, as always with new products, there is a need to more fully understand the long-term effects of the nanoscale particles that may come in contact with you and I; products used in items such as cosmetics and skin treatments. Due to their size, these particles have the ability, under certain conditions, to penetrate well past the outer skin layers and possibly into the circulatory system (with unknown effects). Consideration must be given to the fact that nanoscale particles, by their very nature, can and do follow their own set of rules; rules different from their larger cousins (whose properties we pretty much understand and account for).

We also need to fully understand the ways in which nanoscale particles may harm those who handle them during production. And further, we need to understand the long-term waste stream potential of these products. I believe that both these issues can, are now, and will be dealt with easily and will be accounted for during development (at least by companies that understand the downside of not applying “an ounce of prevention”).

Getting back to “but not always,” there have been notable exceptions to the claim of “nano inside,” such as the now infamous “Magic Nano.” Magic Nano was billed as a “a protective glass and bathroom sealant” which in fact did not contain nanoscale particles. It did, however, cause breathing difficulties in several users, prompting a public outcry over “harmful nanotechnology.” The product was recalled. Face was lost, as were dollars, or Euros in this case.

I believe that our immediate investment of dollars and time should be focused on nanoscale particles that can be used for screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease (where great strides are already being made). With subsequent technologies we will be able to rid ourselves of many age-old scourges, such as cancer. After that, I think the bulk of our efforts should go towards creating nanoscale-enhanced products that exhibit astonishing strength, flexibility, conductivity, and/or reactivity (other areas where we are making huge strides, a few of which are enabling changes in how we generate clean energy). With these, we will be able to reach for the stars and go to them, too, as well as power our future. Our third focus should be on products that help remediate environmental damage (and yes, this too is an area where we’re seeing massive leaps in understanding). Any one of those three areas, by themselves, have the potential to create huge numbers of new, high-paying jobs. Together, it is believed by many learned individuals, governments and corporations that these technologies will make those nations that invest in them quite wealthy, more secure, and more productive.

To sum up: No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time-frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies--if not demands--our undivided attention. Will we be ready?

Picture of the day

2008-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

More from NanoArt 2008

My next favorite four (click to see large version):

Title: Nano Woods
Artist: Renata Spiazzi

Title: Infinite Exploration
Artist: David Hylton

Title: Seal
Artist: Geert Lenssens

Title: Thought Form
Artist: David Derr

What is NanoArt?

Artist and scientist Cris Orfescu presents NanoArt, reflecting advances in the arts related to nanoscale technologies.

One goal of the NanoArt series is to raise the public's awareness of Nanotechnology and its impact on our lives, which by even conservative measure will be significant.

Who?

37 nanoartists from 13 countries and 4 continents, presenting 121 NanoArt works to this second edition of the international competition.

www.absolutearts.com/nanoart

To vote for your favorite NanoArt work you can also visit directly the competition site at:

http://nanoart21.org/nanoart2006/index.php?cat=9

Follow these 3 easy steps:

1. click on the album’s thumbnail to open album
2. click on the artwork’s thumbnail to see the large image
3. click on the number of stars you would like to rank that artwork

To see more examples of “taking it to the next level” see http://future-is-here.com/Desktops.htm

Jump The Curve

2008-02-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

Once again, my favorite technology author Jack Uldrich makes complex topics accessible to the general reader. In his latest book, Jump The Curve: 50 Essential Strategies to Help Your Company Stay Ahead of Emerging Technologies, Uldrich explains how, “in the next decade, exponential trends in computers, data storage, bandwidth, gene sequencing, and other fields will transform the global economy.”

“With fifty vital strategies at its core, Jump The Curve teaches managers and organizations how to simultaneously adopt and stay ahead of both technology and trend.”

Insightful, thought provoking, and inspiring.

What you should take away from this bit

Get your hands on a copy, find a quiet place to read, and learn how you can Jump The Curve by taking advantage of the tremendous growth in technologies.

http://www.jumpthecurve.net/

This is one that I'll read a 2nd and 3rd time.

Is nanotechnology morally acceptable?

2008-02-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Next Bit comes to us from The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN)

“For a significant percentage of Americans, the answer is no, according to a recent survey of Americans' attitudes about the science of the very small.” The survey, by Dietram Scheufele, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of life sciences communication, shows that “religion exerts far more influence on public views of technology in the United States than in Europe.”

To understand where the nano-nay-sayers come from, note especially this paragraph describing just what nanotechnology is, and see if in fact it differs from any other set of technologies, hundreds of which enable our current life style:

“Nanotechnology is a branch of science and engineering devoted to the design and production of materials, structures, devices and circuits at the smallest achievable scale, typically in the realm of individual atoms and molecules.”

Hmmmmmm… just science. Can’t blame the science, nor the resulting technologies, for things we don’t like. Blame perhaps each of us for not participating in the decisions that can enable or stifle new technologies.

“In a sample of 1,015 adult Americans, only 29.5 percent of respondents agreed that nanotechnology was morally acceptable.”

Let me go out on a limb and state that these folks equate anything “not occurring in nature” as unnatural. Have they given even the smallest bit of thought to the many “unnatural” bits and pieces found in everyday 21st Century life? Things such as, oh, let’s see….. most modern medicine (diagnosis and treatment), the vast majority of technologies that create functional items from base materials and components, etc. Almost everything we do and see and eat owes some part of its existence to one or more “unnatural” elements.

My point? Do not equate the science nor the resulting technologies with how they will be used and how they effect society. Science is neither good nor bad. (Geez, how many times have we heard that. Did we all pay attention? Apparently not everyone.) Good and bad come from our use of technologies, for instance by allowing some to be used to impinge on another’s rights. Just google “Genocide” to get an idea of what I mean.

Are there some technologies that we should ban? Excellent question, glad I asked. Absolutely. The world, as a body, has banned the use of some weapons of mass destruction, such as nerve gas. So yes, we can make “morality-based” decisions, as an informed group. Have we made mistakes, allowing some bad technologies to live and some good ones to die on the vine? I’ll leave that up to each of you to decide.

Where are we now?

Once again we find ourselves at a crossroad, trying to decide which of many technology-paved paths to take. Many of them could lead us to a nanotech-enabled, globe-spanning, prosperous future, where no person is treated as having less value than another. A future where the few don’t get to decide for the many. Where everyone is heard, anyone can speak, and decisions-makers listen.

Because more and more of us are paying attention to and participating in the debate surrounding nanotech-enabled technologies, I am hopeful that we are traveling down the better paths.

In Closing, let me hammer home this point, yet again (I will undoubtedly do so again, and probably many times, right up to the point where it doesn’t matter, one way of the other):

No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale societal change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies--if not demands--our undivided and immediate attention.

Will we be ready?

One of the best places to stay informed about preparing for advanced nanotechnologies is at The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (crnano.org).

Find news and information about nanotechnologies at Nanotech Now (nanotech-now.com)

Read entire article at
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2008/02/religion-nanote.html

Picture of the day

2008-02-05T17:31:00.001-08:00

NanoArt 2008

My favorite four:

Title: Nano Depths
Artist: Renata Spiazzi

Title: Blossom
Artist: David Hylton

Title: Tekeli-li
Artist: Bjoern Daempfling

Title: Micro/Macro
Artist: Eva Lewarne

To be fair, my favorite eight are by artists Renata Spiazzi & David Hylton. Spiazzi’s work continues to impress with it’s novelty and eye-catching fantastical flavours. Hylton’s is a dive into the sublime, and a welcome splash of cool clear water in the face of modern sensibilities. With their highly interpretive versions of modern science-art, these artists take it to the next level, mirroring the awe-inspiring advances being made in nanoscale technologies.

NanoArt

Artist and scientist Cris Orfescu presents NanoArt, reflecting advances in the arts related to nanoscale technologies.

One goal of the NanoArt series is to raise the public's awareness of Nanotechnology and its impact on our lives, which by even conservative measure will be significant.

Who?

37 nanoartists from 13 countries and 4 continents, presenting 121 NanoArt works to this second edition of the international competition.

www.absolutearts.com/nanoart

To vote for your favorite NanoArt work you can also visit directly the competition site at:

http://nanoart21.org/nanoart2006/index.php?cat=9

Follow these 3 easy steps:

1. click on the album’s thumbnail to open album
2. click on the artwork’s thumbnail to see the large image
3. click on the number of stars you would like to rank that artwork

To see more examples of “taking it to the next level” see http://future-is-here.com/Desktops.htm

Nanotechnology catches the EPA’s eye

2008-02-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published this week in the Federal Register its plan for the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The plan takes a first step by offering industry, non-governmental organizations and other groups the opportunity to voluntarily submit safety data on engineered nanoscale materials. “

The key word here is “offering.” Nobody is quite ready to regulate nanoscale materials just yet (it’s way too slippery a slope at this time). However, if industry does volunteer the information, it should mean that their new nanoscale materials are safe, tested and regulated, as well as being profitable to company shareholders.

Featured in R&D magazine (*) as well as many others, regulation of nanoscale materials has been on the minds of industry and potential regulatory agencies across the globe for several years. It is just now starting to catch the eye of the general public due to the rapid growth of products containing nanoscale materials, as well as those that only claim to.

What you should take away from this bit

Nanoscale materials are the catalysts for humankind’s next great step forward in future products. Man-on-the-street (along with Woman-on-the-street) are beginning to have to pay attention, if for no other reason than the recent media-induced saturation of “nano” news. Nanoscale materials impact on society is potentially the most revolutionary humankind has seen; more so than all previous eras put together. From lighter auto bodies (for increased gas mileage) to high-tech composites used in the aerospace industry (for decreased launch costs) and in all cases where strength-to-weight ratios count most, nanoscale materials will play an enabling role in the vast majority of all next-generation technologies, as they are doing now everywhere where computational devices are used.

This is another topic that will remain contentious, and worth reading about.

(*)http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=0801&RELTYPE=MS&PRODCODE=0000000&PRODLETT=JN&CommonCount=0

Nano-sized “Trojan horses” get government funding

2008-02-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

“The Department of Defense has commissioned a nine-month study from Rice University chemists and scientists in the Texas Medical Center to determine whether a new drug based on carbon nanotubes can help prevent people from dying of acute radiation injury following radiation exposure. The new study was commissioned after preliminary tests found the drug was greater than 5,000 times more effective at reducing the effects of acute radiation injury than the most effective drugs currently available.”

Good news for anyone destined to having cancer in his or her lives.

Summing it up: From James Tour, Rice's Chao Professor of Chemistry, director of Rice's Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory (CNL) and principal investigator on the grant:

"Ideally, we'd like to develop a drug that can be administered within 12 hours of exposure and prevent deaths from what are currently fatal exposure doses of ionizing radiation.”

Coupled with the many other advances being made in detection and treatment of cancers, I am hopeful that within the next decade that cancer will go the way of other easily diagnosed and treated diseases, if not the dodo.

CRN at 5 years

2008-02-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) at five years.

An overview of their accomplishments, disappointments, and plans for the future.

“We chose to go back and review what we believed and what we said when we started CRN, and to ponder and report on what we have learned since then.”

Well worth your time reading. In fact, please read this update on CRN and it’s mission.

The most telling paragraph:

It’s interesting to note that while CRN’s time frame for the expected development of molecular manufacturing has shifted back by approximately five years, the mainstream scientific community’s position has been moving forward, from a point of ‘never’, to ‘maybe by the end of the century’, to ‘not until at least 2050’, and now to ‘perhaps around 2030 or so’. These projections might not yet match up exactly with CRN’s, but the gap is steadily shrinking.

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times:

No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale societal change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies--if not demands--our undivided and immediate attention.

Will we be ready?

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2008/02/crn-at-five-yea.html

One of the best places to stay informed about preparing for advanced nanotechnologies is at The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (crnano.org).

Picture of the day

2007-12-11T17:15:00.001-08:00

The Scale of Things

An enlightening chart covering the nanometer can be found at the home page of The Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

http://cnst.rice.edu/cnst.cfm?doc_id=1209

Interesting Bits

2007-12-11T17:11:00.000-08:00

A great bit on the Singularity starts with an article by Michael Anissimov, and follows up with a discussion. Read about how “The word “Singularity” has been losing meaning for a while now” and “Rather than any single idea, Singularity has become a signifier used to refer to a general cluster of ideas, some interrelated; some, blatantly not. These ideas include: exponential growth, transhuman intelligence, mind uploading, singletons, popularity of the Internet, feasibility of life extension, some developmentally predetermined “next step in human evolution”, feasibility of strong AI, feasibility of advanced nanotechnology, some odd spiritual-esque transcension, and whether or not human development is primarily dictated by technological or social forces."

"Quite frankly, it’s a mess.” To which I’d agree, in the sense that there are many opposing points of view and conflicting ideologies as to make this a topic that will remain contentious, and worth reading about.

http://www.acceleratingfuture.com/michael/blog/?p=504

----------------------------

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology announced “a series of professional-quality scenarios of a near-future world in which exponential general-purpose molecular manufacturing becomes a reality.”

As a participant in the first CRN Task Force Scenario Project I would like to invite readers to consider these “what ifs” as worthwhile reading for anyone wishing to expand their understanding of advanced nanotechnologies and their implications.

And for those of you who would like to step off the sidelines and get in the game, consider this “You can participate in a discussion of these scenarios (and anything else you'd like to bring up) by joining our CRN-talk Yahoo group.”

http://www.crnano.org/CTF-Scenarios.htm

Picture of the day

2007-11-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Nanobelts

Large, deformed CdS nanobelt entangled by a smaller one

Credit Pedro M. F. J. Costa, National Institute of Materials Science, Japan. Winner of the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.

This image appears on the cover of the December 2007 issue of Materials Today, and is one of many beautiful images to be found at the Materials Today website. In this collection, they highlight “best materials research-related images.”

See the collection here http://www.materialstoday.com/covercomp2007.html

Nanomedicine makes the news, and makes my day

2007-11-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

Korea.net today announced an exciting discovery in the field of nanomedicine (1).

Scientists at Yonsei University claim to have “developed a nanomaterial that can simultaneously find and suppress cancer growth.” If this turns out as they hope, it may mean we’ve found yet another “nano” way to combat our age-old nemesis, rendering it ineffective.

Once again our understanding of the nanoscale is being brought to bear on an area that has huge potential for doing good. I say “once again” because there are other equally promising efforts being made by Dr, Naomi Halas and her team at Rice (as well as many other dedicated and qualified groups). Her vision? "Imagine if cancer could become trivial." (2)

Given the billions being spent in nanomedicine R&D, coupled with an increasing number of teams of the finest university and corporate minds, each competing for dollars and glory, I am confident that many of today’s killer diseases and life-threatening injuries will become things we soon talk about in terms of “remember when cancers killed millions of people every year?” and “Hey, didn’t one of your ancestors die of that injury?”

Today, many visionaries predict that advances in nanotechnologies will bring about near-term Trillion dollar markets as well as answers to many of today’s greatest social needs. And those forecasts are predicated on the relative puny few billions of dollars that are being spent on nanotech R&D at this time. Imagine if the same number of dollars (3) as we’re spending on various military efforts were also spent on increasing our understanding of the nanoscale. Should this come to pass, I am confident that many social ills could be mitigated, if not eliminated. Pour a couple hundred billion dollars into nanotech R&D with the specific intent of addressing the issues of employment, hunger, and education, I sincerely believe that wonderful things will happen. I also believe that when it comes to best bang for the buck, investing in nanotech R&D is absolutely the most promising way to insure that our collective future is beneficial to all.

