A Poem about Nanotechnologies

NanOpinion is an organization which celebrates advancements in nanotechnology and helps spread awareness about it to the public.

Every year, NanOpinion holds the "Distilled NanoIdeas" Competition, for creative art works which promote Nanotechnologies. 

Lidia Minza won the second Prize for the 16-18+ category of this competition with her poem.

Read it below!

(To find more information about other winners or to apply for next year's competition, click here!)

 “The Wonders of food packaging"

I think nanotechnology is cool

I will use it in daily life

Because I’m not a fool

I’ll use it till it gets rife.

I will use it in packaging food

But it’s a complex process

So be very careful, dude. 

Carefully it will lead to sucess.

Food packs have multiple functions

Not only information and amusement.

But they also have dysfunction

So they really need improvement.

Protection, appearance, freshness;

Those are barely satisfied.

A food package to be flawless

would be by nanco tech defined.

Oxygen causes oxidation

And that makes the milk go sour.

What an unpleasant situation!

We must get rid of it for sure.

We need less penetrable pack

With smart sensors inside of it

That can turn green or red and black

To show you how fresh’s the meat.

Vacuum packaging is really helpful

And active packaging is even better,

And biosensors would be successful

But first we need to solve the high price matter.

Food packages expect a revolution

To make them almost flawless I believe.

Nanotechnology is now the best solution

In all domains it would be a relief.

Patatoes, steak, fruit and pastry

Have nanotechnologic destiny!

Packed with freshness, 

No longer tasteless,

Smart food packaging makes it all perfect.

Long time ago it was believed

That food from oxygen was deprived

Of all nutrional value and taste,

Lastly making it go to waste. 

Today it is no longer the case!

Sustainable, safe and smart are

The three qualities that by far

Nano-packaging posseses.

It also easily compresses 

Taste and nutritional values.

Active packaging helps protect

Food from microbial contact: 

Not only is it intelligent

But also cost-efficient.

Well, isn’t that beneficent?

We need proficient sensors

To find temperature increase.

To approach with care

And our food to spare

From damaging air.

Its aim is reducing food loss,

With materials less dangerous

To human body and nature;

All for the sake of nurture. 

Nano is the future!

Nanotechnology to fight hospital superbugs

Each year, twice as many people die in Europe from hospital acquired infections than from road accidents. These infectious diseases have developed antibiotic resistance and are able to spread, despite the best efforts of staff. However, the technology developed by a European research project helps fight back against "superbugs" by using a revolutionary nanotechnology to treat bed linen and other textiles.

 The team has developed a durable antimicrobial textile with a polymeric coating within the nano range thickness. This means that the material is in the order of a few layers of polymeric molecules. 

The textiles have been clinically tested to withstand industrial-strength laundry cycles, and the treatment lasts for the entire lifetime of the product.

The technology comes at a crucial point in time since the role of textile surfaces as a ubiquitous host for bacteria has been underestimated up until very recently. Before, it was assumed that a wash alone would disinfect the material, but in the short journey from laundry to the hospital, there has been found to be all sorts of opportunities for new infections.

The technology can treat both natural and artificial fibers, and the procedure itself is simply a dip in a bath, followed by drying and curing. Nanobond’s tests show that it kills 99.99% of all micro-organisms after the first treatment, a figure that stays as high as 90%, even after 70 washes.

More on the Horizon 2020 website

Nanosculpture Marvel

The sculptor, Jonty Hurwitze has created the first humanoid nanosculpture by using a 3D-printed, photosensitive material. It is the smallest human sculpture ever created!

This sculpture exemplifies our increasing capacity to manipulate matter at the nanoscale.

Read more Here  

Summer 2015 : Nanotechnology Summer Camps

High School students who are beginning to look into college all face a similar problem: Extracurriculars. Students don't know how to find programs, discover what they are passionate about, and make valuable use of their time. However, instead of being a curse, it should be a blessing. Modern opportunities are of better quality and are more numerous than ever before; and many new programs are being created to help educate students about nanotechnology. A few of them are listed below.

If you are aware of any opportunity that I missed, please send me note. I will add it to the list.

Introduction to Materials Science and Nanotechnology . 

