Nanotechnology's topics - tribe.net

US researchers have built a proto-prototype nano assembler

nanotechnowceo — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:09:34 GMT

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=29115

posted in Nanotechnology - 1 reply

Totaly pixelating

! Rob — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:48:10 GMT

http://www.flixxy.com/minority-report-interface.htm
Fx

posted in Nanotechnology - 3 replies

Need Nano finish for Double Helix Wind Turbine

arrowdane — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:27:26 GMT

Hey, I am looking for a different type of super hard finish that I can use on this turbine we designed.

It needs to be completely non toxic and super strong. I was thinking of some kind of natural ceramic or silica polymer finish, similar to how sea shells or how mother of pearl is created. nano carbon tube finish?

We want this turbine to be able to be completely recyclable, cradle to cradle. It is already made from aircraft aluminum, we are stumped on the finish.

Does anyone have any suggestions or a direction I could look?

thanks,

arrow

posted in Nanotechnology - 10 replies

Nanogenerator Could Draw Energy from Human Blood

carcosa — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 16:50:15 GMT

Thanks to Iona Miller for this link!
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nanogenerator-Could-Draw-Energy-from-Human-Blood-60580.shtml
==========================================================
Nanogenerator Could Draw Energy from Human Blood
- Unlike the mythical vampire, it will help people
By: Lucian Dorneanu, Science Editor

A simple array of nanowires can produce its own electricity

Scientists are working on a new type of nanogenerator that could draw the necessary energy from flowing blood in the human body, by using the beating heart and pulsating blood vessels. Once completed, this new cellular engine could find various applications, even beyond medicine.

Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology hope to be able to incorporate the new nanogenerator into biosensors, environmental monitoring devices and even personal electronics that will
require no fuel source, internal or external.

It will produce its own electricity while immersed in biological fluids or other liquids, using ultrasonic waves as the energy source. So far, they achieved the nanogenerator effect in an array of nanowires that could produce as much as 4 watts/cubic centimeter.

"We are creating a portable, adaptable and cost-effective technology for powering small electronic devices," said Wang. "Our nanogenerator allows us to harvest or recycle energy from many sources."

"Our bodies are good at converting chemical energy from glucose into the mechanical energy of our muscles," added Wang. "These nanogenerators can take that mechanical energy and convert it to electrical energy for powering devices inside the body."

Thus far, the nanogenerator has only produced nanoamperes of power—too little for powering macroscopic devices. But Wang is confident his next prototype will produce microamperes, capable of powering wireless sensor network nodes.

"It sets a solid foundation for self-powering implantable and wireless nanodevices and nanosystems in biofluid and any other type of liquid," Wang and colleagues said.

"Our theoretically estimated power density is 1 to 4 W/cubic centimeter," said Wang. "Our next goal is to grow bigger nanowire arrays to raise the nanogenerators' current to microamperes, and to build a three-dimensional structure to raise the voltage to 0.5 V so that it can be used for powering devices."

To meet that goal, the researchers will have to learn how to control the precise length of grown nanowires. Too short and the wires will not reach the top zigzag electrode when they flex; too long and they will be permanently shorted out against the upper electrode. "Our last challenge will be finding an inexpensive way to package the nanogenerator," said Wang.

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

NNEC '06

docktour_dummy — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 23:11:03 GMT

having just spent the last two days at the National Nano Engineering Conference has altered my vision and inspired my creative intelligence...no small chore when you considered how many other ways and means have been involved in their creation heretofore !!!! however the brilliant presentation of quantum physics at the nano50 awards dinner was icing on the cake...after many hours of presentations by industry "experts" who were all learning as well...a picture of both the hurdles and advancements made since the "discovery" of CNT..the tools created to allow nanoscale manufacturing was quite a bit of info to absorb...everything from an self made millionaire who at 82 was the senior vendor...selling his own invention of a combustion process for diesel that produced CNT...to national lab reps who were scouring for clues to commercialize their discoveries...covered the spectrum of intellectual levels and ideas...nanotech took a bad rap after the dotbomb era...mostly vaporware and future plans for products introduced it to the public...vulture capital shied away and bled away our chances for market share... but i am aware of just how important an issue this technology is...thusly i'm entirely dedicated !!!!

posted in Nanotechnology - 1 reply

Looky what I found

The Intellectual — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:41:18 GMT

Some headway being made into powering nanoscopic devices.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa002&articleID=C8DE2C5F-E7F2-99DF-35A56451AD0DD931

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

Plasmon resonance?

Altaira — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:02:20 GMT

So I've had some rough descriptions of how plasmon resonance works in the context of surface plasmons because that's applied science. Can anyone explain to me what the predicted behavior of plasmons would be in 1D? Should there be a resistance factor, I mean is resistance even an issue with plasmon propagation?

Must the metal be contiguous like a screen, plate, or strand? Or can the resonance transfer over a small gap? If so to the latter, energy transfer is reduced exponentially with distance, do plasmons behave the same way? Do they lose energy to the environment?

What about the difference between solid-solid, solid-gas, and solid-liquid interfaces? In surface plasmon resonance, the change in damper thickness alters the output. Is that dependent on molecular weight? Electron density? Physical dimensions? Water content?

Thank you

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

Pretty cool info

nanotechnowceo — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 06:37:43 GMT

If what they say is true, this little bit of technology could save 25% of the energy we consume in the world today.
http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi

Be sure to click on the title link to read the whole article:

Electricity-saving nanotech start-up to move to the UK

posted in Nanotechnology - 14 replies

Here's a cool news bit that came through today

nanotechnowceo — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 07:35:35 GMT

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=18484

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

fuck nano let's talk stem cells

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 01:22:07 GMT

I gonna get rich

posted in Nanotechnology - 9 replies

Biotech + Nano in North Carolina?

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:26:24 GMT

NC Biotech Research Campus
http://www.localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=13541

posted in Nanotechnology - 2 replies

foresight weekly news Digest May 3

Killa Cham — Fri, 05 May 2006 07:24:42 GMT

FORESIGHT NANOTECH INSTITUTE
WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST
May 3, 2006
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In this issue:
- Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges:
Clean Energy: Solar cell supplier Innovalight raises $7.5 million
Clean Water: Can nanotechnology make saltwater drinkable?
Health: Targeted quantum dots image tumor blood supply
Agriculture: Prospects for regulating nanotechnology in food
Information technology: Tiny wires trigger electric reversal
Space: Engineering alternatives for the first space elevator
- Foresight Lectures - Christine Peterson at Stanford
- Foresight Partners - NanoTech: From promise to reality
- Want more nano news? Become a member of Foresight
- Nanotech News & Events - Call for clean tech business plans
- Editor's Pick - Congratulations, Peter Diamandis

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FORESIGHT NANOTECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES

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Foresight has articulated six critical challenges that humanity faces
which can
be addressed by nanotechnology. In the Weekly News Digest we identify
news items, research breakthroughs, and events citing current research
and
applications providing the stepping stones to solutions to these
challenges:

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

1. Meeting global energy needs with clean solutions

Foresight note: Heres news of additional funding for solar power
employing
nanoscale materials. Hopefully this funding activity will lead to
large-scale
application.

Headline: Solar cell supplier Innovalight raises $7.5 million
News source: IEE Times by Spencer Chin

Innovalight Inc., a privately held firm focused on developing low-cost,
nanotechnology-based printed solar cells, has raised an additional $7.5
million
in private equity financing.

This Series B financing led by Harris & Harris Group, Inc., includes
investment from existing investors Apax Partners, ARCH Venture
Partners,
Sevin Rosen Funds and Triton Ventures.

Innovalight plans to employ this additional capital to accelerate
development
of low cost, lightweight solar cells using a proprietary silicon
ink-based
technology.

Over 90 percent of solar energy modules are made from crystalline
silicon
wafers that are costly to produce and in critical short supply because
of
competing demand from the semiconductor industry.

"Today, solar energy represents a paltry two-hundredths of one percent
of the
total global electrical energy generated because current production
methods
are still too expensive," said Conrad Burke, president and chief
executive.
"Innovalight is developing a technology that could ultimately reduce
the cost
of producing solar-generated electricity tenfold."
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=187002170

Innovalight
http://www.innovalight.com/index.html

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

2. Providing abundant clean water globally

Foresight note: This is radio program discusses nanotechnology and
desalination.

