In a talk for NanoBusiness 2005, Bell Labs president Jeffrey Jaffe gave a visionary perspective: “During his keynote address, Jaffe said that the pieces are falling in place to create nanotechnology-enabled communications networks that allow people to converse over great distances, while feeling as if they’re in the same room…Ultimately, according to Jaffe’s vision, tiny… Continue reading Bell Labs president: visionary view of nanotech
You may laugh, or at least smile, but the environmental benefits already resulting from the so-called nanotech toilet are substantial. With a “roughness” reported at under 30 nanometers, evidently these fixtures need much less cleaning, which means much less of that nasty chemical cleanser going down the drain. Oh, and they should be healthier for… Continue reading Environmental benefits from…nanotoilets?
Charles Choi of UPI’s Nano World presents two views of the development of new nanotech weapons: (1) “Pardo-Guerra and colleague Francisco Aguayo, of the College of Mexico, outlined in Nanotechnology Law & Business Journal three ways in which nanotechnology could enable new weapons” and (2) Microbiologist Mark Wheelis, of the University of California at Davis:… Continue reading New nanoweapons discussed in Nanotech Law & Business Journal
As previously mentioned, this year’s top prizes have been awarded in Victorian nanotechnology by NanoVic. But it’s worth calling particular attention to the postgraduate prizes for solar cells and drug delivery. (And when you read about “Victorian nanotechnology,” try not to think of The Diamond Age.) (Credit: Elaine Tschorn)
H2OIL Corporation President Richard Hicks brings to our attention perhaps the most confusing nanotech product website we’ve seen to date. The company has an impressive list of successes for its fuel additive product, but check out this wording of a recent announcement: “Our 14 years experience in producing nanotechnology fuel additives has helped us realize… Continue reading Nanotech fuel additive wins most-confusing award
Posted by Robert Bradbury: PhysicsOrg is pointing out that IBM and Toppan are combining their expertise to push photomasks for lithography down to 45nm (the generation after current 90nm and next generation 65nm). At 45nm your current generation dual-core microprocessor may well become at least an 8 core microprocessor. For people who are unfamiliar with… Continue reading Step-by-step, nanometer by nanometer…
Posted by Robert Bradbury: It isn’t nanoassembly but it is real diamond. ScienceBlog is discussing how the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory can produce 10-carat (half-inch thick) single-crystal diamonds using CVD. Unlike previous work it appears that this is flawless & colorless diamond. They believe the method may be adaptable to growing up to 300 carat… Continue reading Really big diamonds!
Posted by Robert Bradbury: Various sources are reporting that Motorola has developed a flat-screen prototype display which uses carbon nanotubes (presumably as electron emitters). The Slashdot discussion is here. Though the prototype is only 5″ currently they appear to be aiming for 40″ HDTV screens that will only cost $400. If this type of commercial… Continue reading Nanotube based flat screens
Once again the Europeans are looking good in nanotech education. Check out Nano-World, the Computer Supported Cooperative Environment on Nanophysics. Learn about different kinds of scanning probes, and try “Remote AFM: performing real experiments on a remote controllable microscope.” Check out the tutorial on nanoscale friction.
New Scientist is reporting on the development of "liquid metals". Particularly Liquidmetal is pushing forward with these. These are almost "anti-nanotechnology" as they are not based on a high covalent bond density and do not depend on precise atomic structures. This raises significant questions from materials science perspectives. The concept of nanotechnology has been in large part built upon the concept that high covalent bond density (i.e. diamondoid) is "it". But is it "it"? Are we now a a point in chemical and materials science where there are other "its"? And do they produce significantly different visions for paths of development?
