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.
Nanomaterials for Solar Cells Expect to Grow Another 44% in 2009
A Pennsylvania-based marketing firm, The Information Network, recently published a report projecting that the nanomaterials for solar cells industry is expected to grow by 44 percent in 2009, after a growth rate of 47 percent in 2008. The report, “Nanomaterials for Solar Cells, Displays, Sensors, Lighting, and RFID Marketing Analysis and Driving Forces,” says that Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells pushed the market as manufacturers developed unique deposition methods and substrates using nanomaterials. According to Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network, “[C]ompeting with GICS are traditional crystalline and polycrystalline cells made with silicon wafers. On the horizon is a new nanomaterial that promises to cut solar cell prices.” Dr. Castellano describes a steel based on nanotechnology that would allow solar wafer manufacturers to reduce the amount of waste, or kerf, when slicing silicon wafers. This development could save the industry US$866 million, and drive down the price of solar cells. The article can be viewed online at the link below
Green Dream: A World in a Grain of Sand
A new product is being touted by its developers as a step forward in the fight against desertification and as a way for farmers and residents to maintain moist soils and encourage plant growth in unforgiving arid desert conditions. The product, DIME sand, is waterproof or hydrophobic sand, developed by coating each grain of the sand in a proprietary nanotechnology coating. The developers say that by laying down a 10 centimeter layer of DIME sand beneath typical desert topsoils, the hydrophobic sand stops water below the root level of plants and maintains a water table, giving vegetation a constant water supply. Traditional watering can be reduced from five to six times a day to one watering. In addition, the sand allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil but prevents underground desert salinity from passing into the plant roots. The Federal Environment Agency in Germany declared the product ecologically-safe after six months of testing. Additional trials have been ongoing at the United Arab Emirates University since December of 2007. Professor Mohammed Abdel Muhsen Salem said that date palms and foreign grasses have been planted using the sand and “we can see a 25 per cent increase in the roots with hydrophobic sand compared to when just the sweet soil is used. I’m sure it will save up to 35 per cent more water. But we’re still testing it.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.
What’s the world’s cheapest car?
The Nano One of the biggest trends in the auto industry is miniaturization. In order to minimize exterior space while keeping a car’s interior roomy and comfortable for passengers and storage, carmakers are looking for innovative ways to combine electronics and free up as much space as possible. With a team of 500 engineers and designers and 34 new patents for the Nano, Tata Motors had this exact trend in mind — the car is only about 10 feet (3.1 meters) long and 5 feet (1.6 meters) tall, but it still has four doors and can fit up to five people inside. Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images Although the Nano is only 8.5 feet long and 5 feet tall, the car can still fit five passengers. Tata took several steps to keep the car both affordable and reliable. Light yet strong steel is used for the car’s body, and the tires are pushed to the far corners of the frame, creating the maximum amount of space on the inside. Super strong glue keeps the car together instead of traditional welding techniques, and small touches cut down on costs and weight — the Nano has one windshield wiper instead of two, and the automakers hollowed out most of the steel from the steering column. Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images Ratan Tata poses in front of the Nano during its launch in New Delhi, India. The engineers also took the working parts of the Nano into consideration when thinking about space. The 30-horsepower engine, gears and four-speed manual transmission are found in the back of the car, not the front, very much like that of the original Volkswagen Beetle — this gives the Nano its boxier look. At 623-cc (cubic centimeters), the gasoline engine is smaller than typical car engine sizes, but still very efficient, reaching speeds up to 60 miles per hour. The company says the Nano should get up to 50 miles per gallon, excellent performance compared to most other cars. The United States, for instance, hopes to increase the industry average to only 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which makes the Nano look far ahead of its time. The $2,500 price tag will only get you the most basic model of the Nano — one with no air conditioning, for example. But the more expensive versions would only go up to about $4,000, which is still less expensive than the Suzuki Maruti 800, now the world’s second-least expensive car. With all the cost-cutting, Tata Motors might not even make a profit with the Nano. Materials such as steel and rubber have risen in the past few years, but Ratan Tata is keeping his promise of the availability of a $2,500 car. Instead, future models and innovation hope to bring capital to the company — its engineers hope to introduce new diesel version of the Nano by next year. For lots more information on cars and new trends in the auto industry, read the next page.
NYC 