Recent Advances in The Nanotech World | Advances Nanotech World

By Roland Piquepaille

What a flurry of activity in the nanotech world these days. Sandia researchers have unveiled a self-assembly process forming durable nanocrystal arrays, paving the way for laser light, catalysts and new memory storage. The American Chemical Society says that scientists have developed nanotube transistors operating at extremely fast microwave frequencies (2.6 GHz) that could lead to better cell phones and faster computers. At Lehigh University, researchers have found that 'nanogold' does not glitter, but its future looks bright as it turns into a semiconductor. Meanwhile, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a nanobiosensor technology that gives new access to living cell's molecular processes.

Let's start with the nanobiosensor from ONRL.

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a nanoscale technology for investigating biomolecular processes in single living cells. The new technology enables researchers to monitor and study cellular signaling networks, including the first observation of programmed cell death in a single live cell.

The "nanobiosensor" allows scientists to physically probe inside a living cell without destroying it. As scientists adopt a systems approach to studying biomolecular processes, the nanobiosensor provides a valuable tool for intracellular studies that have applications ranging from medicine to national security to energy production.

"This image shows a nanoprobe, with a tip 1,000 times finer than a human hair, penetrating a cell. The probe can enter, perform a measurement in situ and be withdrawn without destroying the cell. The nanobiosensor technology provides researchers who study cell systems at the molecular level a valuable tool for monitoring the health of a single cell." (Credit: ORNL).

Now, let's move to the self-assembly process developed by Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico.

The self-assembly approach developed by the SNL/UNM teams allows nanocrystal arrays to be integrated into devices using standard microelectronic processing techniques, bridging huge gaps in scale.