Let me give you some examples of things we might see in the next couple decades due to our understanding of the nanoscale:

A FREE fully loaded laptop, with free Internet connection and power, for everyone

FREE screening, diagnosis and treatment for most of today’s killer diseases and life-threatening injuries, with subsequent near-zero death rates from age-old killers such as cancers

A better standard of living for everyone, with not one person wanting for food, shelter, medical needs or freedom

Protection from space debris such as asteroids and comets using advanced optics and computing coupled with rapid deployment counter measures

Off-Earth launches costing pennies per pound, instead of today’s $10 - $20k; space tourism, permanent moon and Mars bases; and possibly one or more space tethers (AKA: beanstalk, space elevator)

Environmental remediation, including the digestion and conversion to energy of all landfills, clean up of all super fund sites, and reversal of over a hundred year’s worth of atmospheric pollution

New non-polluting power sources for our homes, offices and cars (and our entire transportation industry) that create near-zero pollutants and cost a very tiny fraction of what they do today

As John Lennon said, “You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

What do you believe? Will nanotech bring us riches or doom? I’m thinking riches, with just the barest hint of doom (say, one part per billion), IF we plan well enough in advance and IF we focus our intentions (IE: get our collective stuff together).

Rocky Rawstern
From the Wilds of Southern Oregon
November 20, 2007

(1) http://www.kois.go.kr/news/news/newsView.asp?serial_no=20071119003
(2) http://www.nanotech-now.com/2003-Awards/Best-Discoveries-2003.htm & http://www.ece.rice.edu/~halas/
(3) by some estimates a total as high as trillions of dollars, worldwide

Picture of the day

2007-11-06T17:15:00.001-08:00

Title: Spider’s website

Description: RF-MEMS structure consisting of a stack of 5 µm Al + 50 nm TiW + 200 nm PECVD SiO2.

Shot at magnification 240x using an FEI NovaNanoSEM600

Credit: Frans Holthuysen (Philips Research)

Another image from The 49th International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication Bizarre/Beautiful Micrograph Contest

See http://www.zyvexlabs.com/EIPBNuG/2005MicroGraph.html

From a purely artistic p-o-v I prefer this one, although "M. C. Escher Award" and "Tower of Babylon" run a close 2nd and 3rd and are all intriguing images.

Quote of the day

2007-11-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

"There is no doubt that nanotechnology has the potential to make the world a better place and that members of the National Nanotechnology Initiative have great intentions to do the right thing. But given what is at stake here — the quality of our environment, the future vitality of the American economy, and the health of workers and consumers — good intentions are not enough."

~Andrew Maynard, chief scientist for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, commenting on U.S Gov. non-action on nanomaterial safety regulation.

http://www.photonicsonline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID=%7B1DDECABC-FA97-446B-B8DF-334E3B4FB267%7D&Bucket=Current+Headlines&VNETCOOKIE=NO

November 6th, 2007

2007-11-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Most who have read my “bits and pieces” over the years know that I firmly believe that nanoscale technologies will enable more change in fewer years and be more disruptive than all technologies to-date. I am not alone in this belief, and am backstopped by many of the most critical thinkers of the 21st Century. Someone I greatly respect sums it up thus: “we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century – it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate).” He is, of course, primarily referring to nanoscale technologies and advanced computing.

What I believe

My core beliefs center on the fact that new technologies are inevitable, difficult to predict and to prepare for. I further shape my beliefs around the certainty that labs around the world will continue to be funded with an increasing number of billions of dollars per year in an effort to expand our knowledge of the unique properties of the nanoscale; all in an effort to turn that knowledge into products and services, many of which will disrupt society in ways great and small. One of the things history teaches us is that when huge capital investments are made in new technologies that huge changes to society result.

Nanotechnologies represent the new “huge.”

Why I believe in the beneficial power of nanotechnologies

I continue to believe that nanotechnology's highest and best use should be to create a world of abundance, where no one is lacking for basic needs. At a bare minimum we should insure that everyone can count on adequate food, safe water, a clean environment, housing, medical care, education, public safety, fair labor, unrestricted travel, and freedom of artistic expression and from fear and oppression.

What I hold on to tightest to is my firm conviction that every single stakeholder (that’s you and me and everyone) can play an important role in the process of anticipating and preparing for technology-driven change. We each hold in our hands the ability to make a difference in things that are important to everyone living on this beautiful blue marble. All we need do is stay informed and to participate – to whatever extent – in the debate.

Consider delving deeper into this blog for other interesting and enlightening “bits and pieces.” I think you will find it a great thought starter as well as a critical information resource.

In closing

If one does not participate in the shaping the future than one cannot complain about the outcome. Get involved.

Rocky Rawstern

Tuesday Sighting - T4Bacteriophage

2007-10-30T16:55:00.001-07:00

Images catch my eyes faster than headlines. Here’s one that crossed my path recently:

Title: Artificial Nano "T4 Bacteriophage"

Description: "T4 Bacteriophage" is a virus like the robot in the living body.

Credit: Reo Kometani & Shinji Matsui (University of Hyogo)

That image is one among many you will find at the webpage for The 49th International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication Bizarre/Beautiful Micrograph Contest

see http://www.zyvexlabs.com/EIPBNuG/2005MicroGraph.html

Those images serve as just one of many ways to illustrate our rapidly expanding understanding of the unique properties of nanoscale materials, our ability to control their dimensions, and consequently their properties. These new understandings will inevitably lead to massive change in the products we buy, and the society we live in.

Jack is Back

2007-10-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Friend and colleague Jack Uldrich is making waves again in the “nanopool.” His new book, titled Jump the Curve: 50 Essential Strategies for Dealing with Emerging Technologies, brings to bear his all-encompassing insight into advanced technologies, including those enabled by nanoscale materials.

From an October 1, 2007 Nanotechnology Now posting:
Noted Author Unveils New Website Dedicated to Exponential Advances in Technology

The amount of technological progress that is afoot is nothing short of revolutionary. To help leaders in all fields understand the accelerating pace of this change as well as provide them with the unique insights and innovative ideas necessary to better prepare their organizations for this radical advance, noted author and well-respected global futurist, Jack Uldrich has unveiled a new website: http://jumpthecurve.net

The new website compliments Uldrich's forthcoming book…and will be written in the same user-friendly way as his best-selling book The Next Big is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Business.

Read the rest of the story at http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=25313

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from JTC:

It is still difficult to obtain money, but for bright, motivated people with good ideas there is plenty of money to be found. To this end, many of the exponential advances … are now being funded by large corporations with deep pockets.

…it is important to understand that today’s accelerating pace of technological change implies, among other things, that society will likely experience the equivalent of 50 years of progress (at the old 20th century rate of change) in the next 10 to 15 years. And everywhere I look today—in the fields of nanotechnology, robotics, synthetic biology, information technology and the cognitive sciences—I see the modern day equivalent of the Sputnik launch. … just as Sputnik led to advances in communications and, in the process, the creation of entirely new industries, today’s technological advances are going to do the same thing—only they will do so in a timeframe that is exponentially faster than what we have experienced in the past half century.

Look for JTC early 2008.

In closing: Jack has an amazing ability to distill the best bits from the noise, and convert the insights gained into language fit for most levels of understanding, from CEO to person-on-the-street. Pay attention to what he says, if not for the fact that “Jack does know Jack about advanced technologies” then for the way he makes it accessible to diverse groups of stakeholders.

Proud Co-Parent

2007-08-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Seeing an unmet need, and sensing an opportunity, in 2001 Publisher Brian Lundquist and I created the Nanotechnology Now (NN – nanotech-now.com) website in order to inform, educate, and provide a catalyst for discussion on nanoscale sciences and technologies.

In the years following the “birth” of the website we spent untold hours building our reputation in a very high-tech field. We spent an equal number of hours building our reputation as experts in the field in order to gain top-10 search engine rankings. In 2005 that work paid off with the awarding of the Foresight Nanotech Institute Prize in Communication (1).

Today, I found it both interesting and gratifying to learn that Alexa (the premier website ranking company) indicates that NN is ranked #1 for web portals dedicated to the topic.

We have known since shortly after the creation of NN that the site had the highest nanotech-related search engine rankings (2), but until now did not realize how well we ranked among all websites in terms of traffic. Coming in at #167,926 out of over 100 million websites (3) is a remarkable achievement (especially given our limited budget and manpower). Ranking well above all other nanotech portals is another.

If you are interested in gaining exposure for your company, idea, product or event, there is no better bang-for-your-buck than Nanotechnology Now (4).

(1) access-nanotechnology.com/2005-Foresight-Prize-in-Communication.htm
(2) www.nanotech-now.com/Statistics.htm
(3) www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=2318.php
(4) www.nanotech-now.com/advertise.htm

Join the NanoArt Movement

2007-08-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Push the Boundaries and be the Avant-Garde in Art

NanoArt 2007 INTERNATIONAL ONLINE COMPETITION

http://nanoart21.org/html/nanoart_2007.html

2nd Edition

ART - SCIENCE - TECHNOLOGY Interactions

Submission deadline December 31, 2007

Open to All Artists and Scientists – 3 Electron Microscope Scans are provided as Seed Images for you to choose and to create the NanoArt Works

The worldwide competition NanoArt 2007 is open to all artists 18 years and older. Online voting will open January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008. Judging is via the Internet and decided by our site visitors. Winners will be notified and published online around April 15, 2008.

NanoArt is a new art form where micro or nanosculptures created by artists or scientists through chemical or/and physical processes are visualized with powerful research tools like Scanning Electron Microscopes. The monochromatic electron microscope scans are processed further using different artistic techniques to create pieces of art that can be showcased for the general public. To read more about NanoArt and Nanotechnology please visit www.nanoart21.org

Nanoart21.org founded by artists/scientist Cris Orfescu (www.crisorfescu.com) will provide 3 high resolution monochromatic electron scans as seed images for artists to choose from. The participating artists will have to alter these images in any artistic way to finish the artistic-scientific process and create a NanoArt work. The artists or/and scientists are encouraged to participate with their own images as long as these visualize micro or nanostructures.

For more details please visit: nanoart21.org/html/nanoart_2007.html

Cris Orfescu
Ph: (310) 397-2592
E-mail: criorf@verizon.net
Gallery: www.absolutearts.com/nanoart
Blog: http://nanoart.blogspot.com

Blog update

2007-05-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

Due to a recent commitment to a new project I will be unable to post on a predictable basis. From here forward I will post only when I find interesting nanotech-related bits and pieces.

Once this project is complete, I will be back here on a regular basis.

Thanks for your patience.

In the meantime, one more announcement: from this point forward, I will only post responses that include a legitimate name. No more anonymous postings; while I appreciate and support the anonymous nature of the Internet, for this blog I request that you have the courage of your convictions and include your name.

Interesting News Bits

2007-05-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the most interesting nanotech-related items I have seen in the past week or so:

Beam It Down From the Web, Scotty

Sometimes a particular piece of plastic is just what you need. You have lost the battery cover to your cellphone, perhaps. Or your daughter needs to have the golden princess doll she saw on television. Now.

In a few years, it will be possible to make these items yourself. You will be able to download three-dimensional plans online, then push Print. Hours later, a solid object will be ready to remove from your printer.

RR: this technology, while not nanotech, is a step in the right direction, and will likely help kick-start the debate over desktop manufacturing.

Link: http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/beam-it-down-from-the-web-scotty/20070507125309990001

The Longest Carbon Nanotubes You've Ever Seen

Using techniques that could revolutionize manufacturing for certain materials, researchers have grown carbon nanotubes that are the longest in the world. While still slightly less than 2 centimeters long, each nanotube is 900,000 times longer than its diameter.

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=108992

Picture of the day

2007-04-24T17:18:00.001-07:00

Nano trees

At the time this image was created, Ph.D. student Ghim Wei Ho was doing research in the lab of Prof. Mark Welland. Her project involved the fabrication and characterization of novel nanostructures. "For the remainder of my Ph.D., I will be focussing on the potential device aspects of these extraordinary structures," she said. (click to see larger version)

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Courtesy of and Copyright © Ghim Wei Ho and Prof Mark Welland, University of Cambridge Nanoscale Science Laboratory

Quote of the day

2007-04-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Picture of the day

2007-04-20T11:28:00.001-07:00

Low-friction bearing assembly with two carbon allotropes

Copyright Damian Gregory Allis, Ph.D.: In this design, two diamondoid rings replace small segments of a carbon nanotube, providing a lock for a third, larger ring. The larger ring includes a stitch-work of oxygens to create an electron-rich interior whose effective circular van der Waals packing just touches that of the nanotube framework. (click to see larger version)

All images (in this series) are the result of molecular mechanics structure calculations using either Tinker (MM2 parameters) or NAMD (CHARMM). Images were made with VMD. Any inquiries concerning methods, software, or shop talk are directed to www.somewhereville.com.

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

"No informed person doubts that developments at the nanoscale will be significant. We debate the time-frame, the magnitude and the possibilities, but not the likelihood for large-scale change. The least-speculative views suggest that we're in for changes of an order that justifies-if not demands-our undivided attention. Will we be ready?"

~Rocky Rawstern
from an article by Matthew N. Skoufalos, April 4, 2005
http://www.rt-image.com/content=8804J05C489E548640B69C74444090441

The Weekly Roundup

2007-04-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Jeff Wacker, a futurist with Plano-based Electronic Data Systems Corp., said the evolution of nanotech into the consumer arena will be marked by three phases. "I think there's the mild, I think there's the wild, and I think there's the magical," he said. At the "mild" end of the scale in the next few years are lighter, stronger, frictionless and more efficient upgrades to existing materials, such as in airplane wings, solar panels and batteries.

At the "magical" conclusion, 10 years or more down the road, consumers can expect to see nano assemblers, minuscule factories using billions of molecule-size machines to build nearly any product imaginable out of a pile of raw materials.

RR: Another deep thinker who believes, as many others do, that advances in the nanosciences will lead to molecular manufacturing.

To learn more, visit: http://crnano.org/

From: Small molecules, big impact
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21916

Nanostellar, Inc., a leader in nano-engineered catalyst materials, today announced a first in diesel emissions technology: the introduction of gold as an oxidation catalyst. Nanostellar's NS Gold™ catalyst enables manufacturers of light- and heavy-duty diesel engines to reduce noxious emissions by as much as 40 percent more than existing pure-platinum catalysts at equal cost. Nanostellar introduced its first-generation product, based on a platinum and palladium alloy, in mid-2006, and it achieved 25%-30% higher performance than commercial pure-platinum catalysts. NS Gold™, Nanostellar's second-generation product, delivers a further 15%-20% performance increase.

RR: This is great news for the environment. As oil and gas prices rise and concern for the environment turns to action, expect to see technologies like this begin to make a difference.

From: Nanostellar Introduces Gold in Oxidation Catalyst That Can Reduce Diesel Hydrocarbon Emissions by as Much as 40 Percent More Than Commercial Catalysts
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21935

FriCSo, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly technology and polymer-based devices that create a friction reduction nanolayer on moving parts, today announced that a test conducted by the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology found that FriCSo's Surface Engineering Treatment (SET) highly reduces particulate matter emissions, increases engine mechanical efficiency, and reduces fuel consumption.

