Monthly Archives: April 2013

Café Scientifique Vancouver (Canada) takes centre stage with Michael Kobor

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Moving out of the back room to the centre stage at The Railway Club (2nd floor of 579 Dunsmuir St. at Seymour St., Vancouver, Canada), the next Café Scientifique Vancouver talk will be given by Michael Kobor on Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 at 7:30 pm. Here’s the talk description, from the announcement,

A Dialogue in Epigenetics: How Does the Environment Get Under Our Skin?

The scientific community has known for some time that both genetics and the environment influence our health and well-being. While extensive research has focused on how our genes affect health outcomes, environmental factors have had less attention. Now a new area of research, known as epigenetics, is expanding upon our knowledge of the human genome. Epigeneticists study how our environment can have a long-term impact on the activity of our genes. Of particular concern to health researchers are the effects of socioeconomic conditions on children, and how early life stress may impact individuals and their genes down the road. Dr. Michael Kobor and his research team make use of recent advances in technology to study this interface between genetics and environment. And it is becoming clearer that what’s written in our DNA is only part of the story. Neither ‘nature,’ nor ‘nurture’ alone, is entirely one’s fate.

Kobor has his own lab (Kobor Lab) at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, here’s more from his bio page,

Genes can be influenced by the environment, which means our lifestyle can impact the expression of our genes. Epigenetics is the field that studies the relationship between our environment and our genes.

“Epigenetics is a very important component for studying human health,” says Dr. Kobor. “There is increasing evidence that epigenetic modifications are altered in a variety of diseases, such as cancer, and neurodegenerative disease.”

….

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS & PUBLICATIONS

UBC Faculty of Medicine, Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Basic Science Research – 2012

Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Early Career UBC Scholar – 2012

Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award – 2005

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Scholar Award – 2006

Kobor MS, Archambault J, Lester W, Holstege FC, Gileadi O, Jansma DB, Jennings EG, Kouyoumd- jian F, Davidson AR, Young RA, Greenblatt J. An unusual eukaryotic protein phosphatase required for transcription by RNA polymerase II and CTD dephosphorylation in S. cerevisiae. Molecular Cell. 1999 Jul;4(1):55–62.

Kobor MS, Venkatasubrahmanyam S, Meneghini MD, Gin JW, Jennings JL, Link AJ, Madhani HD, and Rine J. A Protein Complex Containing the Conserved Swi2/Snf2-Related ATPase Swr1p Deposits Histone Variant H2A.Z into Euchromatin. PLoS Biology. 2004 May; 2(5):E131.

Given the description for the talk is free of jargon (unless you consider “DNA” and “epigenetics” to be jargon), I would expect the talk itself to follow suit.

Nanoparticles detect food safety and bioterrorist threats

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About a week ago, a team of researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) announced a technique they’d developed that could make food safer (from the Apr. 18, 2013 news item on Nanowerk),

Sales of chicken products in China plummeted recently during an outbreak of a deadly new strain of bird flu. From bird flu to mad cow disease, numerous food scares have made global headlines in recent years. A technique developed by University of Missouri Professor of Engineering Shubhra Gangopadhyay’s group may make food contamination testing more rapid and accurate. The detection test also could accelerate warnings after bioterrorism attacks.

The University of Missouri Apr. 18, 2013 news release, which originated the news item, doesn’t offer much more in the way of detail about the technique although there is some discussion about business opportunities,

“Quickly stopping the spread of toxins saves lives, whether those toxins are from natural processes or enemy attacks,” said lead author Sangho Bok, postdoctoral fellow working under the supervision of Shubhra Gangopadhyay in MU’s College of Engineering. “Our technique uses nanoparticles to make detection one hundred times more sensitive than the standard method now used, known as ELISA. We have also reduced the time needed to detect a threat to only one hour, compared to four to six hours for ELISA.”

Currently, Bok’s testing method detects a toxin that causes food poisoning, a chemical known as Clostriudium botulinum neurotoxin A. Engineers and biologists at MU now seek to adapt the test to detect many other dangerous chemicals.

