Researchers in Hungary and Belgium have developed the most precise nanolithography technique ever. Levente Tapasztó of the Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science in Budapest and colleagues have already used the method, which employs the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope, to pattern tiny nanostructures (ribbons) into a graphene sheet. The technique makes it possible to build entire working circuits and avoids the disadvantages of “bottom up” methods that rely on assembling individual building blocks, such as carbon nanotubes.

We have realized truly nanometre precision lithography,” Tapasztó told nanotechweb.org. “This allows us to fabricate nanostructures with the desired atomic structure and therefore good electronic properties.”

The technique allows materials to be “cut” to the required shape and dimensions at the nanoscale. This is a huge step forward, says Tapasztó, because until now researchers had to rely on finding suitable blocks, like carbon nanotubes with the correct structure, to fabricate nanoscale electronic devices.

The team, which includes researchers from Facultés universitaire Notre Dame de la Paix in Namur, Belgium, made nanostructures by bombarding a graphene sheet with electrons emitted from an atomically sharp tip positioned just a few angstroms above the surface of the material. This “local access” ensures that the technique is precise. By moving the tip along a given geometry, different shapes can be patterned. A big advantage of the technique is that it allows in-situ atomic-scale resolution imaging of the sample immediately after it has been shaped.

By controlling both the width and crystallographic orientation of the nanoribbons, the method is the first to be able to fully engineer the electronic band gap of graphene. “Moreover, the accuracy of STM lithography also allows for downscaling, which is important since it enables us to open energy gaps large enough for room-temperature operation of graphene-based electronic devices,” explained Tapasztó. Indeed, the team has managed to reduce a nanoribbon to just 2.5 nm wide (about 20 carbon atoms). This is far beyond the capabilities of current state-of-the-art electron beam lithography, which can only go down to around 20 nm.

The research was published in Nature Nanotechnology (abstract).
—Jim

A computer programme that measures the Casimir force between nanostructured particles has been invented by scientists in Sweden. The model might allow the Casimir force between such objects to be controlled, which will be useful for nanomechanical devices where the force is a source of friction.

The mysterious attraction between two neutral, conducting surfaces in a vacuum was first predicted in 1948 by Henrik Casimir and cannot be explained by classical physics. He said that two uncharged parallel metal plates would attract each other because there is a net pressure acting on the plates that pushes them together. This pressure comes from the vacuum itself, which is full of “virtual particles” that dart in and out of existence. The pressure between the plates is lower than that outside because the space here is confined and smaller than that outside.

Tiny though it is, the Casimir effect becomes significant at distances of microns or less and actually causes parts in nano- and micro-electromechanical systems (NEMS and MEMS) to stick together.

Researchers are now able to measure the Casimir force in experiments, which has led to speculation about how it could be exploited in technology. With the new computer method, developed by Bo Sernelius and Carlos Román-Velázquez of Linköping University, it is now possible to calculate the Casimir force between objects made of metamaterials comprising nanoparticles. These are also known as nanostructured materials.

The research is available in arXiv: abstract, PDF.
—Jim

…Now the finest scientific minds of Japan are devoting themselves to cracking the greatest sci-fi vision of all: the space elevator. Man has so far conquered space by painfully and inefficiently blasting himself out of the atmosphere but the 21st century should bring a more leisurely ride to the final frontier.

For chemists, physicists, material scientists, astronauts and dreamers across the globe, the space elevator represents the most tantalising of concepts: cables stronger and lighter than any fibre yet woven, tethered to the ground and disappearing beyond the atmosphere to a satellite docking station in geosynchronous orbit above Earth.

Up and down the 22,000 mile-long (36,000km) cables — or flat ribbons — will run the elevator carriages, themselves requiring huge breakthroughs in engineering to which the biggest Japanese companies and universities have turned their collective attention.

…Unlike the warp drives in Star Trek, or H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine, the idea of the space elevator does not mess with the laws of science; it just presents a series of very, very complex engineering problems.

