Written by Cris Orfescu on 17 May 2010
Implantable device for measuring the heart’s electrical output
“Implantable silicon-based devices have the potential to serve as tools for mapping and treating epileptic seizures, providing more precise control over deep brain stimulation, as well as other neurological applications,” says Story Landis, PhD, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which provided support for the study. The team tested the new devices – made of nanoscale, flexible ribbons of silicon embedded with 288 electrodes, forming a lattice-like array of hundreds of connections – on the heart of a porcine animal model. The tissue-hugging shape allows for measuring electrical activity with greater resolution in time and space. The new device can also operate when immersed in the body’s salty fluids. The devices can collect large amounts of data from the body, at high speed. This allowed the researchers to map electrical activity on the heart of the large animal… read more
Piezoelectric nanogenerators to harvest energy from motion
Based on arrays containing as many as 20,000 zinc oxide nanowires in each nanogenerator, the devices can produce up to 1.2 volts of output voltage, and are fabricated with a chemical process designed to facilitate low-cost manufacture on flexible substrates. Tests done with nearly one thousand nanogenerators – which have no mechanical moving parts – showed that they can be operated over time without loss of generating capacity… read more
Functional nanomaterials for medical devices
“Atomic layer deposition is a technique that can be used to create thin films for coating metals or ceramics, and is especially useful for coating complex nanoscale structures,” says Dr. Roger Narayan, the paper’s lead author. “This paper shows how atomic layer deposition can be used to create biologically functional materials, such as materials that have antibacterial properties”… read more
Berkeley Scientists Report Universal Method for Creating Nanoscale Composites
Researchers at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, in collaboration with researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown how nanocomposites with desired properties can be designed and fabricated by first assembling nanocrystals and nanorods coated with short organic molecules, called ligands. These ligands are then replaced with clusters of metal chalcogenides, such as copper sulfide. As a result, the clusters link to the nanocrystal or nanorod building blocks and help create a stable nanocomposite… read more
Tags: antibacterial properties, array, atomic layer deposition, author, biologically functional materials, body salty fluids, brain stimulation, building blocks, capacity, chemical process, clusters, composites, connections, copper sulfide, data, designed, electrical activity, electrodes, fabricated, flexible ribbons, flexible substrate, heart electrical output, high speed, implantable silicon devices, lattice, ligands, metal chalcogenides, method, nanocomposite, nanocrystals, nanogenerators, nanomaterials, nanorods, nanoscale, Nanotechnology, nanowires, neurological applications, organic molecules, paper, researchers, scientists, technique, voltage
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Written by Cris Orfescu on 29 April 2010
"NanoWeb 3" - nanosculpture by Orfescu
Global market for nanotechnology incorporated in manufactured goods will worth US$ 1.6 Trillion in 2013
In coming years, products based on nanotechnology will have a huge impact on nearly all-industrial sectors and will enter the consumer market in large quantities. Considering the future prospects of nanotechnology, countries across the world are investing heavily in this sector to reap maximum benefits from it… read more
The world’s smallest superconductor
Superconducting materials have an electrical resistance of zero, and so can carry large electrical currents without power dissipation or heat generation. Superconductivity was first discovered in 1911, and until recently, was considered a macroscopic phenomenon. The current finding suggests, however, that it exists at the molecular scale, which opens up a novel route for studying this phenomenon… read more
Lab-on-a-chip: “Virtual Electrowetting Channels”
Microfluidic devices typically depend upon electrokinetic or traditional pressure methods to move microscopic amounts of fluid around a fixed microchip. UC engineering researchers create tiny pools without walls with programmable microfluidic systems… read more
Gold nanoparticles help researchers detect melamine in milk
Melamine is the compound found in contaminated pet food and in tainted dairy products from China in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The laced dairy products were responsible for sickening thousands of people, especially children. Monitoring melamine-tainted products continues to be a worldwide concern. This study develops a facile and accurate approach towards detection of melamine utilizing gold nanoparticles and a dual color and precipitation test. The complete detection methodology is completed in less than 15 minutes… read more
Carbon nanostructures – good or bad?
A Los Alamos National Laboratory toxicologist and a multidisciplinary team of researchers have documented potential cellular damage from “fullerenes”—soccer-ball-shaped, cage-like molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. The team also noted that this particular type of damage might hold hope for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or even cancer… read more
Tags: Alzheimer's disease, atoms, benefits, cancer, carbon nanostructures, cellular, consumer market, contaminated, currents, dairy products, electrical resistance, electrokinetic, electrowetting, fullerenes, gold, heat generation, investing, macroscopic phenomenon, manufactured goods, melamine, microchip, microfluidic, microscopic, milk, molecular scale, multidisciplinary team, nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Parkinson's disease, pet food, power dissipation, prcipitation test, researchers, superconducting materials, systems, toxicologist
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