Beyond helping protect people from deadly toxins, Bok’s technique may bring jobs and foreign investment to America. Study co-author and MU research professor, Keshab Gangopadhyay, hopes to open a factory in Missouri that will manufacture the nanoparticles used in the detection technique. To achieve this goal, Gangopadhyay founded Nanos Technologies LLC.

“Science, employment and economic development are all tied together,” said Gangopadhyay. “Food safety testing presents a large market that is growing quickly in developing nations like China and India. MU engineering research helps Missouri tap into that market while creating local jobs and attracting the attention of investors.”

I did find the Nanos Technologies website and, given that they currently sell gold slides, I’m assuming the company is not newly founded although this latest technology may make the dream of opening up a factory in Missouri more attainable.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the researchers’ paper,

Femtogram-level detection of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type A by sandwich immunoassay using nanoporous substrate and ultra-bright fluorescent suprananoparticles by Sangho Bok, Venumadhav Korampally, Charles M. Darr, William R. Folk, Luis Polo-Parada, Keshab Gangopadhyay, Shubhra Gangopadhyay. Biosensors and Bioelectronics Volume 41, 15 March 2013, Pages 409–416  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2012.08.063

This paper is behind a paywall.

Inhale the drugs for Parkinson’s disease

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The news out of Northeastern University’s Dr. Barbara Waszczak’s lab is exciting but it’s a single high point in a larger narrative.  First, here’s the high point described in the Apr. 24, 2013 news item on Azonano,

Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a gene therapy approach that may one day stop Parkinson’s disease (PD) in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms. The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain.

The Apr. 21, 2013 news release on EurekAlert, which originated the news item, provides some information about Parkinson’s disease,

Parkinson’s is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of dopamine neurons in a key motor area of the brain, the substantia nigra (SN). Loss of these neurons leads to the characteristic tremor and slowed movements of PD, which get increasingly worse with time. Currently, more than 1% of the population over age 60 has PD and approximately 60,000 Americans are newly diagnosed every year. The available drugs on the market for PD mimic or replace the lost dopamine but do not get to the heart of the problem, which is the progressive loss of the dopamine neurons.

Here’s how the disease got its name, from the Wikipedia essay: Parkinson’s disease (Note: Links have been removed),

The disease is named after the English doctor James Parkinson, who published the first detailed description in An Essay on the Shaking Palsy in 1817. Several major organizations promote research and improvement of quality of life of those with the disease and their families. Public awareness campaigns include Parkinson’s disease day (on the birthday of James Parkinson, April 11) and the use of a red tulip as the symbol of the disease. People with parkinsonism who have increased the public’s awareness include Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali.

Now for some information about the background work leading up to this new, exciting, high point (from the news release on EurekAlert),

The focus of Dr. Barbara Waszczak’s lab at Northeastern University in Boston is to find a way to harvest the potential of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) as a treatment for PD. GDNF is a protein known to nourish dopamine neurons by activating survival and growth-promoting pathways inside the cells. Not surprisingly, GDNF is able to protect dopamine neurons from injury and restore the function of damaged and dying neurons in many animal models of PD. However, the action of GDNF is limited by its inability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), thus requiring direct surgical injection into the brain. To circumvent this problem, Waszczak’s lab is investigating intranasal delivery as a way to bypass the BBB. Their previous work showed that intranasal delivery of GDNF protects dopamine neurons from damage by the neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a standard rat model of PD.

According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, this research work dates from 2007 (at least), from the Intranasal Delivery of GDNF for Parkinson’s Disease: Next Steps grant page,

FINAL OUTCOME

The results of this Drug Delivery 2008 project confirm and extend the conclusions reached under a previous 2007 Rapid Response Innovation Award. The research team has demonstrated that intranasal administration of GDNF has neuroprotective efficacy in a preclinical model of Parkinson’s disease, that the protein gets into the brain and reaches target structures (the striatum and substantia nigra) within an hour of nasal administration, and that the nasal route causes no apparent toxicity in the nose. Longer term efficacy and toxicology studies will be necessary in other relevant preclinical models before testing can be initiated in humans.

