The self-assembly process described in Nature commences with chain-like macromolecules, so-called triblock terpolymers composed of three linear sections connected to form a chain-like structure A-B-C or A-D-C. The block in the middle has been marked green or black, respectively. Block A (gray) has to interact with other particles; block C (rose) is a corona controlling solubility. By way of self-aggregation the macromolecules formed nanoparticles, which by way of co-aggregation formed the…

A two-year collaboration between the Chan and the Rocheleau labs at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) has led to the development of a new microfluidics screening platform that can accurately predict the way nanoparticles will behave in a living body. Nanoparticles are being eyed by scientists as a potentially powerful tool for personalized cancer treatments. The tiny particles, ranging in size from 10 to 100 nanometres (somewhere in size between a large…

Department of Automation and Systems Technology* is a part Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering. The Micro- and  Nanorobotics Group at the department conducts academic research and education in the field of micro- and nanorobotics, an emerging and rapidly growing multidisciplinary field that crosses the domains of robotics, micro- and nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence, and involves aspects of physics, surface science, and biology. The applications of micro- and…

he Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI, is with 1500 employees the largest research centre for natural and engineering sciences within Switzerland. We perform world-class research in three main subject areas: Matter and Material; Energy and the Environment; and Human Health. By conducting fundamental and applied research, we work on long-term solutions for major challenges facing society, industry and science.

For experimental work related to the chemistry of environmental…

Researchers from the UK`s University of Bradford have raised concerns about the dangers of some tattoo inks and their…

Title: Biphasic magnetic nanoparticles–nanovesicle hybrids for chemotherapy and self-controlled hyperthermia

Authors: Manashjit Gogoi, Haladhar D Sarma, Dhirendra Bahadur & Rinti Banerjee

Abstract:

Aim: The aim was to develop magnetic…

Authors: Nam Su Kwak, Jae Yeol Kim, Dae Gwang Park

Abstract: In this study, piezoelectric actuator, flexure guide, power transmission element and control method are considered for nanopositioning system apparatus. The main objectives of this thesis were to develop 2-axis nanostage which…

Authors: Zdeňka Kolská, Nikola Slepičková Kasálková, Jakub Siegel, Václav Švorčík

Abstract: Electrokinetic potential (zeta potential) is a characteristic parameter for description of the surface chemistry of solid flat materials and it can be used for a fast analysis of materials modified…

Title: Magnetic layer-by-layer coated particles for efficient MRI of dendritic cells and mesenchymal stem cells

Authors: Marie-Luce De Temmerman, Stefaan J Soenen, Nathalie Symens, Bart Lucas, Roosmarijn E Vandenbroucke, Claude Libert, Jo Demeester, Stefaan C De Smedt, Uwe…

Fictional inventor Wayne Szalinsky built a shrink ray while wearing a Caltech hoodie in the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. And a shrunken sub and its five-person crew cleared a blood clot deep inside someone’s brain in Fantastic Voyage. Now Axel Scherer, Caltech’s Bernard Neches Professor of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics and Physics, is miniaturizing medical equipment without benefit of a shrink ray. Q: What do you do? A: There’s a fantastic scene in Star Trek: The Next…

Researchers at NJIT have developed a flexible battery made with carbon nanotubes that could potentially power electronic devices with flexible displays.  NJIT Professor Som Mitra (left) invented a flexible battery with assistance from Zhiqian Wang, a doctoral student in chemistry.   Electronic manufacturers are now making flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, a pioneering technology that allow devices such as cell phones, tablet computers and TVs to literally fold up. And…

A new way to build membrane-crossing pores, using Lego-like DNA building blocks, has been developed by scientists at UCL, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Cambridge and the University of Southampton.   The approach provides a simple and low cost tool for synthetic biology and the technique has potential applications in diagnostic devices and drug discovery. The research is featured in the current issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie. Membrane pores are the gateways…

Authors: Dhiraj Kumar, Isha Mutreja, Brian J. Meenan, Dorian Dixon

Abstract: Gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of ~15.5 nm as measured via TEM were functionalised with various amounts of thiol-terminated 5000MW poly (ethylene glycol) (0-37.75 μg/ml), or with a mixed monolayer of…

An international team of researchers has used pioneering electron microscopy techniques to discover an important mechanism behind the reaction of metallic nanoparticles with the environment. Crucially, the research led by the University of York and reported in Nature Materials, shows that oxidation of metals – the process that describes, for example, how iron reacts with oxygen, in the presence of water, to form rust – proceeds much more rapidly in nanoparticles than at the macroscopic…

Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most important signaling molecules in living cells, carrying messages within the brain and coordinating immune system functions. In many cancerous cells, levels are perturbed, but very little is known about how NO behaves in both healthy and cancerous cells. “Nitric oxide has contradictory roles in cancer progression, and we need new tools in order to better understand it,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. “Our…

Title of the paper: Combination of two dispersants as a valuable strategy to prepare improved polyvinylalcohol/carbon nanotube composites.

Authors: P. Castell, M. Cano, W.K. Maser, A.M. Benito

University/Institute: 1) Instituto de Carboquimica. CSIC (ICB-CSIC). Spain;

Journal: COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 2013, 80, 101-107.

Abstract: We here present an effective strategy to prepare enhanced composites using poly(vinyl…

Title of the paper: Improving the mechanical properties of graphene oxide based materials by covalent attachement of polymer chains

Authors: M. Cano, U. Khan, T. Sainsbury, A. O’Neill, Z. Wang, I. McGovern, W.K. Maser, A.M. Benito, J.N. Coleman

University/Institute: 1) Instituto de Carboquimica. CSIC (ICB-CSIC). Spain; 2) CRANN, School of Physics Trinity College Dublin. Ireland.

Journal: CARBON, 2013, 52, 363-371.

Abstracts:   We…