Nanotechnology : Book page

Newsletter Feb 25th 2008

Admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:34:22 +0000

Hello everybody Just a note to inform you of some new features we have introduced at Nanovip.com...

ARTICLES.. We are gradually introducing more translations of our articles, direct links can be found here.... English - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5420 German - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5297 Spanish - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5310 French - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5314 Arabic - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5474 Chinese - http://www.nanovip.com/node/5499 To come, Indian. If you would like to help in any translations from English I would love to hear from you. Would you like to write short articles for Nanovip? Advantages are numerous. Your link on each article. Also great for the backlinks for Google indexing. FORUM.. We are also keen to get our forum more active so if you want to air your views I invite you to post them in the forum and get yourself some feedback from like-minded people ... http://www.nanovip.com/forum/1925 FREE ADVERTISING OFFERS.. Now then - whats up with you guys? We offer many opportunities for you to advertise your company/products/services for FREE!! We are a PR7 site currently receiving over 5000 visits a day all interested in Nanotech related content. Take advantage of this offer now and contact me if interested in any of the following free spots ......... (must be nano based) 1 - For Sale and Wanted - Get a free front page link to a detailed page with your offers or requirements FREE 2 - Company Spot - Front page spotlite for your company 3 - Academic Spot - Front page spotlite for your research seat NEWS.. Do you have any news - Why not use Nanovip to your own advantage - Tell us of any news items you may have and we will publish it. ADMIN... Nanovip is growing rapidly and now boasts over 5000 pages of directory and news content. We are always seeking to adjust our presentation to suit our readers. If you have any thought on how we can improve our portal I would be pleased to hear from you. Is there any thing you would like to see added? Your ideas would be most grateful. You may have noticed that we have gradually removed all graphical ads and buttons as we felt it detracted the visitor too much, being bombarded with this stuff. Now we tend to have only relavent textual ads. Thank you all for suppoting our Nanovip portal and please consider registering as we have more plans for members. Regards JohnT Nanovip

Newsletter December 2007

Admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:38:50 +0000

Hello everyone First off I would like to wish all of our readers an extremely happy and prosperous 2008. I am touching base to keep you all informed about the activities at www.Nanovip.com. We are extremely busy these days and are continuing to work at making Nanovip an attractive and interesting venue to visit. You can probably see the changes as we move forward. Our intentions are to make Nanovip available for all to discuss, debate and deliberate. Therefore I would like to make the following proposals to those that may be interested........ 1. I am at present creating an area for academic papers, articles, thoughts etc. This will be a area that you can place your articles large or small. Basically aimed at the research establishments and universities etc. If you would like to air your views by way of small articles or perhaps post the virtues of your particular research venue, I would love to hear from you by return of this email. 2. We have a product directory at nanodeal.com where you can post your company details along with the nano-products you sell. Great for the backlinks and your SE indexing 3. A new 'Jobs' link has been placed in the menu of Nanovip. We are currently inviting you guys to send me your available jobs and I will place them on the board. 4. We currently have some home page text link advertising spots - We are a PR7 with many thousands of visitors. Please contact me if interested 5. We have a relationship with an excellent web seo article writing company. They can write unique articles for improved seo for as little as $10 - 250 words. ArticlesandContent.com Ok everyone thats me done! Thank you for reading Regards JohnT www.NanoVip.com

The Social Implications of Nanotechnology

Admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:11:15 +0000

The Social Implications of Nanotechnology There are many writings, papers and even books about this issue and many experts and social psychologist are worried about the implications that the impact of nanotechnology could produce in society. The big question is what are currently the societal implications of the use of Nanoscience? The preoccupation of first generation nanomaterials is one of the highest worries. I think nanoscience should be a vehicle to bring out new opportunities to serve the human race but at the same time the scientists and professionals involved should face the problems that result. Nanotechnology and technology development should meet the social objectives and that ís why social scientists have suggested that the nanotechnology field can be understood and assessed not simply by experts, it's important that some groups can support and asses in the right dimension the nanoscience. Also other organizations suggest that technology assessment along with the government should try to promote and then involve public participation. These decisions are very important because according to the predictions of many experts nanotechnology will give to the world the next 'industrial revolution'. Our economies will be impacted with this revolution, also our labor markets, international commerce, the structures and mechanism of manufacture probably will alter beyond recognition. There are some argumentations relating to think of the social impact of nanotechnology as a 'technological tsunami' an enormous impact that will change dramatically the fabric of society. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC Center for Technology Foresight) : 'If nanotechnology is going to revolutionize manufacturing, health care, energy supply, communications and probably defense, then it will transform labor and the workplace, the medical system, the transportation and power infrastructures and the military. None of the latter will be changed without significant social disruption. However many skeptics about nanotechnology do not believe in the solution we can obtain from nanoscience suggest that it will cause a bigger problem in the social and economical aspect and will produce a distribution of the power that would be wrong. Also they said that nanotechnology possibly has the power to destabilize international relations and will break down the barriers between life and non-life nanobiotechnology redefining the meaning it has for common people. Also they think that there are dangers of misuse for biological warfare also known as germ warfare, biological weapons or bioweapons, utilizing non living toxic products even if produced by living organisms is considered chemical warfare. This is of real concern to many eminate people. People dealing with the ethical aspects of nanotechnology argue that such transformative technology could exacerbate the division of rich and poor know as 'nano-divide' However nanotechnology can economically develop technology such as digital music player, notebooks. In the health sector, technology is giving the poorer arears access to drugs and other medical aid. The transhumanists see nanotechnology as a radical mechanism to change human nature itself ranging from curing diseases to develop high and sophisticated technology. In the book 'Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Technology' published in 2001, Mihail C. Roco, William Sims Bainbridge said: 'Today nanotechnology is still in its infancy, because only rudimentary nanostructures can be created with some control. However, among the envisioned breakthroughs are orders-of-magnitude increases in computer efficiency, human organ restoration using engineered tissue, materials created from directed assembly of atoms and molecules, as well as emergence of entirely new phenomena in chemistry and physics'. Moreover one can see the impact of nanotechnology in the social realm. To assess adequately nanotechnology's consequences, researchers must examine the complete system of which the technology is part through its entire life circle. The impact of nanotechnology initially will be limited to a few specific products and services. Nanotechnology-based good and services will probably be introduced earlier to those markets where consumers are willing to pay a premium for new improved performance. By: Hector Nicolas Suero NanoVip- StaffWriter