The results of this work strongly supports pursuit of intranasal administration as a promising approach for harvesting the therapeutic potential of GDNF. Such an approach could ultimately provide an effective, non-invasive means of delivering GDNF to the brain for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Here’s the 2013 innovation on intranasal delivery of GDNF therapy (from the news release on EurekAlert),

Taking this work a step further, Brendan Harmon, working in Waszczak’s lab, has adapted the intranasal approach so that cells in the brain can continuously produce GDNF. His work utilized nanoparticles, developed by Copernicus Therapeutics, Inc., which are able to transfect brain cells with an expression plasmid carrying the gene for GDNF (pGDNF). When given intranasally to rats, these pGDNF nanoparticles increase GDNF production throughout the brain for long periods, avoiding the need for frequent re-dosing. Now, in new research presented on April 20 at 12:30 pm during Experimental Biology 2013 in Boston, MA, Harmon reports that intranasal administration of Copernicus’ pGDNF nanoparticles results in GDNF expression sufficient to protect SN dopamine neurons in the 6-OHDA model of PD.

Waszczak and Harmon believe that intranasal delivery of Copernicus’ nanoparticles may provide an effective and non-invasive means of GDNF gene therapy for PD, and an avenue for transporting other gene therapy vectors to the brain. This work, which was funded in part by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Northeastern University, has the potential to greatly expand treatment options for PD and many other central nervous system disorders.

For the curious, there’s more about Copernicus Therapeutics at the company website.

Congratulations to Harmon and Waszczak! I imagine the next step will be human clinical trials.

Brewing up silver nanoparticles

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The last time I featured green tea was in the context of couture in this June 8, 2012 posting,

First, a June 7, 2012 article by Jane Wakefield about fashion and technology on the BBC News website that features a designer, Suzanne Lee, who grows clothing. I’m glad to see Lee is still active (I first mentioned her work with bacteria and green tea in a July 13, 2010 posting). From Wakefield’s 2012 article,

“I had a conversation with a biologist who raised the idea of growing a garment in a laboratory,” she [Biocouture designer, Suzanne Lee] told the BBC.

In her workshop in London, she is doing just that.

Using a recipe of green tea, sugar, bacteria and yeast she is able to ‘grow’ a material which she describes as a kind of “vegetable leather”.

It turns out there are other uses for green tea, aside from its function in couture or as a beverage with health benefits, according to an Apr. 24, 2013 news item on Nanowerk (Note: A link has been removed),

Already renowned for its beneficial effects on human health, green tea could have a new role — along with other natural plant-based substances — in a healthier, more sustainable production of the most widely used family of nanoparticles, scientists say. Published in ACS [American Chemical Society] Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, their Perspective article (“Greener Techniques for the Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles using Plant Extracts, Enzymes, Bacteria, Biodegradable Polymers and Microwaves”) concludes that greener methods for making silver nanoparticles are becoming available.

The Apr. 24, 2013 ACS PressPak news release, which originated the news item,  offers a brief description of the researchers’ article,

The article describes how extracts from plants — such as green tea plants, sunflowers, coffee, fruit and peppers — have emerged as possible substitutes that can replace toxic substances normally used to make the nanoparticles. In addition, extracts from bacteria and fungi, as well as natural polymers, like starches, could serve as substitutes. “These newer techniques for greener AgNP synthesis using biorenewable materials appear promising as they do not have any toxic materials deployed during the production process,” the scientists say.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Greener Techniques for the Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles using Plant Extracts, Enzymes, Bacteria, Biodegradable Polymers and Microwaves by Deepika Hebbalalu, Jacob Lalley, Mallikarjuna N Nadagouda, and Rajender Singh Varma. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., Just Accepted Manuscript DOI: 10.1021/sc4000362 Publication Date (Web): March 28, 2013
Copyright © 2013 American Chemical Society

This paper is behind a paywall.

Self-cleaning schools

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I’m all for self-cleaning, which is why this Apr. 19, 2013 news item on Azonano caught my attention,

“We’re always trying to create a cleaner environment for students and teachers in an effort to reduce absenteeism and the associated costs,” says Dr. Henry Kiernan, Superintendent with the Bellmore-Merrick School District in New York. “The NanoTouch® products provide an additional benefit of communicating our commitment, which plays an important role in our relationship with parents.”