Headline: Can nanotechnology make saltwater drinkable?
News source: Earth & Sky Radio Series

Radio host Deborah Byrd: This is Earth & Sky. Some places are
struggling to
have enough freshwater to sustain a growing human population.

Radio host Joel Block: That includes some cities like Phoenix - the
state of
California - the Middle East - and, ironically, the coasts of many
nations.
Especially along the coasts, desalination can help. That's the removal
of salts
and other substances from saltwater to produce freshwater. Desalination
is
expensive. But it's already widely used in the Middle East, North
Africa and
the Caribbean, and California and Texas are planning desalination
projects.

Radio host Deborah Byrd: We spoke with Kamalesh Sirkar at the New
Jersey
Institute of Technology. He's using a new technology - nanotechnology -
to

purify saltwater. The most commonly used desalination techniques are
called
"distillation" and "reverse osmosis." The nanotech technique is also
expensive, Sirkar said, but it should work faster than other
techniques.

Radio host Joel Block: He's now trying to make it more energy
efficient, and
he's trying to solve the problem of scaling - a process in which salts
and
minerals clog up the system.

Radio host Deborah Byrd: Sirkar is optimistic. He predicts that within
about
three years, nanotech devices using his desalination technology will be
on the
market.
http://www.earthsky.org/shows/show.php?date=20060503

Kamalesh K. Sirkar
http://www.njit.edu/publicinfo/newsroom/sirkar_bio.php

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

3. Increasing the health and longevity of human life

Foresight note: This research details how quantum dots can locate the
blood
source of cancer tumors, making it easier to surgically remove them.

Headline: Targeted quantum dots image tumor blood supply
News source: National Cancer Institute, Alliance for Nanotechnology

Using polymer-coated cadmium telluride/zinc sulfide (CdTe/ZnS) quantum
dots targeted to a molecule found on newly growing blood vessels, a
team at
the Stanford University Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
(CCNE) has shown for the first time that quantum dots can image a
tumor's
blood supply. This development holds promise for the development of new
ways of detecting cancer as well as identifying the edges of a tumor
during
surgery.

Reporting its work in the journal Nano Letters, a group of
investigators led by
Xiaoyuan Chen, Ph.D., Sam Gambhir, M.D., Ph.D., and Shan Wang, Ph.D.,
all project leaders in the Stanford CCNE, described its construction of
a
CdTe/ZnS quantum dot decorated with 30 to 50 copies of a small protein,
or
peptide, known as RGD. This peptide binds specifically to a much larger
protein, called ?v?3, found on the surfaces of new blood vessels
growing in
response to tumor cell signals, as well as on some tumor cells. Tests
with
cultured human tumor cells confirmed that these quantum dots bound
tightly
only to those cells that have ?v?3 on their surfaces.

Based on these promising results with isolated cells, the investigators
explored
whether these targeted quantum dots would bind to human tumors growing
in

mice. In fact, tests with tumor-bearing animals showed that the quantum
dots
were visible in tumors within 20 minutes after injection. The
fluorescent
signal from the tumor-bound quantum dots peaked at six hours after
injection,
and optical images clearly outlined the tumors against a very low
fluorescent
background. Subsequent microscopic examination of the tumors showed
that
the quantum dots were congregated on the blood vessels growing in and
around the tumors.
http://nano.cancer.gov/news_center/nanotech_news_2006-05-01a.asp

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

4. Maximizing the productivity of agriculture

Foresight note: This conference features several speakers on food and
nanotechnology. Here we highlight one of the presentations at this
event.

Headline: Prospects for regulating nanotechnology in food
News source: Agra-net.com

Dr. Linda Katz, Director, Office of Colors & Cosmetics, at the U.S.
Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) / Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
(CFSAN) will give a presentation on Prospects for Regulating
Nanotechnology in Food at Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture,
scheduled for June 6-7, 2006 in Washington, DC. This event offers
attendees
an opportunity to capitalize on new developments being explored by
leading
manufacturers within the industry and the chance to avoid the potential
pitfalls
surrounding this innovative approach to technological development.
http://www.agra-net.com/portal/marlin/system/render.jsp?MarlinViewType=MARKT_EFFORT&marketingid=20001365423&siteid=20000000062&proceed=true&MarEntityId=10001201732&entHash=2541cb0d3

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) / Center for Food Safety &
Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
http://www.foodsafety.gov/list.html

Christine Peterson, Vice President of Public Policy, will also speak at
this meeting.
http://foresight.org/news/index.html

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

5. Making powerful information technology available everywhere

Foresight note: Physicists observe "contrary conductivity" at the
nanoscale.

Headline: Tiny wires trigger electric reversal
News source: Small Times

Physicists have observed an unexpected reversal of conductive behavior
in
ultracold, ultrathin zinc wires.

Typically, a metal wire more readily superconducts, or transports
electricity
without resistance, when it spans superconductive electrodes. However,
that
wire loses its superconductivity if strung between electrodes of normal
metals.
Yet in recent experiments, ultrathin zinc wires did just the opposite:
They
conducted normally when between superconductive electrodes but became
superconductive when between normal electrodes.

The reversal is "very stunning, very surprising," says theoretical
physicist
Dung-Hai Lee of the University of California, Berkeley.

Led by Moses H.W. Chan, researchers at Pennsylvania State University in
State College observed the contrary conductivity. They created
nanoscale-
diameter wires within pores in thin membranes of polycarbonate or
aluminum
oxide and then placed the membranes between pairs of metal electrodes.
The
electrodes' shapes made it possible to measure the electrical
properties of
nanowires one at a time.
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=29&document_id=11377

Moses H.W. Chan
http://www.phys.psu.edu/~chan/

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

6. Enabling the development of space

Foresight note: The ISDC meeting was one of the first to cover nanotech
for
Space. This year they are including a space elevator panel.

Headline: Engineering Alternatives for Design and Deployment of the
First Space Elevator
News source: The 25th Annual International Space Development Conference

A space elevator panel presentation at the Space Development Conference
that will be held in Los Angeles on May 4-6, 2006 will feature leaders
in
space elevator development.

Panel: Engineering Alternatives for Design and Deployment of the First
Space Elevator
May 5, 2006 - 4 p.m.
Speakers:
Brad Edwards -
http://www.spacealumni.skytland.com/content/view/119/242/
Tom Nugent - http://www.liftport.com/
Ben Shelef - http://www.elevator2010.org/site/index.html

The 25th Annual International Space Development Conference
http://isdc.nss.org/2006/

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FORESIGHT LECTURES

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

THE SINGULARITY SUMMIT AT STANFORD
May 13, 2006
Stanford, California

Christine Peterson, Founder and Vice President of Public Policy for
Foresight Nanotech Institute, will speak at The Singularity Summit on
May 13,
2006 at Stanford University, California. Her focus will be on security
and
economic issues arising from accelerating change.
http://sss.stanford.edu/program/

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FORESIGHT PARTNERS

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

If you attend or use any of our partners' events or services, please
tell them
you heard about it from Foresight Nanotech Institute.

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

May 16, 2006 - NanoTech: From Promise to Reality
Organized by IEEE San Francisco Bay Area Nanotechnology Council
Santa Clara, California

This 2nd annual all-day symposium will focus on alternative energy
including
photovoltaics and fuel cells.
http://ewh.ieee.org/r6/san_francisco/nntc/2nd_Annual_NanoTech_Symposium.pdf

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BECOME A MEMBER OF FORESIGHT:

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

If you enjoy reading this news digest, then please consider becoming a
member.
Your support is critical to our success in advancing nanotechnology
that is healthy for people and good for the planet.

We have membership levels suitable for everyone.

List of member benefits:
http://foresight.org/members/index.html
To join:
https://foresight.org/forms/php/donate.php

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NANOTECH NEWS & EVENTS:

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Headline: Scientist warns of nanotechnology dangers
News source: United Press International

A British scientist is warning that hundreds of nanotechnology products
are
about to go on sale despite a lack of biological safety testing.

Nanotechnology products -- containing materials that are 10,000 times
smaller
than the width of a hair -- are already being used in numerous
products, from
medical bandages to golf clubs and paints.

Edinburgh University Professor Anthony Seaton, one of Britain's leading
environmental health experts, says concerns that tiny particles from
the
products might cause respiratory, cardiac and immune problems had not
been
properly assessed, The Scotsman reported Wednesday.