Nano-Sized Particles May Cause Damage to You Heart

Admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:00:50 +0000

Nano-Sized Particles May Cause Damage to You Heart Researchers of UCLA had a new academic study published - 'Beware of Air Pollution: Nano-Sized Particles May Cause Damage to You Heart' in the online edition of 'Circulation Research'. The aforementioned investigation revealed that the smallest particle emissions from cars, trucks and other vehicles may be the most damaging components of air pollution, triggering plaque build-up in the arteries. The consequences of that could be heart attack and even stroke. Also patients with high possibilities of heart diseases and cardiac problems should not only avoid fatty foods and smoking but be aware of all types of air pollution too. Heart disease ranks as the number one cause of death worldwide. In developed countries last year (2007) heart disease represented 28.6% of all mortalities. However, scientist found a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (JDL) cholesterol also known as 'good cholesterol'. The team of researchers from UCLA, made up of scientists from different campuses such as the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine and Michigan State University contributed to the research in different ways according to their specific field of specialization. This study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the continuation of this important research was led by 'Dr. Andre Nel', the Chief of Nanomedicine at UCLA. The Dr. Jesus Araujo who is assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of medicine at UCLA said: 'It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic'. Unfortunately if we live in an urban zone we are most exposed to this kind of air pollution which is completely hazardous not only for the heart but also for the respiratory system and lungs. This is the first study that demonstrates the destructor power of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model. However the nanoparticles we are talking about are of a size similar to a virus or molecule, less than 0.18 micrometers or about one thousandth the size of a human hair. Some regulations from EPA are currently suggesting the modification of this measure. EPA regulates fine particles which are the next size up at 2.5 micrometers, but does not monitor particles in the nano or ultrafine range. Trying to capture these particles with a filter proves to be extremely difficult. For advancement in this field, new technology must be developed to track their contribution to adverse heart effects. Nel, the principal investigator and researcher of this project at the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute said: 'We hope that our findings offer insight into the impact of nano-sized air pollutant particles and help explore ways for stricter air quality regulatory guidelines'. Also Mr. Nel said that the consequences of air pollution on cardiovascular health may be similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke. Combustion sources such as pollution particles emitted by vehicles contain a very high concentration of organic chemicals that could be released deep into the lungs causing several problems or even spill over into the systematic circulation. Apparently not only pollutant particles affect the heart but diesel exhaust particles interact with altering-clogging fats in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood-vessels inflammation that can lead heart disease. In the current study researchers made some tests with mice containing high cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood vessel inflammation. However, the researchers observed that mice exposed to ultra fine particles exhibited 55 percent greater plaque development than mice exposed to fine sized particles. The professor's assistant, Araujo said: 'This suggests that ultrafine particles are the more toxic air pollutants in promoting events leading to cardiovascular disease'. Also Nel argued, that ultrafine particles may deliver a much higher effective dose of injurious components, compared with larger pollutant particles. Moreover, the research showed that there were greater levels of gene activation in mice exposed to ultrafine particles, compared to other groups. One of the researchers said that our next step will be to develop a biomarker that could enable physicians to estimate the degree of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants or measure the level of risk encountered by an exposed body. Finally, the team of researchers are working extremely hard to continue improving their findings and they said that further study will pinpoint critical chemical and toxic properties of ultrafine particles that may affect humans. Author: Hector Nicolas Suero NanoVip - Staff Writer

How Soft Are The Cells? - Scientists Use an Atomic Force Microscope

JohnT — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:20:54 +0000

How Soft Are The Cells? - Scientists Use an Atomic Force Microscope Knowing that cancer is a group of diseases characterized by an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. If the spread of these cells are not controlled they can result in death. Last year alone (2007) near to 7.6 million people died around the world, caused by cancer related illness. It is absolutely vital to determine previously every cancerous cell in the body in order to fight it. However, an advanced health study revealed that cancer cells (or abnormal cells) are softer than healthy cells. In the same way as a ripe cherry, according to the finding, cancer cells are much softer than a healthy one. Now doctors can solve more easily some problems and diagnose tumors, and any alteration in cells. The scientists involved in the research, wrote in the journal 'Nature Nanotechnology' that cancer cells taken from patients with pancreatic, breast and lung tumors were softer than benign cells. This team of scientist used during the research an AFM (Atomic Force Microscope), that allowed them not only identify the dangerous cancer cells but give also seperate cancerous cells from healthy cells that had spread from original site of tumors. That's a wonderful thing because currently, cancer causes more death worldwide than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. It seems to me that this great breakthrough needs accelerated. The big question would be: When? Jianyu Rao, member of the Jonsson Cancer Center at the University of California at Los Angeles said in a telephone interview: 'The bottom line is now we can feel the cancer cells with this technology, in addition to looking at them and analyzing them in a molecular way and we think it may be diagnostically helpful'. A very positive aspect for scientists is that during their research they observed the different types of cancer cells and all had a similar level of softness, allowing the healthy and diseased ones to be clearly identified. Cancer diagnosis, including careful clinical and pathological assessments, is the first stop to cancer management. However, this technique may represent a new method of detecting cancer, particularly in cells from body cavity fluids for which diagnosis with current techniques can be difficult. Also the conventional diagnosis utilized by specialists in hospitals and clinics, miss about 30 percent of cases in which cancer cells are present in the fluid. The AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) used in the research has a small tip on a spring to push against the surface of the cells while determine the level of softness or firmness. The UCLA chemistry professor, James Gimzewski which is part of the group of researchers said: 'If you look at two tomatoes in the supermarket and you notice that both are red, one of them is rotten but it looks normal. But if you pick the tomatoes and feel them, it's easy to figure out which one is rotten. We are doing the same thing to evaluate cells for determine the level of softness of everyone'. Gimzewski also argued that they are touching and measuring quantitatively the softness of the cells. According to the annual report of the American Cancer Association of 2007, all cancer involve a malfunction of genes that control cell growth, division and death and damage to genes occurs due to internal factors such as hormones and metabolism of nutrients within cells or external factors such as tobacco, chemicals and sunlight. Beside this, the researchers found that when cancer is spreading from its original site, for instance: the pancreas or into other parts of the body in a process called metastasis, tumor cells can cause fluid to build up in cavities such as the chest and abdomen. Moreover the researchers said if they could detect the presence of cancer in this fluid, doctors could make better decision about how aggressively a patient should be treated or if any treatment is appropriate at all. Unfortunately in most parts of the world, the majority of cancer patients present themselves with advanced disease and for these patients the only realistic treatment is pain relief palliative care. Many drugs used for palliative care are expensive and others simply are not available in developing countries because of regulatory or pricing obstacles, lack of knowledge or false beliefs. Finally the researchers said that measuring the softness of cells might in the future help determine which tumors are more likely to be deadly. Also in diseases particularly the likes of prostate cancer, it can be difficult to distinguish a tumor that might be terminal from one that might pose little threat. Furthermore they said: 'More broadly, what we really had in mind is basically hoping some day that when we look at the primary tumors that we can predict which one is more aggressive'. By: HÈctor Nicolas Suero NanoVip - Staff Writer

Gene Detection in a Single Cell

JohnT — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:58:42 +0000

Gene Detection in a Single Cell Most people and obviously, every scientist is aware that a cell is the structural and functional unit of every known living organisms. But now we have the results published in the journal Science, issued on January 11, 2008 by Scientists at Arizona State Universityís Biodesign Institute whom have developed the first platform in the world capable of detecting genes. This platform was completely made up from self-assembled DNA nanostructures. The scientists of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University said this could have broad implications for gene chip technology, and may also revolutionize the way in which gene expression is analyzed in a simple and single cell. Hao Yan, a member of the Instituteís Center for Single Molecule Biophysics said that they are beginning with the most well-known structure in biology, DNA, and applying it as a nano-scale building material. Hao Yan, the leader of this important project is also an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Liberal and Sciences. Furthermore she is moving very quickly in the field of DNA Nanotechnology that assembles the molecule of life into a variety of nanostructures with a broad range o applications ranging from human health to nonelectric. As well as all of this, Yan is doing important researches on this field, along with a multidisciplinary team to develop a way to use DNA nanotechnology to target the chemical messenger of genes, called RNA. Another important research they are involved with is the development of a water soluble nanoarray that can take advantage of the DNA self-assembling process and also have all the benefits that the macroscopic DNA microchip arrays do not have. The advantage is that the arrays themselves are reagents, instead of solid surface chips. Moreover Yan and her team had designed three different DNA probe tiles capable of detecting three different RNA genes along with a bar code index to tell the tiles apart from each other. Each can be detected by a bar code and were mixed in one solution to be used in a multiplex detection. Also the group uses an atomic force microscopy which is a powerful instrument that allows the researchers to see the tiles at a single molecule level. Other probes on the surface of each DNA demonstrated that the tile is a dangling single stranded piece of DNA that can bind to the RNA target of interest. Yan explained that each probe actually has two half probes, so that when the target RNA comes in, it will hybridize to the half probes and turn the single stranded dangling probes into a stiff structure. Beside of this when it is stiffened, it will be sensed by the atomic force microscope cantilever, and you can see a bright line, which is a height increase. This project leader (Hao Yan) said 'This is one of the first practical applications of a powerful technology that, till now, has mainly been the subject of research demonstration. Also the field of structural DNA nanotechnology has recently seen much exciting progress from constructing geometrical and topological nanostructures through tile based DNA self-assembly initially demonstrated by Ned Seeman, Erik Winfree and colleagues'. The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University is aware of technology and whit it is capable of. They ague that in few seconds it can detect large quantities of RNA. 'Since the DNA-RNA hybridization has such a strong affinity, in principle, a single molecule would be able to the probe tile,' said Yan. However Yan argues that the amazing potential of structural DNA nanotechnology in biological applications is not receiving the real value it has. She also said that if we look at the process of DNA self-assembly, we'll notice how trillions of DNA nanostructures can from simultaneously in a solution of few micro-liters, and very importantly, they are biocompatible and water soluble. Although there are still many important goals to overcome and the team is very excited and motivated to achieve the objective. The economical factor is obviously tied to all of the scientific process, that's why DNA chip and microarray technology have become a multi-billion dollar industry. Yan has been setting a clear objective; she said that the ultimate goal is detect RNA gene expression at the single cell level. By: Hector Nicolas Suero NanoVip - Staff Writer

Nanoscience: Do I trust it?