Bellmore-Merrick has installed facility touch points, including door push pads and handle wraps, on all bathroom doors in an initial 5 high schools. Other schools have brought the portable NanoSeptic surfaces into the classroom in the form of snack mats and desk mats.

“The pre-school students were fascinated by the snack mats and what they did. The children focused intently on keeping their snacks on the mat,” says Bonny Phillips , teacher at Liberty Christian Academy’s Early Learning Center. “It also provided an additional opportunity for learning about cleanliness and food handling.”

…

“Schools will continue to use one-time kill products like disinfectants, but NanoTouch enhances their cleaning efforts by working to eliminate even hard-to-kill microbes such as C. Diff, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Mark Sisson , co-founder of NanoTouch. “And because alcohol based hand sanitizers pose a risk of fire around kids, NanoTouch products help to fill that void in schools.”

In today’s world of shrinking budgets, it’s sometimes difficult for schools to find funding for advanced technologies like NanoTouch, even when these products are inexpensive. However, some innovative thinking by a community bank has led to several classrooms being equipped with NanoSeptic snack mats. SelectBank, headquartered in Forest, Virginia, donates snack mats to area pre-schools and day cares as a way to give back to their community.

“When we can help area schools and children, and get some positive recognition from parents, that’s good for our community and for our business,” says Sherri Sackett , Marketing Manager at SelectBank.

And the parents at these schools are enthusiastically embracing the use of this new nanotechnology.

“We were very excited to hear that our son’s school has started using this new product,” says Robert Thomas, parent of a student at the Blue Ridge Montessori School. “Not only is this creating a cleaner classroom environment for our child, but it’s doing so in a healthier way, without poisons or heavy metals. And it’s such a unique product line that the school is considering selling the travel kits as a fundraiser.”

“NanoTouch is out to make the world a better and healthier place to live, work, and play. This is particularly important for sensitive populations, such as our youth,” says NanoTouch co-founder, Dennis Hackemeyer. “And, what can’t be understated is the communications ability of NanoTouch products to educate and change behavior.'”

It’s unusual these days to see a company market a ‘nanotechnology’ product by incorporating nano into  product names (e.g., NanoSeptic) and the company name (NanoTouch).

The NanoTouch website does not offer information about its management team (I was not able to find either co-founder although it is possible to find a listing for the company’s advisory board) nor is there much information about the technology. Here’s the best technology description I could find on the website, from the NanoTouch NanoSeptic versus other antimicrobials page,

NanoTouch products utilize several complex components which all work together. Our specialized fabrication process not only provides products that are durable enough to withstand routine cleaning, but also helps to accentuate the effectiveness of the antimicrobial ingredients and maximize the surface’s self-cleaning action. Our products contain widely used, harmless, “green” chemistry, which does not include diluted poisons or heavy metals. The antimicrobial technology we deploy, molecularly bonded on a nano-scale, provides a non-leaching, self-cleaning surface that constantly traps and kills bacteria, viruses and fungi through a catalytic oxidation process using available light.

…

All of these solutions approach the problem of bacteria, viruses and fungus by cleaning surfaces…which is absolutely necessary. NanoTouch is not meant to replace these methods, but instead, it is a perfect complement and another step in the reduction of germ transfer. While the these approaches clean a touchpoint or a person’s hand, contamination happens with the next contact or from airborne microbes. NanoTouch self-cleans…constantly killing bacteria, viruses and fungi.

I did find some details about the company co-founders on their respective  LinkedIn pages, Dennis Hackemeyer and Mark Sisson. Both men are associated with another company, KiteString, from the Our Approach page,

KiteString uses innovative technological solutions in the service of creative to achieve Marketing Relevance. Yes, we deliver traditional creative services like design, Web development, and direct mail, but we also provide technology-based marketing solutions and client service processes and systems that deliver measurably better operational efficiency, enhanced brand management, improved collaboration and greater marketing response rates.