Japan is increasingly confident that its sprawling academic and industrial base can solve those issues, and has even put the astonishingly low price tag of a trillion yen (£5 billion) on building the elevator. Japan is renowned as a global leader in the precision engineering and high-quality material production without which the idea could never be possible.

The biggest obstacle lies in the cables. To extend the elevator to a stationary satellite from the Earth’s surface would require twice that length of cable to reach a counterweight, ensuring that the cable maintains its tension.

The cable must be exceptionally light, staggeringly strong and able to withstand all projectiles thrown at it inside and outside the atmosphere. The answer, according to the groups working on designs, will lie in carbon nanotubes — microscopic particles that can be formed into fibres and whose mass production is now a focus of Japan’s big textile companies.

According to Yoshio Aoki, a professor of precision machinery engineering at Nihon University and a director of the Japan Space Elevator Association, the cable would need to be about four times stronger than what is currently the strongest carbon nanotube fibre, or about 180 times stronger than steel. Pioneering work on carbon nanotubes in Cambridge has produced a strength improvement of about 100 times over the last five years.

See also Nanowerk News.
—Jim

The 2nd International Festival for NanoArt organized by NanoArt21 (www.nanoart21.org) will be hosted in Stuttgart, Germany by NAHVISION Institute for International Culture Exchange, between November 1st and November 30th, 2008. The show is curated by artist/scientist Cris Orfescu (USA) and art professor Dorothea Fleiss (Germany).

…NanoArt is a new art discipline at the art-science-technology intersections. It features nanolandscapes (molecular and atomic landscapes which are natural structures of matter at molecular and atomic scales) and nanosculptures (structures created by scientists and artists by manipulating matter at molecular and atomic scales using chemical and physical processes). These structures are visualized with powerful research tools like scanning electron microscopes and atomic force microscopes and their scientific images are captured and further processed by using different artistic techniques to convert them into artworks showcased for large audiences.

NanoArt is the expression of the New Technological Revolution reflecting the transition from Science to Art using Technology and could be for the 21st Century what Photography was for the 20th Century. Over the past two decades the ability to measure and manipulate matter at atomic and molecular scales has led to the discovery of novel materials and phenomena. These advances underlie the multidisciplinary areas known today as Nanotechnology. The responsible development and application of Nanotechnology could lead to create jobs and economic growth, to enhance national security, and to improve the quality of life. Some of the benefits would be cleaner manufacturing processes, stronger and lighter building materials, smaller and faster computers, and more powerful ways to detect and treat disease. NanoArt is aimed to raise the public awareness of Nanotechnology and its impact on our lives.

—Jim

Insurer Excludes Nanotechnology from Policies

Beginning November 15, the Continental Western Insurance Group will no longer insure against bodily injury, property damage, or personal and advertising injury related to the actual, alleged, or threatened presence of or exposure to nanotubes or nanotechnology in any form.

We believe the decision to exclude “nanotubes and nanotechnology” was not well thought out. Treating nanotechnology as if it is monolithic makes no sense. A technology itself does not have risks and benefits — only the embodiments of the technology in the form of products do. Furthermore, the definitions were sufficiently broad that almost any business to be subject to the exclusion. This is the first exclusion. We hope that it will be reconsidered or pulled back altogether once the insurer understands the implications of the general purpose exclusion they created. But, we must also educate insurers so that they do not make ill informed policy like this in the future.

The insurance group cited the “as of yet, unknown and unknowable risks” created by nanotubes and nanotechnology in general, and pointed to recent reports of health risks raising concerns about similarities between certain types of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and asbestos fibers. Continental Western is believed to be the first insurer to exclude nanotubes and nanotechnology from its insurance policies.

—Jim

Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. in communication, science and technology studies, or closely aligned social scientific field. Research experience and knowledge of social and ethical issues of science, preferably nanotechnology, is preferred.