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:03:28 +0000

Nanoscience: Do I trust it? A great number of scientists of many diverse areas agree with the idea that Nanotechnology is the science of the future (the science of the 21st century ), with powerful work in the realm of micro-particles, used in areas such as removing ageing lines, strengthen wine bottles, wash windows and cleaning clothing without water. Some rumors are worrying many people. Early studies indicate that some of these micro or nano-particles could produce side effects and diseases, specifically worrying is the links with cancer. The nano scale is pretty amazing, tiny but powerful. The scientists are advancing at a speed. The only problem with all, is that these small particles may be harmful if they remain inside the human body. Scientists state that nanoparticles are small enough to slip unnoticed in a cell membrane but large enough to carry foreign material between strands of DNA. Furthermore it will be many more years of research to understand completely the effects of nanoparticles. However, currently there are few studies about this issue, but according to the information we have from scientists, fish consuming just a low level of carbon nanoparticles were determined to have developed brain cancer in some of the cases analyzed. Also in other observations with rats inhaling carbon nanotubes had lung problems very similar to those caused by asbestos. For a better understanding about this entire situation, we need to examine the attributes of the nanoparticles. The scientists working on the nano scale are experimenting with the possibility of developing nano machines, atom by atom in the same way that every living organism starts with a cell. Whether nanotechnology and science work with materials about one billion of a meter wide, what is the guarantee, not for scientists but for common people whom deal with the impact of nanotechnology? Obviously this work is a responsibility for institutions that rule the ethics of this important scientific field. The director of the Nanoethics Group at California Polytechnic State University, Patricia Lin, declared that 'scientists working with nanoparticles are domesticating atoms'. 'That ís the big deal' said Lin, and argued that they are trying to make the building blocks of our real world do our most simple tasks. In response of this, we have the words of the Chief Health Scientist at Environmental Defense, John Balbus when said 'There ís no reason to think that all of these things are going to be dangerous or harmful, but we should be prudent because of their ability to get into the body and access parts of it that normal chemicals don't'. Really we don't know whether the development of products through nanotechnology processes have been regulated with a strict rules. In the case of the environment and health some institutions are proposing the promotion of campaigns in favour of these issues. Ian Illuminato from Health and Environment Campaigner at Friends of Earth said that they are calling for the government to invest more money in health, safety and environmental research so that we can make sure these products are safe. Beside this, the problem of nanotechnology is that we don't have the security to probe whether what we are receiving is something we can trust. The Food and Drug administrating announced in the third trimester of 2007 that cosmetics, drugs or every product manufactured with nanotechnology is not required to have special regulation because there's no scientific evidence they pose any major safety risks. Moreover the American chemical company Du pont evaluated whether to proceed with the development of projects involving nanoparticles, and they agreed to a system developed with Environmental Defense. In view of the second report released by the government of the United Kingdom about the possibility of indentify risks in health and environment, we need to be aware of five important areas: detection and measurement of nanoparticles, exposure of human and environment to nanoparticles, assess the degree of nanoparticles which are toxic or harmful, the environmental impacts and economical, social and political impact of nanotechnology. Personally I have been wondering how far rumors and bad comments can fly, but definitely we need to examine carefully these things before taking action or making decisions. In this case we cannot dismiss scientific information, and must think about the positive and negative dimensions in this issue. By: Hector Nicolas Suero Staff Writer

The Present Nanomedicine: Trying To Move Foward

JohnT — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:18:33 +0000

The Present Nanomedicine: Trying To Move Foward In the field of nanotechnology, I think the medicine in one of the biggest science which uses nanotechnology and is trying to make more extensive approaches in many aspects, such as curing cancer, doing tracking of substances in the human body, making complicated surgeries with infrared laser, and also in the application of many medical and clinical procedures. Currently, nanomedicine is a very large industry which is growing so fast every day, with more than 40 products and more than 200 companies dedicated to this business. Only in 2005 the nanomedicine sales reached 6.8 billion dollars against a minimum of 3.8 billion invested every year on this field. For that experts are expecting a significant growing of the nanomedicine in the forthcoming years which directly impact the world wide economy. Why nanotechnology applied to the medicine is growing so fast? There are two main reasons for that. For instance, according to the information of the American Cancer Society, in 2007 occurred 12 million new cancer cases around the world. In 2050 will be 27 million new cancer cases according to the estimations. Observing this situation you may ask yourself what will happen with the rest of the diseases such as cerebrovascular problems, heart diseases, malignant neoplasm, lower respiratory infections and many others which cause million of death every year. However with this immense scenery, the nanomedicine scientists have a wide possibility to increase the research while make a direct application of the nanomedicine in this world needed of healing. The second reason why nanomedicine is growing very quickly is due the effectiveness of the use of medicine in nano-scale or the use of nano-robots in medical procedures. Nanomedicine is moving forward in drug delivery, improving the bioavailability of a drug. That is the presence of drug molecules in the perfect place of the body where it will do the most good. Drug delivery is concentrating in drive the drug to the specific place in the body while focus in do that in the perfect period of time. Really thatís an important and significant advance because every year are wasted around 65 billion dollar just by problems with a poor bioavailability. Furthermore with these few things the current nanomedicine can do miracles and what is expected in the future is beyond what we can imagine. Scientist involved in nanomedicine are developing more powerful Nanodevices capable of detect and evaluate the patient, treat and report almost anything automatically to the clinical doctor. Beside of this the futures impacts of nanotechnology and nanoscience will be in configure and develop a completely new market of nano medicine (nano drugs) more useful and with fewer side effects. In the case of the molecular machines, cells could be repaired more directly doing exactly the same work of the living systems. Because the conventional medicine only can use drugs and surgery to encourage tissues which will be repaired themselves. However the molecular machines can have direct access to the cells and can recognize other molecules by touch and rebuild every molecule inside a cell. These machines will be driven by Nanocomputers and will be able to restore completely many cells through rebuilding structure by structure. A very important aspect of the possible future of the nanomedicine, is necessary be informed about the Neuro-electronic interfaces which are a visionary objective of develop devices capable to make direct connections with the human nervous system. For approach those goals is required make the construction of molecular structures that permit detect and control the nerve impulses by an external computer. Also if computers could control the nervous system so could be controlled the effect of diseases and injuries. Nanoparticles are used for make diagnostics and also to monitor the progression of many diseases. Current research using nanoparticles in human health system is still preliminary and is basically based on cell culture studies, only few investigations deal with the in vivo effects of nanoparticles on biological systems. In my opinion I can see the future of nanomedicine too high and beyond our imagination. If nanorobots are as successful as scientists expect, our world will feel the powerful impact of an amazing revolution in health. Is necessary that many researches take place in the coming decades and the technology continue developing everyday. I think that many physicians are not prepared and worst, are not informed about this revolution and evidently will be necessary a new way for understanding these advances. The futures of nanomedicine will depend of the rational design of nano tools which can response to the needs of biological problems and preparing more efficient medical science. Author: HÈctor Nicol·s Suero Nanovip Staff Writer

