Bacteria-free Surface: Inspired by Dragonfly

Bacteria-free Surface: Inspired by Dragonfly

Studies have shown that the wings of dragonflies and cicadas prevent bacterial growth due to their natural structure. The surfaces of their wings are covered in nanopillars making them look like a bed of nails. When bacteria come into contact with these surfaces, their cell membranes get ripped apart immediately and they are killed. This inspired researchers to invent an anti-bacterial nano coating for disinfecting frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, tables and lift buttons. This technology will prove particularly useful in creating bacteria-free surfaces in places like hospitals and clinics, where sterilization is important to help control the spread of infections.

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, 80% of common infections are spread by hands. Disinfecting commonly touched surfaces helps to reduce the spread of harmful germs by our hands but as because germs grow rapidly it would require manual and repeated disinfection. Current disinfectants may also contain chemicals like triclosan which are not recognized as safe and effective and may lead to bacterial resistance and environmental contamination if used extensively. To tackle this problem researchers of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology created a novel nano-coating that can spontaneously kill bacteria upon contact. They grew nanopillars of zinc oxide, a compound known for its anti-bacterial and non-toxic properties. The zinc oxide nanopillars can kill a broad range of germs like E. coli and S. aureus that are commonly transmitted from surface contact.

Tests on ceramic, glass, titanium and zinc surfaces showed that the coating effectively killed up to 99.9% of germs found on the surfaces. As the bacteria are killed mechanically rather than chemically, the use of the nano coating would not contribute to environmental pollution. Also, the bacteria will not be able to develop resistance as they are completely destroyed when their cell walls are pierced by the nanopillars upon contact.

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Source: Nano Magazine

A stretchable and flexible biofuel cell that runs on sweat

A stretchable and flexible biofuel cell that runs on sweat:

A unique new flexible and stretchable device, worn against the skin and capable of producing electrical energy by transforming the compounds present in sweat. This cell is already capable of continuously lighting an LED, opening new avenues for the development of wearable electronics powered by autonomous and environmentally friendly biodevices.

The potential uses for wearable electronic devices continue to increase, especially for medical and athletic monitoring. Such devices require the development of a reliable and efficient energy source that can easily be integrated into the human body. Using "biofuels" present in human organic liquids has long been a promising avenue.

The device is developed by a flexible conductive material consisting of carbon nanotubes, crosslinked polymers and enzymes joined by stretchable connectors that are directly printed onto the material through screen-printing.

The biofuel cell, which follows deformations in the skin, produces electrical energy through the reduction of oxygen and the oxidation of the lactate present in perspiration. Once applied to the arm, it uses a voltage booster to continuously power an LED. It is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce, with the primary cost being the production of the enzymes that transform the compounds found in sweat. The researchers are now seeking to amplify the voltage provided by the biofuel cell in order to power larger portable devices.

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Source: Nano Magazine

Could Nanotechnology lead to cleaner water?

Could Nanotechnology lead to cleaner water?

Not all nanopores are created equal. For starters, their diameters vary between 1 and 10 nm. The smallest of these nanopores, called Single Digit Nanopores (SDNs), having the diameters of less than 10 nm and only recently have been used in experiments for precision transport measurements. If these gaps can be filled there is a chance to discover new mechanisms of molecular and ionic transport at the nanoscale that may apply to a host of new technologies. SDNs can be tailored to sieve ions efficiently from seawater and serve as membranes for seawater desalination; differentiate between polar and nonpolar fluids; enhance proton transport in fuel cell applications; and generate electricity from osmotic power harvesting.

The team of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and colleagues from seven other institutions, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have reviewed recent SDN experiments and identified critical gaps in understanding nanoscale hydrodynamics, molecular sieving, fluidic structure and thermodynamics and also analyzed seven knowledge gaps in the understanding of nanoscale behaviour. For example, scientists have seen a counterintuitive slip-flow enhancement in nanopores, in which the narrowest nanopores demonstrate the highest mass transport rates. Other notable knowledge gaps include fluid phase boundaries in SDNs that are distorted relative to their bulk fluid counterparts, and nonlinear, correlative effects on ion transport through SDNs that are not observed in larger diameter nanopores.

A better understanding of transport at the nanoscale can lead to innovative technologies such as new membranes for water purification, new gas-permeable materials and energy storage devices.

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Source: Nano Magazine

Researchers develop new framework for nanoantenna light absorption

Researchers develop a new framework for nanoantenna light absorption:

Harnessing light's energy into nanoscale volumes require novel engineering approaches to overcome the fundamental barrier is known as the "diffraction limit." However, University of Illinois researchers have breached this barrier by developing nanoantennas that pack the energy captured from light sources, such as LEDs, into particles with nanometer-scale diameters, making it possible to detect individual biomolecules, catalyze chemical reactions and generate photons with desirable properties for quantum computing.

The results, which have a broad array of applications that may include better cancer diagnostic tools, To create a device capable of overcoming the diffraction limit, graduate student Qinglan Huang and her adviser, Holonyak Lab Director Brian T. Cunningham, a Donald Biggar Willett Professor in Engineering, coupled photonic crystals with a plasmonic nanoantenna, an innovative approach in the field. The photonic crystals serve as light receivers and focus the energy into an electromagnetic field that is hundreds of times greater than that received from the original light source, such as an LED or laser. The nanoantennas, when "tuned" to the same wavelength, absorb the energy from the electromagnetic field and concentrate the energy into a smaller volume that is yet another two orders of magnitude of greater intensity. The energy feedback between the photonic crystal and the nanoantenna, called "resonant hybrid coupling" can be observed by its effects on the reflected and the transmitted light spectrum.