Speaking with the newspaper ahead of a presentation he gave Tuesday at
the
Nanoparticles for European Industry conference in London, Seaton said
that
recommended nano testing "simply hasn't happened."

A recent report from a U.S. science watchdog suggested there are
already 200
products containing nanoparticles on the marketplace, with hundreds
more to
be introduced during the coming year.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060503-030025-6989r

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

Headline: A Humboldt Award for Lehigh University's Martin Harmer:
Nanotechnology research leader is renowned for studies of electronic
ceramics
News source: EurekAlert

Martin Harmer, director of the Center for Advanced Materials and
Nanotechnology (CAMN) at Lehigh University, has been awarded a
Humboldt Research Award for senior scientists by Germany's Alexander
von
Humboldt Foundation. The international honor, one of the most
prestigious
given by Germany, recognizes Harmer's lifetime research achievements in
materials science and engineering.

Harmer, a professor of materials science and engineering at Lehigh, is
world-
renowned for his studies of the properties of structural and electronic
ceramic
materials and their control at the micro- and nanoscale. He is
particularly
interested in developing novel transparent materials and nanomaterials
with
multi-functional properties. Currently, he is studying the sintering
behavior of
nanoparticles of gold and iron oxide, and the mechanism of the
conversion of
polycrystalline alumina into single crystal sapphire for lighting
applications.

As director of Lehigh's CAMN, Harmer leads a variety of projects. In
one, a
multi-disciplinary team of Lehigh researchers is working with peers
from
Harvard, Rice, Georgia Tech, UCLA and the Illinois Institute of
Technology
to study the economic and environmental impact of nanotechnology. The
project is supported by a five-year, $1.7-million grant from the
Nanoscale
Science and Engineering Center of the National Science Foundation.

"The real power of nano is evident when it supports discovery and
innovation
in other areas - areas such as medicine, computing, materials, and
environmental engineering," says Harmer.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/lu-aha050206.php

Martin Harmer
http://www3.lehigh.edu/engineering/news/newsdetail3.asp

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

Headline: NSTI Announces Winners of NSTI Nanotech Venture Awards to
Top Early Stage Companies at NSTI Nanotech 2006 Conference in Boston
News source: Genetic Engineering News

The Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI) today announced its
Early
Stage Company Nanotech Venture Award recipients for 2006. The companies

will present at Nanotech Ventures 2006, which features more than 60
early
stage nanotech companies presenting exclusively to conference attendees
and
vetting teams comprised of some of the top names in nano business. This
year's Nanotech Venture Award winners were selected by a review team
comprised of business and investment leaders on the NSTI Vetting Team.

"Nanotech Ventures 2006 Early Stage Company Review provides an ideal
forum for seed to early-stage companies to showcase their technologies,
market advantages, and to search for funding and 'go-to-market'
partners,"
said Matthew Laudon of the Nano Science & Technology Institute, co-
producer of the event. "Over 150 early stage companies submitted their
business plans into the event, and about fifty percent were invited to
present.
The vetted companies are then given 15 minutes to present and address
on-site
feedback from the vetting team."

This year's 2006 NSTI Nanotech Venture Award winners are Nanopoint,
Inc.,
Progressive Cooling Solutions and OrionSolar Photovoltaics
http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=1065278

NSTI Nanotech Ventures
http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2006/Development/ventures.html

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

May 17-19, 2006
NanoBusiness 2006 - Conference
Sponsored by NanoBusiness Alliance
New York, New York
http://www.nanobusiness2006.com/

The agenda for this meeting has been published
http://www.nanobusiness2006.com/program.php

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

Call for Clean Tech Business Plans - Deadline May 31, 2006
California Clean Tech Open
Sponsored by Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth
http://www.cacleantech.com/index.shtml?page=competitionworks&mode=1

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

2006 Nanochallenge International Business Plan Competition - Deadline
June 16, 2006
Sponsored by Veneto Nanotech
http://www.nanochallenge.com/

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

Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes - Deadline June 30, 2006

The Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes, named in honor of pioneer
physicist
Richard Feynman, are given in two categories, one for experiment and
the
other for theory in nanotechnology. Established in 1993, these prizes
are given
to researchers whose recent work has most advanced the achievement of
Feynman's goal for nanotechnology: the construction of
atomically-precise
products through the use of molecular machine systems.
http://foresight.org/prize/

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

Foresight Institute Prize in Communication - Deadline June 30, 2006

The Foresight Institute Prize in Communication recognizes outstanding
journalistic or other communication endeavors that lead to a better
understanding of molecular nanotechnology and its high social and
environmental impact. This prize was created to encourage responsible
coverage of molecular nanotechnology as a means for engaging the public
in
dialogue leading to improved public policy on this important issue.
This prize
was established in 2000 and is generously underwritten by the law firm
Millstein & Taylor, PC.
http://foresight.org/prize/

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

Foresight Distinguished Student Award - Deadline June 30, 2006

The Foresight Distinguished Student Award was established in 1997 and
is
given to a college undergraduate or graduate student whose work is
notable in
the field of nanotechnology. This award highlights the winning
student's
research and underwrites the student's travel to the award conference.
This
prize is generously supported by Dr. James Ellenbogen, Ravi Pandya, and
James Von Ehr, II.
http://foresight.org/prize/

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

September 18-20, 2006
Commercialization of NanoMaterials 2006 - Conference
Sponsored by TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society)
http://www.tms.org/Meetings/specialty/nano06/home.html

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EDITOR'S PICK

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Dear readers -- When reviewing news for this digest, I often read about
something that I think is cool, but it doesn't fit within the usual
editorial
categories of the News Digest. This section highlights a nanotech
advance,
event or idea that I think is especially cool.

Dr. Peter Diamandis, who serves on Foresight Nanotech Institute's Board
of
Directors, will accept the 2006 Lindbergh Award at a ceremony next
week.
Peter and Arctic explorer Will Steger are recipients of this award,
which is
given by the Lindbergh Foundation to honor an "individual for his or
her
significant contributions toward the Lindbergh's vision of a balance
between
technological advancement and environmental preservation."

Congratulations, Peter!

- Judy

Headline: Peter Diamandis and Will Steger to receive 2006 Lindbergh
awards
News source: HometownSource.com

The Lindbergh Award Event is about extremes -- extreme ideas, extreme
temperatures and extreme places on and above our Earth.

"Peter Diamandis and Will Steger are both consummate explorers, each in
his
own very different, and very exciting way," said Reeve Lindbergh,
honorary
chairwoman of the Foundation and youngest child of Charles and Anne
Morrow Lindbergh. "Together they not only represent balance and the
Foundation's mission, they also reflect balance in human endeavors --
on this
planet and beyond?"
http://www.hometownsource.com/2006/May/3lindyawards.html

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Join the discussion - visit our blog Nanodot led by
Christine Peterson.
http://foresight.org/nanodot/

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The Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest is emailed every
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Judy Conner, Director of Communications at Foresight Nanotech
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the editor of the Foresight Nanotech Institute Weekly News Digest. If
you
would like to submit a news item or contact her with comments about the
News Digest, please send an email to:
editor@foresight.org

Special thanks to Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges Research
Volunteer
Michelle Hubbard, MSc Candidate, Department of Biology,
University of Saskatchewan

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posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

FORESIGHT NANOTECH INSTITUTE WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST March 29, 2006

Killa Cham — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 08:50:03 GMT

In this issue:
- Foresight Nanotechnology Challenges:
Clean Energy: Cool nanotechnology can save energy
Clean Water: Nanotechnology and the water market at NSTI
Health: Liposome researchers seek to stop bird flu before it takes
flight
Agriculture: Nanonutrients' promise: vast gains in human health
Information technology: IBM builds IC around nanotube molecule
Space: Keynote - Breakthrough for broadband in space
- Enjoy Reading? Become a member of Foresight
- Nanotech Events & News
- Editor's Pick

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

FORESIGHT NANOTECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES

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

Foresight has articulated six critical challenges that humanity faces
which can be addressed by nanotechnology. In the Weekly News Digest we identify
news items, research breakthroughs, and events citing current research
and applications providing the stepping stones to solutions to these
challenges:

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

1. Meeting global energy needs with clean solutions

Foresight note: This "nanofluid" research is an excellent example of
the same research having several cross over applications.