Myths and realities of nano futures

JohnT — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:00:42 +0000

Ever since John Dalton convinced the world of the existence of atoms in 1803, scientists have wanted to do things with them. Nanotechnology takes that ability on to a new plane and opens up all kinds of futuristic imaginings. Essentially, nanotech is manipulation at the molecular scale - distances that may cover just a few millionths of a millimetre. But its potential is not just about being able to miniaturise things. Indeed, scientists and engineers recognise that there are fundamental limits to pure miniaturisation. Working at a scale a million times smaller than a pinhead allows researchers to "tune" material properties, making them behave in different ways to normal, large-scale solids. This behaviour can be exploited in quite ground-breaking ways. Geckos do it Nature has been doing nanotechnology for a long time, and it has become expert in it. Consider the super-fine hairs on a gecko's feet which allow it to stick to walls and even hang upside down on a glass sheet. Learning from nature, nanotechnology promises humans ways of making systems that are smaller, lighter, stronger, more efficient, but cheaper to produce. "Nanotechnology is not a technology in its own right," explained Professor Mark Welland, head of the University of Cambridge Nanoscale Science Laboratory. "It is an enabling technology, so it will appear in many different products. "It is already appearing in flash memory, computer chips, and it will increasingly be an enabling technology in other products like coatings, new types of sensors, especially in the medical area." It is expected to transform the performance of materials, like polymers, electronics, paints, batteries, sensors, fuel cells, solar cells, coatings, computers and display systems. In five years' time, batteries that only last three days will be laughable, said Professor Welland. Similarly, in 10 years' time, the way medical testing is done now will be considered crude. To say that in five years, an iPod will have 10 times its current storage capacity will be conservative, he said. In the not-so-distant future, a terabit of data - equivalent to 10 hours of fine quality uncompressed video - will be stored on an area the size of a postage stamp. Clearly, the devices themselves will not be nano-sized. But nanotechnology will play its part in shrinking components, and making them work together a lot more efficiently. Although nano-devices can be built atom by atom, it is not realistic as a manufacturing option because it is slow and expensive, thinks Professor John Ryan, head of the Bionanotechnology Centre at Oxford University. "One of the major scientific challenges in the years ahead is to understand the fundamental biological principles and apply them to produce new types of nanotechnology," he said. "Armed with these design rules it may then be possible to make new types of nano-device using materials that are more robust than bio-materials." Future fears Proponents say misconceptions and misrepresentation of nanotechnology's potential have fuelled many dystopian scenarios. Some are frightening, others are impossible. The Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering has looked at current and future developments in nanotechnology and has reported on whether it will require new controls. It is hoped that the report grounds some unrealistic scenarios, while recognising that real concerns need to be addressed with regulation. "The one fantastical idea that has dogged nanotechnology is the self-replicating machine, the 'grey goo', scenario," said Professor Welland. "That is simply too far off. I think anyone who is worrying about self-replicating machines should not be looking at nanotechnology for that. "The complexity of designing a molecular machine is bad enough, but if you try to imbue that with self-replication, you could not even put a toe in the water to design it." SOME SHORT-TERM NANO USES Carbon nanotubes (Image courtesy of Institute of Nanotechnology) Medical diagnostic tools and sensors Solar energy collection (photovoltaics) Direct hydrogen production Flexible display technologies and e-paper Composites containing nanotubes Glues, paints and lubricants New forms of computer memory Printable electronic circuits Various optical components Source: Inst of Nanotechnology The scenario sees swarms of self-replicating robots, smaller than viruses, multiplying uncontrollably and devouring Earth. Eric Drexler, who many consider to be a "father of nanotechnology", has distanced himself from the idea, saying such self-replicating nanomachines are unlikely to be widespread. Similarly, fears over "green goo", the concern that self-replicating, nano-sized biological particles will move into human bodies and do unpredictable things, is scaremongering, thinks Professor Welland. Professor Ryan agrees: "These science fiction scenarios have not only diverted attention away from the real advantages of nanotechnology, but also from issues that do raise concern." Inhaled nanoparticles found in the bloodstream which have dispersed throughout the brain is a concern, he says. Whether this poses a health risk is not known. "If you look around at the moment in a big city, a significant proportion of material that you breathe in is already particulates - and a proportion of that is nano-sized, like diesel emissions," said Professor Welland. Range of impacts Nano-materials exploit unusual electrical, optical and other properties because of the very precise way in which their atoms are arranged. This means fabrics could change colour electronically. Exposing an army uniform to ultra-violet light could activate changes without undressing. But it is in medicine that nanotechnology offers the most remarkable advances, according to Professor Ryan. "Nanomedicine will provide earlier and better diagnostics and treatment will combine earlier and more precisely targeted drug delivery," he said. The possibility of individualised therapy is also on the horizon. Nanotechnology in the form of flexible films containing miniaturised electrodes is expected to improve the performance of retinal, cochlear and neural implants. And it could lead to the miniaturisation of medical diagnostic and sensing tools, said Professor Ryan, which could drive down costs of such kits for developing countries. In this respect, nanotechnology could enable developing nations to leapfrog older technologies, in the way that copper wire and optical fibre telephony were superseded by mobile phones. Material changes Industrial giants like GE are heavily involved in developing nanotechnology. "We think that the biggest breakthroughs in nanotechnology are going to be in the new materials that are developed," said Troy Kirkpatrick at GE Global Research. These include corrosion-resistant coatings to make hydro-electric turbines more efficient in heavily-silted waters, and nano-membrane water filters to make for faster filtration. SOME LONGER-TERM NANO USES Miniaturised data storage systems with capacities comparable to whole libraries' stocks PCs with the power of today's computer centres Chips that contain movies with more than 1,000 hours of playing time Replacements for human tissues and organs Cheap hydrogen storage possibilities for a regenerative energy economy Lightweight plastic windows with hard transparent protective layers Source: Inst of Nanotechnology GE is also studying the properties of nano-ceramics, which can offer extreme strength, while still being lightweight. Because of the molecular structure of such materials, nano-ceramic coatings on aircraft could make them 10% more efficient, so less energy is used, producing fewer emissions. GE Global Research is also looking to the electronics industry. "If you look at the chip makers of the world, the challenge they have is not to figure out how to make them faster. "The problem is they run so fast, the chips generate too much heat and melt. They need better materials for heat management," said Mr Kirkpatrick. Using materials which exploit properties of nanoparticles, GE has developed chip adhesives that can transfer heat out of the processor system more efficiently. "It is a start, and it is to show nanotechnology is finding its way into production and is changing the way we are doing science," said Mr Kirkpatrick. Uncertainties and worries Whatever nanotechnology does for the future, it will be an evolutionary process. One certainty is that there remains a plethora of uncertainties in the emerging field of nanotechnology. "Medical sensing is very attractive to everybody, but there could be a downside," explained Professor Welland. "If medical sensors become ubiquitous, our physical state could be monitored 24 hours a day, and if someone hacked into that data, there could be concerns." Which is indeed why regulation has to be addressed, but must not stifle nanotechnology's potential. "One of the important things for me is that it ultimately means the most efficient use of materials and processes, which means it does not have to benefit just the G8 nations," argued Professor Welland. "These sorts of materials, if they are able to do their job using less energy, should be available to everybody." SOME POTENTIAL USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES Nanotechnology in our lives 1 - Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) for displays 2 - Photovoltaic film that converts light into electricity 3 - Scratch-proof coated windows that clean themselves with UV 4 - Fabrics coated to resist stains and control temperature 5 - Intelligent clothing measures pulse and respiration 6 - Bucky-tubeframe is light but very strong 7 - Hipjoint made from biocompatible materials 8 - Nano-particle paint to prevent corrosion 9 - Thermo-chromic glass to regulate light 10 - Magnetic layers for compact data memory 11 - Carbon nanotube fuel cells to power electronics and vehicles 12 - Nano-engineered cochlear implant This article was written by... Jo Twist BBC News Online science and technology staff Ref page - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3920685.stm