For the complete announcement:

Postdoctoral Associate. The Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) and the Department of Communication at Cornell University seek a Ph.D. level postdoctoral associate (1) to conduct research on the social and ethical implications (SEI) of nanotechnology, and (2) to coordinate activities within the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) http://www.nnin.org. The position presents an exciting opportunity for an early career researcher. Working alongside the SEI coordinator of CNF and the NNIN, the postdoctoral associate will function as a junior investigator, participating fully in research and related scholarly activities. Additional responsibilities include maintaining SEI website http://sei.nnin.org/, serving as a liaison with SEI coordinators at NNIN sites, and helping to organize annual meetings and workshops for SEI coordinators.

Successful candidates will have a Ph.D. in communication, science and technology studies, or closely aligned social scientific field. Research experience and knowledge of social and ethical issues of science, preferably nanotechnology, is preferred.

This is a one-year position, which includes a competitive salary and benefits package. A second year is possible and conditioned upon availability of resources and merit. Applications will be reviewed beginning October 1, 2008 until the position is filled. The start date is flexible, but ideally the associate will start by January 2009. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

To apply, send a cover letter addressing position qualifications and goals, curriculum vita, proof of degree, one writing sample, names and contact information of two references. All materials should be sent to Dr. Katherine McComas, Department of Communication, 313 Kennedy Hall, CornellUniversity, Ithaca, NY 14853. For additional information, e-mail Dr. McComas (kam19 @cornell.edu) or telephone 607.255.6508.

Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer.

—Jim

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore have developed a novel test to screen for chemical modifications to DNA known as methylation. The technology potentially could be used both for early cancer diagnoses and for assessing patients’ response to cancer therapies.

During methylation, healthy genes can be switched on or off potentially causing cancer without any changes in the underlying DNA sequence. The current methods for methylation screening, have significant drawbacks, explains lead study author Vasudev Bailey, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidate at Hopkins.

Methylation specific PCR, which copies specific DNA sequences millions of times within a few hours, may not be sensitive enough to detect small amounts of methylation, and real time PCR, which allows scientists to view increases in the amount of DNA as it is copied, needs to be run several times and can be expensive, he says.

The Hopkins-developed test makes PCR technology more sensitive and efficient, Bailey said. The work was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s third International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development being held September 22-25, 2008, in Philadelphia.

“The impact of detecting DNA methylation is profound, as it has been demonstrated that a larger number of tumor suppressor genes become inactivated through DNA methylation than by mutations,” Bailey said. “Our method of methylation screening provides an easy, cost-effective and valuable tool for the early diagnosis of cancer, monitoring tumor behavior and measuring the response of tumors to targeted cancer therapies.”

—Jim

Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley forecaster with over two decades experience exploring long-term technological change and its practical impact on business and society, will keynote the event. About Convergence08 he observed, “A host of technologies that seemed like daring science fiction just a few years ago are racing toward practical application with breathtaking speed. Convergence08 is a unique opportunity to look into the coming NBIC future, examine its implications and prepare for the vast surprises in store for us all.”

Both days feature debates on controversial NBIC topics including Synthetic Biology, Longevity, and Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Barney Pell, founder of Powerset and search strategist & evangelist at Microsoft, stated, “At this event we aim to use the power of collective intelligence to see farther along the convergence trajectories — each of the NBIC technologies is transformative on its own, and there’s a strong interplay among them.”

Debaters include:

• Dr. Bruce Ames, biochemistry professor at UC Berkeley, founder of Juvenon
• Dr. Chris Anderson, bioengineering professor at UC Berkeley
• Dr. Gregory Benford, physics professor at UC Irvine, founder Genescient
• Denise Caruso, executive director of Hybrid Vigor Institute
• Dr. Aubrey de Grey, chairman of The Methuselah Foundation
• Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO of Novamente, chair of AGIRI
• Terry Grossman, MD, co-author, Fantastic Voyage
• Andrew Hessel, consulting biologist and author
• Dr. Chris Heward, president of Kronos Science Laboratories
• Dr. Peter Norvig, director of research at Google
• Dr. Steve Omohundro, founder and president of Self-Aware Systems
• Dr. Barney Pell, founder of Powerset, search strategist at Microsoft

Registration details available at http://www.convergence08.org/registration.

