Nano Now Issue 4

							ISSUE FOUR DECEMBER 2007

THE MAGAZINE FOR SMALL SCIENCE

CARS OF THE FUTURE
Smarter, stronger, smoother - greener
Cruise Control
Intelligent cars sense their surroundings

The Netherlands Nano Pioneer
David Reinhoudt provides some inspiration

NanoCar
Tiny motor vehicles for nanoscale construction

Thin Skins
Green coatings for tougher vehicles

What’s New in Nano
Keep up with the latest news

Nano Risks
Getting a perspective

Nano in NASA
The future of space exploration

PLUS: THE NETHERLANDS A WORLD LEADER IN SMALL SCIENCE

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In the next issue: Nanotechnology in cancer treatment and prevention. Dr ug deliver y. Novel implant technologies. What’s new in Nano? Australian nano impact. Redefining health… and lots more.
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Issue 4 December 2007
Editor: Elaine Mulcahy Elaine Mulcahy elaine.mulcahy@ nanomagazine.co.uk +44 (0)1786 447520 IoN Publishing Ltd Advertising: Tania Saxl sales@nanomagazine.co.uk Subscriptions Gemma McCulloch subs@nanomagazine.co.uk +44 (0)1786 447520 Design: studio@nanomagazine.co.uk Contributors Jim Tour Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. Sally Ramsey, Ecology Coatings. DaimlerChrysler AG, Communications. Ellen Lee, Deborah Mielewski and Angela Harris, Ford Research. Ottilia Saxl, Institute of Nanotechnology. Kees Eijkel, Kennispark Twente. Paul Borm, Hogeschool Zuyd, Heerlen. Richard Moore, Institute of Nanotechnology Antonietta Gatti University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Clemens Betzel, G24 Innovations. Dr. Stefano Raimondi, Nanoart ©2007 IoN Publishing Ltd 6 The Alpha Centre Stirling University Innovation Park Stirling FK9 4NF Scotland

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COUNTRY PROFILE
Nano in the Netherlands ....................028 The NanoNed network is establishing the Netherlands as a world leader in

FEATURES
NANO in NASA.....................................010 Tiny technology could mean big things for future space exploration Cruise Control .....................................016 Making sense of sensors in intelligent vehicles of the future NanoCar ................................................019 Tiny motor vehicles in nanoscale construction Thin Skins .............................................022 A novel green coating technology for tougher automotives Weight-saving Nanotech ....................024 New plastics for the vehicles of tomorrow PCN Performance ...............................026 Novel techniques for enhancing polymer clay nanocomposites Gulf War Syndrome .............................043 Could nanopathology unravel some of the causes? Talking About Nanogeneration.........044 A new and exciting form of ‘green energy’ generation explained

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small science

COMMENT
A classical dilemma for Nanotechnologies ...............................038 Paul Borm asks if the risks involved

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in nanoparticle application need to be addressed

INTERVIEW
Professor David Reinhoudt................031

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REGULARS
Editorial.................................................004 Events ....................................................006 What’s new in nano .............................008 Medical nanotechnology: Nano-

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medicine and governance .................040 Nanoart..................................................046

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Nanotechnology and Transportation
In this issue of NANO, we explore how nanotechnology can make a major impact on the automotive industry (one of the major users of fossil fuels) that will enable cars to be more energy efficient and safer to drive
communication systems and a drive towards increased use of public transport may help to reduce usage to some degree, these measures cannot replace the need for transporting goods or people on a global, or even national scales. A slow down in transportation is therefore unlikely and projections estimate ongoing growth in use globally by about 2 per cent a year over the coming decades. Car manufacturers are one of the main beneficiaries of this ongoing growth in transport use and a responsibility, if not an obligation, lies with them to seek ways to improve the efficiency of their vehicles and aim for a situation where increased car use does not necessarily imply increased emissions. Nanotechnology could be the breakthrough the automotives industry needs. Advances in nanotechnology research and development are providing car manufacturers with new techniques and materials for building lighter, more fuel efficient cars with more in-built, low cost, robust sensors so they are even safer to drive that are safer with the added bonus of more attractive and safer components for the industry. Indeed, the global market for nanotechnology in the automotives industry is currently around $1.11 billion and expected to rise to $6.46 billion by 2015, when 70 per cent of all automotive applications are predicted to use nanotechnology. In this issue, we explore some of the technologies being developed to enhance vehicle efficiency and safety. Weight saving One of the primary concerns of car manufacturers is reducing the weight of their vehicles, which in turn results in better

Ottilia Saxl, CEO, Institute of Nanotechnology

Transportation generates a massive amount of pollution across the globe, and accounts for 26 per cent of total world use of fossil fuels. In Europe, road travel is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions; passenger cars alone are responsible for releasing 12 per cent of the EU’s total CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. And there is no sign of it slowing down. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that the continuing robust global growth in transportation will see an increase in energy use and carbon emissions in the sector by a massive 80 per cent over 2002 levels by 2030. The planet is feeling the effects of the consistent stream of carbon emissions filling its atmosphere and we are beginning to see the consequences. A recent study by Corinne Le Quéré at the University of East Anglia, showed that the ocean in the Southern Hemisphere, normally absorbing 15% of the CO2 that is produced, is effectively saturated, adding to the rise in total CO2 in the atmosphere. In recent years the academic community has urged governments to put a halt to, or at least slow down, the rate at which we are flooding the environment with these harmful emissions. Governments have taken notice and targets have been put in place to reduce emissions over the coming decades. But how we go about achieving this is a demanding challenge for society. Transportation in the global economy The role of transportation in the global economy is great and although advanced

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fuel economy, reduced emissions and improved vehicle performance. Researchers from Ford and Daimler Chrysler provide an insight into the techniques they are developing to create lighter vehicles. Paints and coatings currently account for about 43 per cent of the entire nanotechnology market in the automotive industry. This was one of the first areas where nanotechnology was used in cars and other vehicles and its potential for scratch-free, self-cleaning surfaces that can save on both monetary and environmental costs is now being realised. We feature one such technology, Ecology Coatings, which was developed with the environment in mind. Intelligent vehicles As well as making vehicles more environmentally sound, new technologies are leading to safer, more reliable and more comfortable cars. New sensing devices and communication systems are being developed with seemingly endless possibilities. We provide some insight into progress in the field. The automotives industry is just one facet of transport. Air and space travel are also massive polluters. We spoke to NASA to gain an overview of how nanotechnology will lead to more fuel efficient shuttles and enhance the safety of space flights. Bottom-up construction In other areas, nanotechnology is turning science on its head – literally. While conventional manufacturing follows a top-down approach, advances in nanotechnology have enabled scientists to manipulate atoms and molecules on a nanoscale, and build machines from the bottom up. There is perhaps no better example of this than the NanoCar designed by researchers at Rice University. This single molecule car is being developed in the hope that one day it will enable transport of materials and goods on the nano-scale for bottom-up construction. Nano risks As with all new technologies and unknown entities, it is wise to be cautious and we welcome the views of two leading voices in the field. Paul Borm who heads the Centre of Expertise in Life Sciences in the Netherlands highlights the risks of ploughing full speed ahead without stopping to assess the risks, while Richard Moore of the Institute of Nanotechnology explains what governance means in terms of medical nanotechnology. Nano in the Netherlands Finally, but by no means last, we look to the Netherlands for inspiration. The Dutch have

made a major contribution to global nanotechnology over the past number of years and are well regarded as a leader in turning world class nano-research into innovation today. We explore the international success behind the NanoNed network.

Our Netherlands focus includes an interview with Professor David Reinhoudt, one of the driving forces behind nano in the Netherlands. He provides a unique insight into what inspires him, and his visions for the future of nanotechnology.

THE PLANET IS FEELING THE EFFECTS OF THE CONSISTENT STREAM OF CARBON EMISSIONS FILLING ITS ATMOSPHERE AND WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES. A RECENT STUDY BY CORINNE LE QUÉRÉ AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA, SHOWED THAT THE OCEAN IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, NORMALLY ABSORBING 15% OF THE CO2 THAT IS PRODUCED, IS EFFECTIVELY SATURATED, ADDING TO THE RISE IN TOTAL CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE.
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Events Calendar
EVERY MONTH WE HIGHLIGHT THE KEY CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS WHERE INDUSTRY EXPERTS, ACADEMICS AND POLICY MAKERS CONVENE
January 06 – 08 2nd International Meeting on Developments in Materials, Processes & Applications of Nanotechnology, UK MPA-2008 will provide a binding platform for academics and industrialists to network together, exchange ideas, provide new information and give new insights into overcoming the current challenges facing the academics and the industrialists relating to nanomaterials and the exploitation of their application areas. www.mpa-2008.org January 17 Nanotechnology for Security and Crime Prevention III, UK Building on the success of the previous conference this one day event will examine a wide spectrum of new scientific developments taking place in the fight against crime. The latest discoveries and advances will be discussed, from the latest research in nanotechnology and forensics to explosives detection that will revolutionise our security sector. www.ion.org.uk/events/ionevents.htm January 28 - 31 Biodevices, Portugal The purpose of the International Conference on Biomedical Electronics and Devices is to bring together researchers and practitioners from electronics and mechanical engineering, interested in studying and using models, equipments and materials inspired from biological systems and/or addressing biological requirements. Monitoring devices, instrumentation sensors and systems, biorobotics, micro-nanotechnologies and biomaterials are some of the technologies addressed at this conference. www.biodevices.org February 3 - 7 2008 Villa Conference on Interaction Among Nanostructures, USA VC-IAN aims to promote discussion and information exchange about the frontiers of research in the area of modern nanostructure development. It will provide an interdisciplinary forum for the open communication in understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological interactions among nanoscale components of any compositions and morphologies, including carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanowires, and quantum dots. www.ibiblio.org/oahost/ian March 10 - 14 Porous SemiconductorsScience and Technology, Spain The Conference will critically analyze the state-of-the-art in the field of porous semiconductors during the two years that have passed since the PSST-2006 event. The emphasis will be kept on February 5 - 7 International Conference on Nanomaterial Toxicology, India ICONTOX covers the advances and future perspectives in safety and toxicity of nanomaterials. The conference will be an ideal platform for researchers and industry alike to interact with eminent scientists in the area of nanotechnology for open exchange of ideas and presentation of exciting scientific results. www.itrcindia.org/icontox2008.html February 25 - 29 ICONN 2008, Australia The aim of the 2008 International Conference On Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is to bring together the Australian and International community working in the field of nanoscale science and technology to discuss new and exciting advances in the field. ICONN 2008 will cover nanostructure growth, synthesis, fabrication, characterization, device design, modeling, fabrication, testing and applications. www.ausnano.net/iconn2008 February 5 - 6 Nano Applications and Advanced Materials Forum This forum brings together the leaders who are building, leveraging, and financing the global economy’s nanotech-enabled applications and advanced materials. www.ibfconferences.com

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March 2 - 7 NanoECO, Switzerland Nanoparticles in the Environment- Implications and Applications aims to gather researchers to present, discuss and review the data existing on applications and behaviour of nanoparticles in the environment. In addition it is the aim to use these data for a foresight approach on future nanoscale materials, uses and impacts. The format of the conference will be that rather few oral presentations of experts in the field are balanced by extended poster sessions. www.empa.ch/nanoECO

breakthroughs in understanding the mechanism of growth and physical properties of porous semiconductors; critical issues in their properties and emerging applications. www.mtm.upv.es/psst2008 March 11 - 12 NanoFair 2008, Germany Under the title “New Ideas for Industry” Nanofair will present, for the sixth successive year, a platform of the exchange of ideas and the generation of initiatives between research and industry. The scope of the conference will be nanotechnology in the fields of materials, electronics, life sciences, optics and surfaces. An educated consideration of possible risks will be

undertaken alongside a forward look towards new technologies and applications. www.nanofair.com March 19 3rd International Conference on Nanotechnology and Smart Textiles, UK The aim of the conference is to provide an international platform where a diverse community of professionals from industry, academia and fashion can come together to share information, research findings and practical experiences. It will provide introductory and in-depth information on technology in a large spectrum of already realized or just being developed textile applications, and showcase current products. www.nano.org.uk/events/ionevents.htm

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New tech lights up drug delivery
Scientists at Harvard Medical School have developed new drug delivery vehicles that light up once they have delivered the drug to tumour cells. The technique could provide doctors with a novel mechanism to see which cells have successfully received medication. The research, led by Omid Farokhzad, involves the use of quantum dots which have extremely bright fluorescence which is switched on when they enter target cells and deliver the drug. Molecules called aptamers sit on the surface of the quantum dots. The aptamers have two functions – one to recognise the cancer cells and the other to carry anti-cancer drugs towards it. The drug used by the researchers was doxorubicin (dox), which is normally fluorescent. It also absorbs the light from the naturally fluorescent quantum dot. However, the aptamer places a shadow over the drug and once bound together, the fluorescence is switched off. Only when drug is released into the cancer cell and separated from the aptamer can it start to glow again. The technology is a long way from being used to treat cancers in humans but the research shows great potential and is an exciting step towards smarter drug delivery.