I’m not sure what the KiteString description of their approach means but it looks like KiteString’s main activity is marketing. Anyway, that’s not so important given that my main interest is NanoTouch. For that matter, it would have been nice to have found more technical information. For example, How precisely is this product nanotechnology-enabled? Are there scientists working for or associated in some fashion with NanoTouch? What kind of testing has the product undergone? These are a few of the questions that leap to mind.

Ingesting nano silver: a double-blind study

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American Biotech Labs (ABL) has released publicity about an intriguing study on ingesting nano silver. From the Apr. 23, 2013 news item on Nanowerk,

The study included 3-, 7-, and 14-day exposures to American Biotech Labs 10-ppm (15 ml/day) silver solution in a double-blind, placebo controlled, cross-over phase design. Healthy volunteer subjects (36, 12 per each time-exposure), underwent complete metabolic, blood and platelet count, urinalysis tests, sputum hyperresponsiveness and inflammation evaluation, physical examinations, vital sign measurements, and magnetic resonance imaging of the chest and abdomen at baseline and at the end of each phase.

… Keith Moeller, A Managing Director at ABL. “… As a prelim to the study, I volunteered to be checked for silver deposition in my body, after 15+ years of almost daily usage as a supplement to help boost my immune system. No silver residue was found anywhere in my system. We are always working hard to gain knowledge about silver. Because of this, we have now amassed a library of more than 300 major reports, studies and test series, all completed on our nano-silver technology by more than 60 different universities, government/military labs, and private institutions.”

In conclusion the report stated, “The In-vivo oral exposure of a commercial 10-ppm silver nano-particle solution over 3-, 7-, and 14-day exposures does not exhibit clinically important changes in metabolic, hematologic, urine, vital sign changes, physical findings or imaging changes visualized by MRI.” …

Oddly, I cannot find where this study was published nor does the news release, which originated the news item, appear on the company website (as of 4 pm PDT April 23, 2013).

As for the study itself, which researchers ran the study? Was a third party contracted to run it? How did they ensure the study was double-blind? I gather this was not a randomized study.

They state specifically there were no urine changes. If the subjects are eliminating the silver, shouldn’t they be able to see that in the urine? If the silver accumulates in the body, how much is too much? Might it not take longer than 14 days to reach a toxic or dangerous stage?

Moeller’s personal endorsement is not really convincing as one assumes that as managing director of the company he has much to gain by encouraging people to ingest nano silver (ABL sells it as a health supplement). The same holds true regarding this study, which seems to have been run by the company itself.

As it stands, the study seems a bit sketchy but hopefully more details will emerge.

The UK’s Guardian newspaper science blogs go nano and experiment with editorial/advertorial

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Small World, a nanotechnology blog, was launched today (Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2013)  on the UK’s Guardian newspaper science blogs network. Here’s more from the Introductory page,

Small World is a blog about new developments in nanotechnology funded by Nanopinion, a European Commission project. All the posts are commissioned by the Guardian, which has complete editorial control over the blog’s contents. The views expressed are those of the authors and not the EC

Essentially, Nanopinion is paying for this ‘space’ in much the same way one would pay for advertising but the posts will be written in an editorial style. In practice, this is usually called an ‘advertorial’. The difference between this blog and the usual advertorial is that the buyer (Nanopinion) is not producing or editing the content. By implication, this means that Nanopinion is not controlling the content. Getting back to practice, I would imagine that the Guardian editors are conscious that is an ethically complicated situation. It would be interesting to see what will happen to this paid-for-blog if ‘too many’ posts are negative or if their readership should decide this setup is so ethically questionable that they no longer trust or read the newspaper and/or its blogs.

The first posting on this blog by Kostas Kostarelos, professor of nanomedicine at University College London, on Apr. 23, 2013 is thoughtful (Note: Links have been removed),

There is beauty in exploring the nanoscale. But the idea gets more tainted the more we learn about it, like a young love affair full of expectation of the endless possibilities, which gradually becomes a dysfunctional relationship the more the partners learn about each other. One day we read about wonderful nanomaterials with exotic names such as zinc oxide nanowires, say, or silver nanocubes used to make ultra-efficient solar panels, and the next we read about shoebox bomb attacks against labs and researchers by anti-nanotechnology terrorist groups. It makes me wonder: is there a particular problem with nanotechnology?