At Columbia University, Link Here

Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2015.

Session: II, July 21-August 7, 2015

Days & Time: Monday–Friday, 10:10 AM–12:00 PM and 2:10–4:00 PM.

Instructor(s): Luis Avila and staff

Prerequisites: 

At least one year of chemistry and either physics or biology, and algebra.

The CNSI Nanoscience Lab Summer Institute

At UCLA. Link Here

The CNSI Nanoscience Lab Summer Institute is an exclusive summer workshop for high school students interested in advanced science and technology. During this five day program, students have the unique opportunity to explore questions similar to those currently investigated by the scientific community. 

Level: Open to students entering grades 10 to 12 

Schedule: Session A: July 7-12, Session B July 14-18 Nice Online weekly schedule here.

Deadlines: Registration opens Feb 1st 2015

2015 CEET High School Nanotechnology Summer Residential Camp

At Northen Illinois University, Link Here

Level: Open to students entering grades 10 to 12 

Schedule: Last week of June 2015

Deadlines: Registration needed by End of May 2015

Several STEM and Medical Sciences Summer Programs

At Stanford University. Link Here

There  is a nano-fab unit at Stanford where they offer a Undergrad summer Program. Did not find any specific High School Nanotechnology program, but there are many other fascinating opportunities. Take a look here.

High School Nanotechnology Research Camp

At UC Berkeley. Link Here

The High School Nanotechnology Research Camp is an all-day (10am–4pm) week-long summer camp for high school students entering grades 9-12. The camp is held on the UC Berkeley campus and focuses on cutting-edge research and technology. Activities during the camp include fabricating nanomaterials and devices, visiting research labs, and exploring current issues in nanotechnology with experts.

MITRE's Student Program and Summer Research in the Nanosystems Group

The MITRE Student Program is a unique, nationally renowned summer educational experience for outstanding high school students and college undergraduates. It offers students technical positions working on problems involving the application of advanced science and engineering to innovative problems of national importance. Since 1989, the program has motivated several hundred students to continue their studies in science and engineering and to go on to become technical professionals. Each summer the program brings between twenty to forty exceptional young people to the MITRE Corporation's campus in Northern Virginia.

Very little information for details on the website. I have requested information and will update this blog. Please come back.

Research Experience for High School Students and Teachers

At University of New Orleans. Link Here.

High school students and teachers participate in research projects within the areas of synthesis, characterization and application of nanoparticles and their composites and assemblies. 

Registration: 2015 registration is not online yet, but one can take a look to the 2014 process here.

Deadlines: Registration needed by End of May 2015

NanoTech Metal Coatings

"NanoTech Metal Coating is ideal for protecting, and preserving metal surfaces under various conditions. Using proprietary nanotechnology, we at NanoTech Coatings have formulated a long lasting, durable, environmentally friendly line of nanocoatings for a wide variety of substrates. Our Metal Coat provides protection against all types of corrosion from water, salt spray, chemical exposure, as well as other damaging environmental elements. Due to its anti-corrosion properties, our Metal Coat also eliminates the need to polish easily tarnished metals, such as aluminum, silver, and brass. NanoTech Metal Coating also provides UV protection for the metal surface and reduces ice adhesion. NanoTech Metal Coating is designed to protect metals in industrial situations like bridges, pipelines, and other large equipment as well as everyday metals in the home, such as door knobs and stainless steel kitchen appliances. The protection provided by our Metal Coating reduces the time and labor required to properly clean the substrate, saving both time and money."

This is another example of a company that is using advancing nanotechnologies for practical use. This product, which protects metals from water, chemical, UV, and salt spray corrosion, has practical applications in many facets of society, including everything from manufacturing durability to the prevention of tarnishing on brass instruments.

To learn more, click here

Europe and Nanotechnologies

"The European Commission's Horizon 2020 program aims to bridge the gap between nanotechnology research and markets, and to realize the potential contribution to sustainable growth, competitiveness, environment, highly skilled jobs and increased quality of life. 

Horizon 2020 activities addressing this challenge will therefore implement the next steps towards the deployment and market introduction of lightweight, multifunctional, economical and environmentally friendly nano-enabled products for different applications, by scaling up laboratory experience to industrial scale and by demonstrating the viability of a variety of manufacturing technologies.