Body armour power
New research by the US Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center is providing a glimpse into what soldier’s uniforms of the future might look like. A new machine capable of making nanostructured fibres is the centrepiece of a program to make multifunctional uniforms, scheduled to start next year at the research facility. Assembling fibres that act as rechargeable batteries are one example of the machine’s applications. Such fibres could be woven into military uniforms to power the array of electronic devices, such as night-vision goggles and laser range finders, that modern soldiers are increasingly dependent on. Batteries incorporated into body armour would provide a major convenience and improved safety for soldiers, as well as significantly reducing the massive bulk of batteries that platoons need to carry with them.

Image: courtesy of Forschungszentrum Jülich

Image: courtesy of CNRS Photolibrary - C. Lebedinsky

Nobel Prize for nano-pioneers
Albert Fert (left) and Peter Grunberg (right) have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2007 for their discoveries of giant magnetoresistance, or GMR, considered to be one of the first real applications of nanotechnology. The GMR effect, which makes it possible to read densely packed data on the surface of a magnetic disk, was independently discovered by the two researchers in 1988 and has enabled the radical miniaturisation of hard disks in laptop computers and music players. The first commercial application of GMR appeared in 1997 and soon became standard technology. Albert Fert is Professor of Physics at Université Paris-Sud in France. Although officially retired, Professor Peter Grunberg continues to work at Forschungszentrum Julich in Germany.

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Mechanical engineering doctoral student Baratunde A Cola (Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue), from left, looks through a view port in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition instrument while postdoctoral research fellow Placidus Amama adjusts settings. The two engineers recently have shown how to grow forests of carbon nanotubes onto the surfaces of computer chips to enhance the flow of heat at a critical point where the chips connect to cooling devices called heat sinks. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

Nano forests grown on chips
Forest-like growths of carbon nanotubes on the surface of computer chips could provide a novel method for preventing microprocessors from overheating. As computers get faster, future chips will generate more heat than current microprocessors. Typically cooling devices called heat sinks are attached to chips via thermal interface materials. The thermal interface materials, which are essentially sandwiched between the silicon chips and heat sinks, fill gaps and irregularities between the chip and metal surface to enhance heat flow between the two. The novel ‘nanotube forest’, which was demonstrated by researchers at the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Purdue’s Discovery Park, has proven to outperform conventional thermal interfaces with the added benefit of not requiring elaborate clean-room environments. The researchers say the nanotube interface conforms to a heat sink's uneven surface, conducting heat with less resistance than comparable interface materials currently in use by industry. The research was published in the journal Nanotechnology.

Researchers at Radboud University Nijmegan in The Netherlands and Nihon University in Japan have devised a new way to write information using light. The technique is much faster than conventional methods and offers exciting new possibilities for high-speed magnetic data storage.

Ultrafast data storage

The research team used 40 femtosecond pulses of light in place of magnetic fields to alter the properties of a magnetic memory device. Magnetic memory devices such as hard disks store information by locally altering the magnetic properties – ‘0’s are represented by magnetization pointing downwards, while ‘1’s are represented by magnetization pointing upwards. The new findings reveal that by changing the polarization of laser light the researchers could control the direction of magnetization, presenting a much quicker way of writing data than conventional methods that depend on magnetic fields.
Demonstration of compact all-optical recording of magnetic bits by femtosecond laser pulses. This was achieved by scanning a circularly polarized laser beam across the sample and simultaneously modulating the polarization of the beam between left and right circular. White and black areas correspond to ‘up’ and ‘down’ magnetic domains, respectively.

Correction
In the article ‘Small additions for big savings’ in Issue 3 (page 32-33), some images were labelled incorrectly. The correctly labelled image right illustrates the successful use of a sol-gel biocoat to prevent the colonisation of bacteria present within an estuarine environment. We apologise for any confusion this may have caused. Sol gel coated Al alloy samples after 6 months immersion in the river Thames. A Bare, uncoated, B sol gel ‘biocoat’, C sol gel coating without bacteria

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Shuttle strength: Nanotubes could reinforce spacecraft coatings. Astronaut Piers J. Sellers, STS-121 mission specialist, participates in the mission's third and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA). The demonstration of orbiter heat shield repair techniques was the objective of the 7-hour, 11-minute excursion outside Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station.

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NANO
in NASA
TINY TECHNOLOGY COULD MEAN BIG THINGS FOR FUTURE SPACE EXPLORATION

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anotechnology represents an invisible world of nearly limitless potential. And, with the help of some serious microscopes, researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas are learning how to create and harness materials on this tiny scale, and then use them to further the vision for space exploration. Or as Applied Nanotechnology Team Leader Leonard Yowell puts it, the experts “grow, manipulate and test nanomaterials in order to solve NASA’s toughest technical problems.” Either way, JSC is using some really small technology to solve some really big challenges. From spacecraft coatings to life support systems, Kendra Phipps explores some possibilities for nano in space.  

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‘Kind of Star Trek-y’ “It’s a very tall order and it’s kind of Star Trek-y in a way,” said Neal Pellis, associate director of Science Management for the Space Life Sciences Directorate at NASA. Johnson Space Center’s nanotechnology work is a joint effort involving the Engineering and Space Life Sciences directorates, other NASA centres and academic partners. The science fiction appeal of nanotechnology comes not only from the tiny size of those materials involved, but also from the extraordinary properties. Take carbon nanotubes, for example. “There are several nanomaterials we are studying, but this particular form of carbon is extremely promising,” says Sivaram Arepalli, the team’s chief scientist. Carbon nanotubes are 100 times stronger than steel at only one-sixth the weight. They conduct heat better than almost any other known material, and are excellent electrical conductors as well. “This makes nanotubes a very promising building block for a new generation of nanoelectronic chips, as well as power cables,” says senior scientist Pasha Nikolaev, a former graduate student of Nobel Prizewinning chemist Richard E Smalley. Carbon nanotubes and other nanomaterials could be used in dozens, if not hundreds, of different ways in human spaceflight. They could reduce a spacecraft’s mass and volume while increasing its strength. They could aid in protecting astronauts from radiation. They could dramatically miniaturize machinery in lunar outposts. With so many possibilities, where should NASA start? “We’re taking technology that’s fairly new and advanced, and we want to focus on the toughest problems first,” said Padraig Moloney, the team’s applications lead. “For human spaceflight, that includes advanced life support.” Nanotechnology could play a role in crucial life-support activities such as carbon dioxide removal and water purification. NASA already has carbon dioxide “scrubbers” on the shuttle and space station, but Moloney said that the devices will need to be “kicked up a notch” for longduration missions outside of low-Earth orbit. Carbon nanotubes, after being chemically integrated into the devices, could boost the performance of the devices, reduce their mass and possibly make them reusable. The agency will also need renewable, chemical-free ways to purify water to replace the current system, which uses toxic iodine. Carbon nanomaterials called fullerenes, discovered by Smalley, have been found to enhance the disinfection effects of ultraviolet light. This discovery could lead to safer water disinfection methods in space, and also to portable purification systems on Earth. Keeping humans safe in space also means perfecting thermal protection systems (TPSs), the exterior spacecraft coatings that keep out heat. The shuttle’s TPS, Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC), can currently be repaired during a flight using a customdesigned paste-like substance. The paste is applied by an astronaut and hardens, or cures, during reentry. But the material could soon get a nanotechnology upgrade: scientists have found that after adding small amounts of nanotubes to the paste, it can be hardened with a handheld microwave device. This way, the crew and ground support teams can be assured that the material is set – and safe – long before reentry. “Right now, they’re trying to cook it in orbit but (are) not getting it to the level they would like,” says Moloney about the ongoing RCC repair research. “So we’re trying to get a more reliable cure.” JSC teams are also collaborating with Ames Research Center, the agency’s lead TPS development facility, to improve the firstgeneration TPS material for the new Crew Exploration Vehicle. The material is called PICA (phenolic impregnated carbon ablator), and JSC is supplying Ames with functionalized carbon nanotubes that are “customized for the application,”says Mike Waid, an engineer on the team. “We’re toughening PICA,” he says. “It’s amazing how a small amount of tiny nanotubes can have such a big impact on performance.” Tiny health helpers Of course, even with clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and a solid heat shield around them, people can still run into health problems. Nanotechnology is poised to help with medical technology as well. Pellis and his team are looking for ways to use nanotechnology to monitor astronauts’ health and to intervene when necessary.
A silicone-based adhesive is mixed with carbon nanotubes. Adding nanotubes to currently used repair and adhesive materials allows for rapid curing by hand-held microwave devices. Images courtesy of Johnson Space Center

“We look for ways in which we can noninvasively assess aspects of an individual’s health state,” he said. Those methods could include minimally invasive nano-sized implants, which would monitor vital signs and relay the information to Earth in real time. “We also look at nanotech approaches for targeted delivery (of medicine): kind of the ‘magic bullet’ concept,” says Pellis. He says that one of these approaches, the nanoshell, is being examined in the private sector as a possible cancer treatment. Nanoshells contain medicine as well as certain molecules that interact with components of tumours. “Blood vessels in tumours have holes in them called fenestrations, which is just a root word for window,” explains Pellis. Get something small enough to fit through that window, he says, and you can put the medicine right where you want it—inside the tumour itself, rather than coursing through the patient’s entire bloodstream. Pellis predicts big things for this nanotechnology, both on and off the planet. “There’s a very significant future for nano approaches. We’re only at the very, very thin part of the opening of the shell,” he says. “I’m very convinced that if we can continue to support it, we’ll continue to make a difference—from our own transportation to the materials our homes are made of. It’s very far-reaching when you think of it.”

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SENSORS ARE TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE DRIVE AND WHAT WE HAVE COME TO EXPECT FROM A CAR. AND, AS AUTOMOTIVE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY BECOMES MORE SOPHISTICATED, A NEW GENERATION OF INTELLIGENT VEHICLES THAT WILL MAKE DRIVING EFFORTLESS IS SET TO EMERGE.

Need to park in a tight spot? Sit back, relax, put the radio on and let the car park itself. Such self-parking cars could one day be a reality thanks to advanced sensor technologies. Ultrasonic sensors mounted on the side of the vehicle will measure the length and depth of the parking space and calculate the manoeuvres needed to safely steer the vehicle into the space. Parking assistance systems like this are, in fact, already close to reality - the information gathered by the sensors is provided to the driver via audio or visual instructions to guide them into the parking position. Need to park in a tight spot? Sit back, relax, put the radio on and let the car park itself. Such self-parking cars could one day be a reality thanks to advanced sensor technologies. Ultrasonic sensors mounted on the side of the vehicle will measure the length and depth of the parking space and calculate the manoeuvres needed to safely steer the vehicle into the space. Parking assistance systems like this are, in fact, already close to reality - the information gathered by the sensors is provided to the driver via audio or visual instructions to guide them into the parking position. Enabling the car to carry out the manoeuvre itself is the next stage of development – in this case the information from the sensors would be transferred to the steering system which would automatically respond to the instructions. Future vehicles will be able to “sense” and interpret their surroundings and recognise potentially dangerous situations, perhaps responding to a hazardous situation before the driver has even registered there is a problem. Ultimately, the vehicle will become a cocoon of both inward and outward facing electronic monitoring systems that will improve the safety, survivability, comfort and convenience of driving for both the driver and passengers. And, the value of the industry is set to increase dramatically over the coming decade. Already, the automotive sensor market has seen some significant growth. Estimated to be worth about $2.3 billion on the world market in 1990, sensors for the automotive industry are worth more than $10 billion today and predicted to be worth almost $16 billion by 2012.