RR: ditto my previous comment.

From: New Nanolayer-based Technology Highly Reduces Engine Emission and Improves Fuel Consumption
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21933

The use of nanotechnology is an innovation in the development of surface coatings, particularly in relation to UV absorbing and penetration. In meeting this challenge, Nanovations has introduced a new VOC-free technology for clear impregnating wood protection.

RR: Nanovations has recently released several new nanotech-enabled products. See http://www.nanovations.com.au/ then click on Products.

From: Nanovations introduces surface protection for woods
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21999

There seems to be an arms race going on among nanotechnology investment and consulting firms as to who can come up with the highest figure for the size of the "nanotechnology market". The current record stands at $2.95 trillion by 2015.

RR: An excellent article! Michael Berger debunks the hyper-hyped “trillion dollar” figures being casually thrown around. “…trillion-dollar forecasts for an artificially constructed ‘market’ are an irritating, sensationalist and unfortunate way of saying that sooner or later nanotechnologies will have a deeply transformative impact on more or less all aspects of our lives.”

From: Debunking the trillion dollar nanotechnology market size hype
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=1792.php

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, who has made most of his money restructuring failed companies in such unglamorous industries as steel, coal, and most recently, textiles, is not the kind of guy to jump on the latest technology fad. Therefore, when someone like Ross begins investing in nanotechnology, I believe it serves as further validation that the technology is moving into the mainstream.

RR: Jack Uldrich (Access Team member -- access-nanotechnology.com/our-team.htm) sums it up nicely “My point here is that Ross is not a venture capitalist. He is a practical, experienced businessman with a great nose for turning around companies. If he's investing in nanotech, it's not because he thinks it's a fad, but because he thinks there's great value in these companies.”

From: Nanotech Wins a Convert
http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/04/18/nanotech-wins-a-convert.aspx

"Nanotechnology could not only change our whole economy and the quality of life of Russian people, but can also drastically change all our perception about modern warfare." Sergei Ivanov, Russian first deputy prime minister
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070419/63937318.html

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the government to ensure the effective spending of the major funds that will be invested in the development of nano-technologies. “This is a line of business the state will spare no effort or funds to develop,” Putin said at a conference devoted to the development of this branch of science. “The question is how to ensure this be arranged for properly and the funds be spend (sic) effectively. He said nanotechnology will lay the groundwork for new weapon systems, both offensive and defensive.

Russia is currently concentrating material and human resources to produce arm systems based on nanotechnologies, President Vladimir Putin said.
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22063

Russia will pour over US$1 billion (€740 million) in the next three years into equipment for nanotechnology research as it uses massive oil and gas export earnings… Ivanov predicted that 90 percent of nanotechnology developments would be used for civilian purposes and 10 percent for military purposes. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/18/technology/EU-TEC-Russia-Nanotechnology.php

RR: This one is pieced together from three articles. Given the thousands of scientists at large in Russia, combined with the billion dollar investment, expect to see significant progress in the nanosciences.

Since the 1960s, the best way to isolate precise instruments like atomic-force and scanning-tunneling microscopes along with fab tools from vibration was passive air tables that support weight on a cushion of air. A recent alternative is using active electronic feedback to send cancelling forces that damp out oscillations in springs.

RR: Good news on the “tools” front.

From: 'Negative stiffness' used to damp vibrations
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22059

A domestic water filter that uses metal nanoparticles to remove dissolved pesticide residues is about to enter the Indian market. Its developers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chennai (formerly Madras) believe it is the first product of its kind in the world to be commercialized. 'Based on consumption patterns of a typical Indian household, the filter is designed to have enough nanomaterials to provide 6000 litres of pesticide-free water for one year,' Pradeep said. 'After that, the company will recycle the filters to recover the silver.'

RR: At an estimated cost of £115 ($230) it may find difficulties entering the US market in any quantity. I can buy water that has been micron filtered, UV irradiated, charcoal and reverse osmosis filtered for 25 cents per gallon at the local food mart. At $230 for the filter, it would cost about $7 per gallon, which may be an acceptable figure for areas with pesticide residue problems.

From: Pesticide filter debuts in India
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22073

Nanoexa announced today that its subsidiary Decktron will combine technologies to develop lithium batteries that will outperform currently available batteries. The batteries could end up in plug-in electric hybrid vehicles.

RR: Yet another entry in the rapidly expanding list of companies that are vying for king of the nanotech-enabled battery market. Given the incentives (think global warming, massive pollution, and peak oil) I don’t doubt that before the dust settles there will be many more companies trying to cash in on this seemingly lucrative market.

From: High-Performance Batteries Could Solve Energy Storage Problem for HEVs
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22046

G24 Innovations Limited (G24i), a Cardiff -based company that aims to revolutionise solar power by leading the development of extremely lightweight, flexible solar cells, is to sponsor a competition with students from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design to design a product that uses the company's cutting edge technology.

RR: Good news, and another indicator that alternative energy technologies are being taken seriously.

From: Cardiff sponsors solar energy contest
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22045

Curcumin, an element found in the cooking spice turmeric has long been known to have positive effects against certain types of cancer. Effective treatments based on curcumin however have been limited due to its poor dissolving capabilities in water based substances, leading to low absorption rates when ingested. Researchers affiliated with the Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University report to have overcome this problem by encapsulating free curcumin with a polymeric nanoparticle, creating nanocurcumin.

RR: I find it encouraging that scientists continue looking to nature in an effort to deal with one of mankind’s most deadly killers. Add “nanocurcumin” to your list of nano-things to watch.

From: Polymer Coated Curcumin Promises Effective Against Cancer
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22076

The ability to eliminate waste and toxins from production processes early on, to create more efficient and flexible solar panels, and to remove contaminants from water, is becoming an exciting reality with nanotechnology. This "green nanotechnology" involves designing nanoproducts for the environment and with the environment in mind.

RR: Live webcast, Thursday, April 26, 2007, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

From: Green Nanotechnology: It’s Easier Than You Think
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22051

The global search for a sustainable energy supply is making significant strides at Wake Forest University as researchers at the university's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials have announced that they have pushed the efficiency of plastic solar cells to more than 6 percent.

RR: Given the rising cost of silicon, couple with the need for alternative energy sources, efficient plastic solar cells (should they become more efficient and/or cheap) may make, as they say “plastic devices the photovoltaic of choice.”

From: Plastic solar cell efficiency breaks record at WFU nanotechnology center
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22027

Industrial Nanotech, Inc. (Pink Sheets:INTK), an emerging global leader in nanotechnology, announced today that it has entered into negotiations with a Fortune 100 company for the incorporation of the Company's patented nanotechnology based coating, Nansulate®, into their products. The Company estimates the value of the project to be approximately 4.5 million dollars annually once an agreement is reached.

RR: These guys are everywhere with their insulation product. Keep an eye on them as they break into new industries.

From: Industrial Nanotech, Inc. Enters Negotiations with Major Electronics Manufacturer
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=22009

For custom reports on nanotech and cleantech news and developments, please contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com

Contact me at the same address to discuss a complimentary evaluation of your project needs. Or visit http://access-nanotechnology.com/

Picture of the day

2007-04-18T14:23:00.002-07:00

"Molecular Mill 1"

This image is part of a presentation by the Foresight Nanotech Institute. Overall, all the images are intended to illustrate "an animated view of a nanofactory and demonstrate key steps in a process that converts simple molecules into a billion-CPU laptop computer."

Description: View of the smallest stage of the nanofactory. Wheels in upper left purify Acetylene molecules. The gray wheel at upper center presents individual molecules to the bonding tools on the white wheel at center. Hydrogen is stripped from the carbons by the white wheel at lower left, leaving only two carbon molecules. These two atoms are applied to the moving chain mechanism on the right to build small cubes of diamond.

© Copyright John Burch (click to see larger version)

Learn more at Lizard Fire Studios

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-18T14:23:00.001-07:00

RR: How do you - as scientists - help the public to understand the potential of nanomedicine? How can we - as a society - help insure that a nano-divide does not occur when it comes to distributing the benefits of nanomedicine to all?

Dr. James Baker:
Scientists need to take a lead role in educating the public about the potential for nanomedicine. By using the media to give real-life examples and visual representations of nanomaterials, we will be able to have people understand what is truly a real possibility and how it can benefit people's lives. The better educated the public are, the more supportive they will be of nanomedicine and the more rapidly we'll be able to develop nanomedicine applications. This relates to the second question. All healthcare is a societal issue that we need to deal with and the distribution of healthcare is one of the major issues our society will face as we move forward and our population ages. One of the hopes is that nanomedicines, nanobased health monitoring systems and nanodiagnostics can actually reduce the cost of healthcare to society. This will allow greater application of higher-quality healthcare to more individuals in our society, while at the same time, avoiding both the costs and pitfalls of current therapies. Let me give an example: To diagnose a tumor, we often have to use many different, expensive imaging studies, followed up by surgical procedures. If we can replace this with a nanomaterial, that could give a real-time diagnosis and allow earlier treatment of the disease before it becomes critical, we can save money in both the diagnostic and the therapeutic arena.

From: Nanotechnololgy Talk April 19, 2005
http://www.eurekalert.org/nanotalk/20050112/talk.php

Trillion $ Market

2007-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

A spot-on bit of writing was posted today at Nanowerk, by Michael Berger. Michael titled his piece “Debunking the trillion dollar nanotechnology market size hype” which is just what he did.

As he pointed out “There seems to be an arms race going on among nanotechnology investment and consulting firms as to who can come up with the highest figure for the size of the ‘nanotechnology market.’ The current record stands at $2.95 trillion by 2015.” This observation has been long in coming. Too long have we blithely accepted that anything that contains the slightest amount of nanoscale material contributes as a whole to the total market. His words for this market forecast method are “…taking every product that has anything to do with nanotechnology, however miniscule or remote, adding up the entire value chain of these products, and claiming this is ‘the market for nanotechnology’...”

I think his closing puts the whole hyped issue in perspective “I guess the point I am trying to make here is that these trillion-dollar forecasts for an artificially constructed "market" are an irritating, sensationalist and unfortunate way of saying that sooner or later nanotechnologies will have a deeply transformative impact on more or less all aspects of our lives.”

Well written and informative.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=1792.php

Picture of the day

2007-04-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Starship

This is an image of a carbon nanotube structure (or "architechure") grown by chemical vapor deposition on a silicon substrate, by John Hart, a post-doctoral associate at MIT. Architectures are formed by self-organization of carbon nanotubes as they grow upward from a silicon substrate and a catalyst layer. If the catalyst is uniformly distributed, nanotubes grow everywhere on the substrate. How the nanotubes organize is defined by how they "push" and "pull" each other to produce the architectures. If the catalyst is only located in certain areas (patterned), then nanotubes grow only in those areas. In this image, the catalyst is patterned by photolithography, where a light-sensitive polymer is used to specify where the catalyst is placed.

Each structure consists of thousands to millions of parallel nanotubes (the density of nanotubes growing from a substrate is about 20 billion per square centimeter). The star-shaped patterns in "starship" are approximately one millimeter wide.

The image was taken using a scanning electron microscope.

Many such images, which are displayed at www.nanobliss.com, resemble everyday objects and macroscopic landscapes; however, these structures are formed by self-assembly interactions at much smaller scales.

So far, most of these images have arisen as results of normal experiments, but in some cases John took a bit more time to image the sample in the microscope, or to refine or add color to the image afterwards. John says he's still very much a scientist, but is seeing now how artistic endeavors can enhance the presentation and visualization of science, and how laboratory techniques such as fabrication and self-assembly can be a new art form.

Courtesy of and Copyright © Anastasios John Hart. Permission to reprint required.

To learn more, visit John's website and his research page

Look for the series at the Nanotechnology Now Gallery soon.

Quote of the day

2007-04-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

According to Tom Theis, IBM's director of physical sciences, "Nanotubes with diameters of only 1.5 to 2 nanometers possess many times the strength of steel and conduct electricity as both a metal and a semiconductor." Because of these properties, Theis says, "I can't imagine a more aggressive transistor technology right now."
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=hardware&articleId=9003397&taxonomyId=149

In the chip-making world of the future, microprocessor makers will likely use carbon nanotubes instead of transistors to make chips smaller and more powerful.

"There's a lot of work going on in carbon nanotubes and some other exotic devices which may be the next technology that takes us to new levels of speed and performance."

~Ned Barnholt, Agilent Technologies CEO
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6713190/

"The future is bright for nanotechnology. Nanoscale processes like General Motors' quick-plastic-forming aluminum are simplifying supply chains. Nanoparticulate diagnostics from companies like Nanosphere can turn fatal diseases into livable conditions. And nanoelectronics innovations from carbon nanotube electronics to spintronics promise to keep Moore's law going for another 30 years."

~Matthew Nordan, President, Lux Research

Nanotubes have gone into warp drive. Baughman's team can churn out up to ten metres of nanoribbon every minute, as easily as pulling a strip of sticky tape from a reel. This ribbon can be up to five centimetres wide, and after a simple wash in ethanol compacts to just 50 nanometres thick, making it 2,000 times thinner than a piece of paper. The ribbons are transparent, flexible, and conduct electricity. Weight for weight, they are stronger than steel sheets, yet a square kilometre of the material would weigh only 30 kilograms. "This is basically a new material," says Ray Baughman (Director of the NanoTech Institute of the University of Texas at Dallas). http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050815/full/050815-8.html

Nanotube News Highlights

2007-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) continue to hold great promise in many areas. While our understanding of the properties of CNTs has increased, and we have made some small progress towards solving the primary production and separation issues, unfortunately, for the most part, the same obstacles that were in place 5 years ago continue to stymie research and development efforts.

Purity is definitely an issue; most producers of nanotubes now sell them based on “percent pure.” The higher the purity the higher the cost, well above $1,000 per gram in many cases.

Purity is related to “what percent is nanotubes and what is impurities” as well as “what percent is a certain type of nanotube, while the remainder is another type or types.” (Note that there are three main types of carbon nanotubes and as many as 80 sub-types, each with distinct properties). Current separation techniques simply do not produce "pure enough" batches of CNTs (at a reasonable cost).

Other major hurdles include production scaling problems (and therefore cost) and functionalization (necessary for medical uses).

Another major hurdle has been, and remains, both the public perception and the actual risk associated with these vanishingly small materials; we just don’t know, yet, all the ways in which nanotubes may prove toxic.

Expect to see nanotubes play a significant role in dozens of major industries in the near future (say 3 – 5 years) provided that the usual caveats are met: low cost and high production volumes, coupled with cost-effective separation methods.

Where strength-to-weight is an important factor, expect to see nanotubes become a significant contributing factor, first in tomorrow’s advanced aerospace and military applications, and then consumer products.

There are an increasing number of nanoscale solutions to the screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease, many of which involve functionalized nanotubes. Expect to see nanotubes play a significant role in medicine when functionalization issues are solved (basically, when we understand more fully their properties).

Here are some of the nanotube articles that have appeared in the period spanning March 29 to April 4, 2007.