In order to ensure the safe development and application of nanotechnologies, Horizon 2020 aims to advance scientific knowledge of the potential impact of nanotechnologies on health or on the environment, and to provide tools for risk assessment and management along the entire life cycle."

Expected impact:

• Supporting European competitiveness through accelerated market uptake of nano-enabled products
• Improvement in existing manufacturing processes and industrial productivity
• Contribution to improved technical knowledge
• Promoting safe-by-design approaches and contributing towards the framework of EU nanosafety and regulatory strategies (including standardization)
• Providing significant long term societal benefits in terms of improved health care and improved quality of life

The Horizon 2020 program builds upon the FP 6 and FP 7 Grant Frameworks of the past 10-15 years, which has activated an ecosystem with more than 2000 players across Europe. Research projects in the nano field can be "clustered" into different areas:

• Electronics/ICT and Nanomaterials which cross over into virtually all nano-territories, including Industrial Applications, Security, Textiles and Agrifood.
• Energy and Environment - revealing the potential to give the world cheap access to clean water and energy
• Nano in Healthcare - including Diagnostics, Drug Delivery and Regenerative Medicine
• Nano in Textiles
• Nano in othere areas

An example of the Nanomaterial technology mapping (here for Insdustrial Applications) resulting from EU's FP 6 and FP7's grants)

(full PDF file, with description of every project, here)

Solar splitting

One of the great problems that face humanity at the moment is global warming and climate change. It is well known that humans are releasing more and more CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.

Graph of CO2 emissions and where they are released from

Pie chart showing where we get our energy from

In response to this up and coming crises, new research and accompanying companies have begun to develop new energy technologies, which they hope will become the successor of fossil fuels. These new renewable energy sources consist mainly of Hydroelectric power. 8 of the 9% of energy used by Americans comes from hydroelectricity.  

The last 1% of energy sources include solar and wind. Both have received much press, but it is clear that they have yet to take hold. However, there have been several recent advancements in solar technology, that may  help the platform become a major contributor to our energy reservoir. 

Solar panels and other solar technologies have yet to take of. One reason for this reluctance is the cost for the infrastructure. However, the prices of solar panels have dropped dramatically in the last several decades. This is a good sign for the industry, as it will obviously solicit a positive response from consumers.

Unfortunately, there remains another problem which holds solar panels back. This is that solar panels cannot produce energy at night. It has to thus store excess energy  in expensive batteries. However, a team at Stanford has made a recent development that may make an alternate form of energy storage possible.

The development is based off of the principle that water requires energy to be broken apart into its bare components, hydrogen and oxygen, and that energy  is released when the two fuse to make water. Water is classically separated by putting two electrodes of different charges into the water, causing the water to break apart. This has long been established, but the separation of water has always required much energy.

A team at Stanford has managed to decrease this energy, in a way that might help accelerate solar panel integration into society. For several years, people have been trying to harness the principle mentioned above by using solar energy to separate the water, and then when there is no sunlight, to use the created hydrogen  and oxygen to recreate pure water and release energy. However, up until now, the separation has required too much energy.

The Experiment at Standford which uses a 1.5 volt AAA battery to
Separate water into H and O2

In the past, there has been a major problem: Silicon degrades when it comes into contact with water. Thus, the option to use light energy to charge electrodes and separate water with just sunlight was not an option (both because of the amount of energy required and because of the silicon degradation. The problem was originally solved by teams who coated silicon electrodes in iridium or other expensive materials. However, this solution was expensive. 

The team at Stanford used a simple nickel nanolayer to solve this problem. The nanolayer (which is inexpensive and which doesn't corrode over longer periods than the iridium covered electrodes ) allows the silicon to absorb light and to not degrade in the water.

Using lithium, the team was also able to prolong the lifespan of the electrodes  to up to 80 hours without any corrosion.

Diagram of the experiment done at stanford

Thus, this development may be able to cheapen the creation of hydrogen fuel by solar energy, and help solar panels come into the mass market. Click Here to Read More

Nanotechnology and Kickstarter

What happens when you look at the intersection of two mega trends: nanotechnologies and Crowfunding ? One might expect to find the future leading companies of the future, but the results are surprising.