In contrast, passenger car production is expected to grow at a rate of less than 4 per cent over the next few years. The predicted growth of automotive sensor revenues in the same period is 10.1 per cent as motor manufacturers continue to add more intelligent and responsive systems into their vehicles in response to both increasing environmental and safety legislation and demand from consumers wanting more safety, comfort and convenience features in their cars. Many vehicles on the roads today already employ sensors in their engines, chassis, wheels and dashboards. A typical top-of-the-range vehicle will have over 30 electronic systems and more than 100 sensors. And a number of different sensor technologies can co-exist in one application. Existing sensors will continue to find new applications, building upon their historical track record of performance, and new sensors will emerge to improve system functionality. The very first sensors in automobiles were used to measure the inlet manifold pressure in early ignition and fuelling control systems. The inlet manifold is the part of the engine that supplies fuel to the cylinders and these sensors have proven to be some of the most successful automotive applications of sensors. Their success prompted a generation of sensors to monitor and control the many components that generate engine power and transmission, from the crankshaft position to measuring gas in the exhaust. Today, such powertrain sensors make up almost 60 per cent of the entire automotive sensor market and have had a huge impact on enhancing engine performance over the past number of years. Micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS) have been used in both inlet manifold pressure sensors and airbag accelerometers. MEMS combines microelectronics with tiny mechanical systems, such as valves and gears, on one single semiconductor chip. Bulk and surface micromachining techniques, which selectively etch structures inside (bulk) or on the surface (surface) of a substrate, are used to make sensors capable of measuring the pressure of the inlet manifold and generating a signal related to the pressure imposed.  

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Inertial sensors, such as accelerometers, have also been created using surface micromachining. One of the most common applications of this is in airbag deployment systems. Here the accelerometers are used to detect the rapid negative acceleration of the vehicle to determine when a collision has taken place and the severity of the collision. These technologies are also being used to develop tyre pressure sensors and yaw rate sensors, gyroscopic devices that measure a vehicle’s rotation. Other established sensor applications include engine emissions control and antilocking braking systems, while the more recent trend towards an increasing demand for electronically controlled and activated systems in vehicles, such as power steering and cruise control, has created new challenges and opportunities for sensor developers. The advent of electrically powered assisted steering systems saw the introduction of the “steering torque” sensor and a number of different torque sensing technologies have been used, including inductive and optical technologies, to assist the steering. Optically-based sensors, for example, monitor changes in the pattern of light transmitted through two discs attached to the steering wheel shaft. The information gathered by the sensors is fed to an electronic control unit and used to determine both the steering torque and position of the vehicle. Cruise control systems are becoming a common feature of many vehicles on the road today. Long range radar sensors are used in these systems and have proven to be very successful. The radar scans at a distance of about 150 metres from the car, gathering information and ensuring a safe safety margin is maintained with the vehicle in front. Automatic intervention of the braking and engine management systems comes into play if the safety margin is broken. While today’s cruise control systems operate at speeds over 30 miles per hour (50kph), future systems, now in development will be able to work down to zero speed through the use of shortrange radar. Other technologies, such as video sensors will add even further functionality to these systems. Blind-spot detection and night vision enhancement are just some examples of the applications they could offer. Today sensors can be found throughout vehicles. As well as the engine, steering and cruise control sensors already described, sensors are being used to enhance passenger comfort, convenience, safety and security.

TODAY SENSORS CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT VEHICLES. AS WELL AS THE ENGINE, STEERING AND CRUISE CONTROL SENSORS ALREADY DESCRIBED, SENSORS ARE BEING USED TO ENHANCE PASSENGER COMFORT, CONVENIENCE, SAFETY AND SECURITY.

Sensors can control the temperature, humidity, air vent, seat and window positions. They can trigger the wipers to come on automatically at the first detection of rain, and switch on the headlights when it gets dark. They can adjust seatbelts, detect pedestrians and monitor tyre pressure. And, they can control the speed and movement of the vehicle and provide warnings for lane changing. The applications are seemingly endless and future systems could see all the different sensor technologies communicating with one another so that the need for driver input becomes more and more diminished as the car becomes more and more intelligent. From knowing to switch on the lights or the wipers when they are required to avoiding obstacles and braking to prevent a crash, sensor technology could mean that cars of the future “think” and respond faster than the driver can. Future development of active and passive safety systems will enable the vehicle to “sense” and interpret its surrounding

environment, recognise potentially dangerous situations and provide a predetermined level of support to the driver. Blind-spot detection, lane change monitoring and roundabout shunt prevention are just some examples of systems that could be enabled through the deployment of vision-based sensors and multiple sensors communicating and interacting with one another. However, it will be important for sensor developers to work with vehicle stylists to package and position sensors in the best locations on the vehicle so that they continue to function well but are not obtrusive in the design. They will also need to be able to perform self-checks and alert the driver when they find faults. Eventually, we could have cars without hydraulic brakes or even a steering wheel. But this is a challenging task and one that can only be successfully realised through the replacement of mechanical systems with electronic ones and the continued innovation of new sensing technologies.

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NanoCar
A NOVEL RANGE OF TINY MOTOR VEHICLES COULD REVOLUTIONISE NANOSCALE CONSTRUCTION
A fleet of cars, trucks, trains and caterpillars being developed by Rice University scientists is forming the building blocks for the world’s smallest construction site – just 3-4 nanometres wide, about 20,000 vehicles could fit side-by-side on the diameter of a human hair. The tiny single-molecule automobiles are driving forward the creation of molecular assemblies from the bottom up. Jim Tour tells NANO of his motivation to build the nanocar. A decade of research has gone into the design and development of the ultra-small nano-vehicles which could one day transform how systems and components are made in the fields of science, medicine and technology as they increasingly rely on the transport of materials, transmission of power and transfer of information at the nanoscopic level.  

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Motorized nanocar 3D: This animation depicts two motorized nanocars on a gold surface. The nanocar consists of a rigid chassis and four alkyne axles that spin freely and swivel independently of one another. The wheels are spherical molecules of carbon, hydrogen and boron called p-carborane. Credit: Yasuhiro Shirai/Rice University

Led by Professor Jim Tour, Chao Professor of Chemistry and director of the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory in Rice’s Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the first successful nanocar production line was reported in 2005. Since then, the design of the car has changed somewhat, not least the addition of a motor, and a number of other vehicles have been added to the fleet. The overall aim of the research is to create nanomachines capable of performing specific tasks at the molecular level and ultimately construct molecular structures from the ground up. “We want to construct things from the bottom up, one molecule at a time, in much the same way that biological cells use enzymes to assemble proteins and other macromolecules,” Professor Tour says. “Everything that’s produced in biology – from the tallest redwood to the largest whale – is built one molecule at a time. Nanocars and other synthetic transporters may prove to be a suitable alternative for bottom-up systems where biological methods aren’t practical.” Test drive The original nanocar, which measures just 3-by-4 nanometres, was first unveiled in the journal NanoLetters in 2005. This was the first reported evidence of a vehicle built on the nanoscale and capable of moving like a real car. The massive level of interest in the nanocar is reflected in the fact that the publication was the most accessed article from all American Chemical Society journals in 2005.

The first nanocar consists of a chassis and axles with pivoting suspension and freely rotating axles. The wheels are buckyballs – spheres of pure carbon, with 60 atoms of carbon in each wheel. Buckyballs bounced onto the scene in 1985 when a team from Rice and Sussex Universities first described their properties. The lead researchers, Richard E. Smalley, Robert Curl (Rice University) and Harold Kroto (University of Sussex) were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery. Now based at the Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Tour has been putting buckyballs through their paces and illustrated the first rolling motion of a nano-machine. “The desire to design single-molecule sized nanoscale machines with controlled mechanical motion has seen the development of a variety of different molecular machines resembling macroscopic motors, switches, shuttles, turnstiles, gears, bearings, gyroscopes and elevators,” Professor Tour says. “What none of them do is roll – and this is important. Mostly, any movement in these machines is due to sliding or slipping and therefore not easy to control or direct – comparable to trying to drive a car on ice. “The wheels of the nanocar, in contrast, roll in one direction and the nanocar is the first vehicle that actually functions like a car, rolling on four wheels in a direction perpendicular to its axles.”

Rolling motion Study co-author Kevin F. Kelly, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and an expert in scanning tunnelling microscopy, provided the measurements and experimental evidence that verified the rolling movement. “Proving that we were rolling – not slipping or sliding – was one of the most difficult parts of the project,” he says. To do that, Kelly and graduate student Andrew Osgood measured the movement of the nanocars across a gold surface. At room temperature, strong electrical bonds hold the buckyball wheels tightly against the gold, but heating to about 200 degrees Celsius frees them to roll. To prove that the cars were rolling rather than sliding, Kelly and Osgood took STM images every minute and watched the cars progress. Because nanocars' axles are slightly longer than the wheelbase - the distance between axles - they could determine the way the cars were oriented and whether they moved perpendicular to the axles. In addition, Kelly's team found a way to attract the cars with an STM probe tip and “pull” them using an electric field. Tests showed it was easier to pull the cars in the direction of wheel rotation than it was to pull them sideways – providing further confirmation that the nanocar could roll. This discovery enabled the design of the car to move to the next stage – the addition

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of a motor and the development of new types of vehicle to add to the fleet, such as a nanotruck which consists of a cargo bay placed along the chassis that gives it the ability to carry a load from one place to another. Other developments include a six-wheeled, three-axled nanocaterpillar, a nanotrain, a nanoback hoe complete with extendable arm and an ultra-small version of the nanocar dubbed the NanoCooper. Motoring on Perhaps the most significant achievement of the team has been the addition of a motor to the nanocar. The motorized model is powered by light and uses a modified version of a molecular rotating motor originally designed by Ben L. Feringa at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Professor Tour and his team had to modify the motor so that it fit within the nanocar’s chassis. When light strikes the motor it is energised and begins to turn, pushing the car along in a manner similar to a paddlewheel. Another modification that came with the addition of the motor was to fit new wheels to the car. The original buckyball wheels were not very fuel efficient and drained energy from the motor. The team found that by replacing the buckyballs with spherical molecules of carbon, hydrogen and boron (called p-carborane), the car ran more efficiently. The result is the world’s first nanoscale vehicles with an internal motor. Revolution The nanocar design has been a revolution in miniature mechanics. Professor Tour was named Innovator of the Year in Small Times magazine’s Best of Small Tech Award competition in 2006 in recognition of this work. But the work doesn’t stop there. “We’d eventually like to move objects and do work in a controlled fashion on the molecular scale. These vehicles are great test-beds for that. They’re helping us learn the ground rules,” Professor Tour says. However, the slowest step remains the imaging. “We have been able to make about 10 or so models of nanocars, but proving their rolling motion on the surface remains to be the most challenging obstacle,” Professor Tour says. “We have devised several new tools for this and are currently working on streamlining the monitoring of nanocar movements. This underscores the inefficiency with which we can perform nanoscale imaging – it can be done, but it is painstakingly slow.” Professor Jim Tour is Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory in Rice University’s Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. Further reading Shirai Y, Osgood AJ, Zhao Y, Kelly KF, Tour JM, Directional Control in Thermally DrivenSingle-Molecule Nanocars. NanoLetters 2005; 5(11) pp 2330 - 2334 Shirai, Y, Morin, JF, Sasaki T, Guerrero J, Tour JM, Recent Progress on Nanovehicles. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2006, 35, 1043-1055.

“WE WANT TO CONSTRUCT THINGS FROM THE BOTTOM UP, ONE MOLECULE AT A TIME, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT BIOLOGICAL CELLS USE ENZYMES TO ASSEMBLE PROTEINS AND OTHER MACROMOLECULES,”

Nanocar advance. The car's light-powered motor is attached mid-chassis. When struck by light, it rotates in one direction, pushing the car along like a paddlewheel. Credit: Takashi Sasaki/Rice University Images courtesy of Rice University Office of Media Relations and Information.

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Thin Skins
NANO-BASED COATINGS ARE SET TO REVOLUTIONISE THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY WITH THE EVOLUTION OF TOUGHER, SCRATCH AND CORROSION RESISTANT PARTS THAT ARE FASTER TO MAKE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME BEING MORE ECO-FRIENDLY. CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF CHEMIST OF ECOLOGY COATINGS, SALLY RAMSEY, DESCRIBES A NOVEL GREEN COATING TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD TRANSFORM THE WAY CARS ARE MADE.

