Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have created new structures that exploit the electromechanical properties of specific nanofibers to stretch to up to seven times their length, while remaining tougher than Kevlar.
Nanotechnology - Technology for every facet of life
Friday, March 27, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Biomedical use of gold nanotubes demonstrated in mouse model of human cancer
Scientists have shown that gold nanotubes have many applications in fighting cancer: internal nanoprobes for high-resolution imaging; drug delivery vehicles; and agents for destroying cancer cells.
The study, published today in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, details the first successful demonstration of the biomedical use of gold nanotubes in a mouse model of human cancer.
Study lead author Dr Sunjie Ye, who is based in both the School of Physics and Astronomy and the Leeds Institute for Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at the University of Leeds, said: "High recurrence rates of tumours after surgical removal remain a formidable challenge in cancer therapy. Chemo- or radiotherapy is often given following surgery to prevent this, but these treatments cause serious side effects.
Gold nanotubes - that is, gold nanoparticles with tubular structures that resemble tiny drinking straws - have the potential to enhance the efficacy of these conventional treatments by integrating diagnosis and therapy in one single system."
The researchers say that a new technique to control the length of nanotubes underpins the research. By controlling the length, the researchers were able to produce gold nanotubes with the right dimensions to absorb a type of light called 'near infrared'.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Nano-hydrogels that attack cancer cells
Hydrogels are materials that are commonly used in everyday objects such as contact lenses or diapers, in order to control humidity. However, chemical engineers at the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), in Mexico, developed a new technology based on thermosensitive nanoparticles (nano-hydrogels) to use these materials in the field of biomedicine, as an alternative to achieve controlled release of anticancer drugs.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Gold 'nano-drills' help with DNA analysis
Researcher Lennart de Vreede applied a large number of microscopic discs of gold on a surface of silicon dioxide. When heated up for several hours, the gold is moving into the material, perpendicular to the surface, like nanometer-sized spheres. Nine hours of heating gives a tunnel of 800 nanometers in length, for example, and a diameter of 25 nanometer: these results can normally only be acieved by using complex processes. The gold can even fully move through the material. All nanotunnels together then form a sieve. Leaving the tunnel closed at one end, leaves open the possibility of creating molds for nano structures.
Once heating to close to their melting point, the gold discs -- diameter one micron -, don't spread out over the surface, but they form spheres. They push away the siliciumdioxide, causing a circular 'ridge', a tiny dam. While moving into the silicondioxide, the ball gets smaller: it evaporates and there is a continuos movement of silicondioxide.
For example in DNA-sequencing applications, De Vreede sees applications for this new fabrication technology. In that case, a DNA-string is pulled through one of these nano-channels, after which the building blocks of DNA, the nucleotides, can be analysed subsequently. Furthermore, De Vreede expects the 'gold method' to be applicable to other ceramic materials as well. His recent experiments on silicium nitride indicate that.
Gold 'nano-drills' help with DNA analysis
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
NC State researchers develop wearable nanowire sensor to monitor electrophysiological signals
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new, wearable sensor that uses silver nanowires to monitor electrophysiological signals, such as electrocardiography (EKG) or electromyography (EMG). The new sensor is as accurate as the "wet electrode" sensors used in hospitals, but can be used for long-term monitoring and is more accurate than existing sensors when a patient is moving.
Long-term monitoring of electrophysiological signals can be used to track patient health or assist in medical research, and may also be used in the development of new powered prosthetics that respond to a patient's muscular signals.
Electrophysiological sensors used in hospitals, such as EKGs, use wet electrodes that rely on an electrolytic gel between the sensor and the patient's skin to improve the sensor's ability to pick up the body's electrical signals. However, this technology poses problems for long-term monitoring, because the gel dries up - irritating the patient's skin and making the sensor less accurate.
The new nanowire sensor is comparable to the wet sensors in terms of signal quality, but is a "dry" electrode - it doesn't use a gel layer, so doesn't pose the same problems that wet sensors do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)