Headline: Cool nanotechnology can save energy
News source: Physorg.com

Huge reductions in heating bills, safer surgery and the next generation
of miniaturized computers are among the potential benefits of new
nanotechnology developed at Leeds.

By suspending nanoparticles in water or other liquids, Professor
Richard Williams and Dr Yulong Ding have created 'nanofluids' which can
transfer heat up to 400% faster than other liquids. In a central heating system,
nanofluids could increase efficiency without the need to use a more
powerful pump, so saving energy and providing major environmental benefits.
http://www.physorg.com/news12190.html

Richard Williams
http://www.pace.leeds.ac.uk/research/rwilliam.htm

Yulong Ding
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/chemeng/STAFF/Ding/ding.html

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

2. Providing abundant clean water globally

Foresight note: Environment & Society is a seminar track at NSTI's Nano
2006. A presentation within this track includes a session on water &
nanotechnology.

Headline: Nanotechnology and the water market: applications and health effects
Presented by F.S. Mowat and J. Tsuji from Exponent
News source: NSTI Website

"Nanotechnology and the water market: applications and health effects"
is one of the many presentations that will be given at Nano 2006. Sponsored by
NSTI (Nano Science and Technology Institute) Nano 2006 will be held on
May 7-11, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. This conference features over
eight hundred technology presentations, government program reviews, an
expanded vertical industry symposium and an early stage company
showcase.
http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2006/

Link to presentation:
http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2006/showabstract.html?absno=747

Exponent
http://www.exponent.com/home.html

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

3. Increasing the health and longevity of human life

Foresight note: This article is a good example of how nanoscience
research being conducted at several institutions can result in solving a major
problem facing humanity.

Headline: Liposome researchers seek to stop bird flu before it takes
flight

News source: Small Times by John Carroll

A small band of researchers scattered around the country from East
Tennessee State University to Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital are about to
test a new, nanotech approach to heading off a potential bird flu pandemic.

The scientists are developing liposomes, fatty globules used as a tiny
drug delivery device, which contain a mix of antioxidants and anti-viral
drugs. The researchers believe that these liposomes, which can be reduced to a
size as small as 25 to 50 nanometers, can cripple the lethal chain reaction
that allows a virus to replicate, saving the patient.

By delivering a mix of a typical anti-viral agent along with
antioxidants, "you are able to decrease the viral replication ... of the cell," says
Milton Smith, president of Amaox.
http://www.smalltimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=45&document_id=11105

Case study about Amaox collaboration:
http://www.mindjet.com/pdf/us/case_studies/Mindjet_Amaox_US.pdf

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

4. Maximizing the productivity of agriculture

Foresight note: This article discusses nanotechnology, nutraceuticals
and functional foods.

Headline: Nanonutrients' Promise: Vast Gains In Human Health
News source: Physorg.com

The emerging discipline of nanotechnology holds the promise of
improving functional foods and the capability of delivering healthful food
compounds to the body where it can utilize them best. This is according to the
latest issue of
Food Technology magazine.

Remarkable achievements in nanotechnology--the science, engineering and
technology of controlling matter one-billionth a meter in size--show
great potential for positively influencing human health, the article states.
By enhancing solubility, improving bioavailability, and facilitating the
controlled release and protecting the stability of micronutrients in food
products, nanotechnology could be a successful method to design smart food
systems able to target specific systems within the body and their functions.
http://www.physorg.com/news62779083.html

Link to Food Technology article
by Hongda Chen, Jochen Weiss, and Fereidoon Shahid
http://members.ift.org/NR/rdonlyres/4A403244-F5EF-428F-A53F-F31B8730BFD8/0/0306nano.pdf

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

5. Making powerful information technology available everywhere

Foresight note: Here is a breakthrough announcement from IBM about an
integrated circuit designed around a single carbon nanotube molecule.

Headline: IBM builds IC around nanotube molecule
News source: Photonics.com

IBM announced this week that its researchers have built the first
complete electronic integrated circuit (IC) around a single carbon nanotube
molecule, a new material that shows promise for providing enhanced performance over
today's standard silicon semiconductors.

IBM said the achievement is significant because the circuit was built
using standard semiconductor processes and used a single molecule as the base
for all components in the circuit, rather than linking together
individually constructed components. This can simplify manufacturing and provide the
consistency needed to more thoroughly test and adjust the material for
use in these applications, the company said in a statement.

"Carbon nanotube transistors have the potential to outperform
state-of-the-art silicon devices," said T.C. Chen, vice president, Science & Technology,
IBM Research. "However, scientists have focused so far on fabricating and
optimizing individual carbon nanotube transistors. Now, we can evaluate
the potential of carbon nanotube electronics in complete circuits -- a
critical step toward the integration of the technology with existing chip-making
techniques."
http://www.photonics.com/todaysheadlines/article.asp?id=6264

IBM press release
http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/pr.nsf/pages/news.20060324_carbonnanotube.html

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

6. Enabling the development of space

Foresight note: Nanotechnology is being employed to create a light
detector that will speed Earth to space communication.

Headline: Breakthrough for broadband in space.
News source: UPI Technology Correspondent By Stokely Baksh

Broadband might be entering into space, thanks to a collective team of
MIT researchers developing a tiny light detector that could help speed up
data transmission from planetary probes to Earth.

This is just the latest breakthrough on the nanotechnology front, which
could keep costs low in one aspect of space communication.

"Half the battle is getting the probe up in space, but getting
information back quickly and not limited is also important -- the reason for the probe
to go up there in the first place," said Karl Berggren, assistant professor in
the
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060327-114159-6590r

MIT press release:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/nanowire.html

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

FORESIGHT PARTNERS

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If you attend or use any of our partners' events or services, please
tell them you heard about it from Foresight Nanotech Institute.

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

April 25-26, 2006 - Carbon Nanotubes
Organized by Intertech-Pira
Belgium, Brussels

Carbon nanotubes are poised to take the world by storm! This tiny
technology has the potential to revolutionize strength and light weighing across a
multitude of different materials, making it suitable for applications
as widespread as aeronautics and packaging. Attend this groundbreaking
event to find out where this burgeoning technology is heading and what
opportunities it could offer your business.
http://www.piranet.com

Downloadable brochure for this event:
http://www.piranet.com/pira/piranet.asp?page=confitem.htm&ConferenceId=522

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BECOME A MEMBER OF FORESIGHT:

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If you enjoy reading this news digest, then please consider becoming a
member. Your support is critical to our success in advancing nanotechnology
that is healthy for people and good for the planet.

We have membership levels suitable for everyone.

List of member benefits:
http://foresight.org/members/index.html

Please support Foresight if you truly support and have interest in nanotechnology. I would also encourage all to sign up for the weekly e-newsletter, and become a member after you realize the importance of the organization.

Peace

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

New Nanotechnology Analysis: Tiny Tech Brings Huge Changes

miketreder — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 00:51:24 GMT

- Center for Responsible Nanotechnology engages leading experts to discuss nanotech's impact -

NEW YORK, NY – March 27, 2006 – The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) today announced its first series of new research papers in which industry experts predict profound impacts of nanotechnology on society. Eleven original essays by members of CRN's Global Task Force appear in the latest issue of the journal Nanotechnology Perceptions, published today. From military and security issues to human enhancement, artificial intelligence, and more, these papers give readers a peek under the lid of Pandora's box to see what the future might hold.

Ray Kurzweil, renowned inventor, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, explained, "As the pace of technological advancement rapidly accelerates, it becomes increasingly important to promote knowledgeable and insightful discussion of both promise and peril. I'm very pleased to take part in this effort by including my own essay, and by hosting discussion of these essays on the 'MindX' discussion board at KurzweilAI.net."

Nanotechnology Perceptions is a peer-reviewed academic journal of the Collegium Basilea in Basel, Switzerland. "We jumped at the chance to publish the CRN Task Force essays," said Jeremy Ramsden, editor-in-chief of the journal. "To us, these papers represent world-class thinking about some of the most important challenges that human society will ever face."

In August 2005, the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, a non-profit research and advocacy organization, formed its Global Task Force to study the societal implications of molecular manufacturing, an advanced form of nanotechnology. Bringing together a diverse group of world-class experts from multiple disciplines, CRN is spearheading an historic, collaborative effort to develop comprehensive recommendations for the safe and responsible use of this rapidly emerging technology.

