Brian Dorsett

Nanodiamonds designed to toughen artificial joints also might prevent the inflammation caused when hardworking metal joints shed debris into the body, according to an early study published this week.

As You Sow, a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental and social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal strategies, has developed a framework on sourcing nanomaterials for food and food packaging. The Framework highlights what companies should ask their suppliers regarding the safety of nano-enhanced food products and packaging.

The Nanodermatology Society will be holding its second annual scientific conference in conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, San Diego, CA, March 16th 2012

Northern Graphite Corporation has announced that it has agreed to supply its +48 mesh and +32 mesh extra large flake graphite to Grafen Chemical Industries for graphene research and has also agreed to enter into a cooperation agreement to develop intellectual property rights.

Researchers have used graphene to develop a new composite material which can produce the toughest fibres to date - even tougher than spider silk and Kevlar.

Polyera has achieved a certified world-record 9.1% efficient polymer/fullerene organic solar cell in an inverted bulk heterojunction architecture using its newest proprietary ActivInk PV2000 semiconductor material.

A team of University of Bristol scientists explores whether new models or concepts are needed to tackle one of the 'grand challenges' of chemical biology: understanding enzyme catalysis.

The antennaless RFID tag developed at CNSE could help companies track products as varied as barrels of oil to metal cargo containers.

Derivation of equations that describe the dynamics of complex magnetic quasi-particles may aid the design of novel electronic devices.

Apart from graphene, other two-dimensional structures are also known to have unique properties which researchers are eager to exploit for novel nanotechnology applications in nanoelectronics and sensor or energy storage technology. Particular interest has been on semiconducting materials, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), an abundant material in nature, which exhibits the unique physical, optical and electrical properties correlated with its single-layer atomic layer structure. Researchers have now fabricated a mechanically exfoliated single-layer MoS2 based phototransistor and investigated its electric characteristics in detail. These new findings show that, when compared with a 2D graphene-based device, the single-layer MoS2 phototransistor exhibits a better photoresponsivity.

A new kind of high-temperature photonic crystal could someday power everything from smartphones to spacecraft.

Photovoltaic panels made from plant material could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells.

Cash prize and grant awarded during SPIE BiOS/Photonics West 2012 conference.

An international consortium of scientists from The Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine claim a breakthrough in the theory of ultrafast magnetic phenomena.

A Manchester team lead by Nobel laureates Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov has literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon.

Using a self-assembled photosystem, researchers are turning the term 'power plant' on its head

2012 Knowledge Series to commemorate 25th anniversary.

Grants will enable technologies targeting clean energy and the environment, nanomedicine and health care, and military applications.

Back in the early 2010s, food nanotechnology seemed to be a very hot topic and large industrial food companies were eager to explore new opportunities offered by nanotechnology applications. Then, as critical voices from NGOs and regulators appeared, the food industry went into silent mode. But that doesn't mean that food nanotechnologies aren't being researched and developed in labs around the world. Here is an overview of what nanotechnology applications are currently being researched, tested and in some cases already applied in food technology. It appears that we are still some way from seeing "Frankenfoods" in supermarket shelves. According to a recent commentary by an FDA official, what's holding back the introduction of nanofoods is the hesitation of the food industry, fearing a public backlash along the lines of what happened wit genetically modified foods.

DNA is a useful building material for nanoscale structures. In a way similar to origami, a long single strand of DNA can be folded into nearly any three-dimensional shape desired with the use of short DNA fragments. The DNA nanostructure can also be equipped with specific docking sites for proteins. Researchers have now introduced a new method for attaching the proteins by means of special "adapters" known as zinc-finger proteins.