The Department of Physics, Panjab University, is working on a project that could have a far-reaching impact on defense warfare. The department is trying to exploit nanotechnology to develop a material, which when used as a coating, would increase the shock absorbing capacity of the object on which it would be coated. Prof V K Jindal, faculty member of the department and in-charge of the project, said carbon nanotubes are being used to develop the material. “We are studying the properties of carbon nanotubes. The tubes are very strong and are, hence, durable. One possibility is to make a liquid that can be used as the coating substance.”

RR: At the very least, they will learn more about the properties of nanotubes, as well as how to produce them.

From: PU research on nanotechnology could impact defense warfare
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=229446

Polynano™ carbon nanotube field emission device (CNT-FED) features perfect flat outer screen surface, flat rear screen, very thin thickness, high beam current output of carbon Nanotube emission cathode, circle phosphor dot screen anode, monochrome output, see-through type, wide-environmental operation application. Monochrome display for 32x32 resolution character and image interface application. Its use is very effective for established high visibility wording and character recognition icons.

RR: This bit is a feature on Polytron Technologies, Inc. Their CNT-FED is one of many CNT-based screen technologies. The company that brings an inexpensive and easy to mass produce screen to market will be in an enviable position.

From: Polytron Technologies, Inc.
http://www.glassonweb.com/articles/article/407/

NEC Corp has announced it prototyped a field effect transistor (FET) coating using carbon nanotube solution and achieved an on/off source-drain current (comparison of current when the power is on and off) of up to 107 by making channel length longer. Given low temperature during manufacturing process, the carbon nanotube FET coating is expected for application to flexible devices using plastic substrates.

RR: As I say above, the company that brings an inexpensive and easy to mass produce screen to market will be in an enviable position.

From: NEC Prototypes Carbon Nanotube Transistor Coating
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20070403/130098/

A team of University of Pennsylvania and Rice University researchers have added a significant new step to the creation of materials fortified by single-walled carbon nanotubes, or SWNTs, resulting in a nylon polymer composite with greater strength and toughness and opening the door for researchers to broadly improve the mechanical properties of such composites at the molecular level. The resulting nanocomposites with the covalent bond exhibit as much as 160 percent higher modulus, 160 percent higher strength and 140 percent higher toughness.

RR: Yet another example of where our understanding of the nanoscale will likely yield products with vastly improved characteristics. As they say “Nanotube-based composites have the potential to revolutionize fabrics, structural materials for aerospace, electrical and thermal conductors for energy applications, nano-biotechnology and other disciplines.” Perhaps an understatement given the amount of R&D investment in this area, and the well-established potential of nanotubes.

From: Seeking the Next Kevlar: Penn Researchers Fine Tune Nanotube/Nylon Composite Using Carbon Spacers
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21684

Researchers from the three University of Texas campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are combining their expertise in biomedical science, engineering and physical sciences on projects aimed at solving real-world medical problems. Teams receive up to $100,000 for their respective projects, which program leaders say will allow the researchers to attract additional external funding from conventional sources, such as federal agencies.

Among the funded projects:

“Fabrication and evaluation of a combined near infrared fluorescence and hyperspectral imaging system for carbon nanotube vectors" - Dr. Harold "Skip" Garner, professor of internal medicine and biochemistry at UT Southwestern, and Dr. Paul Pantano, associate professor of chemistry at UT Dallas. This project relates to the use of carbon nanotubes as sensors within living cells as well as their potential use in targeted cancer therapies.

RR: You’ll be reading a lot more about nanotube/sensor applications in the future as we learn how to functionalize the CNTs. This area holds great promise in the screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.

From: UT Metroplex institutions to collaborate on biomedical research
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21687

Despite the attractive electrical properties and physical features of single-walled carbon nanotubes, incorporating them into scalable integrated circuits has proven to be a challenge because of difficulties in manipulating and positioning these molecular scale objects and in achieving sufficient current outputs. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois, Lehigh University and Purdue University have developed an approach that uses dense arrays of aligned and linear nanotubes as a thin-film semiconductor material suitable for integration into electronic devices.

RR: This is one of many R&D efforts aimed specifically at incorporating nanotubes into electronics. Many in the know figure that nanotubes are one way that we may extend Moore’s Law past 2012-2015.

From: Linear arrays of nanotubes offer path to high-performance electronics
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21429

Raymor Nanotech will begin to offer in the second quarter of 2007 various high purity grades of single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWNT) for emerging markets. To achieve this, Raymor Nanotech launched its Purification department in 2006.

RR: Another step towards creating purified CNTs. They do not, however, state the cost, nor the volumes expected. And note that the most pure type is still not 100% pure (“the Purified Grade is a high quality SWNT product with excellent graphitization, an average length of 5 microns, and a very low metal (less than 1.1 atomic %) and amorphous carbon content”).

From: Raymor will Offer Various High Purity Grades of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Emerging Markets in the Second Quarter of 2007
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21558

New research published in the March 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters suggests that carbon nanotubes may soon be integrated into ever-shrinking cell phones, digital audio players, and personal digital assistants to help ensure the equipment does not overheat, malfunction, or fail.

RR: Another example of the vast potential of nanotubes. “Carbon nanotubes, however, maintain their impressive combination of high strength, low weight, and excellent conductivity, and the carbon nanotube coolers can be manufactured very cost effectively, Vajtai said.”

From: Cool Findings: Nanotubes Could Improve Thermal Management in Electronics
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21559

Please contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com for detailed reports on this or any other "nanotech" area, including advanced materials, nanomedicine, energy, etc.

Picture of the day

2007-04-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Disorder

This is an image of carbon nanotube (CNT) structures grown by chemical vapor deposition on a silicon substrate, by John Hart, a post-doctoral associate at MIT. At first, a uniform film of CNTs - like grass growing from a field of seeds - sprouted upward from a substrate. Later, some of the CNTs arranged into groups, which grew more rapidly than their neighbors. These groups of CNTs were then constrained by a second substrate, a "cap" which is spaced above the growth substrate. The groups bent and changed direction when they ran into the cap, to give the disordered structures shown in the image. The worm-like structures in "disorder" are approximately 50 micrometers in diameter, which is just less than the width of a typical human hair.

The image was taken using a scanning electron microscope.

Many such images, which are displayed at www.nanobliss.com, resemble everyday objects and macroscopic landscapes; however, these structures are formed by self-assembly interactions at much smaller scales.

So far, most of these images have arisen as results of normal experiments, but in some cases John took a bit more time to image the sample in the microscope, or to refine or add color to the image afterwards. John says he's still very much a scientist, but is seeing now how artistic endeavors can enhance the presentation and visualization of science, and how laboratory techniques such as fabrication and self-assembly can be a new art form.

Courtesy of and Copyright © Anastasios John Hart. Permission to reprint required.

To learn more, visit John's website and his research page

Look for the series at the Nanotechnology Now Gallery soon.

Quote of the day

2007-04-16T16:32:00.001-07:00

"Enhanced abilities to understand and manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels promise a wave of significant new technologies over the next five decades. Dramatic breakthroughs will occur in diverse areas such as medicine, communications, computing, energy, and robotics. These changes will generate large amounts of wealth and force wrenching changes in existing markets and institutions."

~Joseph Kennedy, Senior Economist, in a speech to the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress. March 2007
http://www.house.gov/jec/publications/110/nanotechnology_03-22-07.pdf

Show me the money, Pt. III

2007-04-16T16:23:00.001-07:00

Today I will again cover what’s happening in the nano-investment world.

Here is a list of some of the noteworthy investments going to "nanotech" companies, universities, and VC funds, for period February 10, 2007 to March 9, 2007. Also covered are articles on how investments are performing.

Why did I put nanotech in quotes? Because the definition of nanotechnology remains elusive at best, and is often purposefully misapplied to fit the self-promotional goals of some companies who may not actually be working with nanoscale materials. The listings below are all "legit" nanotech.

Given the importance of investing, I will revisit this topic on a regular basis.

--Ener1 Group Completes Block Trade With Institutional Investors

Ener1 Group, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI) announced that it sold 6.22 million shares of Ener1, Inc. common stock in a block trade with a group of institutional investors. Approximately $1.2 million of the $1.55 million proceeds will be invested in Ener1, Inc. as equity to accelerate the development of its hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) battery and fuel cell business plans.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20540

--Big potential in U.K. nanotech

When Oxonica listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in July 2005, the stock rocketed 100% within the first week of trading. Since then, it has been range bound and highly volatile between 120-180p. The stock trades at 150p today, yielding a market cap of $123 million.

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/02/17/global-gains-big-potential-in-u-k-nanotech/

-- Nanotech index offers pure-play industry exposure

Mr. Braswell is the primary architect of the Newbridge Nanotechnology Index (NNIX), which was launched in June 2004. The index, which doesn’t yet have a license agreement with any investible funds, comprises 24 companies with market capitalizations of between $100 million and $1.3 billion.The index is market capitalization weighted, limiting all weightings to a 10% maximum. The key ingredient, according to Mr. Braswell, is the pure-play exposure to the nanotechnology market.

http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/FREE/70216039/1020

-- The Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship Announces Partnership with The NASDAQ Stock Market Educational Foundation

The Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship has received a grant award of $105,000 from NASDAQ to help fund the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC). This grant recognizes the substantial growth of the RBPC which, in just seven years, has become the largest and richest intercollegiate business plan competition in the world.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20705

-- In Depth Research on Harris & Harris Group, Inc

Harris & Harris Group likes to think small. The business development company (BDC) invests mostly in startup firms developing so-called "tiny technology" -- microsystems, microelectromechanical systems, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Shares were up 5% after the Motley Fool Rule Breakers recommendation announced it had invested $4 million as the lead investor in Xradia.

http://www.smalltimes.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=145296

-- Rensselaer Named One of America’s “New Ivies”

Rensselaer recently announced the establishment of the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI), a $100 million partnership to create the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center.

http://www.rpi.edu/dept/metasite/news/magazine/fall2006/at_rensselaer/01.html

-- Ecoprogress Considers Licensing New Nanotech Technology

The company has also reduced its accounts payable during February from approximately $340,000 to around $272,000. Also, the company is finalizing paperwork to close the second tranche of the $500,000 private placement. The company had already closed the first tranche for $304,050. It is expected to be oversubscribed.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20711

-- NanoVic Signs Two New Agreements in $8 million BioNano Portfolio

In January, NanoVic completed the Bead NanoArray Commercial Development Agreement with Swinburne University of Technology. This agreement commits the parties to a total investment of $138,200 in cash and personnel resources. In February, NanoVic completed the SERS Commercial Development Agreement with Swinburne University of Technology and OptoTech Pty Ltd. This agreement commits the parties to a total investment of $354,893 in cash and personnel resources.

http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=3717

-- Emerging Turkish nanotech reverses brain drain

The foundations of the Turkish National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) have been laid in Ankara under the auspices of Bilkent University by the Turkish State Planning Organization with a budget of $21 million.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=102916&bolum=101

-- Trinity College spin-out raises €800,000

Trinity college spin-out Cellix, a developer of technology platforms for the drug discovery and diagnostics industries, has completed an €800,000 investment round.

http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0215/cellix.html

-- Major Fuel Cell Stocks in Review

Over 3-dozen fuel cell companies profiled.

http://energy.seekingalpha.com/article/27146

-- OVP VII closes on $250M hard cap

Early-stage venture capital firm OVP Venture Partners (OVP) has announced a final close on its seventh fund at $250 million, well exceeding its target of $200 million and at its self-imposed hard cap. After a first close of $207 million in May 2006, OVP accepted additional investments from two limited partners, the Meketa Investment Group in Westwood, MA, and the endowment of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. OVP now has over $750 million in capital under management.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20528

-- Trellis Bioscience Raises $10 Million in Series B Venture Round

Trellis Bioscience, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company, announced today that it has raised $10 million in a Series B Preferred Stock venture capital financing. New investor Novartis Bioventures Ltd. led the round, with the participation of additional new investors Pac-Link Bio Venture Investment Corporation and Sagamore Bioventures LLC. Previous investors, Easton-Hunt Capital Partners, LP and Morgenthaler Partners VII LP also participated in the financing.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20448

-- I Love Harris & Harris

I love Harris & Harris (Nasdaq: TINY) for the little things -- the very little things, to be precise. This publicly traded venture-capital firm and Motley Fool Rule Breakers pick has been specializing in nanotechnology-related investments for more than a decade, and it remains one of the best "pure play" investments in the field of nanotechnology.

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/02/13/i-love-harris-harris.aspx

-- Sowing seeds for state's growth

Buried in the budget proposal Gov. Jim Doyle will present to the Legislature Tuesday night is a relatively small $2 million funding item for a new Wisconsin Venture Center. Initially, the center's focus would be on building relationships with financiers, with the aim of linking them up with business opportunities in economic areas that the governor is trying to build, such as bio-industry, biotechnology, nanotechnology…

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=563997

-- Clean Energy Performing Well

America's twin desires to breathe clean air and to break its addiction to oil are accruing to the benefit of clean energy companies. The public market fund-raisings for such initiatives hit $10.3 billion in 2006, says Clean Edge. That's up from $4.3 billion in 2005.

http://www.energycentral.com/centers/energybiz/ebi_detail.cfm?id=291

-- Oxonica to invest extra 2.5 mln stg in Petrol Ofisi, Becton Dickinson ventures

Oxonica PLC said it will invest about 2.5 mln stg extra in the current year to accelerate the progress of two products developed through its strategic relationships with Petrol Ofisi and Becton Dickinson.

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=39732742463241

-- UK smallcap opening - Nanosience in demand after key milestone passed

Shares in Nanoscience took on a penny at 10-1/2 after the firm announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Toumaz Technology had passed a key milestone.

http://www.hemscott.com/news/latest-news/item.do?newsId=39732742492291

-- New investment fund for startups

A new $10 million investment fund for early-stage startups, the Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund, backed by state taxpayers and local investors, will be unveiled today. Funding will go not only to tech startups, such as in biotechnology, nanotechnology and life sciences, but also to companies involved in such areas as retail, consumer products and new media.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/273278,CST-FIN-seed26.article

-- Chicago's Business Leaders Collaborate to Create, Invest and Manage the $10 Million Illinois Innovation Accelerator (i2A) Fund

Today, the Illinois Innovation Accelerator (i2A) Fund, a $10 million seed-stage, for-profit investment fund, was launched with $6.4 million in capital commitment in its first closing. The fund will also invest in consumer product and retail enterprises, new-media start-ups, as well as companies in biotechnology, nanotechnology, cleantechnology and life sciences.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20755

-- Liquidia Secures $16M in New Financing

Liquidia, a startup that has been without a full-time chief executive officer, has landed $16 million in new venture capital from New Enterprise Associates.

http://www.wral.com/business/local_tech_wire/venture/story/1220410/

-- Nanotechnology funding could push frontiers of technology

A partnership that will provide $4.5 million over three years towards research and development of materials-based nanotechnology was announced recently. The National Institute of Nanotechnology (NINT) along with the Mississauga-based Xero Research Centre of Canada (XRCC) and the Government of Alberta will invest funds and human resources to create a program and teams to lead the work.

http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/News/81df0a33-a88f-4b76-977e-ba034a010776.html

-- GE Cleans Up

When you invest in General Electric (NYSE: GE), you are, in many ways, investing in the equivalent of a mutual fund that is widely diversified across a number of commercial and industrial sectors, including financial services, health care, transportation, manufacturing, and energy. As such, the odds that an investment in the company will produce eye-popping returns are remote, but it does offer investors the prospect of garnering market-beating returns for the foreseeable future.

