New Florence. New Renaissance.

Graphene: The wonder nano material

“First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire.

Not only is this the thinnest material possible, but it also is 10 times stronger than steel and it conducts electricity better than any other known material at room temperature. These and graphene's other exotic properties have attracted the interest of physicists, who want to study them, and nanotechnologists, who want to exploit them to make novel electrical and mechanical devices.”

Nanotechnology Today

Smart Material d3o

“d3o was first introduced during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, giving downhill skiers' millimeter-thin aerodynamic bodysuits a thin, flexible layer of protection. The protection comes d3o's ability to stiffens on impact as the molecules lock together--the harder the hit, the tighter the lock, with the molecules instantaneously return to their original state after impact.”

“Now, it can be found in 107 products made by 22 different companies, ranging from iPod cases to polo kneepads.”

Popular Science

Bucky - carbon nanotube - paper

"Imagine flying an airplane, watching a television or using a laptop computer made, at least in part, from a paper 500 times stronger and 10 times lighter than steel. It's no ordinary paper; it's "buckypaper"—a nanotechnology material that looks like carbon paper and is made out of tube-shaped carbon molecules 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. The material's strength, however, comes when it's stacked and pressed together to form a composite, giving it the ability to conduct electricity like copper and disperse heat like steel."

Popular Science

NanoArt Festival

"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."

The Second Annual NanoArt Festival is scheduled for all of November in Stuttgart, Germany

Clothes that clean themsleves

"Researchers at Monash University, in Victoria, Australia, have found a way to coat fibers with titanium dioxide nanocrystals, which break down food and dirt in sunlight. The researchers, led by organic chemist and nanomaterials researcher Walid Daoud, have made natural fibers such as wool, silk, and hemp that will automatically remove food, grime, and even red-wine stains when exposed to sunlight."

MIT Technology Review

"Nano-prospecting"

"Currently, even with the most advanced recovery techniques, only about 40 percent of the oil and gas in reservoirs can be recovered. The hope is that by injecting novel sensors into these reservoirs, it will be possible to more accurately map them in 3-D, increase the amount of fuel extracted, and minimize the environmental impact."

"What is needed is a means of mapping the pore structure and the voids between formations, he says, and to do this, researchers need sensors that are smaller than the pores. So the aim is to create micro- or nanosensors that can not only pass through the pores, but also form mesh network to create detailed, 3-D maps of the structure of rock formations."

MIT Technology Review

NanoArt

"NanoArt is a new art discipline related to the micro or nanosculptures (molecular sculptures) created by artists or scientists through chemical or physical processes and visualized with powerful research tools like scanning electron or atomic force microscopes. The scientific images of these structures are captured and further processed using different artistic techniques to convert them into artworks showcased for large audiences."

Interesting art gallery by Romanian born artist and scientist Cris Orfescu

Soon the iPod Nano will look big and clunky

Terabyte of storage on your mobile...

"...new type of memory, called programmable-metallization-cell (PMC) memory, or nano-ionic memory...could lead to thumb drives or digital-camera memory cards that store a terabyte of information...The first examples of the new technology, which could also slash energy consumption by more than 99 percent, could be on the market within 18 months."

MIT Technology Review

And National Geographic reports that researchers at UC Berkeley

"showed that a nanotube can work as an antenna, picking up radio signals from the air. A carbon nanotube—a hollow, tube-shaped molecule 10,000 times smaller than a human hair—can perform all the basic functions of a radio when it's wired up to a few other simple parts..."

Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

Think nanotechnology is something futuristic? Check out this list of every day products...catalogs and research being done by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies

"The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies  was established in April 2005 as a partnership between the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The Project is dedicated to helping ensure that as nanotechnologies advance, possible risks are minimized, public and consumer engagement remains strong, and the potential benefits of these new technologies are realized.

Nanotechnologies are hailed by many as the next industrial revolution. They promise to change everything from the cars we drive to the clothes we wear, from the medical treatments our doctors can offer to our energy sources and workplaces. Although focused on the very small, nanotechnologies offer tremendous potential benefits. From new cancer therapies to pollution-eating compounds, from more durable consumer products to detectors for biohazards like anthrax, from novel foods to more efficient solar cells, nanotechnologies are changing the way people think about the future.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies collaborates with researchers, government, industry, NGOs, policymakers, and others to look long term, to identify gaps in knowledge and regulatory processes, and to develop strategies for closing them. The Project will provide independent, objective knowledge and analysis that can inform critical decisions affecting the development and commercialization of nanotechnologies."

The State of US Nanotechnology

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) was created in 2000 to focus and coordinate the nanoscience and nanotechnology research and development (R&D) activities being funded by several US federal agencies. To take stock of the progress of the NNI, Congress, directed the National Research Council to carry out a review of the program every three years. This report (available on line for free here) presents the results of the first of those reviews, which addresses the economic impact of nanotechnology developments and provides a benchmark of U.S. R&D efforts relative to those undertaken by foreign competitors.

Also, MIT Technology Review summarizes the year in Nanotech.