a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
Remember all those great Black Friday deals on QLED televisions? You may not realize it, but they were all about nanotechnology! The Q in QLED stands for quantum dots, which are not only being used to enhance the displays of TVs, but also are used in solar cells, medical imaging, and sensing.1-3 However, the disposal …
Continue reading "Quantum Dots and Lipid Rafts: Analytical Chemistry Solves a Nanoscale Mystery"
This post was co-authored by Arielle Mensch & Yi Cui We recently received a very intriguing question from a 12-year old reader, Olivia, who asked, “How do scientists figure out the texture of cells?” This is a great question, and like most great questions, the answer is a bit complicated! Scientists have a variety of …
Continue reading "How do scientists determine the texture of cells?"
Have bacteria ever made you sick? If you answer no I’m not going to believe you. When most of us think about bacteria, we’re reminded of how miserable we were the last time we had strep throat or another bacterial illness. Of course there are many other things that can make people sick, but in …
There is an ovarian cancer drug called DOXIL that is delivered to cells in a nanoparticle made of molecules of fat. But, how does the nanoparticle enter the cell? According to a recent study that uses computers to model this process, there are mainly 3 ways in which scientists think a nanoparticle can enter the …
Continue reading "How do Nanoparticles Enter Cells?"
If you are exposed to nanoparticles, you might think they would move around inside your body unchanged. However, it would be more accurate to think of them as tiny chameleons, constantly changing their properties as they move from one biological environment to another. Nanoparticles’ large surface area-to-mass ratio, which causes them to be highly reactive, …
Continue reading "Spying on chameleon nanoparticles inside living cells"
Take a look at your wrist. Have you ever wonder what makes your watch tick with such precision? What if I told you the same technology that causes your watch to work is also key to one of the most sensitive balances on the planet? Sounds crazy right?! Well, I promise it’s not crazy! The …
Continue reading "One of the Most Sensitive Balances on the Planet – Quartz Crystal Microbalance"
This post is written by Anna Bisaro and originally appeared on Medill Reports, a project of Northwestern University graduate journalism students. Sustainability. The magic word that rings with the promises of a better world and cost savings. People want to create clean energy, recycle wastes and eat locally-grown food, all in the quest for sustainability. …
Continue reading "Scientists work to prevent a nano-crisis"
The idea that an image is worth a thousand words applies just as much in science as it does in other contexts. Using images, scientists can convey complex information more quickly and often more clearly than is possible using words—which do you prefer: words (left) or a picture (right)? Today I want to talk about …
Continue reading "Zooming in on the Nano World: Limitations and Breakthroughs in Light Microscopy"
Some cells in our body have elongated structures or microvilli at their surface. These microvilli have many functions that help the cell to survive, and some features that make them act like train tracks that shuttle substances along them. We recently captured a movie of nanoparticles hitching a ride on these cellular train tracks. Nanoparticles …
Continue reading "Surfing Particles: taking a ride using living cell machinery"
Sustainable Nano 