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etals, plastics, glass, electronics – almost every manufactured product we purchase today has a coating on it to protect it from damage and scratches, make it last longer and enhance its appearance. The coatings industry is massive – estimated to be worth in excess of $20 billion – but the implications for the environment are also significant. Conventional coatings typically contain solids suspended in a solvent – the ratio of solids to solvent will depict the nature of the coating. In paints for example, a higher percentage of solids will result in a thicker paint, but there comes a point when the paint becomes too thick and impossible to use. So some solvent (typically about 60% in paints) is necessary. Likewise, coatings used for car parts, medical devices and

glass, for example, consist of solids suspended in a solvent, which are applied to surfaces before being exposed to extremely high temperatures which helps them to harden or set. However, solvents are a headache for most manufacturers as they carry serious health risks. Over time, and in normal atmospheric conditions, liquid solvents can begin to evaporate, releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) into the environment. VOCs and HAPs are major pollutants with health risks, such as asthma and nervous system irritation associated with them. The ideal coating solution is one containing 100 per cent solids, containing no solvents and therefore eliminating the environmental risk – such a coating is now being

manufactured by Ecology Coatings and proving to be equal to, if not better than some of the more conventional coatings on the market. The idea for practical formulation of the 100 per cent solids coatings being produced by Ecology Coatings came to Sally Ramsey, the company’s founder, almost 20 years ago when she received a grant from the State of California to investigate environmentally sustainable coating technologies. What she found was that no clean UV technologies existed that were sufficient for practical metal surfaces and instead decided to commit herself to creating new green coatings capable of achieving these properties. Fifteen years later, her company was named in Time magazine’s best inventions 2005 and the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovator 2005.

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METALS, PLASTICS, GLASS, ELECTRONICS – ALMOST EVERY MANUFACTURED PRODUCT WE PURCHASE TODAY HAS A COATING ON IT TO PROTECT IT FROM DAMAGE AND SCRATCHES, MAKE IT LAST LONGER AND ENHANCE ITS APPEARANCE. THE COATINGS INDUSTRY IS MASSIVE – ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH IN EXCESS OF $20 BILLION – BUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ARE ALSO SIGNIFICANT.
Today, Ecology Coatings has developed over 200 clear and pigmented 100% solid coatings that can be used on a wide range of applications including metals, plastics, woods and glass. The coatings are effectively “liquid solids”, containing nanoparticles. , Although containing no solvent to evaporate, they can be applied to a surface using conventional spraying equipment at normal room temperature. The coatings are then cured, or hardened, by exposing them to ultra-violet light for seconds – after the UV light hits the liquid coating, it effectively becomes a very thin sheet of solid plastic. The coating process is significantly faster and more energy efficient than conventional curing techniques, which typically require placing the parts in extremely hot ovens for 30-40 minutes at a time. The UV curing process takes only seconds to complete and, because it removes the need for thermal heating equipment and drying space, is estimated to save up to 80% of floor space currently used by manufacturers. Ramsey predicts the technology has the potential to also save up to 75% on current energy costs. The resulting nano-coatings may be extremely flexible and resistant to corrosion and/or microbial growth, suggesting application in a huge range of industries from children’s toys to car parts. “Although other organisations have pursued research into both UV curable and 100 per cent solid coating formulations, third-party testing by DuPont, Toyota and others have confirmed that Ecology Coatings is the only UV curable coating technology available today that meets the performance requirements necessary to make it a viable choice for many automotive applications,” Ms. Ramsey says. In the automotive industry, everything from the paint on the bonnet and the gasket underneath to the door handles and CD-player parts could benefit from the technology – not least from the time, energy and cost it could save manufacturers. The coatings have the unique ability to adhere to plastics without the addition of a polluting primer. They can also help replace toxic chrome coatings to provide a durable, glossy finish to trim components. Indeed, DuPont have already licensed technology developed by Ecology Coatings and Ecology is also working with several other automotive companies on future applications. “Ecology Coatings are abrasion and moisture resistant with durability equal to or better than that of conventional waterborne, solvent-based or powder coatings, and superior to any other UV-curable coatings available for testing on metals,” Ms. Ramsey says. “Another benefit for the automotive industry is that, as well as coming in optically-clear formulations, our coatings also come in different colours, which may be highly valued for aesthetic finishes. No other room-temperature, sprayable 100% solids UV-curable coatings have been able to achieve the same degree of opacity.” The application of Ecology Coatings extends far beyond the automotive industry. Because the coatings contain no carrier and require no heat to apply, they open the door for coatings to move into entirely new applications, too sensitive to cope with traditional curing techniques. Electronics, paper and polycarbonates as well as biodegradable materials could become viable replacements to Styrofoam, plastic and other nonsustainable materials, for example. The technology is in development to create water-proof paper as well as tougher glass and plastics and has been licensed for medical equipment. “For more than a decade, Ecology Coatings has been working hard to create environmentally-friendly yet practical coatings for the manufacturing industry. We envision coatings of the future that are both tough and flexible while conserving energy and reducing emissions. Nanotechnology holds many insights for achieving these goals.”

Sally Ramsey is the founder and VP of new product development at Ecology Coatings. Ms. Ramsey cofounded Ecology Coatings in 1990 with the express goal of developing and commercializing a viable 100 percent solids, ultraviolet curable coating.

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Maximum impact: A one-and-a-halfkilogram weight smashes into a thermoplastic fender. The pendulum impact test is used by engineers to investigate the behaviour of materials.

Weight-saving Nanotech
NEW PLASTICS FOR THE VEHICLES OF TOMORROW
Following calls for further cuts in CO2 emissions, lightweight engineering is more important than ever. A new generation of thermoplastics modified through the addition of nanoparticles are low in weight and have proven to be suitable for making fenders and other flat car-body parts. Materials experts from DaimlerChrysler are now working on ways to use these plastics in vehicle manufacture. Engineers in the company’s Production Materials Technology Group have been exploring the use of lightweight materials for reducing fuel consumotion and CO2 emissions and the company has, for many years, invested a lot of time and money to acheive this. “The use of lightweight engineering provides a good opportunity to halt the spiraling weight of vehicles that has resulted from the ever-increasing demands on safety, comfort and performance,” Eric Lehner, one of the lead researchers, explains. Lightweight materials fabricated from “thermoplastic polymers” – meltable plastics – rather than the more customery sheet steel used in car production, are being put through rigorous tests by the company’s Production and Materials Technology Group to investigate how they behave when subjected to harsh conditions. Materials that suit the bodyshell These thermoplastics display a number of advantages over metals. For a start, they are

In the limelight: Made of a thermoplastic film coated with paint, the roof element is first shaped by deep-drawing and then hardened using an ultraviolet lamp.

lighter on account of their low density, and so help reduce fuel consumption. Secondly, they have superb design properties and can be processed into almost any shape – which makes them ideal for making vehicle bodyshell parts. Thermoplastics are already being used in today’s series-produced vehicles to cover car bumpers and sills or to make the rubbing strips fitted to doors. As a rule, they consist of a polypropylene mixture and, given their low density, boast a relatively high stiffness-to-weight ratio. Often, such parts are so-called attachments, which are manufactured by automotive suppliers and then painted in the right vehicle colour. However, although this practice brings all kinds of advantages in terms of supplier flexibility, the painting process also makes the parts considerably more expensive as

each supplier must have its own paint shop. The use of different processes and different materials also makes it difficult to guarantee that all parts have exactly the right color. Jens Humpenöder, a colleague of Lehner’s, from DaimlerChrysler Research in Ulm, explains the implications in more detail: “Using different painting processes can result in differences in hue, gloss and surface finish,” he says. “Even the tiniest difference can cause real headaches when it comes to integrating the attachments with the rest of the bodyshell.” One easy way of getting around this problem would be to paint everything at the same time – a method that also saves costs. Known as “online painting,” this process involves subjecting all the thermoplastic parts and the steel bodyshell to the complete painting process – including

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cathodic dip painting (CDP), which provides both protection against corrosion and an undercoat for the paint and transparent lacquer above. However, the use of cathodic dip painting involves, if only briefly, temperatures of more than 200 degrees Celsius — temperatures that are too high for conventional thermoplastics. Composite plastic bodyshell parts made of polyamide and polyphenylene ether that are suitable for online painting do exist. However, they have yet to prove themselves as being completely reliable. To overcome these problems, DaimlerChrysler engineers are cooperating with external partners from research and industry to further enhance thermoplastics components so that they will be capable of withstanding the temperatures involved in cathodic dip painting. As part of the “Leading Innovations: NanoMobile” program, which is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, researchers and developers are planning ways of increasing thermoplastics’ resistance to thermal deformation. Other goals are to reduce thermoplastics’ thermal expansion and enhance the electrical and mechanical properties. Conventional thermoplastics already contain filler materials such as glass fibers or graphite, which affect characteristics such as expansion or electrical conductivity. As well as enhancing the quality of the thermoplastics, however, such fillers also make them heavier, cancelling out the advantages the thermoplastics would otherwise have due to their light weight. Bigger weight reductions with nanoparticles The team at DaimlerChrysler think they may have found the solution. “We are using so-called nanoscale fillers such as ’nanoclays’ or ‘nanotubes,’ which significantly enhance the properties of thermoplastics,” says Lehner referring to the BMBF-sponsored sub-project “Lightweight Engineering with Thermoplastic Nanocomposites,” which is led by DaimlerChrysler. To date, research and development results show that when nanoclays are added to a thermoplastic, its rigidity and strength increase, while its density and ductility remain practically the same. “Even with small additions of just a few percent of total weight, it’s possible to create mechanical properties that can only otherwise be achieved with the addition of over 30 percent by weight of conventional fillers,” says Humpenöder.
Final preparations: A researcher at the Mercedes Technology Center (MTC) in Sindelfingen rigs up a lightweight fender for tests in the climatic chamber. Here, engineers are able to create extreme temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius.

This means that thermoplastics containing nanoparticles are lighter than not only metals but also conventional plastic composites. The addition of nanoclays also improves the surface quality and fabrication properties of thermoplastics. As a result, the wall thicknesses of the components can be significantly reduced, which saves further weight, or the flow distances used for injection molding can be lengthened, which in turn lowers the costs for complex tools. If carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibres are used instead of nanoclays, even better material properties are achieved in some areas. These tiny particles of carbon are exceptionally strong and elastic, which makes them ideal as a reinforcement for plastics. They can also be used to achieve good electrical conductivity — an essential feature when it comes to cathodic dip painting (CDP). Today, CDP-compatible thermoplastics are already expected to meet a vast range of requirements. In addition to displaying good mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and very high heat resistance, they must also exhibit low linear thermal expansion. And the trend toward using

lightweight materials for body parts – for example, plastics for fenders and door panels — has raised standards even higher. Indeed, further enhancements in material quality are now essential, especially for such large-surface parts. In particular, it will be necessary to improve the mechanical properties and thermal expansion. Following a fundamental investigation of various nanothermoplastics and their suitability for different parts, engineers in DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes Technology Center in Sindelfingen have now constructed a test vehicle based on the S-Class that features lightweight fenders made of thermoplastics containing nanoparticles. Lehner says, “One of the major benefits of nanothermoplastics compared to conventional plastic mixtures is that they only need to contain a small proportion of fillers in order to develop the required properties. As a result, these materials offer exceptionally large potential for weight savings.” Article content courtesy of DaimlerChrysler AG, Communications

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PCN Performance
POLYMER CLAY NANOCOMPOSITES (PCNS) HAVE BECOME A KEY INGREDIENT OF MANY AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS. THEIR POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE IS SIGNIFICANT AND GETTING THE RIGHT BLEND IS CRITICAL. RESEARCHERS AT FORD DESCRIBE SOME NOVEL TECHNIQUES THEY HAVE DEVELOPED TO ENSURE PCNS REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.