The experiment is easy to perform: simply use the SEARCH on the tool Quickstarter website and use  NANOTECHNOLOGY as the key word.

Today, I obtained 11 hits:

• 6 projects reached their funding target: 5 are focusing in the area of hydrophobic coatings / stain protection
• 3 projects failed: odorless sport shirts did not make it ( "crowd" is smart !! )
• 2 projects where cancelled ( area of hydrophobic coatings / stain protection)

In short, there is nothing significant at the moment.

However, it is interesting to note the outcome, as in a year I will try again. It is possible that by then there will be some emerging applications that other VCs or companies have yet to discover !

Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are one of the only nanotechnogies that has become popularized and recognized by the public. Imagine yourself five years ago. Did you know about what nanotechnologies could do? Was it any more than a futuristic technology of the distant future, not worthy of current investigation?

If you are like most people, the answer is probably yes. Today, is a very different story from then: More and more people are becoming aware of the new field as more money funnels into nanotech. research.
The Carbon nanotube is the perfect marketing tool for nanotechnologies: The idea is so relatively simple, and the uses seem to be endless. Here are some of the most prevalent uses (as provided by nanoNews)

10) Carbon Nanotubes can be coupled with DNA or protein receptors to enhance olfactory abilities. This can be used to sniff out bombs or detect cancer.

9) Carbon nanotubes can be used for artificial muscles because they act and respond in similar ways to actual muscles. The nanotubes are very good conductors of electricity, meaning that they can be used to perform work, and are also light and flexible enough to substitute a muscle.

8) Super strong Tape - the inspiration for this innovation was the gecko, which can climb up smooth walls thanks to hairs on its feet. The Carbon Nanotube tape mimics gecko, and is able to cling with 8,000 pounds of force/square foot. Duck tape clings with 67.3 pounds of force.

7) Improved Sceens - Due to their electrical properties, carbon nanotubes can be used to enhance TV displays and make them bend.

6) their lightweight and strong properties mean that they can be used to help restructure broken bones and help people heal from various injuries.

5) Cell Therapy - This is a prominent zone for nanotechnologies. People are able to use carbon nanotubes as a transport mechanism of DNA activators or inhibitors into the cell.

4) Supercapcitors - due the the high amount of surface area, carbon nanotubes are posing as a threat to the modern battery, and they are getting ready to dominate the field, increasing battery span and efficiency

3) Efficiency - Small doses of Nanomaterials can vastly improve the efficiency of solar panels because it is so conductive and because of the high amount of surface area.

2) Structural Support - This one is really hitting the market, at the moment. Nanotubes' fabulous strength (while maintaining a small mass) is being used in all sorts of products, from the frames of bikes to guns.

1) Water Purification - Maybe one of the innovations with the greatest impacts: Nanotubes' structural properties make them an ideal filter of unhealthy water to potable water. It takes out everything from chemical toxins to harmful microbes, and may soon be used to bring clean water to millions without it today.

For more information on these applications, click here
(The details of the creation of the tubes were published in an earlier post) 

Micropatterns

Micropatterns are a tool that researchers use to control the spatial arrangement of cells on a substrate (surface) by adhering the cell onto a substrate. One of the most common methods to micropattern adhesive proteins which cells attach to is microcontact printing (µCP). Originally done using gold as the substrate, we are now able to perform µCP on cheaper surfaces, such as glass, polystyrene, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, or rubber).
We will go over the procedure for a PDMS substrate.

Making the Master and Stamp
First, we make make a "master" which is generally made of silicon. The master is a piece of material which has been carved by shooting a beam of electrons through a chromium photomask (which resembles the slides from old projectors). Principally, a beam of electrons or UV light is shot over the entire photomask film, but then in the areas where there is the chromium ink, the beam does not travel through. This apparatus is over the silicon wafer, which has been covered by a photoresist, a material which goes away or is solidifies when hit by the beam. Thus, we are able to make a pattern. This technique can achieve patterns that have a resolution of several nanometers (see figure one).