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/03/02/ge-cleans-up.aspx

-- For Stock Market, TGIF (March 2, 2007)

Nanotechnology player Applied Materials, Inc., which shed 47 cents, or 2.6 percent, to 17.98.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3663461

-- AES Corporation makes strategic investment in Altair Nanotechnologies

Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI), a leading manufacturer of safe, high-performance battery pack systems used in electric and hybrid-electric automobiles and stationary power systems, announced today that global power leader AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) has made a $3 million strategic investment in Altair.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20948

-- Nano-Batteries That Keep On Going

In Feburary 2006, Motorola joined other high-profile investors such as General Electric and Qualcomm to provide A123 with $30 million in its third round of private-equity funding. The round raised A123's total investment to date to $62 million. In December, the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, a group that includes DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor and General Motors, awarded A123 Systems a 36-month, $15 million contract.

http://www.forbes.com/finance/2007/03/06/nanotech-a123-motorola-pf-guru-in_jw_0306soapbox_inl.html

-- Harris & Harris Group Invests in Solazyme

Harris & Harris Group, Inc., announced today that it has made a follow-on investment of $500,000 in Solazyme, Inc., as part of a Series B round financing comprising both equity and debt. The financing was led by the Roda Group and included undisclosed individual and institutional investors and Harris & Harris Group.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21004

-- Nano Chemical Systems Holdings to Merge With SolarDiesel

Nano Chemical Systems Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: NCSH), announced today plans to merge with SolarDiesel, Inc. a biodiesel manufacturing and distribution operations. The transaction has a value in excess of $100,000,000.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21009

-- Xradia Raises $7 Million in Venture Capital Funding Led by Harris & Harris Group

Xradia, Inc. today announced the closing of a $7.0 million equity in a series D financing round. Major investors included Harris & Harris Group, Inc. an unnamed strategic investor and a prior round investor.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21017

-- NaturalNano Closes $3.25 Million Deal – Will Use Proceeds To Develop Pleximer Product Line

NaturalNano, Inc. (OTCBB: NNAN) (FWB: N3N) a materials science company, today announced it has received a $3.25 million cash investment from Platinum Partners Long Term Growth IV and Longview Special Financing, Inc. through the issuance of Convertible Secured Notes. The transaction closed on March 7, 2007.

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21024

-- A Budding Solar Star?

This afternoon, U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman is expected to formally announce the Bush Administration's Solar America Initiative -- a $148 million program designed to accelerate advanced solar electric technologies. He will do so from the headquarters of a small nanotechnology start-up company called Konarka.

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/03/08/a-budding-solar-star.aspx

-- NanoCoolers gets $3 million grant

An Austin company received $3 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund for its "refrigerator on a chip" cooling device.

http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/technology/03/09/9nanocoolers.html

For custom reports on nanotech and cleantech news and developments, please contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com

Contact me at the same address to discuss a complimentary evaluation of your project needs. Or visit http://access-nanotechnology.com/

Picture of the day

2007-04-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Metropolis

This is an image of a carbon nanotube structure (or "architechure") grown by chemical vapor deposition on a silicon substrate, by John Hart, a post-doctoral associate at MIT. Architectures are formed by self-organization of carbon nanotubes as they grow upward from a silicon substrate and a catalyst layer. If the catalyst is uniformly distributed, nanotubes grow everywhere on the substrate. How the nanotubes organize is defined by how they "push" and "pull" each other to produce the architectures. If the catalyst is only located in certain areas (patterned), then nanotubes grow only in those areas. In this image, the catalyst is patterned by photolithography, where a light-sensitive polymer is used to specify where the catalyst is placed.

Each structure consists of thousands to millions of parallel nanotubes (the density of nanotubes growing from a substrate is about 20 billion per square centimeter). The larger towers in "metropolis" are 200 micrometers wide, which is approximately the width of two human hairs.

The image was taken using a scanning electron microscope.

Many such images, which are displayed at www.nanobliss.com, resemble everyday objects and macroscopic landscapes; however, these structures are formed by self-assembly interactions at much smaller scales.

So far, most of these images have arisen as results of normal experiments, but in some cases John took a bit more time to image the sample in the microscope, or to refine or add color to the image afterwards. John says he's still very much a scientist, but is seeing now how artistic endeavors can enhance the presentation and visualization of science, and how laboratory techniques such as fabrication and self-assembly can be a new art form.

Courtesy of and Copyright © Anastasios John Hart. Permission to reprint required.

To learn more, visit John's website and his research page

Look for the series at the Nanotechnology Now Gallery soon.

Quote of the day

2007-04-13T16:26:00.001-07:00

"Nanoscience will eventually revolutionize and impact upon every single aspect of our lives, including the arts. It brings all the sciences together at the level of the atom. It is completely new in the way we fabricate and make things."

~James Gimzewski, UCLA chemistry professor and nanoscience pioneer.

"If I had to pick the No. 1 challenge facing nanotechnology firms, it's environmental, health, and safety regulation and the question of public perception."

~U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

"Most nanotechnology-based products pose little chance for public exposure and therefore pose little risk to health or the environment. That's because most uses are in composites in which the nanoparticles are encased in a product, such as golf clubs or car bumpers, or in nanoscale structures that are part of larger devices such as electronic circuits."

~E. Clayton Teague, Director, Federal National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO)

The Weekly Roundup

2007-04-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the news bits that caught my eye this week:

Students from the competition's NanoFresh group had their own innovative ideas. The team presented a water purifying mechanism designed for backpackers, travelers and commercial facilities such as schools and offices. According to team member Lyle Kaplan-Reinig, a fourth-year chemical engineering major, the group's goal for the product was for it be an easy-to-use household mechanism that eliminates harmful carcinogenic compounds found in tap water.

The first-place winner of the final competition will receive $10,000 to start up their business. Another $23,000 will be given out for the various other prizes.

RR: This is a great way to generate the next batch of technologies and products. Enable our country’s best and brightest young minds with a little cash incentive. While the dollar amounts are low, they do serve as an incentive, and are, at the very least, a step in the right direction. Anything we (the previous batches of "young minds") can do that serves to set free these young minds will be to our benefit.

From: Contest Finalists Display Inventions
http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=13762

It’s a big feat of the tiniest proportions. Simon Fraser University’s Nano Imaging Lab has produced the world’s smallest published book. At 0.07 mm X 0.10 mm, Teeny Ted from Turnip Town is a tinier read than the two smallest books currently cited by the Guinness Book of World Records.

RR: This latest nanotrek (an adventure into the nanoscale) serves to illustrate our ever-expanding ability to control the nanoscale.

From: Nano lab produces world’s smallest book
http://www.sfu.ca/mediapr/news_releases/archives/news04110701.htm
image here: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=1773.php

Deformable, spherical aggregates of metal nanoparticles connected by long-chain dithiol ligands self-assemble into nanostructured materials of macroscopic dimensions. These materials are plastic and moldable against arbitrarily shaped masters and can be thermally hardened into polycrystalline metal structures of controllable porosity. In addition, in both plastic and hardened states, the assemblies are electrically conductive and exhibit Ohmic characteristics down to 20 volts per meter. The self-assembly method leading to such materials is applicable both to pure metals and to bimetallic structures of various elemental compositions.

RR: Yes, I know, that paragraph is a mouthful. What it means to me is that once again we’ve discovered a new way to create materials that may enable a whole new range of products. Harkening back to The Graduate, the phrase "I just want to say one word to you -just one word. ‘Plastics’" comes to mind, only this time with a nanotech twist. Our understanding of the nanoscale, and the often-unique phenomena found there, is looking more and more likely to enable a new generation of plastics. This news bit is just one of many recent articles that supports that assumption.

From:
Plastic and Moldable Metals by Self-Assembly of Sticky Nanoparticle Aggregates
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21888

The stretching alignment technique is applicable to a broad range of SWNT experiments where orientation is important, particularly in optics. The work should further our current understanding of how nanotubes interact with light, with important practical applications in optical sensing and the manipulation of individual nanotubes using electromagnetic fields.

RR: Getting nanotubes to do what we want remains one of the main logjams in commercializing products that incorporate them.

From: Stretching exercises shed new light on nanotubes
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21886

NCR Corp. is spinning off a new company that is developing a technology capable of combating the counterfeiting of cash, pharmaceuticals and military parts, the new company's CEO said Thursday.

Prime is developing a nano-technology that has its origins in NCR labs, Ricci said. Essentially, the process — known as LumID or luminescent identifier — creates very tiny glass beads with "chemical tags" allowing whatever has been embedded with the beads to be accurately identified, he said.

RR: Anti-counterfeiting may prove to be one of the nanotechnologies that brings greater public acceptance to an often contentious yet unrelated group of advanced technologies. Several stridently vocal anti-technology groups have been tarring all nanotechnologies with the same brush, effectively and unfairly equating those that may have downsides to all others.

From: NCR spins off company to combat counterfeit cash
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21883

Civil Society-Labor Coalition issues an open letter to the international nanotechnology community at large:To All Interested Parties:We, the undersigned, submit this open letter to the international nanotechnology community at large. We are a coalition of public interest, non-profit and labor organizations that actively work on nanotechnology issues, including workplace safety, consumer health, environmental welfare, and broader societal impacts.

RR: The Civil Society-Labor Coalition weighs in on the latest proposal by DuPont Chemical Company (DuPont) and Environmental Defense (ED) for "a voluntary ‘risk assessment’ framework for nanotechnology." Yes, they do make some good points, such as "Nanotechnology’s rapid commercialization requires focused environmental, health and safety research, meaningful and open discussion of broader societal impacts." However, saying "We strongly object to any process in which broad public participation in government oversight of nanotech policy is usurped by industry and its allies" is putting the cart before the horse; why does the DuPont/ED framework necessarily mean that broad public participation will go by the wayside? Of course it doesn’t, and there are efforts, here and abroad, to engage the public (visit www.nanotech-now.com/preparing-for-nanotechnology.htm to read about some of them). Are those efforts enough? I don’t know, and neither (I suspect) does the Civil Society-Labor Coalition.

From: Activist groups reject DuPont-ED nanotechnology risk framework
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21875

Mihail Roco, the National Science Foundation's senior advisor for nanotechnology and key architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, visited Rice's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) this spring for a three-day conference on nanotechnology-enabled water treatment. During his visit, Roco discussed the conference, CBEN and the future of U.S. nanotechnology with Rice News' Science Editor Jade Boyd.

RR: This bit goes to illustrate a beneficial use of one nanotechnology; the treatment of water. I recommend this article be read in full. Roco doesn’t sugar-coat the need to prepare for potentially negative environmental effects, and in fact, he’s speaking at the leading R&D center that was created just for that purpose, and talks about the need to prepare.

From: The future of nanotechnology
http://www.media.rice.edu/media/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=9459&SnID=193827417

The year is 2027 and you're feeling decidedly unwell. Suspecting something a little more sinister than a common cold, your GP takes a sample of your saliva with a small dipstick-shaped implement coated in sensitive high-tech nanoparticles.

The colour change of the nano-particles instantly identifies the nature of the problem. The bad news is that you have a potentially debilitating genetic disease. The good news is that your doctor can quickly prescribe a customized treatment: several billion specialized nanoparticles which will enter your bloodstream and modify the offending gene at the molecular level.

RR: This ties in nicely with my "Interview with NanoTumor Center" – see (1), and "Nanomedicine at Johns Hopkins" – see (2), and "Nanomedicine Today" – see (3). And don’t be surprised to see these and other "nanomedicines" well before 2027.

From: Nano scientists make huge advances
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21853

(1) http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2007/03/interview-with-nanotumor-center.html
(2) http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2007/03/nanomedicine-at-johns-hopkins.html
(3) http://nanoscale-materials-and-nanotechnolog.blogspot.com/2007/01/nanomedicine-today.html

In order to assist high school students to think about the future with nanotechnology the Clarion University nanotechnology program and the art department are sponsoring a digital art contest, "Nanotechnology and the Environment for High School Students."

"The contest asks students to digitally illustrate what they think the future of nanotechnology and the environment hold. What will the effect of nanotechnology be on the environment? Will it solve our pollution and climate change problems or create environmental disasters undreamed of before? Only student creativity can tell us."

RR: This is one way to gauge public perceptions regarding nanotech.

From: Clarion University sponsors nanotechnology digital art contest
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21796

Venture capitalist, scientist and newsletter advisor, Josh Wolfe - in The Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report - looks at two favorite buys in the sector. In this case, he is selecting stocks that make the high-tech tools needed by researchers involved in nanotech.

RR: Who is making money in nanotech in these early days? Tool makers, of course.

From: A trio of experts looks at nanotech
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21791

Starpharma Holdings Limited makes and develops its products using nanotechnology. Its main drug is called VivaGel, a gel-based microbicide designed to protect women from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The gel has made it through Phase 1 clinical trials, and the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has even granted the drug fast-track status — and fast-track designation is nothing to scoff at.

RR: Great news, both in terms of a product that holds huge potential, and for the fact that it has received fast-tract status (meaning that the approval process could take a decade or more less time).

From: Starpharma Holdings Limited’s VivaGel on the Fast Track to the Market
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21785

The Deal's Tech Confidential was released last week and profiled five clean technologies that venture capitalists are showing increased interest in. Here's a quick rundown on those technologies and some venture-funded startups working in each area…

RR: Another positive indicator that clean technologies are starting (finally!) to garner the investment attention they deserve. Does anyone really not understand that we need more than one solution to all the problems generated by our use of and addiction to foreign oil?

From: 5 clean technologies drawing intense VC interest
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21770

For custom reports on nanotech and cleantech news and developments, please contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com

Contact me at the same address to discuss a complimentary evaluation of your project needs. Or visit http://access-nanotechnology.com/

Picture of the day

2007-04-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

CS2 on Au{111}

"Surfing a wave" - CS2 riding an electronic surface state on Au{111} 236 Å x 236 Å, image of 0.2 ML CS2 on Au(111) at 4 K (Vtip = + 0.5 V, I = 200 pA). (click to see larger version)

Image by: E. H. Sykes & P. Han.

"We focus on gaining atomic-scale understanding and control of materials properties. We do this by exploring, probing, and manipulating interactions and dynamics at surfaces and interfaces. We use and extend scanning tunneling microscopy to explore the surface structures, motion, and perturbations due to adsorbed atoms and molecules and due to surface features such as substrate steps and defects. We locate, study, and try to exploit the regimes in which our intuition based on macroscopic measurements breaks down. We are exploring the phenomena to be used, the ground rules, and the ultimate limits in nanometer-scale electronics and storage. Our microscopes serve not only as probes, but also allow us to manipulate matter on the atomic scale. We can thus interrogate the properties of uniquely configured atomic-scale structures. This has required the development of new tools with atomic-scale views of the surface. One new effort in our group looks at how we can bridge the gap between conventional optical microscopies and scanning probe microscopies."

~Paul S. Weiss, Professor of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University. Weiss Group Featured Images

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Important Quotes

2007-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Over the past 8+ years I have been gathering quotes that have a bearing on nanotechnology. Be they on investments, the ethics of advanced technologies, or forecasts and predictions, I have collects thousands of relevant quotes from individuals in business, government, academia, and the private sector.