Nanotechnology and Daily Life

JohnT — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:39:53 +0000

In general we are not aware of issues that confront us about science, technology and others super complicated specialized fields. The finished product is normally the result of perhaps many years of study, field-laboratory observation and research. Gadgets we religiously use such as digital music players, cameras, mobile phones have not just materialized. In the case of the Nanotechnology there is a small but powerful empire of scientist focused on the study of a world microscopically dimensioned. Nanotechnology is a multi-disciplinary field of technology and applied science that is solving problems through the knowledge and application of one or more natural scientific fields. The scale which embraces the Nanotechnology field is the realm of nanostructures and atoms. There are currently some discussions between scientists and experts about the real measurable range or scale of the Nanotechnology. Of what we are completely sure is we can not see it with our human eye but when we talk about nanostructures we commonly refer to a range between is 1 to 100 nanometers. How can we really appreciate and understand that? Surely we need be more aware about the units of measures involved. For example: a centimeter corresponds to 100 of a meter, a millimeter corresponds to 1000 of a meter and a micrometer corresponds to 1 million of a meter. All of these measures are visibly-huge-enormous compared to the 'nano-scale'. According to the reputable Berkley Lab, a nanometer (nm) is one-billion of a meter. Of course that is completely invisible, smaller than the wavelength of the visible light a 100.000 the width of the human hair. If we compare the nano-scale (that is the scale used for the nanostructures) and the atomic scales, we have that an atom has a diameter near to 0.1 nm and the nucleus of an atom is evidently so much smaller about 0.00001 nm. All matter in the universe and all is around us is made up of atoms. All inside and outside us is matter and our human bodies are formed from millions of living cells. Though the living cells work like natural nano-machines and in the atomic scale the elements are in a very basic level but in the nano-scale we can join these atoms and make almost everything. With all this information now we are more conscious about the subject. For some scientist, the Nano-science is a very new science but for others it is just an extension of sciences that currently exists into the nano-scale or just a newer-modern-used-term. How can Nanotechnology help us in our daily life? For the commoner, the fields of science seem sometimes so theoretical, but there are many applications today that are linked to Nanotechnology. Scientist using nanostructures can reproduce things like gem stones, food and much more by self-replication nano-robots. A very important field for this new science is health. Nanorobots or Nanomachines which are devices ranging in size from 0.1 to 10 micrometers can be used in medical technology to detect, analyze and identify through nano-sensors cancer cells to then destroy them. They can also help to identify an early diagnosis for cancer. Nanotechnology in the environment can be used to detect and measure the concentration of toxic elements more efficiently. There are a wide range of applications and uses for Nanotechnology. In the case of food it is used to develop packaging more safely through a nanocomposite which can increase or decrease gas permeability, heat resistance. In the household for example, nanotechnology applications are already responsible for developing devices for self-cleaning windows, dishes, ceramics etc. Many people experience eye irritation caused by the ultraviolet rays. Thanks to Nanotechnology, advances have been made to produce the first anti-reflective ultrathin polymer sunglasses. In optical surgery, nano-optics increase the precision of pupil repair and other type of surgery using laser technology. Unquestionably we are now receiving the benefits of the Nanotechnology in many ways. We can improve our knowledge of nanotechnology according to our self interest. In our daily life there are many things we cannot see and touch which are incredibly powerful and extremely significant for the modern world we live today. Nanotechnology is clearly going to play a major role in the future development of many disciplines Héctor Nicolás

Nanotechnology - Fuel Cells

JohnT — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 14:17:30 +0000

Ever since the process of industrialization has been set off more than a century ago, people have started to deal with serious problems regarding pollution and especially the greenhouse effect. These problems have started affecting the population everywhere and experts are still trying to find a solution regarding the improvement of this issue. Nanotechnology has proven to be one of the most appropriate means to fight the emissions of gas in the world. Nanotechnology is the science dealing with materials that are constructed on very small scales, devices like molecules or individual atoms. This science deals with the structure of materials that are presented at a molecular level. The technologies produced by fuel cells are regarded as real solutions for producing the necessary energy used in the fields of stationary power, automotive and portable equipment markets. In the past, fuel cells’ technology was not given the importance that it deserved because of the great costs required by the production and storing processes of hydrogen. Recently, scientists have started to pay more attention to fuel cells, as they have proved to produce no carbon dioxide that would fasten the harmful greenhouse effect. This started happening after California has promulgated the law that would strengthen the fight against greenhouse emissions. The greenhouse effects are predicted to affect the atmosphere more and more in the future and their effects are increasingly harmful for earth’s atmosphere. This is the most important reason for the creation of the Californian law to reduce the emissions of gas worldwide. The main advantage of fuel cells is that they are made of clean hydrogen which is thought to be a benefic feature of these cells. They only produce pure water as exhaust. Even when they also use fuels that are fossils in nature, the pollution that they produce is a lot more insignificant than the one produced by conventional technologies. Releasing the energy in a combustion having high temperature (as in the example of the internal combustion engine) results when creating sulph oxides. Fuel cells give a high quality power and are perfect for modern electrical equipments such as hospital equipment or sensitive electronics. National electrical grids, now-a-days suffer much from black outs, power fluctuations and brown outs, problem which will be avoided with the help of special energy network created of these fuel cells. Right now fuel cells are not very cheap to use as energy sources. However it is predicted that they will offer a significant lowering of costs in contrast to the traditional energy solutions and this cost reduction is likely to come for the near future. The total energy of fuel cells is a lot higher than the other common energies, and not only that but there are also additional benefits and advantages conferred by them that can enable savings to be made in many domains, such as environmental stewardship and sustainable development. Pure hydrogen is known as the perfect fuel to be used for fuel cells. Alas, hydrogen is highly reactive element. Also, it is a rare found element in its pure form. Hydrogen fuel can be produced from both renewable as well as traditional energy sources. Besides using hydrogen, it is also possible to run fuel cells on many other fuels, like for example, fossil and bio-fuels. Fuel cells have proved a great efficiency and even greater versatility and a multi-fuel capability features which permit the ease of usage of these molecular energy generators. The cars using fuel cells with hydrogen are very environmentally friendly, as they only emit water vapor and not polluting gases as common fuel cars do. In conclusion, the benefits of fuel cells are numerous, among which we can count the national energy security, the much cleaner air, and last but not least the economic opportunity given to the world’s population. Author Sinarayanan

Nanotechnology - A simplified view

JohnT — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:57:21 +0000

Nanotechnology is defined as the creation of functional systems on a molecular scale. An alternate definition is based on making things from the bottom up. These systems may be motors, robot arms, and even entire computers that are smaller than a single cell. These small mechanisms must be constructed by the strategic placement of atoms or small clusters of atoms. Nanotechnology has already been incorporated into the creation of strong materials, stain repellant solutions, optic cables, powerful microscopes, and is currently being introduced to the data storage arena. While the strong materials and stain repellant solutions are very interesting and useful, the technological uses are much more important. The optic cables are created with nanotech crystals which results in a much better optical resolution than regular cables. These nanotech cables also lead to faster transmission speeds and greater transmission capacities. The smaller components within these cables also require less power consumption, which makes them more earth friendly. Most fiber optic cables on the market have not been created with nanotechnology yet. Fiber optic cables already create one of the best resolutions in the market, but creating electro-optic modulators on a nanoscale will produce unbelievable results. Electro-optic modulators are used in fiber optic cables to manipulate a beam of light to carry data from one point to another. With the creation of nanometer sized modulators, each fiber optic cable has billions of these wonderful machines. This increase in quantity automatically increases the speed and efficiency of data transmission. Along with the optic cables, nanotechnology also has a huge impact on new forms of microscopy. For years, we as humans have had a desire to break down objects into the absolute smallest particles that exist. We have driven microscopy down as much as possible and now are focusing on nanotechnology to get more in-depth information. With the assistance of nanobots and other nano-scaled devices, it is possible to see particles smaller than ever before. These microscopes actually allow you to see on the molecular level. Since we know that nano-scaled machines can actually let you see molecular units, it is easy to believe that these same machines can actually write to a hard drive on the same scale. All data that is written to any type of storage device is written by a laser, so making the laser writing smaller is the perfect way to get more out of the space you already have. This form of data transcription will allow for the successful storage of unheard of amounts of data in extremely small spaces. This will allow you to store more data on hard drives, flash drives and even on CDs and DVDs. Nanotechnology is one of the largest new sciences being studied. These new, miniscule devices will no doubt change many of our day to day processes forever. We will be able to view better images on our televisions, discover smaller atomic particles than ever before, and even improve technological storage capacities. Nanotechnology is the science of the present and the science of the future. There is no limit to the applications of this science in healthcare, technology or any other area of life. These nano-scaled devices are sure to be used in applications every day and may even be responsible for finding cures for many diseases.

