Tag: nanotechnology

Nanostructured coatings and layers, only billionths of a meter thick, can be applied to an object to protect against water, dirt, wear, and even bacteria. Working at the nanoscale, scientists and engineers are developing new and innovative applications in the fields of energy, electronics, and medicine. “Nanotechnology: Super Small Science” is produced by NBC News Learn in partnership with the National Science Foundation.

Plastics often get a bad rap – but Dr. Lewis Blackman from the CSIRO is here to convince you that while many are catastrophic for our environment, there’s also a whole world of “good plastics” out there! Clever plastics that can help save children from cancer, allow amputees to walk and as weapons to kill superbugs. This talk ventures into the nanoworld to focus on how smart, shape-changing, nanosized plastic vehicles can allow us to tackle some of the world’s nastiest diseases more effectively and with fewer side effects than ever before! Bio: Lewis is a Londoner who fancied a change from the Big Smoke to the Land Down Under. After spending a year teaching science in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, he completed a PhD in polymer chemistry at the University of Warwick. Lewis is currently a postdoctoral fellow at CSIRO working on developing new polymer biomaterials to combat microbial infections.

Nanotechnology incorporates techniques that involve the structure and composition of materials on a nanoscale. Based on the nanometer, which is one billionth of a meter, it has become an exciting development in many fields. For example, scientists are working on miniature devices that can unclog arteries, detect and eradicate cancer cells, filter water pollution, and more. Its use in treating heart attack and stroke victims is garnering close attention in recent years. Researchers are developing nanocapsules for a “clot-busting” drug. The nanocapsule can target a specific clot, break open and release the medicine exactly at the site it’s needed. This is far more accurate than the traditional methods, such as when a drug is administered through an IV. Nanotechnology is also being developed to make computers much faster and smaller, with more memory. However, nanotechnology is currently too expensive to justify its use in many applications. Further research and development should reduce its cost in the future. In the field of information systems, the current technology for miniaturizing transistors and other micro-processor components might reach its limit in the next decade. New technologies, including nanotechnology, will be necessary.

This video looks at nanotechnology and how it’s being used in the medical field from drug delivery to cancer treatments as well as get a small glimpse of how it can shape the medical field through things such as gold nano-particles as well as learn about where it’s being used in the industry in companies like 3M and NASA.

Students at the Kearny School of College Connections can remotely use nanotechnology available at Nano 3 Laboratory at UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute to analyze tiny structures, such as pollen and shark scales. By making nanotech more accessible, students are able to discover something new about nature at the nano scale. The institute has mentored nearly 4,000 students county-wide.

Nanotechnology may one day allow the molecular fabrication of many products from basic raw materials. This video by futurist Christopher Barnatt explains current “top down” nanotechnologies, as well as potential future “bottom-up” innovations in molecular self-assembly.

The Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) is the Pratt School of Engineering’s core facility that enables materials, devices, and integrated systems research at Duke University in a variety of fields that include nanotechnology, biomaterials and biomedical engineering, information sciences, optoelectronics, sensor technology, and renewable energy. SMIF is housed in the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (FCIEMAS). The facility consists of 7,000 square feet of clean room fabrication space, and nearly 3,000 square feet of specialized laboratory space for characterization and imaging equipment. SMIF is part of the Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN) in partnership with similar facilities at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The RTNN is one of 16 organizations nationwide that comprise the National Science Foundation sponsored National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) program.

A brief information about Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) in Turkey. What is nanotechnology?