Recently I put together a series of these quotes for my Access Team website "To help convey the most critical notions and core assumptions about nanotechnology and molecular manufacturing..." including these:

"As an emerging science in its infancy, nanotechnology promises the nano-scale manufacture of materials and machines made to atomic specifications. The impact of nanotechnology on our way of life is widely believed to reach profound and hitherto unimagined levels in the coming decades. Proposed changes include clean abundant energy, pollution-free and inexpensive production of superior defect-free materials, complete environmental restoration and cleanup, safe and affordable space travel and colonization, and quantum leaps in medicine leading to perfect health and immortality. As a result of these advances, we anticipate the obsolescence of nearly all of today's industrial and economic processes by the first half of the new century, leading to global and radical changes in life style, finance, law, and politics."

~Behfar Bastani and Dennis Fernandez
From Intellectual Property Rights for Nanotechnology

Starting around 2010, workers will cultivate expertise with systems of nanostructures, directing large numbers of intricate components to specified ends. One application could involve the guided self-assembly of nanoelectronic components into three-dimensional circuits and whole devices. Medicine could employ such systems to improve the tissue compatibility of implants, or to create scaffolds for tissue regeneration, or perhaps even to build artificial organs."

~Mihail C. Roco, Senior adviser for nanotechnology to the National Science Foundation and a key architect of the National Nanotechnology Initiative

"Over the next ten years, the fields of chemistry, physics, material sciences, biology, and computational sciences will converge in a way that will define nanotechnology and impact almost every industry, including computers, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, defense, health care, communications, transportation, energy, environmental sciences, entertainment, chemicals, and manufacturing. Previously distinct disciplines will also combine: medicine and engineering, law and science, art and physics, etc. This merging will result in developments that are not simply evolutionary; they will be revolutionary."

~Jack Uldrich & Deb Newberry

Read this collection in full, here:
www.access-nanotechnology.com/quotes.htm

Visit Nanotechnology Now (nanotech-now.com) to read new quotes each week (left column, home page)

Picture of the day

2007-04-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Graphite nanoparticles

Image derived from black and white Scanning Electron Microscope images that was digitized and computer painted. (click to see larger version)

Learn more at Cris Orfescu's Premiere Artist Portfolio (RR: This is another of my favorites.)

NANOART - Limited edition prints. Nano-dimensional features of different materials are revealed with an electron microscope after samples have been previously prepared. The image is created by electrons (electric charged particles) rather then photons (particles of light) as in photography. The black and white electron microscope image is digitally processed, computer painted and manipulated, and printed with archival inks on fine art archival paper or canvas - contact the artist for details. All prints are signed and numbered by the artist.

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

"Nanotech is where breakthroughs are likely. Forget about just the cancer-detection and other advanced medical tools it's midwifing and the next-gen consumer electronics such as super-bright displays. On a planet that's on the cusp of catastrophic climate change, nano-engineered materials have the potential to make a real difference. Imagine solar power cells that are far cheaper and more efficient; batteries that allow for more efficient electric cars; components that make cleaner coal-fired power plants. These and other applications are hardly trivial--they'll save energy, reduce pollution, and maybe go a little way to making sure Times Square won't be under water for the next millennium celebration."

~David Talbot, Technology Review
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/posts.aspx?id=17430

Interview with Norm Wu

2007-04-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today, I would like to present an interview that I did with Norm Wu
Managing Director, Alameda Capital.

RR: What is your definition of nanotechnology?

At Alameda Capital, we view nanotechnology as the commercialization of technology that takes advantage of unique phenomena that exist at the atomic and molecular scale, giving rise to new and useful properties at the macro scale. Examples of such phenomena might include surface effects (such as what you get when nanoscale fibers repel liquids by changing the surface tension of a fabric), molecular forces (such as the Van der Waals forces that provide the potential for next generation non-volatile semiconductor memory based on the natural attraction of closely spaced nanowires with one another), thermal vibration (such as selectively directing thermal vibration energy to harmful bacteria to break them down), or quantum effects (which will someday enable high performance quantum computing). Commercialization is the key word that differentiates real nanotechnology from nanoscience (which is basic research at the nanoscale).

Our investments will be in the traditional market sectors of IT, life sciences and energy where the convergence of multiple technologies, including advanced materials, creates an opportunity for new companies that can integrate such multiple disciplines to capture share with a proprietary set of products. We call this "convergent technologies." Many, but not all, of these opportunities will stem from nanotechnology.

RR: As things stand today, which nanotechnologies will you likely invest within the next five years, and why?

We are currently excited about a number of sensor and imaging technologies for security and medical diagnostics, new display technologies, next generation semiconductor devices (first memory and later logic), and certain alternative energy technologies. Each of these have large existing markets, reasonable capital requirements, good technology maturity, and talented entrepreneurs who have developed a compelling value proposition based on the convergence of nanotechnology with other technologies.

RR: Overall, what do you like about nanotech as an investment area?

Nanotechnology, if commercialized on a timely basis, has the potential to transform large existing markets. It's usually not about creating new markets, although there is some potential for that too. Nanotechnology also provides a great opportunity for start-ups to capture market share from existing competitors by being smart about how they integrate nano and other technologies to create compelling new properties resulting in such products as low cost/ultra-sensitive medical imaging, low energy high brightness displays, ad hoc wireless sensor networks, high density memory storage, low cost photovoltaics and more.

Read the entire interview, here:
www.nanotech-now.com/products/nanonewsnow/issues/017/017.htm#Wu

Picture of the day

2007-04-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

20x20um organic film, cc mode

Pacific Nanotechnology provides products and services that facilitate advances in nanoparticle technology and research. Our products are optimized for research, development, and process control applications when visualization, modification, and measurement of nanoparticle or nanopowder is critical.(click to see larger version)

To learn more about and to see more of these images, check out the following pages:

Pacific Nanotechnology Nanoparticle Image Gallery AFM images of nanoparticles, AFM data of nanopowders, AFM images of thermoplasitc elastomer, carbon nanotubes, polysterene particles, polymer particles, quantum dots, QD, latex spheres, drug powder, drug crystallines, polished quartz,blood cells, CNT, DNA, sol-gel, inclusions, triblock co-polymer, colloids, colloidal gold, colloidal gold spheres, carbon black, polypeptides, calcium phosphate, CaP, etc.

Pacific Nanotechnology Nanoparticle Technology

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

"The successful companies will be those that can commercialize innovations that merge biotechnology, infotechnology, cognitive intelligence and nanotechnology."

~Robert McMahan, Ph.D., S enior Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina for Science and Technology www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21257

Plasma Gasification

2007-04-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

The facts
America generates 245 million tons of municipal solid waste every year, a figure that continues to grow.

The problem
Landfills are filling up, land is no longer easily available, and toxic chemicals leach into the soil and water table. In addition, landfills and incineration are becoming regulatory, socially and environmentally unacceptable.

The technology that may cure the problem
Plasma gasification (PG) -- Turns trash into clean energy and produces salable fuels, valuable metals and silicates, and chemicals for plastics. It is capable of breaking down almost any material--right down to its constituent elements--except for nuclear waste.

One of the companies with the potential solution is the Startech Environmental Corporation (www.startech.net -- OTC Bulletin Board: STHK -- http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=sthk.ob&d=t) (the remainder of this article is about Startech and their process, unless otherwise stated)

How it works
Waste materials, including hazardous and nonhazardous solids, liquids and gases, are fed into a chamber (the Plasma Converter) where they are subjected to a plasma arc. “The arc in the plasma plume within the vessel can be as high as 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit ... three times hotter than the surface of the Sun. When waste materials are subjected to the intensity of the energy transfer within the vessel, the excitation of the wastes' molecular bonds is so great that the waste materials' molecules break apart into their elemental components (atoms). It is the absorption of this energy by the waste material that forces the waste destruction and elemental dissociation.” (1)

By-products are synthetic gas (“syngas” AKA: Plasma Converted Gas or PCG) and “an obsidian-like stone, which is non-toxic and non-leachable” that can be used as a raw material for other products for the construction and abrasives industries.

The process also generates more electricity that it consumes; the PCG can be used to generate steam that in turn can drive a generator or turbine that produces electricity, or to make hydrogen or methanol.

Some of the waste stream products that may benefit the most (those that are the hardest or costliest to dispose of or are the most toxic [*]) include:

 Medical waste
 Outdated pharmaceuticals
 PCBs
 Chemical agents
 Hazardous incinerator ash
 Various biological wastes
 Sludges
 Paints and solvents
 Electronic industry waste
 Contaminated soils
 Asbestos

[* current disposal costs are approximately $900 to $2,000 per ton, and rising]
(2)

Who else has similar technology?

Renewable Energy Technologies (www.cogeneration.net/plasma_gasification.htm)
Geoplasma (www.geoplasma.com)
Recovered Energy (www.recoveredenergy.com)
PyroGenesis (www.pyrogenesis.com)
EnviroArc (www.enviroarc.com)
Plasco (www.plascoenergygroup.com)
Safe Waste And Power (www.safewasteandpower.com)
and others

Who is funding it or has invested in it? Among others:

Cornell Capital Partners, L.P. (Sept. 19, 2005: “up to $20 million of funding in the form of a Standby Equity Distribution Agreement (SEDA) to be drawn down incrementally over a 24-month period at Startech's sole discretion.”)
The Department of Energy (DOE) (Aug. 3, 2005: “$500,000 for further demonstrations of the Company's StarCell Hydrogen system … to demonstrate the production of hydrogen from Municipal Solid Waste.”)

Markets

Municipalities that are running out of landfill space
Businesses and municipalities that need to comply with existing and future environmental regulations regarding landfills and incineration
Businesses looking for alternatives to fossil fuels
Municipalities looking for ways to meet power needs

Potential drawbacks

There has been concern by environmental groups that the “obsidian-like stone” may contain heavy metals that could leach into groundwater. Startech states that “No hazardous organisms or agents that go into the Plasma vessel survive” (3) and that the “stone” is non-toxic and non-leachable.

The up-front costs of up to hundreds of millions of dollars will be hard for many municipalities to swallow, despite the advantages inherent in the technology.

David J. Phillips (10Q Detective) sounds several cautionary notes, here http://smallcap.seekingalpha.com/article/27196

Upsides (according to Startech)

Generates more electricity than it consumes
Eliminates the need for new landfills and incinerators
Could empty out existing landfills and return the land to other uses
Could also process bio-hazards such as anthrax

The cost

A $250 million Startech Plasma Converter can handle approximately 2,000 tons of waste per day, an amount that is roughly what a city of 1 million people produces. It is estimated that the cost could be recouped in around 10 years, given today’s dumping fees. And when you consider that the system is capable of generating more electricity that it consumes, as well as the PCG, the payoff could come much sooner.

What may it replace? (Who will it put out of a job or cost money?)

Landfill operators who will loose revenues.

What may it enable?

It appears that the Startech “Starcell” has promise (the Company's hydrogen-selective membrane filter that separates hydrogen from the PCG). As there are no harmful by-products, and hydrogen can be produced from traditional waste streams, this technology may be one of several that helps enable a hydrogen economy.

Who is using it now, or will be in the near future?

The City of Chitre, Panama (a 200 ton per day PC facility)
The City of David, Panama (a 200 ton per day PC facility)
The City of Las Tablas, Panama (a 200 ton per day PC facility)
[all three intended for “processing municipal solid waste and producing ‘green electrical power.’”]
GlobalTech Environmental Corporation, a Chinese corporation (a 20,000 pounds per day PC facility, intended for processing PCBs Polychlorinated Byphenyls) and POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants))
Future Fuels, Inc., (FFI) (a 100 ton per day PC facility, for a Waste-to-Ethanol Facility)
Mihama Incorporated (a 5 ton per day PC facility, for PCBs and PCB contaminated materials)
PlasTech Solutions, Ltd., Australia. (a 10 ton per day PC facility, for industrial and institutional wastes)
Ercole Marelli HiTech srl of Milan, Italy (contracts for “more than $40 million”)
And many more – see www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/113537.html and the press from the other companies listed above.

Disclaimer: I am not a stock analyst and this is not a suggestion to buy or sell stock in any of the companies mentioned, nor do I own stock in any of them.

Note: this is one of many of the types of reports we do for our clients at access-nanotechnology.com

(1) http://www.startech.net/plasma.html
(2) http://www.startech.net/overview.html
(3) http://www.startech.net/faqs.html

Picture of the day

2007-04-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

"Nano-biodevice"

Courtesy of and Copyright © Charles Ostman: This is a 3D rendering of a theoretical neural repair "nano-biodevice", reconstructing the insulating outer membrane of a damaged neural axon. Like the "neural interface biochip" this is a slide extracted from the animation. This animation was eventually shown at SigGraph, on PBS televsion, and has been incorporated in related content for events in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Special thanks to Kevin Cain, then the director of computer graphics animation at AAC, and the spectacular efforts of over 30 students and fellow instructors who worked for approx. 9 months to create this production. Rendered in Maya 3D, and a variety of other rendering applications.

Visit his Evolution into the Next Millennium site.

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

"Nanotechnology is about to dramatically change virtually every aspect of how we work, live, and play; in fact the process has already begun. If you've used a UV-blocking sunscreen it may well be 'powered' by nanospheres of titanium dioxide - the opaque stuff of lifeguards' noses - which, in its nano form, happens to be transparent to visible light, but not to UV. Similarly, nanospheres in your toothpaste are (or will soon be) giving you that ultra-bright smile. And Berkeley Lab's 'Materials Sciences Division' has recently demonstrated how to use a new electro-thermal technique on carbon nanotubes to turn them into 'conveyor belts' that move individual atoms to precise targets, potentially forming the basis for far more efficient nanoscale manufacturing."

~Jeffrey R. Harrow, author of The Harrow Technology Report. From: http://www.futurebrief.com/jeffharrownanolife022.asp

Interview with FEI's Mike Thompson

2007-04-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today, I would like to present an interview I did with Mike Thompson, Business Development Manager, Nanotechnology at FEI Company.

RR: "Nanotechnology" is an oft-abused term; what definition do you use?

Your oft-abused comment is justified as the term "Nanotechnology" has a chameleon quality and shifts according to the environment in which it is placed; now as our awareness of Nanotech becomes mature we need to be more specific.

The interest and considerable investment associated with the nanotechnology rests in the fact that there is a transitions zone in the properties of matter as one shifts from atoms to bulk materials. The zone in which properties change rapidly is in the linear dimensional range of approximately 1nm to 100nm, this range is often quoted in definitions. As range is an approximation we can capture its meaning by using the term "nanoscale". The objective of nanotechnology is new, and is to functionalize this size/shape property dependence of nanoscale matter. This approach differs from past, current and future engineering which has the objective of functionalizing the "invariant properties" of bulk matter.

Many definitions of "Nanotechnology" are misleading as they can include "science" as a component of the definition. This is at best a convenience as much of what we read about today relates to science at the nanoscale. Here we should emphasize that nanoscale research is essential work as we cannot efficiently functionalize events at the nanoscale until we can understand, and characterize, their properties. The amount of research and engineering which is required to commercialize Nanotechnology is a huge undertaking and has probably been underestimated. While science is a precursor to the creation of a potential product, the contribution is one of the enablement and as should not be incorporated in the definition of "Nanotechnology."