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uch research is going into the design and improvement of nanocomposite materials for making cars lighter and stronger. “Nanothermoplastics” is a new buzz word among automotives researchers and are already being used by many car manufacturers to enhance the mechanical properties of their vehicles. Thermoplastic olefin (TPO) is a type of rubber-modified polypropylene. In the automotives industry, nanoparticles introduced into thermoplastic-based materials have proven to drastically enhance the properties of the material. The potential application of these ‘polymer clay nanocomposites’ (PCNs) include interior trim pillar covers, instrument panels, consoles and bumper fascias – applications, where it is critical to maintain impact performance while enhancing other mechanical properties. “Only very small quantities, usually less than five per cent of the nanoclay is needed to see significant improvements in mechanical and impact performance, while at the same time reducing the density of the composite compared to conventionally reinforced composites,” explains Ellen Lee, Plastics Research Technical Expert at Ford Research. This is good news for automotive applications where light-weighting of materials will improve fuel economy. The best mechanical performance improvements are achieved when the nanoclay particles are individually dispersed, or exfoliated, in the polymer

clay composites. However, this is not always easily achievable due to factors such as the compatibility between the nanoclay and polymer. Chemical modifications of the clay and polymer, as well as the addition of compatibilizers, such as maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-MA), have been used to overcome these problems. But these too have their problems. “PP-MA additives work by compatibilizing different components in the TPO-based PCNs. The MA group is attracted to the nanoclay platelets, while the PP backbone attracts the polyolefin matrix,” Lee explains. “The result is improved dispersion of the nanoclay; however, in order to achieve a fully exfoliated material, upwards of 25 per cent of the total weight of the material would need to be PP-MA. Not only is this prohibitively expensive, but results in a dramatic softening of the material, which is contradictory to the initial aim.” Lee and colleagues at Ford including Deborah Mielewski and Angela Harris have developed and patented two new technologies which overcome these problems – supercritical fluid processing of PCNs and in-situ ultrasonication. Supercritical fluids A common method for producing nanocomposite materials is melt-mixing or melt-compounding, wherein the polymer and nanoclay components are mechanically sheared at a temperature above the polymer melt temperature. Due to the high melt viscosity of the TPO, however, the dispersion of the nanoclays is difficult.

This is where processing with supercritical fluids could help. “Supercritical fluids, or SCFs, have been found to reduce the viscosities of polymers by up to 70 per cent while also enhancing the diffusion of the

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clay platelets. Furthermore, the effect of SCFs on increased diffusivity is not restricted to TPOs and can be used with almost any polymer,” says Lee A pre-treatment of nanoclay with SCFs prior to mixing with a polymer matrix was first investigated in the Ford laboratories. The team have since patented use of the technology and are now developing the continuous meltcompounding process with SCFs. “Supercritical CO2 is of particular interest because it has many desirable properties such as versatility, low cost, availability, nontoxicity, chemically inert and accessible supercritical conditions,” Mielewski says. Ultrasonication A second novel technology developed at Ford Research uses ultrasonic energy to improve the dispersion and exfoliation of nanoclay during the melt-mixing process. In this case, polypropylenes processed using in-situ ultrasonication resulted in improved dispersion of the nanoclay platelets. “The ultrasonic technique could potentially remove, or at least reduce the need for expensive chemical treatments or additives. It is also inexpensive and somewhat independent of the type of polymer used,” says Harris. “Much can still be achieved in improving nanoclay exfoliation and material performance, especially in polyolefin based systems. Both novel approaches, SCF and ultrasonic processing can improve the dispersion of PCNs through physical, relatively inexpensive means, and can be incorporated into existing manufacturing processes,” says Lee.

Ford is currently involved in discussions with several companies to licence these technologies.

Images courtesy of Ellen Lee, Ford Research

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Nano in the Netherlands
RESEARCH, INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT IN THE NETHERLANDS ARE MAKING THE MOST OF THE COUNTRY’S STRONG SCIENTIFIC POSITION IN NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ESTABLISHING ITSELF, THROUGH A HIGHLY INTEGRATED AND COOPERATIVE NANONED NETWORK, AS A WORLD LEADER IN SMALL SCIENCE WHILE PAVING THE WAY FOR ACCELERATED COMMERCIALISATION. THE FOUR-YEAR NANONED INITIATIVE HAS SEEN MASSIVE INVESTMENT AND THE SUCCESS THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY WORKING TOGETHER UNDER A COMMON AGENDA.
235 million euros have been invested in NanoNed since its launch in 2005. This has seen the development of 11 flagship research programmes, each containing about 20-40 projects, the launch of NanoLab – incorporating some of the most sophisticated research infrastructure in the world – and coinciding programmes to support entrepreneurial activity and investigate the implications of nanotechnology among the wider community. NanoNed is organised by nine major research partners, each devoted to developing strong cooperation in nanotechnology and its areas of application. The research partners are Mesa+ at the University of Twente, the Kavli Institute of The NanoLab, for example, is an investment program of high-level state-of-the-art nanotechnology infrastructure based at five The wide distribution of key partners in the network has facilitated what is perhaps the most unique feature of the nationwide initiative – the way in which researchers from across the country are sharing research and resources to achieve the common goal of enhancing the Netherland’s nano-science base. NanoScience at TU Delft, BioMade at the University of Groningen, the IMM Institute at the University of Nijmegan, TNO Science & Industry, cNM at TU Eindhoven, BioNT at Wageningen University and Research Centre, and Philips Research Europe.

locations around the country. Each laboratory provides a general infrastructure for carrying out basic fabrication activities and, because of their geographical spread, no researcher needs to travel too far to access the facilities, no matter where they are based in the country. Each individual laboratory also provides “expert functions” – facilities and expertise that are not available anywhere else in the country. These expert facilities include technologies such as ion beam etching, interferometry, wafer-scale lithography, and a range of others. “The NanoLab NL initiative is focused at three locations which bring in a strong existing infrastructure,” explains Kees Eijkel, CEO of Kennispark Twente, an organization responsible for commercialization and related area development in Kennispark, which combines the University of Twente Campus and the adjacent Business and Science Park. “Together, Twente, Delft and Groningen ensure a leading-edge national infrastructure now and in the coming decades. In the NanoLab board, they optimize investments at these locations and create a common policy for pricing and communication.” The fantastic thing about NanoLab is that it can be accessed by anyone in NanoNed and indeed anyone in the Dutch research community, offering a quite unique resource to scientists across the country. €85 million of the total €235 million NanoNed budget has been invested in

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THE WIDE DISTRIBUTION OF KEY PARTNERS IN THE NETWORK HAS FACILITATED WHAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST UNIQUE FEATURE OF THE NATIONWIDE INITIATIVE – THE WAY IN WHICH RESEARCHERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE SHARING RESEARCH AND RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE THE COMMON GOAL OF ENHANCING THE NETHERLAND’S NANO-SCIENCE BASE.
the NanoLab. Much of the remainder has been used to fund the 11 flagship programmes that form the backbone of the network. Each of the flagships has been chosen for its national R & D strength and industrial relevance and is led by a senior researcher or professor, dubbed “flagship captains” by the network. “I have seen many international programs on nanotechnology, and I see NanoNed as one of the most integrated national programs worldwide,” Eijkel says. “The use of Flagships programs under independent scientific management is a very strong method to enhance cooperation towards a relevant goal. The Flagships are chosen in cooperation with Dutch Industry to achieve a high relevance of the NanoNed program as a whole.” In total, the flagships cover about 200 research projects, which will represent more than 1200 man-years of research over the course of the programme.

Four of the flagship programs – Nanofluidics, NanoSpintronics, NanoInstrumentation, and Nanofabrication – fall under the banner of NanoImpuls, the predecessor of NanoNed, which was launched in 2003 by the Dutch government with an initial investment of €18 million. These projects now run parallel to and under the umbrella of the NanoNed program. Since being launched in 2005, each of these flagships has experienced considerable success (see side panel on page 26 for a summary of each of the flagships). NanoNed does not stop at researchers and has also taken steps to explore what the impact of their science will have on the wider community as well as stimulating an entrepreneurial drive among its 300 PhD and post-doc researchers.  

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The complete map of NanoNed programs, their research aims and their captains are: Nanofluidics (Professor Albert van den Berg, University of Twente): to investigate, control and exploit new phenomena in nanoscale structures for use in microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices. NanoSpintronics (Professor Bert Koopmans, TU Eindhoven): to develop new concepts for manipulation, transport and storage of “spins” (the tiny magnetic movements by electrons) and their implementation in nanoscale electronic devices and systems. NanoInstrumentation (Dr Ton Bastein, TNO Industrie en Techniek): to find solutions to the instrumentation problems that limit the production of devices smaller than 20nm. Nanofabrication (Professor Jurriaan Huskens, University of Twente): to develop generic methods applicable in a wide range of materials and on various substrates that will enable the development of new technologies for industrial nanofabrication processes with a 100nm resolution. Advanced NanoProbing (Professor Sylvia Speller, Radboud University): to advance and develop truly novel scanning probe tools that will allow investigation and manipulation of materials on the nano scale. BioNanoSystems (Dr Wim Meijberg, BioMadE): to develop and full characterise nanosystems that are responsive to macroscopic signals. Bottom-up Nanoelectronics (Professor Paul Blom, RU Groningen): address fundamental issues concerning the coupling of atoms, molecules or nanocrystals to macroscopic leads for the development of bottom-up nanoelectronics. Chemistry and Physics of Individual Molecules (Professor Ben Feringa, RU Groningen): to deliver both the molecular components and the fundamental insight into the molecular properties essential for the nanotechnology toolbox. NanoElectronic Materials (Professor Dave Blank, University of Twente): to find novel nanomaterials that can be used in next generation nanoelectronic devices. NanoPhotonics (Professor Albert Polman, Amolf): to develop new knowledge, concepts and intellectual property, novel materials or material combinations, new fabrication technologies and methods and prototype optical devices. Quantum Computing (Professor Hans Mooij, TU Delft): to develop electronic circuits based on nanodevices to be used as building blocks for quantum computers.

A KEY OBJECTIVE OF NANONED IS TO ENCOURAGE KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER WHICH WILL LEAD TO INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. A VALORISATION PROGRAMME WAS THUS ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO ASSIST RESEARCHERS TO TAKE THEIR DISCOVERIES TO MARKET. PATENT APPLICATIONS ARE ALREADY IN THE PIPELINES WHILE THE FIRST NANONED START-UP COMPANY, MEDIMATE, WHICH USES NEW LAB-ON-A-CHIP TECHNOLOGY, WAS LAUNCHED LAST YEAR.
A Technology Assessment (TA) runs in parallel with the flagship programs to provide an understanding and help improve interactions between the scientific community and society and to learn about the impact that nanotechnology could have on society as a whole. Another key objective of NanoNed is to encourage knowledge transfer which will lead to industrial applications. A valorisation programme was thus established in order to assist researchers to take their discoveries to market. Patent applications are already in the pipelines while the first NanoNed start-up company, Medimate, which uses new lab-on-a-chip technology, was launched last year. NanoNed is set to run until 2009. The structure and cooperation of the network, along with the business and community outreach initiatives, are already proving to be a success and set a firm foundation for the Netherlands to continue to build its authority among the nanoscience community.

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OTTILIA SAXL TALKS WITH DAVID REINHOUDT, RECENTLY DIRECTOR OF MESA+ AND ARCHITECT OF NANONED, ABOUT HOW INDUSTRY SHAPED HIS THINKING, HOW HE FOCUSED MESA+ ON NANOTECHNOLOGY AS FAR BACK AS 1998, WHY RECIPIENTS OF RESEARCH FUNDING SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE, AND HOW MONEY IS A CRITICAL FACTOR OF SUCCESS IN THE ‘EXPENSIVE SPORT’ OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.
OS: You worked at Shell in the beginning. What influence did that have on your later career? DR: When I did my PhD, Shell was the best place in Holland to do science without a doubt. Philips maybe second, and way below that was the universities. So going to Shell for research was like going to IBM or Bell labs. But if you wanted to do independent science, you had to leave Shell. So that’s why I decided to go to the university. I wanted to be my own boss, and that is what you are at university. At least that’s what I feel, although some people here in management have other ideas! OS: Why did you choose to focus on supramolecular chemistry at the University? DR: That is what I started working on with Shell in ’71, as I was fascinated by the papers of Charles Pedersen on macrocyclic compounds (whom I met through my PhD supervisor Howard Simmons, director of research at Dupont), and which later evolved into the science of supramolecular chemistry. I described this field in my inaugural lecture in Twente in 1979 as “one of the most promising fields of research in which organic chemistry could contribute breakthroughs, in areas such as membrane transport, isotope separation, chiral compounds and enzyme-like catalysis”. OS: Do you think that goal-oriented research is one of the key attributes that you brought to your work? DR: I always like to combine top science with a goal. I never wanted to work in blue sky research - high energy physics or astronomy would not be for me. That was probably a result of my industrial background, as it was not so normal 50 years ago. There is much more pressure today than there was then to do something useful, but that should not exclude top science. It is a wrong idea that ivory tower science is better than science that is inspired by the real world. Working on something like string theory would be too esoteric for me. OS: What brought you to MESA+? DR: I came under pressure from the President of the Board of MESA. I had told him we were missing a lot of opportunities because we had no focus. I told the Board they should make a choice and go for focus and mass, and not jump on every passing opportunity. We merged two institutes, MESA and CMO (hence MESA+), and then we had both focus and mass. It took me a further year and a half to convince my colleagues at MESA+ to take nanotechnology as the central theme. That was in ‘98. At that time a lot of people were saying that micro was a real technology, and nano was just science fiction! OS: So the recipe for success is to focus and build critical mass, and not go for every opportunity that presents itself? DR: Yes. But the overwhelming reason for success was that I had a budget of 30M guilders (about 14M euros)! So I selected five programs, lab on a chip, nanophotonics, nanofabrication, bionano, nanostructured materials. I asked my colleagues - do they want to join a program? If they did, they would get some of the money. So we financed about 25 or 30 PhD students. The only condition was that they should collaborate, and that is how we built the bridges between physics and electronic engineering and chemistry in the first instance. Without money, I think it’s fairly hard to influence people.

