Nanotechnology

High Flying on the 2010 Space Ribbon

Do you still think of nanotechnology in the abstract? Elevate your perspective by learning about the Space Elevator, a thin ribbon, with a cross-section area roughly half that of a pencil, extending from a ship-borne anchor to a counterweight well beyond geo-synchronous orbit. Using vehicles, called climbers, one can ascend the ribbon using electricity generated by solar panels and a ground based booster light beam. How is this possible? The ribbon is 62,000 miles long, about 3 feet wide, and is thinner than a sheet of paper. It is made out a material called Carbon Nanotube Composite. Learn more. 

Conference on the uses of Nanotechnology in Food

Even your Big Mac could be improved through tiny science. At this June conference, stakeholders discuss food industry issues and nanotechnology including productivity, cost effectiveness, and disease prevention. NANO4FOOD is the first conference to offer a broad analysis on the requirements of the food industry, including manufacturing, distribution and consumption, and how nanotechnologies can address those needs by opening up new ways to develop more productive, economically feasible, fast-response and simple-to-use solutions that can provide a clear return on investment. Learn more.

Europe's Nanosafe2 Program

BASF has released news that it will participate in the Nanosafe2 program to better understand risks associated with the use of nanoparticles. Nanosafe2 establishes processes to detect, track and characterize nanoparticles by looking at the entire lifecycle of nanoparticles, from their production and storage through to transport and use in a finished product. “As part of the EU project, we will be carrying out studies to increase our understanding of the possible health risks associated with the inhalation of nanoparticles,” explained Dr. Edgar Leibold from BASF’s Toxicology department. More about Nanosafe2.

Sandia Porphyrin Nanotubes and Broader R&D Goals

Sandia National Laboratories is developing alternatives to carbon nanotubes (since some suggest the nanotube chemical properties are unique and perhaps unpredictable). “The broad objective of the research is to design and fabricate new types of nanoscale devices,” says John Shelnutt, Sandia research team leader. Shelnutt’s team uses porphyrins, which are light-absorbing molecules related to chlorophyll, the active part of photosynthetic proteins and light-harvesting nanostructures (chlorosomal rods). Porphyrin nanotubes are made entirely of oppositely charged porphyrin molecules that self-assemble in water at room temperature. These differ from the more well-known carbon nanotubes, which are formed at high temperatures and have covalent bonds between carbon atoms. Listen to an mp3 containing an introduction to nanotechnology and outlining Sandia’s broader nanotechnology program goals and initiatives here, or subscribe here.

First International Conference on Nanotechnology Cooperation

International conference to open dialogue on the nano issues, including talks by Rainer Zimmermann, European Commission Tatsuo Morimoto, Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP); Mihail Roco, National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), USA; "Science and Technology Policy on Nanotechnology in Japan" by Kazuharu Shimizu, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan "Developments and Future Expectations of Nanotechnology" by Michiharu Nakamura, Hitachi Ltd; "A Rational View Nanotechnologies: From Nanoscience to Manufacturing" by Tim Harper, Cientifica, Spain; Japan Update “Industrial Policy in the 21st Century: From Technology to the Market” by Toru Nakayama, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan US Update "Quantifying Nanotechnology's Economic Impact" by Matthew Nordan, Lux Research. Complete Agenda and links to registration.

Feynman Honored with Commemorative US Stamp

Richard Feynman's curiosity was profound and paved the way for the field of nanotechnology. He won the Nobel Prize in 1965 in part due to his unorthodox and innovative lectures on physics. Now he is one of the subjects of a series of commemorative stamps available here. Notice the incorporation of his "Feynman Diagrams" in the detail, shorthand for calculations of rates for electromagnetic and weak interaction particle processes.

View Full Text of the Nanotechnology Act

View the full text of Public Law 108-153 108th Congress, An Act To authorize appropriations for nanoscience,  nanoengineering, and nanotechnology research, and for other purposes. This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act''. President Bush signed the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act thereby authorizing about $4 billion over the next four years. The bill is the first major technology legislation of the 108th Congress to reach the White House. The legislation supports programs and activities previously supported by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), one of the White House's highest multi-agency R&D priorities.