NNI Grand Challenges

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Eye on Discovery     

Green, Leafy Spinach May Soon Power More Than Popeye’s Biceps
Sep. 21, 2004, Science Daily — For the first time, MIT researchers have incorporated a plant’s ability to convert sunlight to energy into a solid-state electronic “spinach sandwich” device that may one day power laptops and cell phones. A protein complex named Photosystem I, which is derived from spinach chloroplasts, functions as an extremely small electronic circuit. About 100,000 of them would fit on the head of a pin. Read more.

A Tube Of Tubes: Carbon Nanotube-based Filters are Easy to Make, Easy to Clean, and Have a Range of Uses
Aug. 11, 2004, Chemical & Engineering News — With just benzene, ferrocene, and a simple laboratory apparatus, scientists have made robust filters composed entirely of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Shaped like hollow cylinders, the filters are remarkably utilitarian. Easy to clean and reusable, they can remove bacteria and viruses from water, eliminate heavy hydrocarbons from petroleum, and even separate a mixture of benzene and naphthalene. Read more.

ORNL Nanoprobe Creates World of New Possibilities
Jul. 14, 2004, Oak Ridge, TN, EurekAlert — A technology with proven environmental, forensics and medical applications has received a shot in the arm because of an invention by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL's nanoprobe, which is based on a light scattering technique, can detect and analyze chemicals, explosives, drugs and more at a theoretical single-molecule level. This capability makes it far more selective and accurate than conventional competing technologies. Read more.

Nanoparticles, Super-absorbent Gel Clean Radioactivity from Porous Structures
Jul. 2, 2004, Argonne, IL — Porous structures, such as brick and concrete, are notoriously hard to clean when contaminated with certain types of radioactive materials. Now, thanks to researchers in Argonne 's Chemical Engineering Division, a new technique is being developed that can effectively decontaminate these structures in the event of exposure to radioactive elements. Researchers are using engineered nanoparticles and a super-absorbent gel to design a clean-up system for buildings and monuments exposed to radioactive materials. Having this system available will allow the nation to be more prepared in case of a terrorist attack with a “dirty bomb” or other radioactive dispersal device. Read more.

Plastic Nanowires Sense Gasses
Jun. 2/9, 2004, Technology Research News — Cornell University researchers have devised a simple way to position conducting polymer nanowires on an electrode, and have made a prototype high-speed chemical detector that is capable of sensing minuscule amounts of ammonia gas. The researchers are working on other polymer materials that are able to detect other gasses. The method could ultimately be used to make a device that has an array of wires sensitive to different chemicals. Such a device would be able to rapidly detect and analyze the composition of gasses in the air, according to the researchers. Read more.

Army Scientists, Engineers Develop Liquid Body Armor
Apr. 21, 2004, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, Army News Service, by Tonya Johnson — Liquid armor for Kevlar vests is one of the newest technologies being developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to save Soldiers' lives. This type of body armor is light and flexible, which allows soldiers to be more mobile and won’t hinder an individual from running or aiming his or her weapon. The key component of liquid armor is a shear thickening fluid. STF is composed of hard particles suspended in a liquid. The liquid, polyethylene glycol, is non-toxic, and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Hard, nano-particles of silica are the other components of STF. This combination of flowable and hard components results in a material with unusual properties. Read more.

Purdue Researchers Find Nanotubes Can Help Create Body Implants
Apr. 12, 2004, West Lafayette, IN, SmallTimes/United Press International — Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana said Friday tiny "nanotubes" can help create better artificial joints and other body implants. The researchers said these nanotubes assemble themselves using the same chemistry as DNA. The Purdue researchers worked with scientists at the University of Alberta and Canada's National Institute for Nanotechnology. Their discovery showed bone cells called osteoblasts attach better to nanotube-coated titanium than they do to conventional titanium used to make artificial joints. Read more.