‘I THINK NANOTECHNOLOGY IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HOW OUR LIVES WILL BE RUN IN THE NEXT CENTURY.’
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OS: How did you manage to get such a large budget? DR: When the president of the university asked me to become the scientific director of MESA+, I said no. I had at that time a fantastic research group - we were publishing in Science and Nature. It was the best period of my research and I was not prepared to give it up. It had taken a long time to build up my group, and it would mean some of the quality of research and the intensity of the contact with the students would decrease. In the end that turned out to be the case. I also told them that I needed a budget, and they said that they would give me 2M guilders. I said no way. In the end I got 32.5M guilders, and that’s what I wanted. It was a good start. OS: The Netherlands has embraced nanotechnology very comprehensively, how were they persuaded to do that? DR: We have two strong pillars, nanophysics, which is very strong in Delft and also in Nijmegen, Groningen and Utrecht. Even in Twente, where we have people, like Dave Blank, who publish regularly in Science and Nature. We have good people everywhere. The second pillar is supramolecular chemistry, in which discipline Holland is by far the strongest country in the world. (Of course, I started this field in Holland, I shouldn’t say this but I’m now retired so I can say it!). So we had the combination of supramolecular chemistry and nanophysics, and of course Philips. In 2003, when there was an opportunity to apply for funding for nanotechnology we put together the proposal to create NanoNed. It was a hectic time, there were days that we worked from early morning to late at night. Of course everybody wanted their own cleanroom! We made the decision to divide the money based on peer reviews of the proposal quality and future applicability. We asked 5 external referees per cluster of proposals, and we had 20 Dutch and Flemish industrialists who gave their opinion about the possible application. So the evaluation was based on quality and on applicability. Although it was a struggle, we kept everybody onboard. That was the most important thing. That has made the Dutch

‘NANONED HAS BEEN CRITICAL IN BRINGING RESEARCH GROUPS TOGETHER, AND BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS.’
nano community what it is now. Previously there were communities that would never talk to each other, the physicists and the chemists, not even locally, let alone that a chemist from Groningen would talk to a physicist from Delft. Now they have joint PhD students, they have joint projects. The NanoNed money was the vehicle that brought them together. From the beginning, I told the ministry that nanotechnology is an expensive sport. Compared with funding for other activities, what we got was quite generous. (We should not put that on paper!). We never gave in when the government told us to reduce the program cost from 100% to 70%. We said, OK, we will reduce the number of positions but never the price per PhD student. So, as a result, many of the groups that are working can afford to do expensive research, can afford to pay the clean room hours and can afford the expensive equipment. Without NanoNed, the Dutch nano world would be very different. OS: You went overboard to be as fair as possible about the allocation of funding. Do you think people appreciated this at the end? DR: It was all completely transparent. The evaluation was done entirely through STW, the national science foundation for the applied sciences. Even I didn’t know where my projects would end up. And none of the people who were involved as coordinators or as program directors knew. In the end, when all the evaluations were done and we knew the number of projects we could finance, we drew the line. And the first project under the line was one of mine, a nanofabrication project. NanoNed is a consortium, so legally every university and Philips has a representative on the Board. Every decision that deviates from the original consortium agreement has to be approved unanimously. So far we have never had to take a vote on anything. That means that people trust each other, and also trust the Board Members. OS: Are there any differences in funding mechanisms for NanoNed projects, as compared with other research funding? DR: What we do is different to how funding in the Netherlands works in general - and I think it is the same in the UK. Normally there is a procedure, you write a proposal, there is peer review and then there is a decision by a committee or a board, and then they throw money over the fence, and never ask what is done with it. In that sense, most scientists are used to the difficult process of getting the money, but then no process at all after they have received it. At NanoNed we do it in a different way. We have user committees that put the pressure on the researchers. They are always asking - what can be done with it? We ask students to present their work in such a way that an industrial scientist can understand why we are doing this. The committees only meet twice a year, say, so the day-to-day life of a

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student doesn’t change. In the end I think, by seeking this equilibrium between some pressure and a lot of freedom, it works. At least I think it works! OS: It can be very difficult for individuals in the UK to gain funding, if they are not in a ‘top’ university. How does it work in the Netherlands? DR: That is not an issue because in Holland there are no ‘top’ universities. There is no program, for example, that is run only from Delft or only from Groningen or only from Twente. There are usually 3 or 4 universities involved in each one of the flagship programmes - sometimes even 7 or 8. That means that the best people got the money, irrespective of where they work. It doesn’t matter where people are, it is just their quality. We don’t have this kind of Oxbridge dilemma. OS: What is the attitude of people in general to nanotechnology in the Netherlands? There are some problems with popular acceptance in other countries. DR: Except for Prince Charles, I wouldn’t know of anybody against nano. For the general public, nanotechnology is still an unknown field. What we should try to avoid is saying it’s not dangerous, it’s not this, it’s not that, because then we would end up in the same situation as GMO. When we started NanoNed, from the beginning we said we should be completely transparent and we should try to pay attention to any risks. I don’t think nano is a special issue. Molecules are the smallest objects, they can be extremely toxic, they can be extremely beneficial and they can be extremely pleasant. But there is not a general rule that molecules are good or bad. And so also with nanoparticles, they can be good or bad, and in every application you have to test them according to the rules. In many cosmetics there are nanoparticles, if you write on a piece of paper with a pencil you produce a lot of nanoparticles, if you drive a diesel car you produce a huge amount of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are nothing new. But of course if you are going to make them intelligent and introduce them into our biological systems, you have to test them. But the same is true with the drug that I worked on 30 years ago. I am convinced that there is nothing special in nano, it should be tested by individual application. OS: So far the Dutch people are perfectly happy with nano? DR: I don’t think it is an issue, and also consumer organisations have not reacted very aggressively against nano. There is a danger of course that everything you over sell becomes suspect. OS: Do you want to say a few words about the benefits of NanoNed, it’s effectiveness, it’s potential for the future? DR: As we discussed, NanoNed has been critical in bringing research groups together, and breaking down barriers. It has been crucial for the Netherlands, not for the individual scientist, in that it has brought the collective effort to a much higher level, and in that sense it also has benefitted the individuals. Some individuals will say that they would have made it anyway! OS: With all the activity in nanotechnology, where do you see the Netherlands in terms of its position as a global player in nanotechnology, now, and where would you like to see it in the future? DR: What is a global player? We have 18 million people, so Holland is not as small as Denmark, Finland or Switzerland. But we are also not middle-sized like the UK. So we have to find our niche, and we found it in supramolecular chemistry. It was interesting to see how that flourished in Holland compared to other countries. But as we only have 18 million people and a limited budget, so we have to focus on things that people are good at. There is no reason to believe that there is a need for a top down mechanism to say “we are going to focus on this”. When you read 20 national programs on nanotechnology, they are all identical. OS: So a lot of duplication is happening? DR: No, I don’t think so. Everybody plays soccer, but that doesn’t mean there is duplication in the games, even though we are all playing the same sport. It doesn’t mean that organic synthesis should only be done in one country, and not in the rest of the world. It is competition, rather than duplication. OS: Do you think it is necessary to select the right scientific niche for NanoNed to position itself in the future? DR: Top down choices can be made in terms of infrastructure or budget, but not in scientific content. We could say “we want to focus on the application of nanotechnology to water” but if you look at our nanotechnology initiative document, we will focus on water, on energy, on health, on food, on nanoelectronics - the same things that the whole world is focusing on. This is fine for this type of document, as I don’t want to exclude anything either. Why should we exclude nanoelectronics because Philips sold its semiconductor division? Nanoelectronics has so many interesting aspects outside of computers. OS: So, give people the tools and just see what happens? DR: I have always strongly advocated that the best students world wide will go to where the best facilities are. Especially in nano, which is, as I said, a very expensive sport. It cannot be compared to molecular biology, which is very cheap. It cannot be compared to a lot of science. When you see the kinds of equipment we need here in MESA+ to do our work; apart from astronomy and high energy physics, it is probably the most expensive science, but astronomy and high energy physics are not going to produce a lot of jobs here in Holland. I think there is no other country in the world that spends more research money on astronomy per capita than Holland, because we are very good at it. That is fully understandable, if you spend enough money on something, you will be good at it! If I were to sum up, I would say that I think nanotechnology is very important for how our lives will be run in the next century. It is the next step for better control of production and quality, and how you construct things that you need. Nanotechnology will be everywhere.

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MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology at the University of Twente is one of the major partners in the NanoNed network and one of the largest nano-technology research institutes in the world, generating an annual turnover of about 46 million euro a year.
It is also the site of one of the network’s key research facilities, housing 1250 square metres of cleanroom space, a fully equipped central materials analysis laboratory and a number of specialised laboratories. The state-of-the-art facilities can be accessed by companies and researchers not just in the Netherlands, but across the globe. The emphasis in cooperative research and development along with topfacilities has resulted in MESA+ becoming a breeding place for start-up companies. As many as 35 new small and medium-sized enterprises have already emerged from the institute since it’s foundation less than 20 years ago. “The NanoLab in Twente is of crucial importance to spin-off companies, existing ones, as well as those still to emerge,” says Miriam Luizink, Technical Commercial Director. “It is the place where young and entrepreneurial people translate knowledge to expertise in a vibrant environment which supports them in starting up their new business.” Progress is set to continue. The ongoing success of MESA+ has received a boost with investment of 41 million euros to build a new,

Micronit Microfluidics One of the spin-offs of MESA+ is Micronit Microfluidics, a leader in developing, prototyping and manufacturing labon-a-chip products. Micronit was founded in 1999 and is a fast-growing company, with an annual turnover growth of more than 40% and currently around 30 employees. Micronit designs, develops and manufactures lab-on-achip devices of glass. Most of the products are customized for applications in life sciences such as biotechnology,

pharmacy, medicine and ecology. Micronit’s customers are industrial companies as well as universities and research institutes. In October 2007, Micha Mulder and Ronny van‘t Oever, managers and founders of Micronit, were elected Engineer of the Year 2007, a Dutch prize for young successful engineers. More information on Micronit can be found on their website www.micronit.com

highly modern NanoLab, expected to be completed in 2009. A so-called High Tech Factory, which will provide pilot-scale production facilities to spin-off companies, has been developed in line with the new NanoLab. “The High Tech Factory will comprise all the necessary components for getting a small to medium sized nanotechnology business off the ground. This includes a production facility mainly focused on the testing, packaging and assembly of micro- and nano-tech based products to get them ready for market,” Luizink says. There is a strong emphasis and atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration among the 475 people employed at the Institute as well as with international and national partners in both industry and academia and it is this strong cooperative environment that is believed to be one of the key ingredients of its success.

“At the MESA+ Tech Park, all the essential elements for cooperative innovation are available. The Institute is a source for new ideas and a partner in research at the micro and nano scales while the cleanroom facilities provide the resources for companies to transform ideas into applications. Also critical to our success is the ongoing support of our local government and the entrepreneurial spirit shared by all involved in MESA+,” Luizink says. There is also a constant drive to excel and push research to the next level. This is largely achieved through MESA+ International Ventures, a complementary arm of MESA+ that constantly scouts and screens new technologies for market potential and helping to attract finance for those that make it to the spin-off company stage. “With the ambition and spirit to reach the major league in nanotechnology, and with the support of all MESA+ stakeholders, MESA+ is looking forward to a bright future – to the benefit of excellent research and business development,” Luizink says.

