The Number of Finnish Nanotechnology Companies Triples in Four Years

Source:Nanowerk
Author:n/a

A study recently conducted in Finland showed that the number of companies developing and utilizing nanotechnology increased from 61 companies in 2004 to 202 in 2008. The majority of these companies are in the chemical, information and communications, or health and wellbeing sectors. The industry currently employs 3,000 people and that number is expected to increase to 11,000-12,000 people by 2013. In 2008, for the first time, private investments in nanotechnology in Finland exceeded public investments. According to Pekka Koponen, CEO of Spinverse Ltd., the company that undertook the survey, “[M]any key sectors of Finnish industry have, after years of determined work, shifted from developing nanotechnology to commercialization of products. Utilizing the large research and development network creates new conditions for growth in the middle of a global downturn or structural change, which is already happening in the forest industry. Companies developing and utilizing nanotechnology are a significant source of economic growth both during the current recession and in the long run.” Companies researched said future challenges to growing the industry include funding, recruiting competent staff, and managing intellectual property rights. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9244.php

 

New Science Could Defeat Food Crises

Source:checkbiotech.org
Author:Gaby Hinsliff

Nanotechnology has the potential to help feed a fast-growing world, according to United Kingdom Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn. He is spearheading a government project to address the rising demand for food production worldwide – it’s supposed to double by 2050 – and he sees nanotechnology as one of the answers. “Nanotechnology has clear potential. As with all of these technologies, the government’s job is to make sure we fully understand the consequences of using it, but clearly it has got real potential. We ought to be looking at all the means at our disposal,” said Benn. He cited a recent study by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution that concluded there was no evidence of harm to health from nanotechnology, but said the government would continue to fund such research. Possible nanotechnology applications to help with food production include: slow release fertilizers that can activate when needed; applications that detect threats from pests or pollutants; food enriched with supplements; vitamins in food that do not degrade as food ages; and, nanosensors embedded in farm animals that detect disease before the whole herd is infected. The article says other scientists are more cautious about using nanotechnology to boost food production, warning that the public must first be convinced it is safe. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/new_science_could_defeat_food_crises

 

Big Science Role Is Seen in Global Warming Cure

Source:The New York Times
Author:John M. Broder and Matthew L. Wald

Dr. Steven Chu, the new United States Secretary of Energy, said in an interview this week, that solving the “…world’s energy and environment problems would require Nobel-level breakthroughs in three areas: electric batteries, solar power, and the development of new crops that can be turned into fuel.” Solar technology, he said, would have to get five times better than it is today. New types of plants need to be found by scientists that require little energy to grow but can be converted into clean and cheap alternatives to fossil fuels. Overall, a revolution in science and technology is needed, according to Dr. Chu, if the world is to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to climate change. Dr. Chu does not think such developments are impossible, saying that “I think science and technology can generate much better choices. It has, consistently, over hundreds and hundreds of years.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/politics/12chu.html

 

Battle Brewing in Europe over Nanotech Regulation Source:BioWorld Today Author:Peter O’Donnell

Concerns over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology are causing the European Parliament to consider tougher regulation for the nascent industry. The Parliament is in the process of drafting a report on the topic. According to the draft, which is currently before the Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety, “[T]he use of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies promises multiple benefits in innumerable applications for consumers, patients and the environment…nanomaterials on the other hand potentially present significant new risks…the current discussion about nanomaterials is characterized by many contradictions or even paradoxes, with disagreement and thus political struggles.” It goes on to say that most companies are strictly opposed to objective labeling requirements for products containing nano-engineered particles. Carl Schlyter, a member of the European Parliament who is heading up the discussion, said that the absence of data on the specific properties of nanomaterials, their uses, and risks and benefits, is considerable. He is also concerned about ethical considerations, saying that guidelines “…need to be developed in due time to ensure full respect for ethical values in possible future use of nanotechnology converging with biomedical applications.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.bioworld.com/servlet/com.accumedia.web.Dispatcher?next=bioWorldHeadlines_article&forceid=50024

 

Stimulus Debate Highlights Need for Focus on Nanotech Risks

Source:The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Author:n/a

The article argues that the recent bill passed by the United States House of Representatives, the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 554), is necessary to ensure that potential societal advancements created by the emerging nanotechnology field are not compromised by concerns over its possible risks. The bill, which is expected to be taken up by the Senate later this year, addresses the environmental, health, and safety issues associated with nanotechnology and focuses research efforts in areas of national importance such as electronics, energy, health care, and water. The article also says that the recently passed US$800 billion stimulus package contains many provisions to improve information technology, infrastructure, and the energy economy in the United States, areas that will be greatly aided by nanotechnology. According to David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), “Nanotechnology is going to be one of the most important drivers of innovation and economic growth in the 21st century. Passage of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009 in the House is a significant step in the right direction. The bill contains a number of measures that will increase transparency and help improve science-based government oversight of nanotechnology. It also will help to ensure that the potential risks posed by nanomaterials do not pose a threat to public safety or undermine investor confidence.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/7063/#