"Our plan from the beginning was to concentrate first on defining the challenges posed by nanotechnology," said Mike Treder, executive director of CRN. "What risks do we really face? How do they relate to each other? What is most important to know in order to cope wisely and effectively with molecular manufacturing?"

Like electricity or computers before it, nanotechnology will bring greatly improved efficiency and productivity in many areas of human
endeavor. In its mature form, known as molecular manufacturing, it will have significant impact on almost all industries and all parts of society. Personal nanofactories may offer better built, longer lasting, cleaner, safer, and smarter products for the home, for
communications, for medicine, for transportation, for agriculture, and for industry in general.

However, as a general-purpose technology, molecular manufacturing will be dual-use, meaning that in addition to its civilian applications, it will have military uses as well—making far more powerful weapons and tools of surveillance. Thus, it represents not only wonderful benefits for humanity, but also grave risks.

"Progress toward developing the technical requirements for desktop molecular manufacturing is advancing rapidly," said Chris Phoenix, CRN's director of research. "These new essays examine many of the radical changes that molecular manufacturing will bring to society. We hope our readers will decide to get involved in the vital work of raising awareness and finding effective solutions to the challenges presented to the world by advanced nanotechnology."

The CRN Task Force essays also will be posted online at KurzweilAI.net and Wise-Nano.org. A second collection of essays exploring additional concerns will form the next issue of Nanotechnology Perceptions. Both series are available for publishing or reprint under Gnu Free Documentation License (GFDL). The first group of essays are:

1. "Nanotechnology Dangers and Defenses" - Ray Kurzweil

2. "Molecular Manufacturing: Too Dangerous to Allow?" - Robert A. Freitas Jr.*

3. "Nano-Guns, Nano-Germs, and Nano-Steel" - Mike Treder

4. "Molecular Manufacturing and 21st Century Policing" - Tom Cowper

5. "The Need For Limits" - Chris Phoenix

6. "Globalization and Open Source Nano Economy" - Giulio Prisco

7. "Cultural Dominants and Differential MNT Uptake" - Damien Broderick

8. "Nanoethics and Human Enhancement" - Patrick Lin & Fritz Allhoff

9. "Strategic Sustainable Brain" - Natasha Vita-More

10. "Is AI Near a Takeoff Point?" - J. Storrs Hall

11. "Singularities and Nightmares: The Range of Our Futures" - David Brin

* This essay is (c) Robert A. Freitas Jr., and is not released under GFDL.

LINKS:
Press Release - http://crnano.org/PR-essays.1.htm
List of Essays - http://crnano.org/CTF-Essays.htm
CRN Task Force Members - http://crnano.org/CTF.htm

About the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (http://CRNano.org), a non-profit think tank concerned with the major societal and environmental implications of advanced nanotechnology, is headquartered in New York. CRN is an affiliate of World Care, an international, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. The opinions expressed in the essays described in this press release are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, nor of its parent organization, World Care.

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

C-R-Newsletter #38

miketreder — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 19:15:40 GMT

The latest edition of the C-R-Newsletter has been posted on our main website.

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:

- WorldChanging Interview
- CRN Goes to Switzerland
- From Heaven to Doomsday
- The Future And You
- CRN Task Force Essays
- Developing Countries and Nano Law
- Nanotech Basics for Students
- A New Definition of Nanotechnology
- Sander Olson's Interviews
- CRN Goes to Spain
- Nanomanufacturing Conference
- Feature Essay: Who remembers analog computers?

Read the whole newsletter — http://crnano.org/archive06.htm#38

Sign up for a free subscription — http://crnano.org/contact.htm#Newsletter

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

posted in Nanotechnology - 1 reply

"Revolution in a Box"

miketreder — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 02:33:44 GMT

CRN is pleased that a long interview about our work on responsible nanotechnology was posted today by Jamais Cascio at the popular WorldChanging site. We hope you'll read the full interview, and then leave a comment expressing your thoughts about our thoughts.

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/004078.html

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

President's budget allots $8 million for Oregon nanotech

gregcollver — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 17:56:18 GMT

The new center would be established as part of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, a collaborative effort between the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University and the federal Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash.

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2006/02/06/daily3.html

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

Is Science founded upon a fundamental error?

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 05:49:13 GMT

This question relates to the subject of my life's work, and I've recently completed the first draft of an essay (in 5 parts) entitled, "A Geometric Foundation for a Contemporary Philosophy of Nature". For anyone interested in the subject, I'd like to make the essay available for your comments, criticisms, ideas and questions. I just now put Part 1 of the essay on my profile blog. The remainder of the essay, because it has so many photos, would be better sent by e-mail to anyone interested. It's brief, about 20 pages. My address is: lacanova@valornet.com
Oh, and there's also some info that was posted yesterday at www.smellingthecoffee.com that has a PDF about constructing the new geometric elements using coffee stirrers.

posted in Nanotechnology - 3 replies

Aerogel - Nasa's Nano

ardensdad — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 12:07:45 GMT

Here's an excerpt from the article I posted photos from:

"Aerogel Capabilities

Aerogel is not like conventional foams, but is a special porous material with extreme microporosity on a micron scale. It is composed of individual features only a few nanometers in size. These are linked in a highly porous dendritic-like structure. This exotic substance has many unusual properties, such as low thermal conductivity, refractive index and sound speed - in addition to its exceptional ability to capture fast moving dust. Aerogel is made by high temperature and pressure-critical-point drying of a gel composed of colloidal silica structural units filled with solvents. Aerogel was prepared and flight qualified at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). JPL also produced aerogel for the Mars Pathfinder and Stardust missions, which possesses well-controlled properties and purity. This particular JPL-made silica aerogel approaches the density of air. It is strong and easily survives launch and space environments. JPL aerogel capture experiments have flown previously and been recovered on Shuttle flights, Spacelab II and Eureca."

and here's the link to the article: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/mission/aerogel-index.html

posted in Nanotechnology - 18 replies

Super Lense - One nm visual resolution!

gregcollver — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 15:58:20 GMT

This has to be great news!

Physicists at Oregon State University have made an important advance towards the creation of a functional "superlens" - an extraordinary optical device that would bend light the opposite direction of that done by any natural material.

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/oregon_researchers_make_big_advance_on_road_to_superlens_9630

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

Responsible Nanotechnology Newsletter #36

miketreder — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 17:21:48 GMT

We wrap up our third year, appropriately, with monthly newsletter #36. Here’s wishing all our readers a prosperous and joyous 2006!

CONTENTS

- CRN Goes to Yale
- New President at Foresight
- CRN Task Force Progress
- Bragging About Blogging
- A Global Surge Protector?
- Inside CRN, Parts 1-5
- Milestones & Moving Forward
- Feature Essay: Simple Nanofactories vs. Floods of Products

To read this month's C-R-Newsletter, go to http://www.crnano.org/archive05.htm#36

REMINDER: Every month this newsletter gets you up to date on recent events, but to follow the latest happenings on a daily basis, be sure to check our Responsible Nanotechnology weblog at http://CRNano.typepad.com/

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

nanofactory movie

liquis — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 14:47:18 GMT

this is pretty neat

http://mfile3.akamai.com/12032/mov/kurzweil.download.akamai.com/12032/kain/nanoFactoryFinal101.mov

posted in Nanotechnology - 2 replies

Potential Nanoparticle Hazards

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 16:17:20 GMT

More Research Urged on Nanoparticle Risk
By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press Writer Sun Dec 11, 9:09 PM ET

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Those stain-resistant khakis you just picked up at the mall, the tennis ball that holds its bounce longer and sunscreen that's clear instead of white have something in common — nanotechnology.

Scientists manipulating matter at the molecular level have improved on hundreds of everyday products in recent years and are promising dramatic breakthroughs in medicine and other industries as billions of dollars a year are pumped into the nascent sector.

But relatively little is known about the potential health and environmental effects of the tiny particles — just atoms wide and small enough to easily penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs.

While governments and businesses have begun pumping millions of dollars into researching such effects, scientists and others say nowhere near enough is being spent to determine whether nanomaterials pose a danger to human health.

Michael Crichton's bestselling book "Prey" paints a doomsday scenario in which a swarm of tiny nanomachines escapes the lab and threatens to overwhelm humanity. Scientists believe the potential threat from nanomaterials is more everyday than a sci-fi thriller, but no less serious.