Figure 1: How the creation of a photomask works. This is how it is used in electronics. In biology
we use silicon instead of the "Fused Silica: and we do not use the drawn chromium layer. Instead, the photomask has
parts with the chromium, and others without, dictating where the UV can penetrate.

Now that we have this master with engravings, we can begin the patterning process. First, we have to make a replica of the silicon wafer using PDMS (rubber). To do this, we put liquid PDMS (PDMS prepolymer) on top of the master silicon wafer with a curing agent and bake the entire thing. Eventually, we can peel the PDMS off the master and it is ready for use. This PDMS replica is called a stamp, and is used exactly like a regular stamp.

The stamp is turned so that the carved side is facing upwards. We then add an adhesive protein (which the cell will stick to) onto the top of the stamp. Then, we evaporate the protein and end up with a layer of the protein that is a single layer thick, called a monolayer. We can then stamp the PDMS stamp onto our substrate (which is ALSO made of PDMS). In the places that were carved, the protein prepolymer was not printed onto the substrate surface, whilst in the other areas they were (Figure 2)

Figure 2: The process of making the stamp and using it. In this picture, the
Elastomeric Stamp is the same thing as the PDMS

Preparation of the Substrate
As mentioned before, the surface where we hope to have cell adherence is called the substrate, and in this case it is made of PDMS. Except not entirely. Instead, what we have is is a piece of glass. Then we spin coat the PDMS prepolymer so that there is a thin, flat layer of PDMS. Spin coating is when you have a wheel spinning so quickly that once the prepolymer of PDMS is put in the middle, it spreads into a thin disk on the glass. We also add fetal cow serum (FCS), which provides food for the cells to survive on the substrate.

Printing Patterns
As mentioned before, the PDMS stamps have been prepared so that they can print a pattern of protein which cells can stick to. However, most researchers also add another chemical who's job it is to prevent cells from sticking to an area. This is done by putting the post-printed substrate in a solution containing the anti-adhesive. The anti-adhesive is most commonly a pluronic, which has a structure containing a polyethylene glycol (PEG) piece. This piece is hydrophobic, and the cells do not stick to it. Thus we have a pattern with both stick and ati-stick regions, ensuring we have patterned cell adhesion.

An Example to What a pattern looks like

Adhesion Complexities of Wettability
This is all well, except for problems that arise in wettability, or how well water sticks to it. It is the same as being hydrophilic. The PDMS substrate is hydrophobic. Pluronics - the anti-adhesive molecules - adhere to the PDMS because it is hydrophobic. However, proteins do not adhere to such hydrophobic surfaces, so it does not adhere to the PDMS. Both are needed in this method.

Thus, a compromise has to be made. This compromise is done by tuning the wettability of the PDMS substrate so that it is less hydrophobic so that the proteins can now adhere to it, but not so much that the pluronics stop adhering to it. This is shown in figure 3.

Figure 3: This picture shows how the different materials adhere to the micropatterns
as the wettability changes. In it, 0% OH is completely hydrophobic, whereas
100% OH is completely hydrophilic. 40% OH is where both the pluronic and
the protein stick to the micropattern. Note that cells stick to
the proteins, so if the protein adhered, so did the cells.

Cell Adhesion
Now that we have a micropatterned surface with both an adhesive protein pattern and a non adhesive pluronic backfill, when the cells are added, cells will only stick to the adherent areas. After adding the cells, we wash off the non-adhered cells using a phosphate buffer saline (PBS). We now have a pattern with adhered cells that will last from 1-3 days.

Sources

Wettability: here

Procedure: here

Procedure: here

Comparative Study: here

What is Nanomedicine ?

One of the first blogs that I have ever written was about nanomedicine. Returning to the subject, the European Commission Technology Platform for Nanomedicine is a valuble resource which contains serious educational content about nanomedicine. 

If you are interested in  learning a little bit more about nanomedicine, this is a perfect source for you!

Princeton High School Lab Learning Program

The Princeton Lab Learning Program is a Program for highschool students to get a glimpse of what a real college lab is like. In it, an applicant is given a selection of projects, and then he/she chooses the one they are most interested in. It ranges from chemistry, to biology, to nanotechnology and everything in between. If the applicant is accepted, the student will be able to do their own research in a Princeton Lab along side college students and professors.