RR: By your estimation, how large (in terms of $US) is the nanotech tools market today? How does that compare to 10 years ago, and how will it compare to 10 years from now?

In 1995, the "nanotools" market was under $US 300 Million US. The total Nanotech tools served available market in 2005 was close to $US 1 Billion. Market growth is expected to be roughly 14% per year through 2008. Predictions beyond this point are speculative and will depend upon the rate of adoption rate of tools by industry as nanoscience-based products move from prototyping through to production.

Read the entire interview, here:
http://www.nanotech-now.com/products/nanonewsnow/issues/034/034.htm#main

Picture of the day

2007-04-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

"Nanorobot in the bloodstream"

Yuriy Svidinenko: In this study I'll try to simulate simple mobile cell-repair nanorobot and try to analyse some of it's subsystems. Here, I want to focus on the purely simulation aspects of the cell repair nanorobot's functions and parts.

See Cell Repair Nanorobot Design And Simulation for details.

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

The growth industry of the 21st Century is going to be clean power and green technology.

~Tom Friedman

...industries which will be enabled by nanotechnology.

~Rocky Rawstern

Tom Friedman speaks on green tech

2007-04-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Today’s post will be short and sweet.

A friend passed along three video links to interviews with Tom Friedman, author of The World is Flat.

Friedman is also a New York Time foreign Affairs columnist and a widely respected expert on the "great changes taking place in our time."

Here are the links to the interviews, which I highly recommend you take the time to listen to:

With Bill Maher
Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaSn-U4qbmg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7NmA6Dw_kI&mode=related&search=

With Tim Russert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hd4irktfAo

Drop off your political preconceptions and biases and spend some time with someone who has really taken the time to study some of the most serious issue facing us today.

Learn more about Freidman here:
http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/

Friedman's points are one reason I started access-nanotechnology.com

Picture of the day

2007-04-03T10:59:00.002-07:00

"Nanobots killing a virus"

Two nanobots in pulmonary alveola killing a virus using nano-lasers. (click to see larger version)

Courtesy of and Copyright © Dr. Antonio Siber, Institute of Physics, Zagreb, Croatia.

Learn more about Antonio at his Image and Video Gallery

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

Based on work performed to date with laboratory animals, NTRC believes that harmful pulmonary effects from exposure to specific nanotubes may constitute the major health risk for workers. NTRC has also preliminarily found that it is possible to control airborne exposure to nanoaerosols by using engineering controls such as exhaust ventilation and process enclosures. In addition, NTRC notes that preliminary evidence shows that respirators can be effective in protecting workers from particulates as small as 2.5 nanometers in diameter.
"While this evidence needs confirmation," says NIOSH, "it suggests that it is likely that NIOSH certified respirators will be useful for protecting workers from nanoparticle inhalation when properly selected and fit-tested as part of a complete respiratory protection program."

~From: Nanotechnology Respiratory Risks
http://safety.blr.com/display.cfm/id/103017

Nanotechnology Patenting Issues

2007-04-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to present an interview that I did with nine leading university patent officials.

RR: What key points would you emphasize to the business community regarding the technology transfer process?

Charles F. Rancourt, Director, Office of Technology Commercialization, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: If you look at the process of Technology Transfer, what really helps in terms of building the relationship with a potential business partner is a good exchange of information between the parties; whether it be about the technology or about the market space the business partner is looking at. So from our standpoint a really important point here associated with this process is a good exchange, which needs to be ongoing throughout the relationship of information about the technology and the market place.

RR: What advice would you give a business wanting license your patents?

Oren Livne, Patent Manager, University of California, Santa Barbara: Talk to us. If we are able to understand what a company's needs are, we can often find university researchers or technologies in that area. If a company already has a specific patent of interest, we can work with them to get the license they need in a way that meets the sometimes complex policy guidelines of a public university.

RR: What are some of the hurdles in the way of commercialization of technologies discovered by universities?

James A. Poulos III, Executive Director of the Office of Technology Commercialization, University of Maryland: The large company two step; a company obtaining an exclusive position and sitting on the rights.; a lack of follow-on funding. As suggested above, a University technology is an early stage technology. A professor may have developed the algorithms for routing a packet of information securely over the Internet but no black box has been developed to show that to industry. And generally there is no funding and often times a lack of desire to develop such a prototype. It is very hard to license such technology when all you can show is the math and not a device cranking out the result.

RR: If you could, would you change anything about the patent process?

Troy Coyle, Manager of Innovation and Commercial Development (Engineering, Science and Law) Office of Technology Commercialization, University of Wollongong: There are numerous things I would like to change but if limited to one change, I would like international harmonisation of patent laws. It is very difficult to develop a comprehensive IP Protection Strategy when the rules vary between jurisdictions. For example, first to invent vs first to file issues, assumption of joint tenancy vs assumption of tenancy in common, grace period vs no grace period etc.

RR: Prior to working with a business to develop a new technology, what questions must you answer? Patent rights? Mutually defined (and agreed upon) definitions of success? Critical path to success? Stock distribution? Funding opportunities? Other?

Neil Iscoe, Director, Office of Technology Commercialization, for The University of Texas at Austin: When working with potential licensees, we discuss their commercialization plans and the resources that have available to achieve those goals. When working with a NewCo, we look at their business plan, their management team and the anticipated financing. With an established company, we look at their commercialization plans, their past successes, and their corporate goals and resource allocation.

RR: What are some of the hurdles in the way of commercialization of technologies discovered by universities?

William J. Decker, Assistant Director, Physical Science Licensing in the Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Services (TechTIPS) office of the University of California, San Diego: There is a big gap between proving a concept and having three working, commercial-grade prototypes of a possible product (or having human data, if you are in the biomedical arena). University researchers are often only interested in proving a concept, publishing, and moving on to the next concept. Our inventions are usually at this very early stage. But having a tangible prototype of a product means a great deal in creating more value for a business interested in commercializing that particular technology, both in advancing the technology and the value of the technology at the time of licensing. Overcoming this hurdle - the gap between proof-of-concept and three working prototypes (or human data, if you are in the biomedical arena) - is key.

Read the entire interview, here:
http://www.nanotech-now.com/products/nanonewsnow/issues/031/031.htm#main

Picture of the day

2007-04-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

Nanotube

"I'm working in the emerging field of nanotechnology, currently working on the interaction between nanostructures and other atomic and molecular species. I used to work for the Vega Science Trust, a charity that helps the science and technology communities to communicate using television and the Internet. My work involved developing science broadcasting on the Web, TV programme research and development, and more. In addition I am a computational chemist working on defects in graphite, nanotubes and fullerenes, as well as the interaction between impurities and dislocations in diamond and silicon. Previously I studied point defect behaviour in various semiconductors."

Courtesy of and Copyright ©Chris Ewels (click to see larger version)

Learn more about Chris at his gallery

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-04-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

"The timeline for initial development of assemblers and replicators depends on laboratory breakthroughs that are not easily predicted…if a full assembler actually can be developed within the next 10 to 20 years, and a useful replicator follows shortly thereafter, then an impressive capability for logistics sustainment will arrive during the third decade of the new century."

~Dr. Calvin Shipbaugh http://www.rand.org/natsec_area/products/thinkingsmall.html

The Weekly Roundup

2007-04-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the news bits and press releases that caught my eye last week.

One of the most exciting new developments in pesticides is the prospect of nanopesticides. Nanotechnology is expected to be used to develop pesticides with new or enhanced activity, or more targeted application (such as through microencapsulation or affinity for specific target pests). Some consumer products are already being marketed as using silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs has already formed a Nanotechnology Work Group to develop a regulatory framework for nanopesticides.

(RR: hopefully this means using less pesticide per application, and that those that are used will do the job with fewer nasty side effects. It definitely means that the EPA is getting a jump on regulating the use of this group of nanoscale materials.)

From: Nanotechnology and the regulatory framework for nanopesticides
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21595

The European Nanobiocom project is working on the regeneration and repair of bone tissue. Seven other bodies, leaders in innovation within this specialism, are also taking part in the project. The goal is to come up with a substitute for bone tissue that can put the bone right and regenerate in such a way that it carries out similar functions as in its natural state.

(RR: good news for those suffering from degenerative bone diseases and injury.)

From: Nanotechnology creates intelligent materials to regenerate bone tissue
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21592

Japanese researchers have now developed a new material that very effectively removes VOCs as well as nitrogen- and sulfur oxides from air at room temperature. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, their system involves a highly porous manganese oxide with gold nanoparticles grown into it.

To prove the effectiveness of their new catalyst, the research team headed by Anil K. Sinha at the Toyota Central R&D Labs carried out tests with acetaldehyde, toluene, and hexane. These three major components of organic air pollution play a role indoors as well as out. All three of these pollutants were very effectively removed from air and degraded by the catalyst—significantly better than with conventional catalyst systems.

(RR: let’s keep our collective fingers crossed, and hope that this technology pans out, resulting in consumer grade products that are cheap and effective.)

From: For clean air
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21590

The "Ellipsometria" laboratory in Japan (headed by Azerbaijani scientists) succeeded in controlling nano-structure with light. Nazim Mammadov told the APA that the whole world will be built on nanotechnology in ten years.

(RR: this technology looks promising, as it will allow for finer control of nanostructures. If they are able to scale it up, it may help advance the building of a nanofactory. See http://www.crnano.org/bootstrap.htm)

From: Azerbaijan scientist succeeds to control nano-structure with light (requires subscription to read full article)
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21587

Enhanced abilities to understand and manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels promise a wave of significant new technologies over the next five decades. This paper discusses the range of sciences currently covered by nanotechnology. It begins with a description of what nanotechnology is and how it relates to previous scientific advances. It then describes the most likely future development of different technologies in a variety of fields. The paper also reviews the government's current nanotechnology policy and makes some suggestions for improvement.

(RR: this is important because it lends further credibility to the increasingly popular theory that nanotechnologies will enable “Dramatic breakthroughs” and “will occur in diverse areas such as medicine, communications, computing, energy, and robotics.” It’s also nice to know that “These changes will generate large amounts of wealth” while at the same time recognizing that they will also “force wrenching changes in existing markets and institutions.” My friends, Mike Treder and Chris Phoenix of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (crnano.org), have been making those and other points for years; it’s good to see these memes spreading and gaining momentum.)

From: US Congress Says Nano is "Coming Sooner Than You Think," Predicts Singularity
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21585

A new nanotechnology for home laundry is going to enter Chinese market. Clothes can remain the feature of stain resistance up to one month after using this liquid product, which does not contain fluorine, so it can be used in home laundry, according to a new tech demonstration held in Beijing Friday.

(RR: sounds a lot like the products from Nanotex (nanotex.com). Actually, I included this one because it’s a good example of why you should consider a professional translation service. Note: caution about opening the link to the full article: I got quite a few pop-ups, which my blocker caught.)

From: New nanotech for home laundry exhibited in Beijing
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21579

Constrained by a small budget, the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has nonetheless produced 70 peer-reviewed papers since 2004 in areas such as hazard identification and characterization, exposure assessment, risk assessment, and risk management.

(RR: this news should go a long way towards addressing the legitimate concerns regarding our understanding of nanoscale materials. By addressing potential risks now, we stand a greater chance of avoiding another asbestos debacle.)

From: Nanotechnology Respiratory Risks
http://safety.blr.com/display.cfm/id/103017

Andrei Sokolov of the University of Nebraska and Bernard Doudin of the University of Strasbourg have shown how an individual "bit" of data—a one or a zero of the binary code used by computers—might be stored on a single atom.

(RR: this one is filed under “Wow!”)

From: It may be possible to store a bit of data on a single atom and retrieve it
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21577

Families bored with their wallpaper could one day be able to change the pattern at the touch of a switch, according to scientists at Manchester University.

Aimin Song…believes changeable wallpaper and computer screens that roll up and go into your pocket are just two possible applications that may soon be available.

His work centers around “plastic electronics technology, which opens up the possibility for very flexible, hi-tech devices being developed.”

(RR: interesting development. Sounds like applications that all us techheads will appreciate. However, I think that our personal communications devices (pcd’s) will soon incorporate “electronic ticket for public transport systems or road charging schemes, and electronic stamps for letters.” On the other hand, the “roll-up information displays” will enable more compact, expandable pcd’s, that will also function as your GPS, ‘net interface, and health monitoring system. Increasingly, we are going to rely on one-device many-function portables. We will, perhaps also functionalize our garments for one-off items such as tickets to a movie or ID that allows access to subscription only entertainment or services.)

From: Switch wallpaper - with a switch
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21576

The judges, mostly from Maryland and Ohio, got a crash course in nanotechnology, synthetic biology and environmental biotechnology - all subjects they may have to tangle with in highly technical cases.

"Judges are empowered to do better, understand the issues better and guide the process better," said Rufus King III, Chief Judge of the Superior court of the District of Columbia. "Judges need to be gatekeepers to keep junk science out of the courtroom."

The program is part of the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center's mission to train more science-literate judges.

(RR: educating the decision-makers is one of the very most important steps towards insuring that nanoscale technologies will be prepared for in advance. Educating other stakeholders—you and I and everyone else—is one of the other most important steps. The very fact of the existence of the AS&TARC is encouraging as well.)

From: Judges learn about science behind courtroom cases
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21568

The US-based Wilson Center has applauded the UK government's Council for Science and Technology (CST) over its criticism on the slow progress being made for focused research into the hazards associated with nanotechnology.

(RR: this is another example of preparing for nanoscale technologies in advance (in this case, perhaps not, it is yet to be seen. However, I believe it to be overall encouraging. The Wilson Center has proven to be taking a scientific approach towards the need to prepare for nanotechnologies, and is therefore a credible source regarding all things in this area. I applaud their efforts to convince governments to spend more on research as well. Given the current US spending ratio of $1bn to $11m—development to risk research—and couple with the largely accepted belief that nanotech will be a $1Trillion (or more) business by mid-century next, you have to believe that spending more on research, now, is likely to help us avoid potential downsides later. We don’t need another “asbestos.” Enough said.)

From: Wilson Center applauds UK's stance on nanotechnology
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21560

Green technology is no longer on the virtuous fringes of the economy. It's big business, and moguls are seeing the potential for big profits. From radical pollution-free fuel cells to smog-eating nanocoatings, nanotechnology is making some startling advances on the green frontier.

… private corporations have also been investing heavily in nanotech research. Of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 19 have nanotechnology initiatives underway. Some 1,200 nanotech start-up companies have been launched worldwide. And in 2006, corporations are expected to spend more than $10 billion on nanotech R&D.

(RR: it is encouraging to note additional investment in green technologies. It is somewhat disappointing to realize that we’re only starting to see this increase in spending because oil is getting more expensive and the climate does indeed seem to be heating.)

From: Green is Gold
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21548

Controlling the growth of carbon nanotubes over large surface areas is essential for making transistors with sufficient current outputs and consistent properties for use in electronic circuits. In a significant advance toward such nanotube-based electronics, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) have grown rows of perfectly aligned carbon nanotubes on quartz crystal and used these arrays to make transistors.