Studies have shown that some of the most promising carbon nanoparticles — including long, hollow nanotubes and sphere-shaped buckyballs — can be toxic to animal cells. There are fears that exposure can cause breathing problems, as occurs with some other ultrafine particles, that nanoparticles could be inhaled through the nose, wreaking unknown havoc on brain cells, or that nanotubes placed on the skin could damage DNA.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is developing guidelines for working with nanomaterials, saying the tiny particles may raise health concerns and the risk to those who work with them is unknown.

Also unknown is the risk to consumers and the environment.

"No one knows, and that's the problem," said Pat Roy Mooney, executive director of the ETC Group, an Ottawa-based nonprofit that studies the impact of technology on people and the environment. "People are rubbing them on our skin as sunscreens and as cosmetics."

Mooney's group is calling for products, such as sunscreen, that are directly absorbed into the body to be taken off the shelf until there is more study.

"Frankly, I don't think that skin creams or stain resistant pants or food additives are a good reason to sacrifice someone's health," he said.

The federal government currently spends about $1 billion a year on nanotechnology research under its National Nanotechnology Initiative.

A newly released inventory by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies found about $6 million being spent annually by the federal government on research that is highly focused on health and environmental effects of nanotechnology. Though the inventory is not a complete accounting of all research, it indicates that a small percentage of research dollars are going to health and safety, said Dave Rejeski, director of the non-partisan policy group.

"More energy and more funding needs to go into it," said Kevin Ausman, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University in Texas.

"There is not going to be a simple answer to the question 'Is nanotechnology dangerous?'" he said.

But Ausman and others said the nanotechnology sector is ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding potential dangers, and is doing far more early research than has been done in other industries, even one as relatively new as biotechnology.

"These issues are being discussed openly," said Agnes Kane, a pathologist at Brown University, who is moving into nanotechnology after extensive work researching asbestos. She is one of several Brown professors sharing a $1.8 million, four-year grant to study the effects of nanoparticles on human and animal cells.

The asbestos industry, which doled out staggering sums of money for liability lawsuits after material used for insulation was shown to cause cancer and other ailments, paid the price for a failure to fully understand the product's dangers before putting it on the market, Kane said.

"This is one of the few areas that I've been in that there has been a discussion at the beginning," she said.

Rejeski said researchers are struggling with how much to spend and how to decide what research to fund. The group's inventory of research is a kind of "nanotech dating service" that can help match up researchers with similar interests who are looking for partners, he said.

It can also identify holes and point to areas that need more funding. For example, a search of the inventory shows much of the research now happening is focused on the lungs. Very little is focused on the gastrointestinal tract — even though there are new toothpastes being developed that use nanotechnology, Rejeski said.

There's also very little so-called lifecycle research — how nanomaterials break down in the environment, Rejeski said.

Scientists are also working on creating a standard terminology for nanotechnology so that researchers from different backgrounds can work together and better understand the research that's been done in other fields.

The NanoBusiness Alliance, a group of large and small businesses, is looking at working with other groups to conduct an economic analysis of the level of funding that is needed for environmental health and safety research in the coming year. The alliance consists primarily of nanotech startups but also includes major corporations such as Lockheed Martin and Motorola and research institutions including Northwestern and Purdue universities.

Sean Murdock, executive director of the group, said he believes it's premature to regulate the young industry but that businesses recognize that more health and safety research is needed.

"If we keep our eye on the ball," he said, "we can avoid big downstream problems."

posted in Nanotechnology - 1 reply

Bioengineering / FEA Tribe

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 04:02:54 GMT

If you are interested...

http://tribes.tribe.net/bioengr

http://fea.tribe.net/

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

NEW tribe: Photonics

gregcollver — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 18:20:52 GMT

To discuss the exciting future of photonic computing and communications.

http://tribes.tribe.net/photonics

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

Free Public Talk — William BC Crandall

Jabir — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:11:12 GMT

Nanotechnology
the Solar System & You

Free Public Talk — William BC Crandall
30 November 2005 ▪ Wednesday ▪ Noon to 1:00
453 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley (Tamalpais Bank)
Bring your lunch, if you want!

William BC Crandall, President & Director of Abundant Planet, edited Nanotechnology: Research and Perspectives (1992) and Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance (1996), both from The MIT Press. Edward O. Wilson wrote, “In clear and compelling language, Nanotechnology [1996] describes the ideas and techniques that are creating a new domain of science and technology.” Contact: Crandall@AbundantPlanet.org

posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

C-R-Newsletter: SPECIAL ISSUE

miketreder — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:15:52 GMT

C-R-Newsletter #35: November 30, 2005

To read this on the Web, with nice formatting and hyperlinks, go to http://www.crnano.org/archive05.htm#35

NOTE: In the items below, links are indicated with [brackets], and shown at the end of each section.

Editor's Note

On December 30, 2004, [we wrote] in our blog: "Things are really starting to heat up around nanotechnology. It looks to us as if 2005 is going to be a huge year for tiny tech."

That prediction was right on the mark. The last 11 months have seen tremendous progress in nanoscience and technology. In this *Special Issue* of the C-R-Newsletter, we’ll highlight a few of the remarkable developments that have made 2005 the Year of Nano.

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2004/12/nanobot_talk.html

CONTENTS

- Two Major MM Papers from Chris Phoenix
- CRN Inspires Research on DNA
- Nanoscale Engineering at Northwestern
- Building Molecular Machines at Rice
- Pitt Goes Top-Down & Bottom-Up
- Nanotech Roadmap Update
- CRN Task Force Progress
- Milestones & Moving Forward
- Feature Essay: Notes on Nanofactories

Every month this newsletter gets you up to date on recent events, but to follow the latest happenings on a daily basis, be sure to check our Responsible Nanotechnology weblog at http://CRNano.typepad.com/

==========

Two Major MM Papers from Chris Phoenix

Earlier this year, CRN's Director of Research Chris Phoenix produced two important papers. "Developing Molecular Manufacturing" was published in March, and then in May, Chris released the findings of a study he performed for NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts

The [first paper] proposes that the development of molecular manufacturing can be an incremental process from today's capabilities, and may not be as distant as many believe. Three stages for the development of molecular manufacturing, each with specific milestones, are identified: 1) computer-controlled fabrication of precise molecular structures; 2) exponential growth of the manufacturing base using nanoscale tools to build more tools; 3) integrating nanoscale products into large structures, leading to desktop 'nanofactories' that could build advanced products.

The [second work], titled "Molecular Manufacturing: What, Why and How," provides a new analysis of existing technological capabilities, including proposed steps from today's nanotech to advanced molecular machine systems. Chris describes two approaches for building the initial basic tools with current technology. Other sections outline incremental improvement from those early tools toward the first integrated nanofactory, and analyze a scalable architecture for a more advanced nanofactory. Product performance and likely applications are discussed, as well as incentives for corporate or government investment in the technology. Finally, considerations and recommendations for a targeted development program are presented.

http://www.crnano.org/developing.htm
http://wise-nano.org/w/Doing_MM

CRN Inspires Research on DNA

Inspired by one of CRN's [Thirty Essential Studies] — [Study #10], "What will be required to develop nucleic acid manufacturing and products?" — Frank Boehm wrote "An Investigation of Nucleic Acid/DNA-Based Manufacturing." In a 26-page paper with 242 references, [published online] in April at the Wise-Nano.org website, Boehm describes many different kinds of tools in the DNA device toolbox, and shows how rapidly development is occurring in this field.

http://www.crnano.org/studies.htm
http://www.crnano.org/study10.htm
http://wise-nano.org/w/Boehm_DNA_Study

Nanoscale Engineering at Northwestern

One path to molecular manufacturing would use a traditional machining approach to build small systems that can perform increasingly precise operations, similar to what was originally proposed by [Richard Feynman]. Current university research may be significantly improving the chances of success for this approach.

In September, [we reported] that researchers at Northwestern had designed a tiny sensitive system for applying and sensing force, welded samples to the device using a new and very powerful nanoscale manufacturing system, then put the device in a tunneling electron microscope (TEM), and watched the tube while they pulled it apart.