Though competitive and difficult to achieve admittance, the program is one of the best for students wishing to explore the world of research. Unlike other research programs, this program is fairly loose in that there is no staff dedicated to you and the program. On the project that an applicant has chosen, he/she must be able to teach themselves new material without a teacher or help. This can be very difficult as highschool students generally have barely scratched the surface of science, but if correctly done, the student will have learned an invaluable technique.
For more information on what was done this year (2014) and to apply in the future, click here.

Utilizing non-newtonian fluid properties of Calcium Carbonate

Many people have played with the incredibly fun, and apparently explainable solid/liquid substance known as oobleck. Oobleck is made up of starch in water, and exhibits an apparent change in states when it is hit by a fast moving object: it goes from liquid to solid. This can be explained by the startch which was added to the water. Starch is an extremely long chain of glucose. This length means that when a substance hits the substance quickly, the friction between the molecules becomes so great that it does not moving; creating a temporary solid.

However, length is only one possible reason for the exhibition of this trait. Intramolecular properties between compounds in calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) also make this happen. Some people are trying to use this property in the common compound by creating fluid armor, which would be flexible, and light, but would solidify as soon as it is impacted with a fast moving object, such as a knife or a bullet.

Read more here

Contolling Artificial nano-robots from inside living cells

The last two years have been filled with discussion on the potential for nanotechnologies; and it seems that some of these promises are just beginning to ripen into reality.

For the first time ever, researchers at Penn State have put Nanorobots inside human cells and have controlled the nanorobots. These researchers used gold nanorods for their researcher. They used ultrasonic waves to control the rods.

This video shows the researchers controlling the nanorobots to

 make a line of living human rotate at different speeds

To learn more, go to University of Pennsilvania's Website

Will Nanobots replace neurons ?

A computer animation of a possible future nanomedical procedure where a nanobot replaces a damaged neuron has been published on YouTube (see below) in 2007.

Although this can look very "cool",  This animation conveys a realistic - nor even a futuristic - concept for the possible applications of nanotechnology. It does not contribute to a constructive education of the public on Nanotechnologies.  Surprisingly, this video scores 318 "likes" and 19 "dislikes".

If you agree with me, can you click here and "dislike" the video.

Coursera: Nanotechnology

Coursera is an online tool to learn about anything: One can go onto the site and search a class of interest. It then brings up related classes that are taking place and are organized by colleges. Cne can then join the course and enjoy learning.

They have two classes in nanotechnologies: One coming from Rice University, and the other from the Israeli Institute of Technology.

Coursera.org : Nanotechnology

To start learning or to find out more, go to www.coursera.org 

NanoWe

NanoWe is a new website that is looking to be the marketplace of nanotechnologies. They want to compile all the products that have to do with nanotechnologies. Their goal is for businesses to come to them with products, and then they put it on their website, with the products of all the other businesses, making a go-to place for anybody who wants to buy anything Nano-related.

If you are interested in adding you products to their site or learning more about it, click here

www.nanowe.com 

Nanobubbles help fight Malaria

Malaria is one of the abhorred diseases in the world. Half of the word's population inhabits lands where they are susceptible to the disease, and over 200 million people are diagnosed with it each year. 600 000 Africans die of it each year. In the last decade, malaria has become less lethal due to artemisnins.

Nanotechnology is pitching in to fighting the disease by trailblazing the way for a highly accurate and precise device that can detect minute traces of malaria. More importantly, it does it notably simply.

Sketch of the device and how it works. (Transdermal - through the skin)

Current methods for detection require a blood smear and several qualified doctors and microscopes. This is expensive, and is often unavailable in third-world countries. This system works by sending a lower power laser pulse onto the skin. The pulse goes through the skin, and does not affect healthy cells. However, if the pulse encounters an infected cell, the pulse makes the hemozoin (which is released by malaria into the infected cell) create nanobubbles. When the bubbles pop, the unique acoustic signal is picked up, thus indicating malaria.

It is a simple technique, that requires no professionals, and is becoming available in a hand-held, battery-powered device that will allow the diagnosis to cost less than 50cents.
This research is being done at Rice university.

To Read more: (source)