entmagazine.com

New threat in the Gulf of Mexico

3 September, 2010

Fresh fears about drilling in the Gulf of Mexico were raised today when fire forced workers to abandon an oil and gas platform, just six months after the BP explosion that created an environmental disaster in the region.
The company, Mariner Energy, said none of the 13 workers, who fled the platform and took to the sea in immersion suits, were injured. The coastguard said they were taken by ship to a nearby platform and from there to hospital in Houma, Louisiana, to be checked. Ships, helicopters and a plane were sent by the coastguard from Houston, New Orleans and Mobile.

High-speed filter uses electrified nanostructures to purify water at low cost

31 August, 2010

Stanford researchers have developed a water-purifying filter that makes the process more than 80,000 times faster than existing filters.  The key is coating the filter fabric – ordinary cotton – with nanotubes and silver nanowires, then electrifying it. The filter uses very little power, has no moving parts and could be used throughout the developing world. Courtesy of Yi Cui A scanning electron microscope image of the silver nanowires in which the cotton is dipped during the process of constructing a filter.

ENT Communication

25 August, 2010

The third issue of ENT Magazine has now been released and the sample electronic version is available in archive online.
This issue’s topic relates to nanotechnology and renewable energy such as photovoltaics or electric vehicles. It also highlights the possibilities of nanotechnology for water treatment as regards the Gulf of Mexico.
Take advantage of our special offer by subscribing now for a 90 EUR annual contribution.

ORNL scientists help explain graphene mystery

24 August, 2010

 OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 23, 2010 — Nanoscale simulations and theoretical research performed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory are bringing scientists closer to realizing graphene's potential in electronic applications. A research team led by ORNL's Bobby Sumpter, Vincent Meunier and Eduardo Cruz-Silva has discovered how loops develop in graphene, an electrically conductive high-strength low-weight material that resembles an atomic-scale honeycomb.

New Battery for Cheap Electric Vehicles

18 August, 2010

A new startup company will attempt to solve the biggest roadblock facing electric vehicles today--the cost of their batteries.
The new company, called 24M, has been spun out of the advanced battery company A123 Systems. It will develop a novel type of battery based on research conducted by Yet-Ming Chiang, a professor of materials science at MIT and founder of A123 Systems. He says the battery design has the potential to cut those costs by 85 percent.

New catalyst of platinum nanoparticles could lead to stall-free, stable fuel cells

6 August, 2010

In the quest for efficient, cost-effective and commercially viable fuel cells, researchers at Cornell's Energy Materials Center have discovered a catalyst - platinum nanoparticles -- that could make fuel cells more stable, longer lasting, and more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.

The research, led by Héctor D. Abruña, the E.M. Chamot Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and director of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, and Francis J. DiSalvo, the John Newman Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, appeared online recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Iron oxide nanoparticles becoming tools for brain tumor imaging and treatment

3 August, 2010

 Tiny particles of iron oxide could become tools for simultaneous tumor imaging and treatment, because of their magnetic properties and toxic effects against brain cancer cells. In mice, researchers from Emory University School of Medicine have demonstrated how these particles can deliver antibodies to implanted brain tumors, while enhancing tumor visibility via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

NASA Telescope Finds Elusive Buckyballs in Space

27 July, 2010

PASADENA, Calif. -- Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered carbon molecules, known as "buckyballs," in space for the first time. Buckyballs are soccer-ball-shaped molecules that were first observed in a laboratory 25 years ago.
They are named for their resemblance to architect Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes, which have interlocking circles on the surface of a partial sphere. Buckyballs were thought to float around in space, but had escaped detection until now.

Dow Corning and University of Toledo to Collaborate on Solar Research, Development

21 July, 2010

Researchers at Dow Corning and The University of Toledo (UT) announced today that the organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding to engage in collaborative discussions on photovoltaic (PV) solar research and development efforts to help reduce the cost of solar energy to make it a viable and economically competitive energy option globally.

“Both Dow Corning and UT want homes and businesses throughout the world to take advantage of clean, renewable energy from the sun,” said Gregg Zank, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Dow Corning.  “It is essential that businesses, academics and the government collaborate in order to accelerate the advancement of solar technologies.”

Nanotech for health needs the right environment

20 July, 2010

Nanotechnology's potential to improve public health will be maximised only with a conducive environment, argues Jayashree Vivekanandan.
There are around five billion people in the developing world who could benefit from the use of nanotechnology in key sectors such as health. Nanotechnology is already stimulating radical changes in health that promise to both improve existing medical practices and make them more affordable.