Although nothing in this work is atomically precise (with the possible exception of the TEM microscopy), it is getting close. The ability to integrate MEMS, nano-manipulation, FIB, and SEM in a single manufacturing system opens a vast new array of experiments and adds a powerful new part to the [nanotech toolbox].

http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/feynman.html
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/09/nanoscale_engin.html
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2004/08/nanotechnology__1.html

Building Molecular Machines at Rice

Is anyone doing actual lab work on molecular manufacturing? We're often asked that question, and now we have a positive answer: A research group at Rice University that produced the [nanocar]. Their reported goal is to "build tiny trucks that could carry atoms and molecules around in miniature factories."

[Dr. James Tour], one of the two lead researchers at Rice, says, "The synthesis and testing of nanocars and other molecular machines is providing critical insight in our investigations of bottom-up molecular manufacturing. We'd eventually like to move objects and do work in a controlled fashion on the molecular scale, and these vehicles are great test beds for that. They're helping us learn the ground rules."

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/10/nanofactory_tru.html
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/10/us_scientists_d.html

Pitt Goes Top-Down & Bottom-Up

In a span of two weeks in late October, we read a remarkable pair of reports about important nanotechnology work taking place at the University of Pittsburgh's Institute of NanoScience and Engineering.

The [first account] told of Pitt scientists using an advanced nanofabrication system to create the world's smallest chess pieces, approximately 400 nanometers wide. Although this new top-down technology is not quite atomically precise, it does use an electron beam focused to less than two nanometers, allowing researchers to create nanometer-scale structures.

In the [second instance], we learned more about the impressive progress being made by Christian Schafmeister, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. His experimental work—designing modular molecules that link together in predictable ways with pairs of stiff bonds—will enable, for the first time, the quick manufacture of sturdy, predictable nanostructures. Because the molecules are large enough to have interesting functions and rigid, designed shapes, they hold great promise as nanoscale parts for future atomically precise nanoscale machines.

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/10/accelerating_te.html
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/11/atomically_prec.html

Nanotech Roadmap Update

Last summer, the Foresight Nanotech Institute and the [Battelle] research organization announced that they would work together to produce a Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems. This effort is being funded in part by the Waitt Family Foundation, as well as by corporate supporters including Sun Microsystems. The published [Roadmap Background] states a clear intention to close the "implementation gap" separating today’s nanostructures from the "complex productive nanosystems of the future."

They say that biopolymers (DNA, protein) can provide a basis for the design and fabrication of atomically precise, self-assembling composite structures—forming molecular components that bind and organize diverse nanostructures (nanotubes, macromolecules) to form molecular machine systems. Further steps are expected to show the way from the production of 1-dimensional polymers to 2- and 3-dimensional covalent structures, from self-assembly to simpler, mechanical construction methods, and from microscopic systems to desktop-scale factories.

Ultimately, these advanced productive nanosystems (molecular manufacturing systems) should enable the fabrication of large, complex products cleanly, efficiently, and at low cost. According to [Eric Drexler], one of the lead researchers on the Roadmap project, nanofactory products could include:
· Desktop computers with a billion processors
· Inexpensive, efficient solar energy systems
· Medical devices able to destroy pathogens and repair tissues
· Materials 100 times stronger than steel
· Superior military systems
· Additional molecular manufacturing systems

http://www.battelle.org/
http://www.foresight.org/roadmaps/prod_nano.html
http://www.e-drexler.com/

CRN Task Force Progress

The July announcement of an initiative to create a Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems (see above) motivated CRN to organize a parallel process of study and action: the CRN Global Task Force on Implications and Policy. Bringing together a diverse group of world-class experts from multiple disciplines, CRN is leading an historic, collaborative effort to develop comprehensive recommendations for the safe and responsible use of molecular manufacturing.

We now have more than [50 participants] from six different countries on the CRN Task Force. Currently, the group is working on a series of short essays to identify specific concerns that must be addressed. When these are published in anthology form early next year, we will ask for feedback on our ideas, as well as public input on additional concerns.

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

Milestones & Moving Forward

As CRN approaches our 3rd anniversary, we are proud of what we've accomplished so far, but mindful that greater challenges await us in 2006. This is important work that few others are doing. To keep moving forward, we will need to grow fast.

A [new page] on our website lists some of the significant milestones from CRN’s first three years. That page also outlines our current priorities—including research, outreach, and development—and suggests several ways in which you can help advance this work.

http://www.crnano.org/milestones.htm

Feature Essay: Notes on Nanofactories
Chris Phoenix, Director of Research, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology

This month's science essay is prompted by several questions about nanofactories that I've received over the past few months. I'll discuss the way in which nanofactories combine nanoscale components into large integrated products; the reason why a nanofactory will probably take about an hour to make its weight in product; and how to cool a nanofactory effectively at such high production rates.

In current nanofactory designs, sub-micron components are made at individual workstations and then combined into a product. This requires some engineering above and beyond what would be needed to build a single workstation. Tom Craver, on our [blog], suggested that there might be a transitional step, in which workstations are arranged in a two-dimensional sheet and make a thin sheet of product. The sheet of manufacturing systems would not have to be flat; it could be V-folded, and perhaps a solid product could be pushed out of a V-folded arrangement of sheets. With a narrow folding angle, the product might be extruded at several times the mechanosynthetic deposition rate.

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/11/what_does_extre.html#comment-11311211

Although the V-fold idea is clever, I think it's not necessary. Once you can build mechanosynthetic systems that can build sheets of product, you're most of the way to a 3D nanofactory. For a simple design, each workstation produces a sub-micron "nanoblock" of product (each dimension being the thickness of the product sheet) rather than a connected sheet of product. Then you have the workstations pass the blocks "hand over hand" to the edge of the workstation sheet. In a primitive nanofactory design, much of the operational complexity would be included in the incoming control information rather than the nanofactory's hardware. This implies that each workstation would have a general-purpose robot arm or other manipulator capable of passing blocks to the next workstation.

After the blocks get to the edge of the sheet, they are added to the product. Instead of the product being built incrementally at the surface of V-folded sheets, the sheets are stacked fully parallel, just like a ream of paper, and the product is built at the edge of the ream.

Three things will limit the product 'extrusion' speed:

1) The block delivery speed. This would be about 1 meter per second, a typical speed for mechanisms at all scales. This is not a significant limitation.
2) The speed of fastening a block in place. Even a 100-nanometer block has plenty of room for nanoscale mechanical fasteners that can basically just snap together as fast as the blocks can be placed. Fasteners that work by molecular reactions could also be fast.
3) The width (or depth, depending on your point of view) of the sheet: how many workstations are supplying blocks to each workstation-width edge-of-sheet. The width of the sheet stack is limited by the ability to circulate cooling fluid, but it turns out that even micron-wide channels can circulate fluid for several centimeters at moderate pressure. So you can stack the sheets quite close together, making a centimeter-thick slab. With 100-nanometer workstations, that will have several thousand workstations supplying each 100-nanometer-square edge-of-stack area. If a workstation takes an hour to make a 100-nanometer block, then you're depositing several millimeters per hour. That's if you build the product solid; if you provide a way to shuffle blocks around at the product-deposition face, you can include voids in the product, and 'extrude' much faster; perhaps a mm per second.

Tom pointed out that a nanofactory that built products by block deposition would require extra engineering in several areas, such as block handling mechanisms, block fasteners, and software to control it all. All this is true, but it is the type of problem we have already learned to solve. In some ways, working with nanoblocks will be easier than working with today's industrial robots; surface forces will be very convenient, and gravity will be too weak to cause problems.

On the same blog post, Jamais Cascio [asked] why I keep saying that a nanofactory will take about an hour to make its weight of product. The answer is simple: If the underlying technology is much slower than that, it won't be able to build a kilogram-scale nanofactory in any reasonable time. And although advanced nanofactories might be somewhat faster, a one-hour nanofactory would be revolutionary enough.

http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/11/what_does_extre.html#comment-11299571

A one-kilogram one-hour nanofactory could, if supplied with enough feedstock and energy, make thousands of tons of nanofactories or products in a single day. It doesn't much matter if nanofactories are faster than one hour (3600 seconds). Numbers a lot faster than that start to sound implausible. Some bacteria can reproduce in 15 minutes (900 seconds). Scaling laws suggest that a 100-nm scanning probe microscope can build its mass in 100 seconds. (The non-manufacturing overhead of a nanofactory--walls, computers, and so on--would probably weigh less than the manufacturing systems, imposing a significant but not extreme delay on duplicating the whole factory.) More advanced molecule-processing systems could, in theory, process their mass even more quickly, but with reduced flexibility.