Thoughts on the Topic: Security and Nanotechnology

JohnT — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:48:44 +0000

"Anything that makes money under the rubric of nanotechnology is nanotechnology." Suchan Chae, Associate Professor of Economics, Rice University. This quote is significant because it underscores what is becoming a driving force in the rapid evolution and commercialization of things nanotechnology - Speed to Market. This being the case, Nanotechnology Security may be compromised in the process. Nanotechnology is "the next big thing". As this phrase becomes common in business and scientific circles throughout the world, the very perception causes concern about the security implications and issues surrounding the entire emergence of nanotechnology as well as its impact on so many things affecting our daily lives. The security implications for doing things right in nanotechnology are as big as the science of nanotechnology itself. Consider the scientific truth that nanotechnology, as a defining and enabling science and technology, will affect virtually all aspects of the human experience. In fact this phenomenon is best realized in the National Science and Technology Council's recently published "National Nanotechnology Initiative: Research and Development Supporting the Next Industrial Revolution: Supplement to the President's FY 2004 Budget". In this initiative nine areas are identified as having the "potential to realize significant economic, governmental and societal impact." These areas are collectively known as the "nine grand challenge areas". The reason for drawing attention to these is because while they represent a funding strategy, they best represent the spectrum across which nanotechnology will profoundly impact the socio-economic-technology scale. These are: 1. Nanostructured Materials by Design 2. Manufacturing at the Nanoscale 3. Chemical-Biological-Radiological-Explosive Detection and Protection 4. Nanoscale Instrumentation and Metrology 5. Nano-Electronics, -Photonics, and -Magnetics 6. Healthcare, Therapeutics, and Diagnostics 7. Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage 8. Microcraft and Robotics 9. Nanoscale Processes for Environmental Improvement A significant addition to these would be a fully funded effort to study and resolve the security implications of nanotechnology on the world order, as we know it. Security concerns in nanotechnology can be broken out into several areas and these are representative of the more urgent ones: National Security and Defense This is perhaps the most obvious area where concerns for security should be focused. Already, ongoing research and development for applications of nanotechnology to National Security and Defense is beginning to result in rapid advances in the way we do battle with our adversaries, to the way we defend ourselves. New weapons systems and combat support systems, assuredly, are being conceived and funding for their rapid development and deployment is being appropriated. While these are prudent measures under the constitutional requirement to provide for the common defense, a policy of extraordinary measures should be implemented to ensure that nano-weapons systems or supporting materiel currently under consideration and research should be extraordinarily secured in order to prevent their falling into the wrong hands. Equal policy guidelines should be enacted and enforced to prevent misuse of nanotechnology information and materiel, either in development or subsequent handling, which may result in compromise of National Security. The infrastructure in the Federal Government upon which to build a security program already exists within these agencies to implement such a program. Its implementation costs therefor should not be too burdensome. Recommendation on a Global Scope Of more concern than US based R&D and deployment of nano-based Defense systems, is the undertaking of similar research by both allies and potential adversaries and the potential for malevolent proliferation. As a matter of policy, the U.S. should seek a Geneva Convention like model to address issues arising from the application of nanotechnology to weapons systems, and establish meaningful norms for security of such programs. Industry Perhaps the most challenging security program to implement in nanotechnology R&D will be in industry. The range of security challenges in industry, and for purposes of this think piece, academia is included, are more challenging than in Defense and National Security. Whereas in Defense and National Security, security programs implemented are mandatory under penalty of law, in industry such programs would be difficult to implement and to police. But security in industry is made all the more difficult by identifying and regulating "dual use" technologies. These are technologies that either in their intended design or by slight variation to their applications can be also used for malevolent purposes. Another threat area of security in industry is economic advantage, in which competing companies or nations will entice or otherwise recruit unscrupulous researchers to divulge or export for profit company secrets. The risk or threat here is industrial espionage, and the resultant uncontrolled proliferation of technologies for monetary gain. More threatening is the risk of mishandling sensitive R&D that could result in serious environmental damage. Environmental Security Much has been written about environmental security, and about the risks of nanotechnology products or by-products getting into an ecological system and causing irreparable environmental damage. Certainly that risk is there. Few solutions have come forth that on cursory review offer much more than recommendations to stop or slow down the R&D of nanotechnology until solutions can be reached. The fact is the pace of evolution of nanotechnology is moving at a very rapid pace and slowing down is not an option. There is one approach to mitigating nanotechnology risk to the environment that is currently emerging: it is the accelerated and increased funding to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for research into enforceable standards in instrumentation and metrology in nanotechnology R&D and subsequent deployment of nano-based products. The NIST recently held an "NNI (National Nanotechnology Initiative) Interagency Workshop: Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanotechnology" for the purpose of bringing together representatives from academia, government and industry, for the purpose of developing broad, long term visionary goals for researchers in particular nanoscale science and technology areas. The Workshop considered and discussed five areas relevant to Standards and Metrology: 1. Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanocharacterization 2. Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanomechanics 3. Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanoelectronics, Photonics and Magnetics 4. Instrumentation and Metrology for Nanofabrication 5. Instrumentation and Metrology for NanoManufacturing 6. Crosscut - Computational Science Issues With the compilation of the results of this workshop, and the recommendations resulting from it, the NIST and the nanotechnology R&D community at large will have a vastly improved set of standards and metrology with which to approach "cleaner" nanotechnology R&D and subsequent fabrication of nanodevices. The result of this work will have major beneficial effects on the environment from improved precision in R&D and assembly and fabrication of nanotechnology based products. This means less waste and pollution due to non-standard production runs. Another consideration towards environmental risk management is the adoption by industry of life cycle design standards for the development of nano-based products. Emphasis would be placed on "what-if" engineering in each phase of the development process. Under this concept, for example, standards and metrology from the NIST would be built-in at the design phase, and would be enforced throughout the life cycle of the development. Special attention would be given to what-if scenarios in which risk probabilities and their management are modeled along with the nano-product R&D modeling and simulation process. Nanoinformatics products are available to support this concept. Societal Security No discussion of nanotechnology and it pros and cons could possibly be complete without addressing the profound societal impacts on humankind that will result with its maturing development. Virtually all aspects of the human experience will be impacted --perhaps none more cataclysmic than on education and the world's workforce. Immediately the demand for advanced degreed scientists and engineers will be felt and international competition for the best talent will result. Other equally highly educated professions will be needed as well; among these, nanotechnology grounded business people, environmental engineers, lawyers, public policy developers, and sociologists to name but a few. Similarly, talents at the technician level will be needed and Community College level education and training will have to be changed to keep abreast of the demand for technical support talent. Finally, nanotechnology as an enabling science affecting virtually every aspect of our lives will need to be taught as a regular subject, at least at the introductory level, in all schools. New generations dealing with nanotechnology goods and services must know how to be "Educated Consumers" of nanotechnology based products. But the most profound challenge to nanotechnology security is the security of the workforce. From handling potentially deadly, toxic materials in their production state, to the training of the workforce to transition and succeed in the new Age of Nanotechnology. This means providing the education and training necessary to become working and productive citizens in the new Age - Workforce Security. Without these educational measures being undertaken now, future worldwide dislocation of the workforce will be rampant. Recommendations The age of nanotechnology puts forth a Tenth Grand Challenge -- "Development of Meaningful and Enforceable Standards of Security, Ethics and Societal Factors". But this Grand Challenge is directed not only to the National Nanotechnology Initiative but also to the World Community. This Challenge begs the recommendation for the adoption of a Nanotechnology World Body Convention to discuss the challenging issue of providing for a new standard for nanotechnology security equal to the "Next Industrial Revolution" and "The Next Big Thing". This Convention would result in a Geneva Treaty like resolution binding on the signatory countries towards a secure and benevolent nanotechnology future. References: http://www.nano.gov/html/res/nni04_budget_supplement.pdf http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/nanotech.htm

Could Nanotechnology Revolutionize Natural Gas Industry?