As with all human relationships, we run the risk of raising expectations too high, too soon.

He goes on to discuss the dualistic nanotechnology discourse (good vs bad) and expresses his hope that the discourse will not degenerate into a ceaseless battle and says this,

… We should not allow vigilance, critical thinking and scientific rigor to transmute into polemic.

As someone who lives and breathes exploration on the nanoscale – which aims to create tools for doctors and other health professionals against some of our most debilitating diseases – I hope that this blog will offer an everyday insight into this journey and its great promises, flaws, highs and lows. We want to offer you a transparent and honest view of nanotechnology’s superhuman feats and its very human limitations.

I have mentioned Kostarelos in past postings, most recently in a Jan. 16, 2013 posting with regard to his involvement in a study on carbon nanotubes and toxicity.

As for Nanopinion, it put me in mind of another European Commission project, Nanochannels, mentioned in my Jan. 27, 2011 posting,

From the Jan. 17, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

Nanotechnology issues are about to hit the mass media in a big way. The new EC-funded NANOCHANNELS project was launched last week with a two-day kick-off meeting that led to the planning of a dynamic programme of communication, dialogue, and engagement in issues of nanotechnology aimed at European citizens.

Here’s how they describe Nanopinion (from the About Nanopinion page),

Nanopinion is an EC-funded project bringing together 17 partners from 11 countries with the aim of monitoring public opinion on what we hope for from innovation with nanotechnologies. The project is aimed citizens with a special focus on hard-to-reach target groups, which are people who do not normally encounter and give their opinion nanotechnologies at first hand.

Dialogue is facilitated online and in outreach events in 30 countries presenting different participatory formats.

To promote an informed debate, we also run a strong press & social media campaign and offer a repository with more than 150 resources.

Finally, nanOpinion offers an innovative educational programme for schools.

There are differences but they do have a very strong emphasis on communication, dialogue, and outreach both for the public and for schools. Although how a blog in the Guardian science blogs network will help Nanopinion contact ‘hard-to-reach’ target groups is a bit of a mystery to me but perhaps the blog is intended to somehow help them ‘monitor public opinion’? In any event, they sure seem to have a lot of these ‘nano’ dialogues in Europe.

The title of this new Guardian science blog (Small World) reminded me of an old Disney tune, ‘It’s a small world.’ I refuse to embed it here but if you are feeling curious or nostalgic, here’s the link: http://youtu.be/nxvlKp-76io.

Graphene Stakeholders Association (GSA) formed

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I’m not sure why a new not-for-profit association is needed to promote graphene since that nanomaterial is receiving ample interest these days. My reservations notwithstanding, a group of business types disagrees with me and have formed the Graphene Stakeholders Association (GSA) according to the Apr. 19, 2013 news item on Azonano,

A new non-profit organization was launched this month to promote the responsible development and commercialization of graphene and graphene-enabled products. The Graphene Stakeholders Association (GSA) is a 501(c)6 enterprise headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

The GSA’s founders include Keith Blakely, a 35 year veteran of the advanced materials and nanotechnology community, Dr. Alan Rae, CEO of the Nano Materials Innovation Center, Vincent Caprio, Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, and Stephen Waite, Managing Partner of SoundView Technology Group. Mr. Waite and Mr. Blakely will serve as co-Executive Directors of the GSA.

Here are some of the activities the GSA is planning, from the website’s Mission page,

The GSA will work primarily by regular web conferences timed for the convenience of members and will hold at least one plenary conference per year to review progress and develop action plans.

The GSA intends to collaborate closely with the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association and to organize meetings and presentations around certain of their events to enable our members to make the most efficient use of their time with respect to technical and business conference meetings.

It seems to me the proposed GSA plenary conferences are likely to emerge as a conference held within the context of  the larger NanoBusiness Commercialization Association’s conference. I think it’s an emerging trend whereby there’s a conference portal and within that context one or more conferences, which will attract likeminded attendees, are grouped together under one banner and have either overlapping dates or are run on parallel dates in the same locations.