… the nanotubes' properties do not change even if they are transferred to plastics or other substrates. "[The] tubes are physically lifted off quartz and then printed down on target substrate so that it doesn't disturb the position and orientation of the nanotubes," Rogers says. Because of this transfer process, he says that the arrays could be integrated with silicon fabrication to make circuits with interconnected nanotube and silicon devices--the nanotube devices could handle the circuit's high-speed operations. "You don't even think about them as tubes," says Roger. "In effect, it's a thin-film uniform substrate, and you just do your processing."

Right now, the distance between adjacent tubes is 100 nanometers, but theoretically, this separation could go down to only one nanometer without affecting electrical properties.

(RR: one of several recent—and important—advances in our understanding of nanotubes. Do a search on this blog on nanotubes to learn more. Should this pan out it may well enable huge leaps smaller in transistor technology and other nanotube-based electronics, which could lead to ever smaller consumer applications, such as pcd’s that fit on your wrist or are incorporated into your garments.)

From: A Breakthrough in Nanotube Transistors
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21541

Venture capital cash is fueling new companies and jobs developing alternative energies like nanotech solar cells and biofuels generated by enzymes and termites. Venture capital for energy and environmental technology in several regions of the world in 2006 nearly doubled from a year earlier to $1.28 billion.

(RR: this is another encouraging example of growth in the nascent clean technologies industry. Research done at our universities has traditionally played a large part in the development of new technologies; nanotechnologies and clean technologies will be no exception.)

From: More U.S. college students studying clean energy
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21533

Crumpled kitchen foil that lays flat for reuse. Bent bumpers that straighten overnight. Dents in car doors that disappear when heated with a hairdryer. These and other physical feats may become possible with a technique to make memory metals discovered by researchers at the University of Illinois.

(RR: this falls into the “it will be nice when it happens” buckets.)

From: Technique creates metal memory and could lead to vanishing dents
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21563

Raymor Nanotech will begin to offer in the second quarter of 2007 various high purity grades of single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWNT) for emerging markets. To achieve this, Raymor Nanotech launched its Purification department in 2006. This department was formed to develop various grades of C-SWNT to rapidly penetrate new markets for applications such as polymer nanocomposite enhancement, batteries/electrodes, supercapacitors, filters, electromagnetic interference shielding, catalyst support, field emission devices, sensors/probes, biomedical devices and nanoelectronic devices.

(RR: Raymor is one of over a dozen companies vying for the title of “largest producer” of nanotubes. Their sorted and purified nanotubes—if priced right—will probably go a long way towards satisfying hundreds of application needs, leading to many bleeding-edge consumer products.)

From: Raymor will Offer Various High Purity Grades of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Emerging Markets in the Second Quarter of 2007
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21558

Alan Garen, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale has received a $100,000 award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to expand research on the delivery of a targeted therapy for prostate cancer using nanoparticles. The technology uses a synthetic gene encoding an antibody-like molecule that activates an immune response to destroy the tumor blood vessels and associated tumors.

(RR: “Prostate cancer strikes one in six men.” Enough said.)

From: Nanoparticles for delivery of prostate cancer treatment
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21501

For custom reports on nanotech and cleantech news and developments, please contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com

Contact me at the same address to discuss a complimentary evaluation of your project needs. Or visit http://access-nanotechnology.com/

Picture of the day

2007-03-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Rotary Assembler

One of the machines that will be possible using the new-found ability to manipulate single molecules and atoms is illustrated here. This vaguely CD-ROM-like machine assembles other nanomechanical systems by means of 5 degrees-of-freedom tips that pick molecules off the upper platter, rotate down and deposit them on the product arrays of the lower platter.

Courtesy of and Copyright ©Philippe Van Nedervelde (Click on the image to see a 1MB MPG movie.)

Learn more about Van Nedervelde at the Foresight Nanotech Institute

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-03-30T14:39:00.001-07:00

"Whether or not one believes in the Singularity, it is difficult to overestimate nanotechnology's likely implications for society."

~From: Nanotechnology: The Future is Coming Sooner Than You Think (pdf)
Senior Economist Joseph V. Kennedy and sponsored by Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ)
http://www.house.gov/jec/publications/110/nanotechnology_03-22-07.pdf

Nanotechnology Q&A, Pt I ~more

2007-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

Ray Kurzweil is a 21st Century Renaissance man; inventor, entrepreneur, writer, futurist and much more.

His write-up at Wikipedia gives you a brief glimpse into an extraordinary mind:

"Kurzweil was the principal developer of the first omni-font optical character recognition system, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first CCD flatbed scanner, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first electronic musical instrument capable of recreating the sound of a grand piano and other orchestral instruments (which he developed at the urging of Stevie Wonder, who was amazed by his OCR reading machine), and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition system. He has founded nine businesses in the fields of OCR, music synthesis, speech recognition, reading technology, virtual reality, financial investment, medical simulation, and cybernetic art."

Bill Gates dubbed him "the best at predicting the future of artificial intelligence."

He has been described by the Wall Street Journal as "the restless genius."

In 2001 he wrote an essay, "The Law of Accelerating Returns," where he laid out one of his most well known theories, concerning the exponential growth pattern of technologies.

It states, in short:

"An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense 'intuitive linear' view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the twenty first century—it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate). The 'returns,' such as chip speed and cost-effectiveness, also increase exponentially. There's even exponential growth in the rate of exponential growth. Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity—technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and nonbiological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light."

Recently I had a chance to catch up with him, and posed the following question: "If you had the attention of the entire world, what would you say regarding molecular manufacturing?"

Here is his response: "When we have full molecular manufacturing, we will be able to create any physical products we need from information files just as we can create music, movies, and books from pure information today. In about twenty years, the original goals of communism ("from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs") will be achieved not through forced collectivism but through the information technologies of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence."

Learn more about Ray Kurzweil at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil

Picture of the day

2007-03-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Drillers, Peepers, Stingers

"Drillers, Peepers, Stingers" engage in a delicate surgical operation to remove a cancer tumor. Whilst the Stingers inject a toxin, Drillers cut deep into the tumor. A Peeper broadcasts the whole video scene to the surgeon.

Courtesy of and Copyright © Erik Victor

Erik Viktor applies his talent in different fields such as illustration, writing, journalism, art, 3D animation, show production, marketing, design, photography, industrial model building and other domains. He published his first article in his school's magazine at the age of 10, and had his first illustrations published when he was 12 years old. All images are based on his interpretation of existing and potential nanoscale technology.

Visit artist Erik Victor's website

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-03-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

When speaking about "the medium of exchange" in a society in which nanotech has removed the value from everyday objects, Glenn Harlan Reynolds said the following: "One thing that would retain scarcity is time. Personal services-teaching, lawyering, prostitution-wouldn't be cheapened in the same fashion. We might wind up with an economy based on the exchange of personal services more than on the purchase of goods. In a way, that's where we're headed already. Even without nanotechnology, the prices of many goods are falling. Televisions, once expensive, are near-commodity goods, as are computers, stereos, and just about all other electronics. Nanotechnology would simply accelerate this trend and extend it to everything else. Ironically, it may be the combination of capitalism and technology that brings about a near-propertyless utopia of the sort that socialists (usually no fans of capitalism) and romantics (no fans of technology) have long dreamed of."

Nanotube news highlights

2007-03-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

Recent and noteworthy nanotube news includes the following.

SouthWest NanoTechnology (SWeNT), of Norman, manufactures high quality carbon nanotubes. With new OCAST funding and new manufacturing techniques developed at OU, SWeNT plans to diversify its manufacturing processes and mass produce a "commercial grade" of carbon nanotubes at a substantially lower price than is currently possible. Production volumes will increase more than 30 fold while costs are expected to fall by 90 percent.

RR: Predictions of production volume increases and cost decreases for nanotubes have been made for years. Unfortunately, and pretty much uniformly, they remain just predictions (there has been a slight decrease in price over the past 5 years). However, in this case I am hopeful that SWeNT will pull off the elusive nanotube two-fer since low-cost large-volume CNTs will enable massive change in every industry that creates products where weight and strength are paramount.

From: Oklahoma awards state's first nanotechnology applications competition winners
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21553

In a significant advance toward … nanotube-based electronics, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) have grown rows of perfectly aligned carbon nanotubes on quartz crystal and used these arrays to make transistors. The electrodes in these transistors border the nanotube rows so that thousands of nanotubes bridge the electrodes, increasing the current.
The nanotube transistors could be used in flexible displays and electronic paper. Because carbon nanotubes can carry current at much higher speeds than silicon, the devices could also be used in high-speed radio frequency (RF) communication systems and identification tags.

…to make good-quality transistors on a larger scale, they would need to find a better way to get rid of the metallic tubes or selectively grow semiconducting tubes. That, according to Javey, is the "last big key" for making nanotube electronics.

RR: And remains one of the major hitches. Current separation techniques simply do not produce "pure enough" batches of CNTs. Whether it’s this university or another (or one of the many businesses that product CNTs), expect to see nanotubes play a significant role in these areas in the near future (say 3 – 5 years) provided that the usual caveats are met: low cost and high production volumes, coupled with effective separation methods.

From: A Breakthrough in Nanotube Transistors
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21541

New research published in the March 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters suggests that carbon nanotubes may soon be integrated into ever-shrinking cell phones, digital audio players, and personal digital assistants to help ensure the equipment does not overheat, malfunction, or fail.

Using microfin structures made of aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube arrays mounted to the back of silicon chips, researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Oulu in Finland have proven that nanotubes can dissipate chip heat as effectively as copper — the best known, but most costly, material for thermal management applications. And the nanotubes are more flexible, resilient, and 10 times lighter than any other cooling material available.

From: Cool Findings: Nanotubes Could Improve Thermal Management in Electronics
http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2044

For Florida State University researcher Okenwa Okoli, testing his latest research is vital. Okoli, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering in the Florida A&M University-Florida State College of Engineering in Tallahassee, Fla., and his research team at FSU's High-Performance Materials Institute have been working on bullet-proof body armor for U.S. military men and women.

Okoli and a former colleague, Jim Thagard, developed a composite manufacturing process to create lightweight body armor using nanotubes that protects a soldier's legs, arms and head. Metal traditionally has been used for such protective gear, but lightweight composites materials such as the ones produced by Okoli now can be used in place of heavier metals, he said.

RR: Noteworthy is the fact that their armor covers areas of the body not currently protected, which could go a long way towards reducing combat deaths and injuries.

From: Researcher’s Light Body Armor May Save Soldiers’ Lives
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21400

Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. (CNI) and Unidym, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge the two companies. The transaction is expected to be completed in early April. The combined company, known as Unidym, will also have exclusive licenses to all the intellectual property in CNI's portfolio, for control of 59 U.S. issued carbon nanotube-related patents. While Unidym previously made carbon nanotubes for demonstration purposes, the merger will allow for mass production for commercial development of the ITO replacement. "This merger could also be the impetus for consolidation activity in the carbon nanotube space to accelerate."

RR: I agree. The battle over patent rights alone could spur that activity; many smaller producers of nanotubes may not be able to afford costly litigation, while their (potential) buyers can.

From: Carbon Nanotechnologies, Inc. (CNI) to Merge with Unidym
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21369

The Tokyo-based textile, chemicals and nanotechnologies firm plans to concentrate its efforts on the employment of its cup-stacked CNTs (CSCNTs) in the membrane electrode assembles of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), according to Japan Chemical Week.

RR: More good news for the green movement, and everything that breathes.

From: GSI Creos to focus on carbon nanotube development for fuel cell applications
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21446

The assembly of nanoparticles along the external or internal surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is of both fundamental and technological interest. Combining unique properties of CNTs and nanoparticles, the nanoparticle/nanotube composite structure attracts a broad range of advanced applications, including nanoelectronics, chemical and biosensors, catalysis and fuel cells. This so-called 'decoration' of CNTs has been used to increase the hydrogen storage capacity, to make nanotubes magnetic, or to grow secondary structures inside the nanotubes to increase the available surface for catalysis.

RR: one of the more noteworthy bits: "This paves the way to using carbon nanotubes as nanoscale biological probes for sub-cellular investigation." There are an increasing number of nanoscale solutions to the screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease, many of which involve functionalized nanotubes.

From: Nanotube biological probes for intracellular studies
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21236

A novel approach to fabricating CNT networks are CNT aerogels. Aerogels are novel materials in their own right - a material derived from gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with gas. The result is an extremely low density solid. Fabricating aerogels with CNTs offers potential for improvement over current carbon aerogel technologies in device applications such as sensors, actuators, electrodes, and thermoelectrics.

From: Carbon nanotube aerogels
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21201

So far only limited data is available regarding carbon nanotube (CNT) toxicity. As a result still not much is known about their impact on biological systems including humans.

RR: It is worth noting that buckyball toxicity in soil has been determined to not "have ill effects on soil or the microorganisms it contains." See Nanotech threat exaggerated

From: The ongoing challenge of determining carbon nanotube toxicity
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=21102

A Cambridge University-led team of scientists have successfully produced live video footage that shows how carbon nanotubes form. The nano-scale video observations mean that scientists will be able to better understand the nucleation of nanotubes and are therefore an important step on the route towards application.

RR: This should go a long way towards our understanding of how to functionalize and separate nanotubes (they come in many flavors, and are difficult to separate at this time), which will lead to lower consumer costs, which will lead to the use of nanotubes in more products, which will lead to…

From: Nanotube formation captured on video
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=20908

For custom reports in your areas of interest, contact me at rocky at access-nanotechnology.com

Picture of the day

2007-03-28T15:23:00.002-07:00

Utility Foglet

Modeled on the utility fog concept first put forth by Dr. J. Storrs Hall, Artist Tim Fonseca created this visual representation. (click to see larger version)

Here is Dr. Hall's description: "Imagine a microscopic robot. It has a body about the size of a human cell and 12 arms sticking out in all directions. A bucketfull of such robots might form a 'robot crystal' by linking their arms up into a lattice structure. Now take a room, with people, furniture, and other objects in it -- it's still mostly empty air. Fill the air completely full of robots. The robots are called Foglets and the substance they form is Utility Fog, which may have many useful medical applications. And when a number of utility foglets hold hands with their neighbors, they form a reconfigurable array of 'smart matter.'"

Learn more about utility fog at www.nanotech-now.com/utility-fog.htm

To see the entire series, visit the Nanotechnology Now Gallery.

Quote of the day

2007-03-28T15:23:00.001-07:00

Cleantech funding

2007-03-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

If anyone needed proof that clean technologies are seen as both critical to our collective future and potentially profitable, today’s news (1) of a $62.5 million fund should help convince them of those realities.

Piper Jaffray closed on its Clean Tech fund at the end of last month, making money available VCs with "environmentally-friendly portfolios."

Another bit that point to an encouraging future for cleantech: "The bank set out to raise $25 million, but after word got out about the effort, the fund more than doubled in size, and investors were eventually turned away."

Couple that news with John Doerr’s pronouncement (2) that "cleantech the biggest economic opportunity of this century," and you may come to realize, as I have, that cleantech is no longer just being given lip service by big biz and gov.

I’ll close this with a quote from my friend and colleague, Jack Uldrich: "The bottom line is that, like Doerr, I believe cleantech will be huge. I also believe there will be many technologies and companies taking part in the solution."

(1) http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2007/03/26/story4.html?b=1174881600^1436669

(2) http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2007/03/20/the-biggest-economic-opportunity-of-this-century.aspx