SolMateS, 35th spin off of MESA+ SolMateS is a research company specialized in functional thin films and coatings. By offering high-tech know-how, competencies and expertise, SolMateS anticipates and fulfils the needs of innovative industrial partners. SolMateS is carrying out: • Technical Consultancy • Applied R&D • Material analysis • Product development • Prototyping & low-volume production Added value by coatings and thin films A coating or thin film is often a crucial product component, adding new or improved properties to the product. A coating can for example add anti-bacterial, biocompatible, wear resistant or anti-reflective properties to existing products. More information on SolMateS can be found on their website www.solmates.nl

University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
T: +

31 53 489 2715

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31 53 489 2575

E: info@mesaplus.utwente.nl

www.mesaplus.utwente.nl

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PAUL BORM ASKS WHETHER THE EXPLOSION IN NANOPARTICLE APPLICATION IN PRODUCTS SHOULD TAKE A STEP BACK TO ASSESS THE RISKS INVOLVED OR WHETHER BEST PRACTICES OR REGULATION CAN HELP TO LIMIT THE RISK.

A classical dilemma for Nanotechnologies
Nanoscience and nanotechnologies are set to transform industrial production and the economy over the coming decades and there is no denying the enormous impact they are likely to have on society as a whole. Already we are seeing a rapidly increasing market for nanotechnology-based products. Medical devices, such as heart valves, drug delivery systems and imaging techniques, electronic components, scratch-free paint, sports equipment, wrinkle and stain-resistant fabrics, sun creams and cosmetics are examples of areas where Nanoscience is having an impact. In Europe, the estimated market for such products is currently around €2.5 billion, and predicted to rise to hundreds of billions of euro by 2015 - and even one trillion thereafter. Perhaps the most significant potential of nanotechnology is the prospect of creating a cleaner environment. Nanotechnology is leading to a bottom-up, as opposed to a top-down, approach to fabrication techniques, while advances in nanoparticle science are helping to enhance the efficiencies of existing technologies and materials, from cleaner fuel to greener energy production. Bulk nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide, Magnetic particles are emerging in a range of applications with enormous possibilities. They are being used for the treatment of brain tumours by amorphous silica and iron oxides are already well established in a range of consumer products including food additives, pigments, paints and cosmetics. It is the growing generation of new engineered nanoparticles – magnetic, nanosilver and cerium oxide particles, for example – that we need to look at more carefully and discriminate between the good, the bad and the ugly.

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toxicology of silver-ions is well described, it is mostly based on acute spills and high concentrations. Much less data is available on effects by chronic exposure to low levels of silver-ions and nothing on silver-nanoparticles, which could act as a carrier system for local release in unintended compartments. Meanwhile, cerium oxide nanoparticles are being added to gasoline to reduce toxic exhaust emissions, such as combustion derived nanoparticles (CDNP). But again, are we replacing one toxic element for another? – Right now, it is unclear whether the emission of cerium oxide could itself be potentially hazardous, although it is clear that the reduction of emission of CDNP is significant. What emerges is a risk-benefit evaluation, with incomplete information on the risk side. This is typically the dilemma for many applications of nanoparticles. It appears that we do not have a full understanding or appreciation of the longer term implications or toxic effects of free, as opposed to fixed or biodegradable, nanoparticles. Currently there is no conceptual understanding of the properties of engineered nanoparticles that could cause toxicity, or the routes through which they could be taken up and distributed by the body. This makes nanotechnology a slippery customer for regulators (ENDS, 2007) since a huge area of legislation (for example, environment, food, workers) is affected and it needs to be seriously discussed whether REACH, the new chemical inventory system in the EU, is applicable and valid for nano-materials. More research is needed to develop good test methods and understanding of how nanoparticles act in our body and the environment. On the other hand, funding is mainly invested to further stimulate nanotechnology to develop new materials and products for EU economy. So should we go full speed ahead to develop these technologies? Or is it time to slow down and develop the necessary risk and technology assessments needed first, so we can move forward in total safety in creating, improving and enhancing products that are likely to have a major impact on all life? The discussion on the application of the precautionary principle to nanotechnologies has been initiated but received relatively little attention. Recently Renn and Roco (2006) defined four generations of nanotechnology products with the four risk issue categories. Their approach implies that there is a clear link between the time of development of a nanotechnology product and the type of risk issue that pertains to it. Accordingly, only future nanotechnology products would generate ‘uncertain’ and ‘ambiguous’ risk issues. In a recent report the Dutch health council (2006) has forwarded an approach that concentrates on the risk issues that accompany the use of nanoproducts, rather than place the nanotechnology products themselves into the risk issue categories. One thing is sure: to fully comprehend and use its possibilities, a renaissance of science and education is needed, accompanied by open minds. This may include a re-evaluation and re-organisation of our toxicology approaches that set root in another time (Borm, 2002). Professor Paul Borm is director of the Centre of Expertise in Life Sciences (CEL) at Hogeschool Zuyd, Heerlen, the Netherlands. CEL is partner in a number of initiatives that act on the interface between Life Sciences and Nanotechnology, including the Centre for Sustainable environment (CSE), which has Nano and Environment as a key topic. Further reading 1. Nanotechnology: a slippery customer for regulators. September 2007, ENDS Europe. 2. Renn O. & M.C. Roco, 2006. White paper on nanotechnology risk governance. White paper no. 2. Geneva: International Risk Governance Council; www.irgc.org. 3. Health Council of the Netherlands, 2006. Health significance of nanotechnologies. The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands; publication no. 2006/06E; www.healthcouncil.nl. 4. Borm, PJA (2002) Particle Toxicology: from coal mining to Nanotechnology. Inhal Toxicol 14:311-324.

hyperthermia, as contrast agents to enable MRI-mediated tumour detection, drug delivery, detection and capturing of biomarkers, and in remediation by capturing toxic elements such as arsenic. The potential is great. In land remediation, for example, the potential cost savings may be tremendous. Some nanoparticles are capable of absorbing and/or converting toxic heavy metals in the soil and remove the costly need for pumping contaminated groundwater to the surface for treatment. Nanosilver coatings are known for their anti-microbial action and are being increasingly used in a range of products from self-cleaning clothes, toothpastes, roof tiles, sandwich boxes and washing machines. Although the principle is based on the slow formation and release of silverions, there is little information on the influence of wear on these products and the release of silver nanoparticles from their coating into the media. Although the

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Medical nanotechnology and

Governance
“GOVERNANCE” IS A TERM OFTEN BANDIED ABOUT BY POLITICIANS AND OTHERS THESE DAYS. BUT WHAT EXACTLY DOES “GOVERNANCE” MEAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN APPLIED TO INNOVATIVE NEW AREAS LIKE MEDICAL NANOTECHNOLOGY.
n our regular series on issues linked to medical nanotechnology, Richard Moore examines the notion of “governance”, what it may mean to different stakeholders and how it may affect medical nanotechnology, especially on a European level. What do we mean by “governance”? The term “governance” derives from the Latin suggesting a notion of “steering”. This sense of “steering” a society can be contrasted with the traditional ”top-down” approach of a government “driving” society or the distinction between “power to” in contrast to a government’s “power over”. However, the term “governance” may be taken to mean different things by different people and groups in society. It is therefore important to define a common understanding of the term “governance” in order to avoid considerable confusion. Taking the differing types of interpretation into account, the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC) decided to address the question of governance in relation to nanotechnology in a white paper in June 2006.

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Governance and nanotechnology In relation to the governance of risks associated with nanotechnology, the IRGC suggests that governance includes the processes, conventions and institutions that determine:
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usually within networks, with the goal of making best use of their respective resources, skills, and capabilities for reaching specific ends or purposes. In such a system, permeable and flexible system boundaries facilitate communication and support the achievement of higher level goals, while the government role also continues. These assumptions underline the switch from government alone to governance in debates about the modernisation of policy systems, implying a transition from “constraining” to “enabling” types of policy or regulation (i.e. a move from “sticks” to “carrots”). Governance and medical nanotechnology In relation to non-pharmaceutical medical nanotechnology, governance must also be viewed in the legislative context of the three medical device directives, i.e.
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how power is exercised in view of managing resources and interests how important decisions are made and conflicts resolved how interactions among and between the key actors in the field are organised and structured how resources, skills and capabilities are developed and mobilised for reaching desired outcomes; and how various stakeholders are accorded participation in these processes.

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Here, governance is seen as implying a move away from the previous governmental approach, which could be characterised as a top-down legislative approach attempting to regulate the behaviour of people and institutions in quite detailed and compartmentalised ways, towards a joint effort of industrial, public and civil society actors,

Active Implantable Medical Device Directive (90/385/EEC) Medical Device Directive (93/42/EEC) In-vitro Diagnostic Medical Device Directive (98/79/EC)

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All three of these directives are “new approach” and echo the move from “constraining” or prescriptive European legislation to a more flexible “enabling” and innovation-friendly form. All three are also firmly based on a principle of risk analysis and risk management and utilise a supporting voluntary harmonised European Standard, EN ISO 14971. The IRGC White Paper suggests a cyclical risk governance approach to nanotechnology incorporating pre-assessment, risk appraisal, risk tolerability and acceptability judgement (including the need for risk reduction measures) and risk management, supported at all stages by risk communication activities. This model closely follows the conceptual framework of EN ISO 14971 which also includes hazard identification, risk analysis, risk reduction, risk/benefit judgement, risk management and risk communication. It can be concluded, therefore, that the medical technology industry and their regulators are already well-prepared for the challenges posed by nanotechnology-led innovation and this view appears to be currently supported by discussions within the new technologies working group of the European Commission’s Medical Device Expert Group. While EN ISO 1497 does not currently address nanotechnologies, the basic conceptual framework is considered by many in the industry to be suitable with possible appropriate additional guidance required on hazards and associated risks particular to nanotechnology. In this respect, the IRGC White Paper proposes “four generations” of nanotechnology products: 1. Passive nanostructures (fixed functionality). An example in medical nanotechnology could be nanocontoured implant surfaces 2. Active nanostructures, i.e. functionality will change in response to external stimuli. Medical technology examples could include sensors that can detect and respond to changes in physiological conditions in the body, and targeted cancer therapies based on paramagnetic nanoparticles 3. Integrated nanosystems that combine active subsystems, for example artificial organs built from nanoscale and evolutionary nanobiosystems. 4. Products based on heterogeneous molecular systems built from the bottomup, rather than manufactured using topdown fabrication methods. These could include for example nanoscale gene therapies and molecules designed to self-assemble. For the purposes of risk governance the IRGC White Paper further divides these four generations into two “frames of reference” with generation one “passive nanostructures” in the first frame and generations two to four in the second frame. It has been considered that “frame one knowledge” is fairly complete for passive nanostructures whereas the knowledge associated with active nanostructures is less certain due to lack of risk-related know-how. For integrated nanosystems and molecular systems, knowledge is deemed ambiguous due to lack of clarity on scientific and technological development and on societal impacts. Current medical technology innovation is certainly active at the first and second levels with products at levels three and four still in early stage research. Perceptions by different stakeholders of the process of governance in relation to medical nanotechnology To some extent, the way different actors perceive medical nanotechnology and the form of governance that should be applied to it can also be related to their type of involvement, their institutional culture and their perception of the risks of the technologies. The medical technology industry for example has, since 1990, been used to an “enabling” non-prescriptive form of European legislation. It believes that it has the measures in place for self-control or, at least co-regulation, based on a risk management approach inherent in the current legislation. It therefore favours a continuation of that system, or at least the key fundamental principles enshrined within it. The pharmaceutical industry, on the other hand, is governed by a more prescriptive form of European legislation and has formulated its systems to gather the information demanded by that regulatory regime. Here, we see a somewhat more “top down” system of governance, which is somewhat at variance to the IRGC model, where governmental representatives essentially set the limits and boundaries as to what is acceptable and what is not in terms of risk. While many regulators involved with such prescriptive legislation themselves believe it to be “safer” it is highly arguable whether this is actually the reality. Such legislation is inherently innovation-unfriendly because it cannot evolve quickly enough to keep up with scientific advances and was originally designed to deal with a scenario, e.g. massproduced pharmaceuticals, which is quite different to the increasingly individual patient-centred type of therapy which nanomedicine will facilitate. In addition, the timescales involved in regulatory approval of pharmaceutical products are a major disincentive to investment in novel nanomedicine-based therapies as there will be a long period before major R&D costs can be recouped through sales. Two groups of stakeholders who are often left out of debates concerning governance are the medical professionals and the patients and much is decided which affects them by parties who are not directly affected by the technologies. It is this author’s view that novel technologies such as nanomedicine should be driven by user needs and that the system governance applied by way of regulation should reflect these needs, taking into account both safety of the technology and accessibility to the treatment as well as the needs of regulatory certainty, which will facilitate the R&D process and the commercial needs of the manufacturers of nanomedical products. A lack of such an ongoing dialogue between these various parties, as recommended by the IRGC, will surely result in governance that is ultimately unsuitable, confusing and inadequate. Richard Moore is Manager of Nanomedicine and Life Sciences at the Institute of Nanotechnology Further reading: 1. “Risk governance and nanotechnology”, International Risk Governance Council, White Paper No. 2, Ortwin Renn and Mike Roco