JohnT — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:41:44 +0000

Nanotechnology could revolutionize the natural gas industry across the whole lifecycle from extraction to pollution reduction or be an enormous missed opportunity, claim two industry experts writing in Inderscience's International Journal of Nanotechnology. They suggest that nanotechnology could help us extract more fuel and feedstock hydrocarbons from dwindling resources. However, industry inertia and a lack of awareness of the benefits could mean a missed opportunity. According to Saeid Mokhatab and Brian Towler of the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, at the University of Wyoming, in Laramie, there are many opportunities for the industry to exploit nanotechnology. However, there is a traditional lack of innovation in the exploration and production sector, a perception of high costs, new risks, and a general lack of awareness of the benefits of nanotechnology. The researchers have now described the potential benefits of nanotechnology, which could change that perception. Mokhatab and Towler point out that nanomaterials, such as nanotubes or engineered porous minerals, might be used in the gas field or other source to improve the efficiency of extraction of a wide variety of hydrocarbon fuel compounds and chemical feedstocks. Similarly, related nanomaterials might be used to improve purification and storage of hydrocarbons, while yet other nanomaterials might be used in environmental remediation, allowing contaminated sites to be cleaned up of harmful pollutants. Nanomaterials might even be developed as corrosion inhibitors for equipment and at the same time, more sophisticated nanotechnology could be developed as solid-state gas sensors for air pollution monitoring. "The past decade has seen explosive growth worldwide in the synthesis and study of a wide range of nanostructured materials, the building blocks of nanotechnology," the researchers explain, "Investigations of mechanical, chemical, electrical, magnetic, and optical behavior of nanostructured materials have demonstrated the possibilities to engineer the properties of these new materials for a wide range of applications." The researchers add that as readily accessible hydrocarbon reserves become depleted, the oil and gas exploration and production industry faces increasing technical challenges. These challenges boil down to increased costs and limitations on drilling and production technologies. ScienceDaily (Oct. 31, 2007)

Members General Articles

Benj2 — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:15:41 +0000

Love hear from you guys if you have anything to say

Nanovip.com's nanotechnology affiliate program

Benj — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:17:39 +0000

Introduction
Nanovip.com has compiled a download version of its nanotechnology companies database.
The document comes in the form of several ready to print PDF files cointaining gathered information about over 1600 nanotechnology companies, institutions and stocks listed in our database. The package is priced $99 and you can learn more about it on the pitch page .

As an affiliate, you can resell this package and earn 50% of the sell price on each sell that you generate. This could be a good way to make money if you have a nanotechnology related site, newletter, B2B site….

ClickBank
Becoming an affiliate is simple. Our affiliate program is managed by third party Clickbank, which is the largest online goods download store. To become an affiliate you simply need to register at clickbank at:
http://www.clickbank.com/accountSignup.htm

Click bank will provide you in real time about your sell stats and income.

Once registered at clickbank, all you need to do, is to send people to your link purchase page:

http://YOURID.quest30.hop.clickbank.net/

Replace YOURID by your clickbank account name.
Each sell generated from this link will grant you 50% of 99$ . It is that simple.

Promotion, marketing
It is up to you to market this affiliate purchase link to generate sells. Of course, you should NOT use illegal promotion tactics such as SPAM.

You could for example setup a link image on your nanotechnology website so your visitors will want to purchase the product.
Here are somes images to be used with your affiliate link on your site:

If you have any question feel free to ask: affiliates@nanovip.com

Adriano Cavalcanti : Medical Nanorobotics for Diabetes

Benj — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:21:22 +0000

By Benjamin Melki, NanoVIP In February, Adriano Cavalcanti and his colleagues are publishing for the first time the detailed work describing a medical nanorobot hardware architecture for diabetes (*). This new paper, published in the journal Recent Patents on Nanotechnology - Bentham Science, addresses the concept behind the use of nanorobots as pervasive monitoring devices to help in the therapy of patients with diabetes. NanoVIP decided to interview Adriano Cavalcanti about his current and upcoming works for the gradual development and future use of nanorobots for diabetes. NanoVIP: How nanorobots may help patients with diabetes? Cavalcanti: The nanorobots may use embedded nanobiosensors to monitor blood glucose levels, and transmit every two hours this information through RF signals for mobile phones carried with the patient. If the glucose is eventually not inside the desired levels, the nanorobots activate a pre-programmed tune in the cellular phone, which may alert the patient to take any necessary action regarding the diabetes control with prescribed medicaments. NanoVIP: What is the advantage on nanorobots for diabetes? Cavalcanti: Nowadays patients with diabetes must take small blood samples many times a day to control their glucose levels. Such procedures are uncomfortable and extremely inconvenient. To solve this problem, the level of sugar in the body can be observed via constant glucose monitoring using medical nanorobotics. This important data may help doctors and specialists to supervise and improve the patient medication and diary diet. This process using nanorobots may be more convenient and safe for making feasible an automatic system for data collection and patient monitoring. It may also avoid eventually infections due the daily small cuts to collect blood samples, possibly loss of data, and even avoid patients in a busy week to forget doing some of their glucose sampling. NanoVIP: How do you expect to achieve nanorobots manufacturing? Cavalcanti: Recent developments on nanobioelectronics described through our work show how to integrate system devices and cellular phones to achieve a better control of glucose levels for patients with diabetes. Some well established and new techniques may be used jointly for such aim. Nanoelectronics in terms of VLSI circuits have demonstrated yet feasible devices with nanometer scales. These same devices can serve in integrating nanorobots with embedded sensors and actuators to build molecular machines, through actual manufacturing techniques and currently in course innovative nanotechnology methodologies. New techniques have been progressing most recently in 3D lithography, new materials like nanotubes, nanocrystal for sensors, antennas, and actuators. Therefore, they are together accelerating even more the downscaling of electronics manufacturing possibilities. Genomics investigation is putting also closer biologists, doctors, and engineers, through a better interdisciplinary comprehension about protein based mechanics for the human body metabolism processes. This same kind of information has become crucial and insightful for the investigation and development of applied transducers as nanodevices for biomedical problems. NanoVIP: What is new about nanorobots in this work? Cavalcanti: This work shows for the first time a system and hardware architecture with a wireless communication technique to address the interface and control upload, data transmission, and possibly teleoperation of nanorobots for diabetes. The detailed description on hardware architecture may support therefore advances towards manufacturing development of nanorobots. The presented approach may enable practical use of nanorobots for continuously monitoring patients in a pervasive manner. This can be quite interesting for patients who suffer from diabetes, but it can be equally useful for elderly people who needs constant monitoring, and also for early diagnosis of complex diseases. Another important and interesting aspect in our current development is the fact that, the similar architecture presented in terms of hardware and system integration, can be also used for a broad range of applications in medicine. NanoVIP: Beyond diabetes, what kinds of other biomedical applications can benefit from this architecture? Cavalcanti: For example, you may have the same concept being used as a basis for nanorobots in early diagnosis of cancer. Cancer can be successfully treated with current stages of medical technologies and therapy tools. However, a decisive factor to determine the chances for a patient with cancer to survive is: how earlier it was diagnosed; what means, if possible, a cancer should be detected at least before the metastasis has began. In fact, you have a similar problem about cerebral aneurysm. A critical issue on cerebral aneurysm is to detect and locate the vessel dilation, if possible before a subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs. Nowadays about 50% of patients with cerebral aneurysm die, because it is detected only after a brain hemorrhage happened. Considering the properties of nanorobots to navigate as bloodborne devices, they can help on such extremely important process of early diagnosis. Therefore, such integrated architecture may support the development of molecular machines to advance new therapies in medicine. * Adriano Cavalcanti, Bijan Shirinzadeh, Robert A. Freitas Jr., Luiz C. Kretly, “Medical Nanorobot Architecture Based on Nanobioelectronics”, Recent Patents on Nanotechnology, Bentham Science, Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-10, February 2007. http://www.bentham.org/nanotec/contabs/nanotec1-1.htm -- Adriano Cavalcanti is the CEO and Research Scientist at CAN Center for Automation in Nanobiotech. For more information, visit www.nanorobotdesign.com or www.canbiotechnems.com .

