Earl's Column: Monthly Musings

I write a monthly column featured on the Nanotech-Now Web site. You can read the articles through the links below.

For Rent: One Nano Research Lab… March 24, 2008

Say you’re an aspiring young nanotechnologist with an idea for a new product. What are the barriers to moving your project forward? One big barrier is the cost of the equipment to build and test your nano-based prototype. For example an ebeam lithography system has a price tag of a million dollars, not counting the cost of installation, a facility to put it in, and maintance. The reality is that not just every Tom, Dick, or Mary can set up a nano lab. What’s a researcher to do? Rent a lab.

Dressing Up: Thermoelectric Nanowires vs. Nano Solar Cells February 20, 2008

Thermoelectric devices can convert heat into electricity. Many temperature sensing devices take advantage of this effect by using electricity to measure temperature in devices called thermocouples. Various researchers are working to produce inexpensive and efficient thermoelectric materials that can change waste heat into electricity.

Recently there was an announcement that researchers at Berkeley had made silicon nanowires that convert heat into electricity using a thermoelectric effect. One possible use of these is to charge portable devices. The wires could be simply be embedded in fabric, so that your jacket could become a charging station, using your body heat to generate the electricity.

Can Nanotechnology Economically Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions? January 31, 2008

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a naturally occurring gas that the plants in your garden use to produce oxygen. We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. However, when excess carbon dioxide is produced, for example in power plant emissions, it can be a major factor in global warming.

Electric power plants fired by fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) produce about a third of the man-made carbon dioxide released into the air in the United States. Several methods exist or are under development to try to reduce the problem. The challenge seems to be developing a method that can be inexpensively and easily retrofitted into existing power plants.br />

Santa Goes Nano; December 1, 2007

With the holidays coming up I got to wondering how nanotechnology might help Jolly Old St. Nick with his annual gift-giving. I came up with several ideas to make Santa’s life easier.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has to retire sometime, so Santa will need some kind of light to guide him on his rounds. To keep a sleigh headlight going he can use an ultra-capacitor, a battery replacement being developed by MIT. Using carbon nanotubes, the capacitor can store ten times as much energy as current hybrid car batteries -- perhaps enough to light Santa’s way around the world. Such an ultra-capacitor would also be light weight, so it won’t overtax his reindeer (who, let’s face it, given Santa’s heft are carrying a pretty big load to begin with).

- Can nanotechnology make drought relief a reality?; October 22, 2007

The news is full of drought stories this autumn. States are fighting legal battles to claim federal water resources. Scientists are predicting that changes to our climate may leave much of the U.S. with multiyear drought for decades to come.

The drought plunging Georgia into a state of emergency this fall set me thinking. How ironic that even states that enjoy miles of coastline are rationing water, truly a case of “water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Could nanotechnology ease the threat of drought by helping to make our ocean water potable?

- Bright Ideas: Nanotechnology and Electronics; September 17, 2007

I recently read about researchers at the University of Michigan who have demonstrated that nanowires can be used as electrodes in organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, thereby enabling manufacture of larger flexible OLED displays. This started me thinking about how nanotechnology might affect the appearance and function of electronic devices. For example, could a laptop computer display unroll like a portable movie screen or could you detach it from the laptop and attach it to the back of an airline seat with Velcro®? I began to tally up the ways that nanotechnology might change laptops.

- Nanotechnology offers Alternatives to Fossil Fuels; August 7, 2007

With the uncertainty about supply of crude oil, as well as high prices, other sources of fuel are now a hot topic. An interesting option is ethanol, currently made from plants such as corn and sugar cane. Companies and universities are working to develop a process for producing ethanol from many other types of plant material; which may significantly increase the amount of ethanol available as fuel. Nanotechnology may be of help in this effort.

- Nanotechnology on the Road; June 6, 2007

The astronomical price of gas this summer inspired me to look at how nanotechnology might help reduce the cost of driving. I identified two rays of hope: better batteries for cars powered by electricity and hydrogen fuel cells.

- Nanotechnology in Space; April 29, 2007

Nanotechnology may hold the key to making spaceflight more practical. Advancements in materials to make lightweight solar sails and the cable for the space elevator could significantly cut the cost of reaching orbit and traveling in space, as well as dramatically reducing the amount of rocket fuel used. Also new materials, along with nanosensors and nanorobots could improve the performance of spaceships, spacesuits and equipment used to explore planets and moons, making a big difference on the ‘final frontier.’

- Nanotechnology in the Food Industry; March 21, 2007

Nanotechnology is having an impact on several aspects of the food industry, from how food is grown to how it is packaged. Companies are developing nanomaterials that will make a difference not only in the taste of food, but also in food safety, and the health benefits food delivers.

- Connecting with Nanotechnologists of the Future; Feb 12, 2007

While being interviewed by a high school class I discovered interesting perspectives on the future of nanotechnology, as well as a surprising lack of attention to the topic in our school textbooks.

- Nano Aids Delivery of Drugs in Patients; January 17, 2007

For diabetics who have to inject insulin several times a day, or cancer patients experiencing debilitating side effects from treatment, the benefits of improved drug delivery through the application of nanotechnology may be life changing. Drug delivery using nano techniques is helping researchers to target delivery of drugs to diseased cells to avoid side effects, provide drugs such as insulin in pill form, deliver drugs through skin lotions, and even help you avoid catching the common cold.