The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in The Netherlands concludes that some adjustments are needed in the European chemicals legislation REACH to assess and control the risks of nanomaterials.

Chemical Nanotechnology Talks (CNT) is an event for international participants, stressing chemical nanotechnology. Every year there is a focus on a particular theme. This year's focus, on January 26-27 in Frankfurt/Germany lies on 'Green Nano: Challenges of Sustainability' including themes like resources, energy and environment.

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are the divas of the nanoworld. In possession of alluring properties, they are also notoriously temperamental compared to their carbon-based cousins.

According to the foundations of quantum mechanics, two different given paths for quantum particles may interfere. Such a so-called 'double-slit' scenario is put forward devoid of material constituents, consisting instead entirely of light.

A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and systems, today announced a battery supply agreement with Fisker Automotive, a new American automaker building premium green vehicles.

CRAIC Technologies, the leader in UV-visible-NIR microspectroscopy innovation, today unveiled the ability to control the temperature of samples being analyzed spectoscopically.

A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and battery systems, today announced details related to the further expansion of the company's United States manufacturing capacity.

One important aspect of clothing comfort is thermo-physiological comfort. By adjusting the transport of heat and moisture through a fabric, thermo-physiological comfort can keep people comfortable with regard to temperature and moisture. Some hydrophobic fabrics have deficiencies in this area. Take wool. Wool is one of the best insulating fibers known to man - while at the same time being light and soft. The quality that distinguishes wool fibers is the presence of a fatty, water-repellent outer layer that surrounds each fiber. Therefore, the water absorption and sweat venting properties of wool fiber are not very good, which affects the wearing comfort of wool textiles. The wool hydrophobic surface layer is also a barrier to anticrease finishing, dyeing, and grafting of hydrophilic agents, which is an issue in trying to add smart functionalities to wool fabrics.
Researchers have now developed a simple method for fabricating environmentally stable superhydrophilic wool fabrics. They applied silica sols to natural wool fibers to form an ultrathin layer on the surface of the fibers.

Dramatically enhanced image contrast could revolutionize diagnostics and therapeutics.

By combining several advanced device concepts, Yukio Kawano and colleagues of the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, Wako, have succeeded in building a highly sensitive THz detector that is capable of sensing just a handful of THz photons at a time.

The theme for this year's conference is 'SoC in Cloud Computing'.

Building microscopic materials known as superlattices on the surface of gold may lead to a treasure for researchers interested in faster, smaller, and more energy efficient computing devices.

A project to expand production of units for applying modified coatings of a single nanometer thickness on materials and goods with the help of a plasma magnetron discharge has won approval from the Supervisory Council of RUSNANO.

The products to come from this project are membrane plating and membranous roll-fed modules that are used in the process of filtration and reverse osmosis.

The precious metal gold is the material of choice for many technical applications because it does not corrode - and because it also has interesting electrical, magnetic, and optical properties. In these applications, it is extremely important that the surface of the gold be completely clean and smooth. However, conventional processes not only 'polish' away the undesirable irregularities, but also attack the gold surface.

Presto Engineering Inc., the pioneer of the labless business model for semiconductor companies, announced today that it has received $2 million in funding to support its expansion and future growth in Europe.

GenISys GmbH, provider of high-performance software solutions for nanoscale fabrication, today announced an agreement with Juspertor UG that will significantly enhance its existing Layout BEAMER and Layout LAB products.

Experts and the public generally differ in their perceptions of technology risk. While this might be due to social and demographic factors, it is generally assumed by scientists who conduct risk research that experts' risk assessments are based more strongly on actual or perceived knowledge about a technology than lay people's risk assessments. Nevertheless, whether the risks are real or not, the public perception of an emerging technology will have a major influence on the acceptance of this technology and its commercial success. If the public perception turns negative, potentially beneficial technologies will be severely constrained as is the case for instance with gene technology. It is not surprising that a new study found that, in general, nanoscientists are more optimistic than the public about the potential benefits of nanotechnology. What is surprising though, is that, for some issues related to the environmental and long-term health impacts of nanotechnology, nanoscientists seem to be significantly more concerned than the public. Arguing that risk communication on nanotechnologies requires target-specific approaches, a group of researchers in Germany advocate the development of communication strategies that help people to comprehend nanotechnology, to differentiate between the fields of application and to gain an understanding of the cause and effect chains.

The new homepage of the Laboratory for Attosecond Physics at Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Ludwig Maximilian's University of Munich gives an insight into their research on ultrafast processes in nature.

The most important new pieces of equipment of the Center include Finland's first next-generation transmission electron microscopes.