 

Nanotech Development in Cuba Strategic

Source:Prensa Latina
Author:n/a

The University of Havana, in Cuba, will create a School of Nanotechnology (NanoUH), according to a recent resolution. The rector of the University, Ruben Zardoya, says that the science of nanotechnology has a strategic importance for the development of Cuban science. The university is already carrying out multidisciplinary work in the area of nanotechnology, especially in areas of health, energy, and the environment. Cuba has published more than 200 works on nanotechnology with 87 coming from the Ministry of Higher Education and 70 belonging to the University of Havana. Dr. Ernesto Estevez, general coordinator of NanoUH, says that Cuba stands alone in the Third World in its capacity for generation of knowledge and was recognized by the Ibero-American Observatory of Science and Technology as 6th overall in the production of scientific articles. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.plenglish.com/Article.asp?ID={1E44DDB6-2868-409B-9C4D-1B56014950A3}&language=EN

 

4th Annual Greener Nanoscience Conference: Nanoscience for a Sustainable Future

Source:Greener Nano 2009
Author:n/a

The University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, will host the 4th Annual Greener Nanoscience Conference from March 2-3, 2009. The conference is sponsored by the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative (SNNI), an organization focused on developing new nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing approaches that offer a high level of performance, yet pose minimal harm to human health or the environment. According to the program, the event “…brings together academics, industrialists and policymakers to discuss approaches to developing economically viable, environmentally benign methods to advance nanotechnology.” Topics of discussion will include: greener design; greener production; nanoparticle characterization challenges at the bio/nano interface; and, biodistribution/tracking of nanoparticles in living systems. The program for the event can be found online at the link below.

http://oregonstate.edu/conferences/greenernano2009/

 

Iron-Containing Nanomaterials Can Damage Skin

Source:Environmental Health News
Author:Abby D. Benninghoff, Ph.D.

Researchers who tested iron-containing nanomaterials on engineered skin, human skin cells and mice skin, concluded that it resulted in inflammation and other cell damage. The results of the study were published in the December 2008 issue of the journal Toxicology. The study looked at the toxic effects of two formulations of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs): one partially purified batch with low iron content and another unpurified batch containing 30 percent iron. They found that both formulations caused free-radical formation and oxidative stress in human skin cells but the nanotubes with higher iron content were more toxic. According to the article, “…unpurified SWCNT, can cause dermal toxicity associated with free radical generation, oxidative stress and inflammation.” It goes on to say that nanoparticles may be a health risk for workers who use or make SWCNTs, as well as for consumers of the final products containing the nanoparticles. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/iron-nanotubes-damage-skin/

 

Improving Solar Cells – Certain Nanocrystals Shown to Generate More Than One Electron

Source:Nanowerk
Author:n/a

Research being conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico has shown that carrier multiplication – when a photon creates multiple electrons – is a real phenomenon in tiny semiconductor crystals, and not a false observation as has been contended recently. The Los Alamos findings indicate that solar cells may be able to create more than one unit of energy per photon. Conventional solar cells free one electron to generate an electrical current when the cell absorbs a photon of light. Excess energy is lost as heat. Carrier multiplication would allow this excess energy to be transferred to another electron instead of heat, freeing it to generate electrical current, thus making the solar cell more efficient. The researchers found that photoionization, or the ejection by a photon or one or more electrons, of nanocrystals could mimic carrier multiplication. Research results showed that the energy required to create an extra electron in nanocrystals was about half of those in bulk solids, showing significant promise for nanosized crystals to be efficient harvestors of solar radiation. Victor Klimov, team leader for the study, says “[R]esearchers still have a lot of work to do. One important challenge is to figure out how to design a material in which the energetic cost to create an extra electron can approach the limit defined by a semiconductor band gap. Such a material could raise the fundamental power conversion limit of a solar cell from 31 percent to above 40 percent.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=9227.php

 

Blood Test Protecting Consumers from New Products Containing Potentially Harmful Nanotubes

A new blood test will be able to check the toxicity of products containing carbon nanotubes before they hit the market. Researchers in West Virginia, United States, and Japan are working to develop a blood test based on a “cross-talk” mechanism they discovered while studying the effect of nanotubes on the lungs of lab mice. The scientists found that when nanotubes were deposited into the lungs of mice, the animal’s lungs alerted the rest of its body to the nanotubes’ presence by causing specific genes to kick into action and produce certain proteins. The resulting biochemical signature could be used as biomarkers of exposure to nanoparticles. According to the article, the researchers cite past studies, which indicate that nanotubes are toxic, as findings that emphasize the need to develop such tests, before more and more products with nanomaterials begin to appear on the shelves. Their report appeared in the January 14, 2009, issue of the American Chemical Society’s Nano Letters, a monthly journal. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=9733