On the slower side, the first nanofactory can't very well take much longer than an hour to make its mass, because if it did, it would be obsoleted before it could be built. It goes like this: A nanofactory can only be built by a smaller nanofactory. The smallest nanofactory will have to be built by very difficult lab work. So you'll be starting from maybe a 100-nm manufacturing system (10^-15 grams) and doubling sixty times to build a 10^3 gram nanofactory. Each doubling takes twice the make-your-own-mass time. So a one-hour nanofactory would take 120 hours, or five days. A one-day nanofactory would take 120 days, or four months. If you could double the speed of your 24-hour process in two months (which gives you sixty day-long "compile times" to build increasingly better hardware using the hardware you have), then the half-day nanofactory would be ready before the one-day nanofactory would.

Tom Craver pointed out that if the smaller nanofactory can be incorporated into the larger nanofactory that it's building, then doubling the nanofactory mass would take only half as long. So, a one-day nanofactory might take only two months, and a one-hour nanofactory less than three days. Tom also pointed out that if a one-day tiny-nanofactory is developed at some point, and its size is slowly increased, then when the technology for a one-hour nanofactory is developed, a medium-sized one-hour nanofactory could be built directly by the largest existing one-day nanofactory, saving part of the growing time.

In my ["primitive nanofactory"] paper, which used a somewhat inefficient physical architecture in which the fabricators were a fraction of the total mass, I computed that a nanofactory on that plan could build its own mass in a few hours. This was using the Merkle pressure-controlled fabricator, [see "Casing an Assembler"], with a single order of magnitude speedup to go from pressure to direct drive.

http://www.crnano.org/bootstrap.htm
http://www.foresight.org/Conferences/MNT6/Papers/Merkle/

In summary, the one-hour estimate for nanofactory productivity is probably within an order of magnitude of being right.

The question about cooling a nanofactory was asked at a talk I gave a few weeks ago, and I don't remember who asked it. To build a kilogram per hour of diamond requires rearranging on the order of 10^26 covalent bonds in an hour. The bond energy of carbon is approximately 350 kJ/mol, or 60 MJ/kg. Spread over an hour, that much energy would release 16 kilowatts, about as much as a plug-in electric heater.

Of course, you don't want a nanofactory to glow red-hot. And the built-in computers that control the nanofactory will also generate quite a bit of heat--perhaps even more than the covalent reactions themselves. So, fluid cooling looks like a good idea. It turns out that, although the inner features of a nanofactory will be very small--on the order of one micron--cooling fluid can be sent for several centimeters down a one-micron channel with only a modest pressure drop. This means that the physical architecture of the nanofactory will not need to be adjusted to accommodate variable-sized tree-structured cooling pipes.

In the years I have spent thinking about nanofactory design, I have not encountered any problem that could not be addressed with standard engineering. Of course, engineering in a new domain will present substantial challenges and require a lot of work. However, it is not safe to assume that some unexpected problem will arise to delay nanofactory design and development. As work on enabling technologies progresses, it is becoming increasingly apparent that nanofactories can be addressed as an integration problem rather than a fundamental research problem. Although their capabilities seem futuristic, their technology may be available before most people expect it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

FUNDRAISING ALERT!

Recent developments in efforts to roadmap the technical steps toward molecular manufacturing make the work of CRN more important than ever.

It is critical that we examine the global implications of this rapidly emerging technology, and begin creating wise and effective solutions. That's why we have formed the CRN Task Force.

But it won't be easy. We need to grow, and rapidly, to meet the expanding challenge.

Your donation to CRN will help us to achieve that growth. We rely largely on individual donations and small grants for our survival.

To make a contribution on-line click this link > https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=5594

This is important work and we welcome your participation.

Thank you!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology(TM) is an affiliate of World Care(R), an international, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. All donations to CRN are handled through World Care. The opinions expressed by CRN do not necessarily reflect those of World Care.

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posted in Nanotechnology - 0 replies

molecular engineering

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:01:06 GMT

Is anyone out there doing molecular engineering work with nanotechnology?

posted in Nanotechnology - 1 reply

Nano foods

ionamiller — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 06:47:06 GMT

I just returned from World Nutra 2005 in Anaheim.
We had fires, floods, lightning, a 5.0 earthquake and the hotel was evacuated by th bomb squad! but the scariest part was the nanofoods:

Iona
http://ionamiller.chaosmagic.com

Worldnutra - Newsletter Papers: Nanotechnology and its Application ...Worldnutra Home, Worldnutra 2005 Program, Worldnutra 2005 Exhibition ... Nanotechnology has become a fashionably hot term appearing on a multitude of media ...
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Worldnutra - Program At-A-GlancePresentation of WORLDNUTRA Merit Award. Session 3: Nanotechnology in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Session Chairpersons: Hongda Chen, ...
www.worldnutra.com/ataglance.htm - 37k - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.worldnutra.com ]

To include details of events on this page, please contact: IENICA ...16 Oct 2005, WORLDNUTRA 2005: 6th International Conference and Exhibition on ... 1 - 3 Nov 2005, International Congress of Nanotechnology 2005 ...
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The American Oil Chemists' Society--The Home for Fat, Oils, and ...16-19 Oct. Worldnutra 2005. Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort, Anaheim, CA, USA ... Oct 31-Nov 04 International Congress of Nanotechnology 2005 ...
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Nanotechnology and its Application to Food and Nutraceuticals
Dr. Hongda Chen,
National Program Leader
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES)
United States, Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Washington, DC 20250-2220

Nanotechnology has become a fashionably hot term appearing on a multitude of media including major newspapers and magazines, novels and movies, and TV commercials. Scientific community has enthusiastically embraced this new frontier of research and development. In the field of food and agriculture alone, it is observed that the number of symposia, conferences, and workshop held worldwide has exponentially increased over the last three years. So what is this NANOTECHNOLOGY? What does it have to do with food and nutrition science? This short article attempts to provide the readers a glimpse into it. If you are interested in finding out more about this subject, please attend the symposium titled “Nanotechnology in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods” at the WORLDNUTRA 2005, 6th International Conference and Exhibition on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods to be held October 16 - 19, 2005 at Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort, Anaheim, CA.

Nanotechnology, a short form of nanoscale science, engineering and technology, is all about our new capabilities to image, measure, model, control and manipulate matter at dimension of roughly 1 to 100 nanometers, where novel phenomena governed by quantum mechanics enable new applications. Nanotechnology has led us to a vast array of new technologies that will impact virtually every aspect of science and technology, industry and economy, the environment, and human lives. For example, who would have imaged using spinach to generate electricity, power laptops, and recharge cellular phones? A research project recently funded by USDA National Research Initiative (NRI) program seeks to create a biologically inspired photochemical device that incorporates one of nature’s optimized nanoscale photodiode, a Photosystem I (PSI) reaction center extracted from spinach leaves. It is based on the new capability to precisely control the orientation, immobilization and electrical transfer of PSI (a nanoscale protein structure) assembled on metallic surfaces. The success of this research may provide an effective rechargeable energy source to power miniature devices for diagnostic, detective, and monitoring tasks.

Nutraceuticals and functional foods are at the dawn of unprecedented influence on improving public health in both developmental and degenerative stages. To fully advance it, food and nutrition scientists must address a number of critical challenges, including screening a myriad of potential bioactively beneficial compounds, uncovering complex underpinning mechanisms, establishing optimal intake levels and synergistic formulations, developing adequate food delivering matrix, and monitoring, and adjusting timely, if necessary, product formulation. Nanotechnology will contribute to the solutions in many of these fronts. For instance, research on nanostructured emulsion, liposome and biopolymeric capsule can lead to improved properties for protection of bioactive compounds, integration into food matrix, stability through food processes and distribution, masking undesirable flavors and modifying sensory profile. Smart delivery systems can sense and respond to specific stimuli for controlled releases with feedback regulation capability. Other new developments in nanotechnology based molecular imaging and quantitative analytical tools will aid in better understanding of cellular and sub-cellular interactions with nutrients in complex systems.

Key Reference:

Scott, N. and Chen, H. 2003. Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food System. Report of National Planning Workshop, submitted to Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). http://www.nseafs.cornell.edu

posted in Nanotechnology - 3 replies