Interviews

Benj — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 14:17:29 +0000

List of interviews gathered by Nanovip.com.

Dr. Drexler 's desktop size nanofactory : movie

Benj — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:13:25 +0000

Nanovip.com wants to thank John Burch for the authorization to host the nanofactory movie on our servers.

Lizard Fire Studios worked with Dr. Eric Drexler of Nanorex to illustrate the operation of a desktop-scale nanofactory, and Version 1.1 is now available.

Why develop a nanofactory? Do you see value in a medical cure for cancer and AIDS, or do you know someone with a spinal injury and reduced quality of life? A machine like this could produce medical instruments and therapeutic devices able to make these problems a thing of the past.

DOWNLOAD THE MOVIE

About Lizard Fire Studios:

Lizard Fire Studios provides animation services to the nanotechnology community.
Our designer/animator has a MSEE with eighteen years of electronic design experience.
This allows us to handle most technical subjects.
http://www.lizardfire.com/

About Eric Drexler:
K. Eric Drexler is a researcher, author, and policy advocate focused on emerging technologies and their consequences for the future. He pioneered studies of productive nanosystems and their products (the still-theoretical field originally termed “nanotechnology”). He has authored numerous technical publications on this topic as well as books including Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, which first introduced the basic concepts to a general audience, and Nanosystems: Molecular Machinery, Manufacturing, and Computation, an applied-physics analysis of advanced productive nanosystems.

He is presently Chief Technical Advisor of Nanorex, a company developing software for the design and simulation of molecular machine systems. In 1991 he received a doctoral degree in the field of molecular nanotechnology from MIT, the first degree of its kind.
http://www.e-drexler.com/

Science, Faith and New Technologies : World council of churches

Benj — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:58:21 +0100

Here is a World Council of Churches document, developed in association with the World Association for Christian Communication and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, republished on Nanovip.com with the written authorization of the WCC. The report was commented on many nanotechnology blogs, and since ethics, faith and (nano)technology are often debated, we thought about sharing this document with our visitors. Foreword: This publication presents the challenges posed by newly emerging technologies to people of faith. It is a discussion starter and wants to encourage urgently needed study and reflection by churches, theological faculties and ecumenical bodies in close cooperation with each other. The new technologies represent a new stage of development, which requires a fresh approach and change of perspective. The rapid advance of information technologies linked to the equally revolutionary progress of micro-electronics has made it possible to develop strong links between the smallest operational units of newly emerging technologies: bits, atoms, neurons and genes (BANG). With reference to nanotechnology (atoms), biotechnology (genes), information technology (bits) and neuroscience (neurons), NBIC is often used as an acronym to identify the symbiotic relationship between these new technologies. The term “convergent technologies” that is also often used describes the leap towards a more basic, broader and, therefore, much more powerful platform combining these different scientific approaches and their technological applications. This leap can be compared to the first industrial revolution that reshaped life in society in a radical way. Previously, ecumenical social thought and action has addressed the challenges of science and technology in a framework of middle axioms, i.e. a responsible society with an emphasis on situations of rapid social change or, integrating environmental dimensions, a just, participatory and sustainable society. This work culminated in the famous 1979 MIT Conference on Faith, Science and the Future, which focused on a framework that would allow scientists to look at their work from an ethical perspective. There was hope that the ethically informed scientist would apply such insights and adjust his (there was little sensitivity to gender issues) own approach and practice accordingly. The context, however, has changed. While there are remarkable scientists who have shown an outstanding sense of responsibility and solidarity with the poor and marginalized, a majority of them have accepted a more and more corporate dominated and market-driven approach to scientific research and its technological applications. Much of the funding for basic research depends today on government funding for military research or on a private sector that takes control of the results through patenting and copyright regimes. New technologies need to be assessed in terms of social (marginalization), cultural (perspectives of life), economic (monopolies, profits), political (dominance and power), and military (new weapons of mass destruction) impact and consequences. It is important not only to notice, but to understand, the shift away from science and technology as instruments and tools for human development towards the much more sophisticated notion of its power and capacity to transform and to re-design the basic elements of matter – and thus the building blocks – of the community of life as we know it. The newly emerging technology are paving the way for the commodification of life at a much more basic level. The debate on patent laws and corporate power show this clearly. But the process has even deeper consequences for the understanding of the earth community and the broader web of life as well as the place and role of human beings for life in community and creation. Looking at these developments from the perspective of those victimized in this process, the focus on the poor and marginalized in the human community has to be extended to those marginalized and excluded from the wider community of life. New and emerging technologies not only impact on the social fabric of life in community, but on the whole set of relationships in and between all life forms. Any viable solution will depend not only on human choice and action. Other life forms too are affected and react in often unpredictable ways, exposing the human species to new risks. Required is the recognition of the common destiny and purpose of all belonging to the wider earth community. The task today is to learn how to live together on planet earth not only as human beings, but for all creatures of God. This task requires a shift away from an emphasis on security based on the production of the tools to dominate and control nature towards an understanding of the interdependence, mutual vulnerability and solidarity of all life. Such a shift implies a major change in the prevailing development paradigm and the economic, political and military dynamics driving it. The underlying understanding of security and stability based on products and protection continues to marginalize and destroy an understanding of cultures and peoples’ traditions of prudence based on the strength and solidarity of community. While advocating such a paradigm shift, it should be clear to everybody that a major re-orientation of the dominant political economy and culture is not a simple undertaking, but requires an enormous effort of resistance, struggle for alternatives, un-learning of threatening attitudes, habits, values and worldviews, and learning what it means to live in conviviality with all life on earth as our common home. In the light of the theme of the 9th General Assembly of the WCC in 2006 in Porto Alegre/Brazil “God, in your grace, transform the world”, such a paradigm shift would resonate with the theological conviction that God is at the origin of all life. The Holy Trinity offers itself as a key to understanding the relational character of all life carrying the signature of divine love. This publication does not pretend to offer a comprehensive exploration of the issues at stake or to preempt necessary study and discussion by churches and their appropriate bodies. It rather hopes to encourage ethical and theological reflections informed, in particular, by the experience and perspective of persons with disabilities. This first volume concentrates more specifically on nanotechnology. It is followed by a second volume with a focus on biotechnology and genetic engineering. Both of the volumes grew out of close co-operation between the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute. The three partners acknowledge with great appreciation the expert input to this first volume by the ETC-Group, the Canada based Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration. They are also grateful to the ETC-Group for permission to use some of their texts, illustrations and tables for this publication. As the editors, we want to express our sincere gratitude to Eunice Kamaara, Kathy-Joe Wetter, Hope Shand, Kim Yong-Bock, and Gregor Wolbring who contributed to the text of this volume. Philip Lee (WACC), Martin Robra (WCC) Geneva, December 2005 To read the rest, of the document, please download the attached file just below.