PhysOrg is reporting that IBM Zurich is showing off its Millipede storage device at CeBIT. For those unfamiliar with this device it uses cantilever arms to read & write a polymer medium.
As the pits that the cantilevers read & write are ~10nm in diameter it is definitely a nanoscale device. The storage density is approximately 1 terabit per sq. inch. That capacity in that size implies that one should be able to fit the contents of a entire college education into a handheld device.
It would appear that TI is delivering chips for wireless phones based on its 65nm process. The chip architecture description is rather impressive. Because the circuit density is so high it allows the implementation of system-on-a-chip solutions incorporating both analog and digital functions. Also of interest is that the process may end up in Sun's UltraSPARC® processors.
But it gives real meaning to the statement "Could you pass the nanophone…"
It would appear that scientists at UIUC have invented a process that allows the use of high-intensity ultrasound to generate both hollow nanospheres and hollow nanocrystals of molybdenum disulfide and molybdenum oxide. These have interesting applications in catalysis. As other work on nanocatalysts from scientists at CBEN at Rice shows using palladium on gold nanoparticles to break down TCE — its the surface area that counts. If you can get to the inside of a sphere (or crystal) and the walls aren't too thick, don't you have twice as much surface area?
UVa MRSEC Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design writes "Press Release from UVa?s Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design; For Immediate Release:
UVa MRSEC & Paladin Pictures Recognized for Nanotechnology Education Video.
Charlottesville, Virginia – March 1, 2005 – The University of Virginia's Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design and Paladin Pictures, Inc. have received The Communicator Awards' Award of Distinction for their creation of a video program entitled The NANO Revolution. UVa's Center for Nanscopic Materials Design is a National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC). The NANO Revolution is a seven-minute educational video, filmed primarily in the research labs of the UVa MRSEC and designed to introduce the concept of nanotechnology and its applications to a target audience of middle- and high-school students and the general public. The Communicator Awards is an annual, international competition honoring excellence in visual communications. The Award of Distinction formally recognizes the UVa MRSEC/Paladin Pictures production for exceeding industry standards.
More… �
Arya writes "Grey Goos' Nanotech Comic Strip Looks at the Light Side of the Human/Technology Relationship
The First Comic for Nanoheads Now on NanoApex
March 10, 2005 – As our story begins, a group of highly advanced nanobots, built for hazardous duty and dubbed "Grey Goos," have escaped from the National Transistor Assembly Labs. These little critters, each with a different technical specialty and a distinct personality, look rather like drops of soft ice cream in hiking boots. They end up in New York City, living in a loft with Dorothea (Dot) Kalm and Globo Bill, a couple of "constructs" who also have escaped from the same lab. Meanwhile, scientists at the lab have created a nanocop they've named Blue Goo, whose job is to round up the wayward Grey Goos and return them to the lab.
Read entire release here
Read comic strip here"
Ed. note in extended copy.
University of Missouri-Rolla writes "UMR RESEARCHER RECEIVES $400,000 FROM NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
ROLLA, Mo. ñ Dr. Jee-Ching Wang, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, recently received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to support his work on modeling nanoparticle self-assembly.
The CAREER Award is NSFís most prestigious award given to assistant professors in tenure-track positions. The CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career development activities of those teachers and scholars who are to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.
More…
New Scientist is reporting that Altair Technologies has a new Lithium ion battery that uses lithium titanate nanocrystals to significantly decrease the recharge time (to minutes) and significantly increases the number of recharge cycles the battery can tolerate.
On top of this Science Daily is reporting that Georgia Tech scientists are using probabilistic bits (PBITs) to construct probablistic transistors (PCMOS) which use 100 times less power than conventional transistors.
The combination of these two approaches would yield a laptop that could probably last a week without recharging (which is great for long conferences) and wouldn't need a new battery every 6-12 months.
I would note of interest an article (just look at the pictures) from the recent Intel Developers Forum (IDF) to see where Intel intends to go. They are planning for chips based on a 22nm process by 2011. On a more subtle note they appear to be seriously considering 'die-stacking' to allow the 'chips' to grow in 3D. This has the potential of significantly reducing interconnect delays between processors and memory and/or stacked multi-processors [see Note 1]. That would imply significant performance improvements without having to figure out the messy process of trying to wire chips with buckytubes or DNA.
The only thing one can say is that the next decade is definitely going to be the "nanodecade" [see Note 2].
Roland Piquepaille writes "Today, we'll look at nanotechnology under an unusual angle: the impact on the jewelry industry. In this long article, "The Weird World of Precious Metal Nanotechnology," published by AJM Magazine (The Authority on Jewelry Manufacturing), Michael Cortie, professor at the University of Sydney, Australia, explains why gold is often used by nanotechnologists. Not only gold exhibits very interesting properties at the nanoscale level, but it's also a bargain when compared to current prices of carbon nanotubes. And gold — and silver — nanoparticles can offer a range of unusual colors, suitable for fine jewelry or luxurious coatings. Finally, Cortie envisions smart jewelry made possible through the use of nanotechnology, such as a pendant that could include cell phone capabilities. Read this overview if you don't have enough time to read the original story."
Rob writes "Has there been any progress on the Nanofactory animation? When I visit Foresight's website all it mentions is that there was a challenge grant in effect until November 2004, but no mention of whether or not it was met or if the animation will be completed. Does any one have any info?"