To achieve this, the team carefully controlled the density of the nanoantennas to maximize their energy collection efficiency. They also developed a method that allowed the nanoantennas to be distributed uniformly across the photonic crystal surface and tuned the photonic crystal's optical resonating wavelength to match the absorption wavelength of the nanoantennas. In addition to changing how researchers can work with light, this new coupling method has the potential to change how and when cancer is diagnosed. One application is to use a gold nanoparticle, not much larger than biomolecules such as DNA, as the nanoantenna. In this case, the feedback provides a way to identify a biomarker unique to a certain type of cancer cell, and the group now linking the resonant hybrid coupling technique to novel biochemistry methods to detect cancer-specific RNA and DNA molecules with single-molecule precision. The next steps of this research involve delving into the potential applications of this new process.

Source Credit: Nano Magazine

Scientists develop DNA microcapsules with built-in ion channels

Scientists develop DNA microcapsules with built-in ion channels:

A research group led by Tokyo Tech reports a way of constructing DNA-based microcapsules that hold great promise for the development of new functional materials and devices. They showed that tiny pores on the surface of these capsules can act as ion channels. Their study will accelerate advances in artificial cell engineering and molecular robotics, as well as nanotechnology itself.

DNA-based, self-assembled nanostructures are promising building blocks for new kinds of micro- and nanodevices for biomedical and environmental applications. Much research is currently focused on adding functionality to such structures in order to expand its versatility. For example, engineered capsules called liposomes that have a lipid-bilayer membrane are already successfully being used as sensors, diagnostic tools and drug delivery systems. Another group of capsules that do not have a lipid bilayer but are instead composed of colloidal particle membrane, known as Pickering emulsion or colloidosomes, also have the potential for many biotechnologically useful applications.

Now, a research group led by biophysicist Masahiro Takinoue of Tokyo Institute of Technology reports a new type of Pickering emulsion with the added functionality of ion channels— an achievement that opens new routes to designing artificial cells and molecular robots. For the first time, they have demonstrated ion channel function using pored DNA nanostructures without the presence of a lipid bilayer membrane.

One of the most exciting implications of the study are that it will be possible to develop stimuli-responsive systems—ones that are based on the concept of open-close switching. Such systems could eventually be used to develop artificial neural networks mimicking the way the human brain works. In addition, a stimuli-responsive shape change of the DNA nanoplates could serve as a driving force for autonomous locomotion, which would be useful for the development of molecular robots.

Source: Nano Magazine

Tiny extracts of a precious metal used widely in industry could play a vital role in new cancer therapies

Tiny extracts of a precious metal used widely in industry could play a vital role in new cancer therapies:

Researchers have found a way to dispatch minute fragments of palladium—a key component in motor manufacture, electronics and the oil industry—inside cancerous cells. Scientists have long known that the metal, used in catalytic converters to detoxify exhaust, could be used to aid cancer treatment but, until now, have been unable to deliver it to affected areas.

A molecular shuttle system that targets specific cancer cells has been created by a team at the University of Edinburgh and the Universidad de Zaragoza in Spain. The new method, which exploits palladium's ability to accelerate—or catalyse—chemical reactions, mimics the process some viruses use to cross cell membranes and spread infection. The team has used bubble-like pouches that resemble the biological carriers known as exosomes, which can transport essential proteins and genetic material between cells. These exosomes exit and enter cells, dump their content, and influence how the cells behave.

This targeted transport system, which is also exploited by some viruses to spread infection to other cells and tissues, inspired the team to investigate their use as shuttles of therapeutics.The researchers have now shown that this complex communication network can be hijacked. The team created exosomes derived from lung cancer cells and cells associated with glioma—a tumour that occurs in the brain and spinal cord—and loaded them with palladium catalysts. These artificial exosomes act as Trojan horses, taking the catalysts—which work in tandem with an existing cancer drug- straight to primary tumours and metastatic cells.

Source: Nanomagazine

Could you believe if I say, you can be assessing the freshness of foods, the quality of drugs, or identify counterfeit objects, all from a smartphone camera?

Could you believe if I say, you can be assessing the freshness of foods, the quality of drugs, or identify counterfeit objects, all from a smartphone camera?

Yes by the use of Nanotechnology it is possible.

Scientists have developed a spectrometer made from a single nanowire, an advance that could see spectroscopic devices incorporated into smartphones. Cambridge university research team developed this technology. They have used a nanowire whose material composition is varied along its length, enabling it to be responsive to different colours of light across the visible spectrum. Using techniques similar to those used for the manufacture of computer chips, they then created a series of light-responsive sections on this nanowire. That nanowire allows to get rid of the dispersive elements, like a prism, producing a far simpler, ultra-miniaturised system than conventional spectrometers can allow. The individual responses we get from the nanowire sections can then be directly fed into a computer algorithm to reconstruct the incident light spectrum.

When we take a photograph, the information stored in pixels is generally limited to just three components – red, green, and blue. With this device, every pixel contains data points from across the visible spectrum, so we can acquire detailed information far beyond the colours which our eyes can perceive. This can tell us, for instance, about chemical processes occurring in the frame of the image. This approach could allow unprecedented miniaturisation of spectroscopic devices, to an extent that could see them incorporated directly into smartphones, bringing powerful analytical technologies from the lab to the palm of our hands.

The Cambridge team has filed a patent on the technology and hopes to see real-life applications within the next five years.

Credit: Nano Magazine