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Gulf War Syndrome:
Could nanopathology unravel some of the causes?
WEAPONS MADE FROM DEPLETED URANIUM HAVE BECOME A COMMON FEATURE OF WAR. WHEN THEY EXPLODE, NANO-SIZED POLLUTANTS FILL THE AIR BEFORE FALLING TO REST ON LAND OR SEA WHERE THEY CAN ENTER THE FOOD CHAIN. DR ANTONIETTA GATTI EXPLAINS WHY THESE NANO-POLLUTANTS COULD BE THE CAUSE OF THE UNEXPLAINED, DEVASTATING SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED BY MANY GULF WAR VETERANS.
The symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome are strange and varied, ranging from disorders of the immune system to neurological diseases to birth defects. The array of symptoms experienced has made the condition difficult to classify or to identify a single cause. Radioactivity from depleted uranium shells, which were introduced to the battlefield in the first Gulf War, is frequently blamed for the increased incidence of symptoms among veterans and residents of this and other wars, such as the Balkan and second Gulf War. However, depleted uranium is actually not highly radioactive. In fact, the chemical toxicity posed by depleted uranium is much greater. Of even greater significance are the tiny particles of simple or combined metals that form in the air following the explosion of depleted uranium. These micro- and nano-particles can linger in the air, where they can be inhaled, or fall to rest on grass, vegetables, plants and water, where they can be ingested by humans and animals. Dr Gatti, who heads the Laboratory of Biomaterials at the University of Modena, provided the first evidence of the existence of micro- and nano-particles in human tissue using a novel electron scanning microscopy technique developed in her laboratories. “Researchers at the School of Leuven demonstrated the passage of 100 nanometre particles through the lung barrier and we verified the ingestion of

porcelain debris from the super-wear of dental prostheses, their passage through the bowel into the blood, and their accumulation in the liver and kidneys,” she explains. “This proved a dissemination of particles in the internal organs is possible and capable of inducing a reaction locally or systemically if they remain in the blood.” The tiny metallic particles created following the explosion of depleted uranium can also be inhaled and ingested. Inside the body they may travel to the brain, organs and gonads and inflict a range of conditions from neurological disorders to reproductive problems, such as those experienced by sufferers of Gulf War Syndrome. Dr Gatti believes this could be a form of nanopathology, which was previously virtually impossible to detect. Gulf War Syndrome is characterised by a range of strange symptoms that don’t fit into any one particular known illness. These recent studies, which highlight the possibility of nanoparticles, produced following the explosion of depleted uranium, reaching different areas of the body, suggest the condition could be a form of nanopathology. Dr Antonietta Gatti is a physicist and bioengineer and the founder and director of the Laboratory of Biomaterials at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy. She discovered the existence of microand nano-particles in biological tissues and of their pathological effects.

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Talking about...

Nanogeneration
degrees of urgency. At the other end of the scale, the importance of small actions of carbon reduction is being trumpeted with increasing regularity. All home owners are rightly encouraged to switch off, insulate well and condemn the standby facility to a luxury of yesteryear. Similarly, small acts of ‘green’ power generation – ‘microgeneration’ - are becoming fashionable. But there’s another level of alternative generation that is, at present, unheralded and which will become more and more relevant as technological development gathers pace – nanogeneration. That is the ‘greening up’ of everyday products so that they are as near to self-sufficient in terms of energy consumption as is possible. A not insignificant proportion of the ‘cleantech’ sector now comprises operations that leverage nanotechnology to improve the generation or sustainability of energy. Nanogeneration is set to play a huge role in the alternative energy of the future. It is not reliant on Government subsidy or the Grid and represents an affordable way for the general public to play a role in the generation of green power. Photosynthesis Consider this: The Energy Savings Trust estimates that mobile phone chargers left plugged in waste over £60m and are responsible for a quarter of a million tonnes of CO2 in the UK every year. Collectively, the UK’s mobile phone chargers play a notable role in household emissions, not to mention the plethora of other portable electronic goods which are found in the average household. Now consider the fact that all it would take to wipe out these emissions would be the introduction of a small photovoltaic device to replace each charger – one which is flexible, durable, cheap to produce and works in ambient (indoor) or low light conditions. This is not a pipe-dream. G24 Innovations, has built an 187,000 sq ft plant in Cardiff to manufacture this technological breakthrough in fourth generation solar cells - DyeSensitised Solar Cells (DSSC) or, commonly, the ‘Graetzel Cell’ - on a large scale. Solar power technology in use for the last 25 years is based on the silicon wafer which is fragile, difficult to manufacture and therefore hard to integrate into new products. G24i technology imitates nature’s own evolution using a simple dye based system to absorb light and turn it into electricity. The product is light, flexible and robust, presenting many new opportunities to integrate renewable power into many applications.

CLEMENS BETZEL, PRESIDENT OF G24 INNOVATIONS, INTRODUCES A NEW AND EXCITING FORM OF ‘GREEN ENERGY’ GENERATION THAT WILL HELP DRIVE DOWN CARBON EMISSIONS WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON MODERN DAY LIFE.
e are, as a society, beginning to accept that climate change is a challenge of monumental proportions. Huge problems demand huge solutions – a fact that governments and businesses are grasping with varying

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DSSC technology was originally developed by Dr Michael Graetzel, a member of the G24i Advisory Board, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). G24i represents the commercialisation of over eighteen years of research and development, combining innovative material science and nanotechnology to generate renewable power in a process similar to photosynthesis. Changing the batteries Besides effective and mass-manufactured solar chargers for mobile phones, we expect the technology to have a number of applications which bring renewable energy to the fore in new and exciting areas. Portable electronic devices are becoming lighter, more sophisticated and increasingly power hungry. The challenge is that there is only so much power that can be safely stored in such small devices. DSSC technology is designed to help address this battery bottleneck and the resulting power shortfall. Indeed, the growth of nanogeneration will ultimately replace the battery as we know it – the least efficient form of energy storage. The average battery uses up to thirty times more energy in production than it can ever deliver in power! Insignificant in itself but when one considers the sheer number of everyday products which are currently reliant on battery power, the importance of this issue becomes less clouded. What’s more, batteries are an expensive medium for electricity storage, exceeding consumer costs of mains electricity by a factor of between 35 and 350. A combination of ethics and economics should effect a quicker pace of change. Advanced solar cells can also be embedded in intelligent fabrics to be used in jackets, tents and umbrellas which can power mobile electronic devices. As businesses become more energy conscious building-integrated products such as awnings, shades, signage and windows will help them cut day-to-day office energy usage and reduce their carbon footprint. Solar nanogeneration will also present the mobile and energy-reliant military and emergency services with flexible alternative power systems that are integrated into textiles and portable structures. The possibilities are almost overwhelming. Impacting lives Nanogeneration can then have a small but certainly not insignificant role to play in the West’s bid to drive down carbon without compromising on modern-day living. Everyday products at home, at work and on the move will be adapted to play a role in reducing our reliance on traditional power generation. But nanogeneration is likely to have its biggest impact in the developing world, introducing sustainable clean energy and making a real impact on billions of individual lives. Energy access in the developing world can be scarce, is often unreliable and is always expensive. As a result, more than two billion people in the world have no access to electricity. IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank and World Resources Institute, recently issued a report which found that a lack of clean, affordable energy is part of the poverty trap in the developing world. Pollution from the indoor use of harmful fuels for cooking and lighting leads to significant health problems. And the higher cost of inefficient energy-using devices adds to the cost of being poor. As nanogeneration gathers pace, it can help address these problems. Home LED lighting, water purification, radio and mobile telephony become attainable for the very first time. If, at G24i, we dedicated our 30MW production capacity to create two watt dyesensitised solar cell chargers with integrated LED lights (replacing traditional, harmful paraffin lighting), the developing world could save 1.5 million tons of CO2 annually while saving money and improving health. Increasing our production to 200MW could equate to 10 million tons of CO2 saved in the developing world. G24i is but one example of how advances in technology have brought nanogeneration into play. These are real power solutions which have a clear role to play in the future energy mix. Microgeneration and nanogeneration can live alongside Gridbased systems. Indeed they are symbiotic, with local generation reducing the need for spare generation capacity to cope with spikes in demand. With the right backing and commercial partnerships, nanogeneration will have a huge impact. Clemens Betzel is the president of G24 Innovations. He is a former president of International Operations, Europe at United Technologies Corporation and represented UTC with EU institutions and all European national governments. He is an advocate on regulatory and commercial activities, market analysis and sales support on all levels in Europe and represented UTC as a member of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU.

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NanoArt

Stefano Raimondi provides an art critic view on a new art movement
AS IN THE LAST CENTURY, WITH ALL THE “-ISMS” AND OTHER NOUNS AS IN THE LAST CENTURY, WITH ALL THE “-ISMS” AND OTHER NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES WITH WHICH VARIOUS ARTISTIC MOVEMENTS WERE AND ADJECTIVES WITH WHICH VARIOUS ARTISTIC MOVEMENTS WERE DESCRIBED, BOTH CONTEMPORANEOUSLY BY THE PARTICIPANTS, AND DESCRIBED, BOTH CONTEMPORANEOUSLY BY THE PARTICIPANTS, AND LATER BY HISTORIANS AND CRITICS, THE TERM NANOART SIGNIFIES, IN LATER BY HISTORIANS AND CRITICS, THE TERM NANOART SIGNIFIES, IN ITS ICONIC ESSENCE, A NEW WAY OF “MAKING ART”. NANOART IS A ITS ICONIC ESSENCE, A NEW WAY OF “MAKING ART”. NANOART IS A CREATIVE, AESTHETIC PROCESS WHICH MAKES USE, BOTH IN ITS CREATIVE, AESTHETIC PROCESS WHICH MAKES USE, BOTH IN ITS RESEARCH AND ITS REALISATION, OF NANOTECHNOLOGY. RESEARCH AND ITS REALISATION, OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.

n objection which is often made to claims for the “newness” of Nanoart is that, since the remotest times of using wood and stone as an extension of the human hand, right up to today, artists have always used increasingly sophisticated technology in their creations. But it is precisely in this practice that we see the essential difference: Nanoart not only uses technology, but is inseparable from it in the creative process phase. The interest this new form of art arouses stems from some peculiar characteristics which it brings to light. The space in which the artworks are created is “infinitely small”, and this very concept of the infinite, whether large or small, brings with it innumerable, fascinating, questions. I believe that it is difficult to approach the infinite without feeling a lively curiosity, strong enough to overcome fear: in the ancient metaphor, to go with eyes open beyond the Pillars of Hercules. Further, it means accepting an implicit pact of unknowing: the infinite, by definition,

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cannot be finally and exhaustively revealed, cannot be “consumed”. Nanoart goes a step further: it removes the direct view of the image, and cancels the acquired superiority of sight. This is both a paradox and a provocation, as there has been in every revolutionary artistic movement. The paradox, of course, is that for a visual art we are offered a “non-vision”. With nanotechnology the work is inscribed on a silicon wafer, but even with the help of a microscope, which is essentially a substitute for the eye, it cannot be seen completely, but is only suggested. And here lies the radical nature of the idea: the spectator is expected to contribute personally to the creation of the work. With the help of a title, to give some help and establish a context, he has to finally use his “interior eye” and reawaken his imagination, hitherto blocked and handicapped by so many, too many invasive external images. Here is the crux of Nanoart. If we don’t want to dismiss it as a banal but eccentric curiosity, we must accept it a form

of contemporary art. It is true what Maurizio Nannucci shows in the title of his work, that All Art Has Been Contemporary, and so the simple use of an advanced technology puts Nanoart in this position. But it is above all consideration of the social and historical context that it brings into play, and the concentration of meaning offered by the artworks themselves, like those in the image, realized by the artists Alessandro Scali and Robin Goode, which places it fully in the world of art. We cannot yet know the future path that it will follow, but surely the interest in this art form, expressed both by the scientific as well as the arts community is a first, important point of departure. The possibilities for development, like the space they are inscribed on, are infinite. As the infinitely small increasingly interacts with our daily reality, the innate curiosity of the artist will do the rest. Dr Stefano Raimondi is as art critic and curator.

More information is available at www.nanoart.it

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