The site does offer some interesting information. For example, there’s this from their Graphene Industry Information page,

China has published more graphene patents than any other country, at 2,204, ahead of 1,754 for the U.S., 1,160 for South Korea, and 54 for the U.K.

South Korea’s Samsung has more graphene patents than any single company.

Nokia is part of the 74-company Graphene Flagship Consortium that is receiving a €1 billion ($1.35 billion) grant that the E.U. announced in January 2013.

Nokia, Philips, U.K. invention stalwart Dyson, weapons and aerospace company BAE Systems, and others have committed £13 million ($20.5 million) to a graphene development center [Cambridge Graphene Centre as per my Jan. 24, 2013 posting] at Cambridge University, to go along with £12 million ($18.9 million) from the British government. [Also, there’s a new National Graphene Institute being built in Manchester, UK {my Jan. 14, 2013 posting}.]

….

Graphene is prohibitively expensive to make today. As recently as 2008, it cost $100 million to produce a single cubic centimeter of graphene.

Researchers are working on methods to reduce the cost of manufacturing and help make graphene a ubiquitous fabrication material.

Graphene film companies face major commercialization hurdles, including reducing costs, scaling-up the substrate transfer process, overcoming current deposition area limitations, and besting other emerging material solutions.

GSA is looking for members from around the world according to the Apr. 19, 2013 news item on Azonano.

Self-assembling chains of nanoparticles

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The Argonne National Laboratory (US) has announced that their researchers have for the first time watched nanoparticles assemble into chains in real-time. From the Apr. 20, 2013 news item on Nanowerk (Note: Links have been removed),

In a new study performed at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have for the first time seen the self-assembly of nanoparticle chains in situ, that is, in place as it occurs in real-time (“In Situ Visualization of Self-Assembly of Charged Gold Nanoparticles”).

The Apr. 19, 2013 Argonne National Laboratory press release by Jared Sagoff, which originated the news item, provides more detail,

The scientists exposed a tiny liquid “cell” or pouch that contained gold nanoparticles covered with a positively charged coating to an intense beam of electrons generated with a transmission electron microscope. Some of the electrons that penetrated the outside of the cell became trapped in the fluid medium in the cell. These “hydrated” electrons attracted the positively charged nanoparticles, which in time reduced the intensity of charge of the positive coating.

As the hydrated electrons reduced the coating’s positive charge, the nanoparticles no longer repelled each other as strongly.  Instead, their newfound relative attraction led the nanoparticles to “jump around” and eventually stick together in long chains. This self-assembly of nanoparticle chains had been detected before in different studies, but this technique allowed researchers, for the first time, to observe the phenomenon as it occurred.

“The moment-to-moment behavior of nanoparticles is something that’s not yet entirely understood by the scientific community,” said Argonne nanoscientist Yuzi Liu, the study’s lead author. “The potential of nanoparticles in all sorts of different applications and devices – from tiny machines to harvesters of new sources of energy – requires us to bring all of our resources to bear to look at how they function on the most basic physical levels.”

Self-assembly is particularly interesting to scientists because it could lead to new materials that could be used to develop new, energy-relevant technologies. “When we look at self-assembly, we’re looking to use nature as a springboard into man-made materials,” said Argonne nanoscientist Tijana Rajh, who directed the group that carried out the study.

Because the particles under study were so tiny – just a few dozen nanometers in diameter – an optical microscope would not have been able to resolve, or see, individual nanoparticles. By using the liquid cell in the transmission electron microscope at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Liu and his colleagues could create short movies showing the quick movement of the nanoparticles as their coatings contacted the hydrated electrons.

Here’s a video of the self-assembling nanoparticles, provided by the Argonne National Laboratory,

Here’s a link to and citation for the paper,

In Situ Visualization of Self-Assembly of Charged Gold Nanoparticles by Yuzi Liu, Xiao-Min Lin, Yugang Sun, and Tijana Rajh. J. Am. Chem. Soc., [Journal of the American Chemical Socieyt] 2013, 135 (10), pp 3764–3767
DOI: 10.1021/ja312620e Publication Date (Web): February 22, 2013
Copyright © 2013 American Chemical Society