Researchers at Tufts University have put together a “molecular motor” that is only about a nanometer across. It’s not the first single-molecule motor ever made, but this one, unlike others, can be activated singly by the minute tip of a scanning electron microscope. They’re working with Guinness to get certified as the smallest motor in the world. → Read More
I have bad vision. Not super bad, but bad enough that I should probably have contacts (I lost my glasses three years ago). But whenever I see contacts in the wild, they’re dry, scratchy, or forgotten overnight; do I really want to endure that, or am I okay with my 20/50-ish vision? Well, new developments coming down the pipes from some optics-boffins may convince me to take the plunge. → Read More
Alternative storage stuff is always interesting. In this case it’s also nanotech, so that makes it a double-whammy. Some researchers have made a two-layer nanowire out of germanium, antimony, and tellurium that can be made to store information in the form of its physical state. They can alter the crystalline structure in the tiny wires by an electrical pulse and it’ll stay that way… → Read More
This new technique allows for making very precisely engineered little canals and then filling them with copper (or another material) leaving no gaps at all. At the scale they’re talking about, it’s essentially like laying down nano-wire in any pattern they want to create. It’s a bit like filling a mold with play-dough and then scraping off the extra. We don’t always report… → Read More
BASF just put out a podcast about odd nano-tech colorants for various surfaces. Called “mechano optical colors,” they change color when you stretch and pull them. Sure it’s a little shilly, but it’s actually a nice-quality podcast and is just interesting enough to be worth a listen. → Read More
So I’m here in Scotland with Audiofile Mike. It turns out that this home of The Highlander and hooliganism not only takes credit for bringing the world television, penicillin, and cloned sheep, but is now a steaming hotbed of new nanotechnology research. We spent the past week checking out bleeding edge nano, including ways of using OLED lights to smooth out skin cancer, microscopic machines… → Read More
French fashionistas Avelana and Roudière have developed a new smart fabric dubbed Klimeo that can regulate wearer temperatures based on surroundings. So if it’s hot, it can make you cooler and if it’s cold, it can make you warmer. It works by grafting a system of nano-capsules into the woolen material. The capsules insulate and release heat by changing from solid-to-liquid depending… → Read More
Looks like today is nano technology day for me. A research team at Cornell University has announced its work on a “nano-napkin,” which would be able to detect certain bacteria or viruses. The idea sounds simple enough, binding nanofibers to antibodies in an attempt to use the napkain to locate specific bacteria. The example the team gives is of a meat packing plant. “…If… → Read More
A research team over at Harvard University has developed a nano antenna that can be mounted on a regular off-the-shelf laser so that data can be written onto media at a much greater rate. In theory, this would mean that even the soon-to-be-obsolete CD could have over 3TB written onto it. The device is essentially a couple of gold-coated nano rods. When light from the laser hits the rods, it… → Read More
Nanosensors are arrays of wires that can capture and detect a single molecule, which would made them excellent bomb sniffers. Nanosensors exist, technically, but they’re extremely difficult to manufacture and extremely delicate. However, thanks to a new technique created by HP, scientists have been able to make nanosensors as quickly but not quite as easily as they would make a standard… → Read More
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