Blog @ NanoVic - Nanotechnology Blog

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have released a Nanotechnology Report into the scientific and regulatory challenges arising with the increased number of products using nanotechnology.  The report highlighted that products containing nanoscale materials should be treated like any other emerging technology regulated by the FDA in that they should be proved safe and effective, but admit that there may be complications due to the fact that properties of materials can change significantly on the nanoscale.   The report recommends that “transparent, consistent, and predictable regulatory pathways” need to be developed, including specific guidance on when the use of nanoscale materials may change the regulatory status of products.   How to test products to better regulate them, including how they affect biological systems, was also recommended by the report.

Elevator 2010 is a competition that was started in 2005 in the US to realise the dream of building an elevator on earth that extends into space. The competition is open to universities and aerospace firms and the requirement is to build a space elevator prototype that can travel 100 meters into the air in under 50 seconds.

As the name suggests, they propose that this competition will help to develop the technology to be able to build a space elevator by 2010, which could be followed by an actual elevator in 2020. The competition consists of 3 main areas of technology. The tether, which is made from carbon nanotubes; the carrier (elevator), which is a solar powered platform with pulleys to move up the tether; and a beam power source, which is a light source that sits on the ground and directs light at the solar cells on the carrier, providing the power. Does any of this sound far fetched? Well, I thought the 2010 goal was a little optimistic until I saw the video http://www.elevator2010.org/index.html . It’s quite amazing.

The main thing keeping this concept on the ground is the fact that we cannot yet manufacture a carbon nanotube composite tether that meets the necessary requirements. Work is being done in this area and once this has been addressed, most of the fundamental challenges will have been met. The group behind the competition claim that it is not a question of technology as to whether or not this idea will fly (or climb), but one of politics. The technology is just around the corner, but governments around the world need to be convinced of its usefulness and feasibility. The 2010 website provides some convincing arguments!

In a previous post, I gave details about an upcoming Needle and Syringe Cultures Exhibition being organised by the Centre for Health and Society at the University of Melbourne.  The Exhibition has now been running for 9 days and has been a great success!  The opening was performed on 18th July by Professor Vjoletta Braach-Maksvytis, DVC Innovation and Development at the University of Melbourne, who addressed her speech to a crowd of over 60 people who had gathered to view the various displays, which include private syringe collections, interactive models and short films.  The Exhibition runs until 2pm on Saturday 28th July, in the Executive Lounge of the Gilbert Building on Grattan Street, so if you’ve not yet managed to visit there is still time!

Pictured here are the curators of the Exhibition: (left to right) Kim McLeod, Ann Brothers, John Fitzgerald, Cat Wilson and Jack Wallace. 

A garment that can prevent colds and flu and never needs washing, and another that destroys harmful gases and protects the wearer from smog and air pollution.  These garments were designed by Olivia Ong in the College of Human Ecology’s Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design.  The garments were infused with their unusual qualities by fiber science Assistant Professor Juan Hinestroza and his postdoctoral researcher Hong Dong.

As reported in the Cornell University Chronicle, under a microscope you can see how the electrostatically charged nanoparticles create a protective shield around the cotton fibers in the top part of the dress, and the sleeves, hood and pockets of the jacket.  The fabrics were created by dipping them in solutions containing nanoparticles synthesized in a lab. The resultant colors are not the product of dyes, but rather, reflections of manipulation of particle size or arrangement.

So, if you are a fashion connessieur and have a few thousand dollars to spare, then these fashion items may be just what you are looking for to compliment your wardrobe! 

Although in the current cold weather it seems a long way off, that wonderful time of the year is approaching where it starts to warm up, the grass starts growing, the blossoms start blooming. Wonderful, except if you suffer from hayfever and spring means constant checking of the pollen count and reaching for the tissues and anti-histamines.

Recent research reported on the Nature Newsblog indicates that one day hayfever sufferer’s may be reaching for nanomedicine to treat hayfever and other allergies. Specifically, buckyballs, round cage-like molecules of 60 carbon atoms about 1-10 nanometres in size, have been shown to help block the release of histamine, a molecule that causes inflammation . Experiments where human cells either with or without buckyballs were exposed to an allergen (like the pollen responsible for many cases of hayfever), showed that the cells treated with buckyballs released a lot less histamine compared to the untreated cells. Although a nanotech based therapy is still a long way off, the researchers hope to commence clinical trials in human subjects soon.

And I thought bamboo was just something that pandas enjoyed eating!  Firstly I have discovered a nanotechnology company called Greenyarn that develops advanced materials for consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to conventional fabrics.  Eco-fabric created by Greenyarn contains bamboo-carbon nano particles which retain all the properties that bamboo in its natural state possesses.  Bamboo thrives without using any pesticide and bamboo-carbon nano particles retain their natural antibacterial, antifungal, bacteriostasis and deodorization properties.
Bamboo has also found its way into a walking shoe.  ASICS have developed a shoe which includes a patented Nano Bamboo Fibre vamp lining material that is breathable and has excellent moisture absorbing and insulating characteristics.

Anything that makes feet smell and feel better, especially after exercise, has got to be a plus in my books!

We sometimes struggle to effectively describe the nanoscale world.  Here is an animation from Molecular Expressions at the Florida State Univeristy that takes you in leaps of powers of ten from light years to 100 attometers (that’s 10^-16 metres).  What I found most interesting is how familiar everything looks until you reach the nanometre scale.  This makes it a good illustration of the different properties inherent in nanoscience.

RoboCup is an international joint project which promotes AI, robotics, and related fields. It attempts to foster AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where a wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. RoboCup chose to use the soccer game as a central topic of research, aiming at innovations to be applied for socially significant problems and industries. 

As reported recently in the Brisbane Times, RoboCup 2007 was held at Georgia Tech.  Included in this year’s schedule was an event titled “Nanogram Soccer”.  Sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the organizers hoped to show the potential for building tiny devices that could be used in manufacturing, biotechnology and other industries. They also hoped to develop manufacturing standards for the untapped field.

Five teams from the U.S., Canada and Switzerland built microscopic robots that competed in two events: a two-millimeter dash and a challenging slalom, where the robot must reach a goal that is blocked by stationary defenders that look like running men but are about the diameter of two hairs.  The events took place in a glass-enclosed cube and two high-powered microscopes projected the action onto a big screen.

I just wonder if their skills and abilities are equal to those of David Beckham - I guess it could be very hard to tell!

In the July issue of CHOICE there is an article about what nanotechnology in consumer goods means to the average person in terms of environmental and health issues.  It lists the many products that contain nanotechnology and highlights that most of us would not know of its existence in the everyday products we purchase.

NanoVic has been proactive in the area of safety having developed, along with QYANTEK, self-adhesive particle safety labels to address the need for safer handling and proper labelling of nanoparticles.  We are currently looking at ways these labels can be progressed further through organizations such as Standards Australia and Australian Safety and Compensation Council.

Whilst regulation of nanotechnology has a long way to go at least this is a small step in the right direction.

NANOART has been described as the new art discipline related to micro/nanosculptures created by artists/scientists through chemical/physical processes and/or natural micro/ nanostructures that are visualized with powerful research tools like Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope. 

This site was founded by artist/scientist Cris Orfescu and was created to promote worldwide NanoArt as a reflection of the technological movement. NanoArt is considered to be a more appealing and effective way to communicate with the general public and to inform people about the new technologies of the 21st Century.  The picture highlighted is titled ‘Flamingo’ and I found it quite compelling as I did with the other images on the site.

With NanoVic recently announcing the winners of its Art Prizes it is interesting to see how others around the world interpret nanotechnology in art form.