Global Nano Awards

  Biophotonics revolutionizes biology and medicine via light interactions with biological matter, enabling diverse diagnostics and therapies. Fifty or so years ago French physicist Pierre Aigrain coined the term photonics as a research field whose goal was to use light to perform functions that traditionally fell within the typical domain of electronics, such as telecommunications, and information processing. Or maybe it was John Campbell who, in a letter sent to Gotthard Gunther in 1954, wrote, “Incidentally, I’ve decided to invent a new science — photonics. It bears the same relationship to Optics that electronics does to electrical engineering. Photonics, like electronics, will deal with the individual units; optics and EE deal with the group phenomena! And note that you can do things with electronics that are impossible in electrical engineering!” Naming rights aside, the field of photonics began in earnest between 1958 and 1960 with the invention of the maser and the laser. Th...

  The high-tech double-barrel nanopipette, developed by University of Leeds scientists, and applied to the global medical challenge of cancer, has - for the first time - enabled researchers to see how individual living cancer cells react to treatment and change over time – providing vital understanding that could help doctors develop more effective cancer medication. The tool has two nanoscopic needles, meaning it can simultaneously inject and extract a sample from the same cell, expanding its potential uses. And the platform’s high level of semi-automation has sped up the process dramatically, enabling scientists to extract data from many more individual cells, with far greater accuracy and efficiency than previously possible, the study shows. Currently, techniques for studying single cells usually destroy them, meaning a cell can be studied either before treatment, or after. This device can take a “biopsy” of a living cell repeatedly during exposure to cancer treatment, samplin...

  Functionalized chitosan nanocomposites have garnered significant attention within the realm of wound dressing applications due to their remarkable antibacterial and antifungal properties. The inherent qualities of polysaccharides, including potent antibacterial attributes and controlled drug release capabilities, make them a promising avenue for facilitating wound healing processes. Motivated by the need to deliver against the UNSDGs, the adoption of eco-friendly principles in the creation of green materials for wound healing is crucial. Nonetheless, accomplishing this goal necessitates a transformative, step-change approach. To this end, Verma and his team have conducted a comprehensive survey of diverse methodologies for functionalizing chitosan. These methods encompass a spectrum of techniques, such as incorporating photosensitizers, utilizing dendrimers, graft copolymerization, quaternization, acylation, carboxyalkylation, phosphorylation, sulfation, and thiolation. Moreover,...

  Historical Applications of Nanoparticles NPs are materials with nanoscale dimensions ranging between 1 and 100 nm. 1  They are classified based on shape, size, and other properties. NPs can be metallic, non-metallic, polymeric, and ceramic. Their high surface-to-volume ratio and small size contribute to their unique properties. The use of NPs has been traced back to the fourth century AD. In 1990, the Lycurgus cup from the British Museum collection was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This cup is regarded as the oldest and most popular renowned example of dichroic glass, where the display of two colors was caused by nanoparticles measuring 50–100 nm in diameter. X-Ray analysis revealed the glass was crafted using silver and gold in a 7:3 ratio, along with 10 % copper. 2 During the late medieval period, church windows displayed luminous red and yellow colors due to the incorporation of gold and silver NPs into the glass. The glittering and glazes found i...

  Magnetic Nanoparticles: An Introduction In the early 1990s, significant advancements in materials science and nanotechnology allowed scientists to synthesize and characterize nanoparticles with unprecedented precision. Magnetic nanoparticles, specifically, gained importance due to their unique properties and potential applications. Magnetic nanoparticles, generally made from magnetic elements or compounds such as iron, cobalt, nickel, or their alloys, exhibited exceptional magnetism at the nanoscale. Magnetic nanoparticles could be controlled by applying external magnetic fields and exhibited superparamagnetism. 2 Physical Properties of Magnetic Nanoparticles  Magnetic nanoparticles exhibit a range of physical properties due to their small size and unique structure. Understanding and harnessing the physical properties of magnetic nanoparticles is essential for utilizing them in diverse fields, including medicine, electronics, environmental remediation, and energy. By manipul...

  The controlled synthesis of CNs is the primary step to exploiting its size-specific properties; the hot injection (HI) method is one of the most common methods. CNs are synthesized by degassing, injection, and quenching. During the synthesis, ligands play a crucial role as their nonpolar property allow colloidal stability, control the addition and removal of atoms, and permit fine crystal growth. Different from single-component nanocrystals, heterostructures nanocrystals are synthesized for their carrier behaviors and optical and electrical properties . Zinc blended CdSe nanoplatelets and anisotropic quantum rods synthesized from molecular beam epitaxy and HI are examples of shape-controlled CNs. Understanding CNs' electronic properties can help to design sophisticated devices. CNs are examined using X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, which is also used to identify CNs’ types and modify their energy spectrum.  Field-effect transistor (FET) configurations examine the propertie...

  Nanotechnology is already widely used to enhance the functionality of numerous consumer products. While many people are unaware of it, they are likely using multiple consumer products that incorporate nanotechnology, or have been created with the help of nanotechnology in their daily lives. Sunglasses Produced Using Nanotechnology Sunglasses using protective and antireflective ultrathin polymer coatings have been on the market for several years. Nanotechnology also offers scratch-resistant coatings based on nanocomposites. These coatings are transparent (therefore, optical performance is not influenced), ultra-thin, ideal for everyday use, and need simple care. Furthermore, the price is economical for the durability offered. In recent years, advancements in nanotechnology have led to further innovations in consumer products in the field of eyewear. Recently, researchers developed a transparent coating with the help of nanotechnology to prevent fogging on lenses. The technology ca...

  The past 70 years have seen the way we live and work transformed by two tiny inventions. The electronic transistor and the microchip are what make all modern electronics possible, and since their development in the 1940s they've been getting smaller. Today, one chip can contain as many as 5 billion transistors. If cars had followed the same development pathway, we would now be able to drive them at 300,000mph and they would cost just £3 each. But to keep this progress going we need to be able to create circuits on the extremely small, nanometre scale. A nanometre (nm) is one billionth of a metre and so this kind of engineering involves manipulating individual atoms. We can do this, for example, by firing a beam of electrons at a material, or by vaporising it and depositing the resulting gaseous atoms layer by layer onto a base. The real challenge is using such techniques reliably to manufacture working nanoscale devices. The physical properties of matter, such as its melting poin...

  To protect the environment, industry is currently focusing on implementing methods that can detect pollutants (from chemical spills, fertilizer and pesticide run-off), improve industrial and mining sites, treat contaminants and protect public health. Nanomaterials present an opportunity to enhance these efforts. In recent years, scientists have developed nanomaterials in applications that can assist with waste management, cleaning the environment and providing efficient, clean energy solutions, such as nanomaterial-based solar cells. In addition, nanomaterials are being increasingly leveraged in consumer products to improve their quality and performance. As a result, we are being exposed to nanomaterials more frequently. Therefore, it is important to consider the impact of this exposure. While nanomaterials have been proven to be useful in many applications that help address environmental pollution, other evidence suggests that there may be negative impacts, such as health proble...