About Convergence08:

Sponsored by organizations focused on cutting edge technologies, Convergence08 will bring together an eclectic mix of visionaries, entrepreneurs, scientists, technologists, and independent thinkers in general to merge their distributed knowledge into an improved view of where the NBIC revolutions are taking us, how to maximize benefits to humanity and the environment, and how to minimize any downsides.

Convergence08 Supporting Organizations are Foresight Nanotech Institute, Humanity+, ImmInst.org, Long Now Foundation, Methuselah Foundation, and the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Cooperating Organizations include Acceleration Studies Foundation, CyBeRev, the Millennium Project, and Reason Foundation. Corporate Sponsors include eStitch and SciVestor.

For more information, contact Alicia Isaac, 650-289-0860 ext 254, or email alicia@foresight.org.

—Jim

Imagine a cell-phone battery that recharges in a few seconds and that you would never have to replace. That’s the promise of energy-storage devices known as ultracapacitors, but at present, they can store only about 5 percent as much energy as lithium-ion batteries. An advance by researchers at the Research Institute of Chemical Defense, in China, could boost ultracapacitors’ ability to store energy.

A capacitor consists of two electrodes with opposite charges, often separated by an insulator that keeps electrons from jumping directly between them. The researchers have developed an electrode that can store twice as much charge as the activated-carbon electrodes used in current ultracapacitors. The new electrode contains flower-shaped manganese oxide nanoparticles deposited on vertically grown carbon nanotubes.

The electrodes deliver five times as much power as activated-carbon electrodes, says Hao Zhang, lead author of the Nano Letters paper [abstract] describing the new work. The electrode’s longevity also compares with that of activated-carbon electrodes, Zhang says: discharging and recharging the electrodes 20,000 times reduced the capacitor’s energy-storage capacity by only 3 percent.

…Ultracapacitors can store millions of times more energy than the tiny capacitors used in electronic circuits.

But their performance still pales beside that of batteries, which store energy using chemical reactions. “If I gave you a cell phone with an ultracapacitor battery, you’d never replace the battery, and you could recharge it in a few seconds, but it would only last half an hour,” says Joel Schindall, an electrical-engineering professor at MIT.

…”The way of growing manganese oxide on carbon nanotube arrays is new and has produced beautiful structures,” says Yury Gogotsi, a materials-science and engineering professor at Drexel University. Gogotsi says that combining the high conductivity of the carbon nanotubes with the charge-storage capacity of manganese oxide is an attractive approach. But, he adds, “it is not practical for large volume, such as automotive applications, because the use of carbon nanotube arrays and tantalum foil makes them expensive.”

Indeed, says Schindall, cost could be the main barrier to ultracapacitors with nanostructured electrodes. “They’ve found a way to grow these structures,” he says, “but now they’ve got to be able to grow them densely enough and economically enough to be practical.”

—Jim

Stephen Steiner wants to make nanotechnology more accessible to speed up the innovation process.

The inclination to think big goes back to Steiner’s teenage years when he vowed to never drive a car as motivation to solve the world’s energy problem. Now 26, he is a graduate student at MIT working to bring the world next-generation nanomaterials, like nanotubes that can make airplane wires lighter than copper, carbon aerogels that use electrolysis to pull hydrogen from water, and as announced yesterday, nanoparticles that can make super high density batteries.

Steiner’s first task at the MIT lab was to get the nanotube furnaces working manually, but he knew that to really get his lab breakthrough-ready, the furnaces needed to be automated. So he wrote a software program that automates a nanotube furnace using natural English syntax and fuzzy logic to help get us there faster.

…Steiner calls the new program “Ansari” after private space explorer and X Prize sponsor Anousheh Ansari. Her work to open up space flight for all inspired Steiner to try to do the same for nanotech. He is working on a website that he calls “open source nanotech,” where people will be able to download his automation software and learn about DIY nanotech.

—Jim