Daily Archives: May 18, 2017

A tiny amount of squeezing or stretching can produce a big boost in catalytic performance, according to a new study led by scientists at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

The discovery, published in Nature Communications, focuses on an industrial catalyst known as cerium oxide, or ceria, a spongy material commonly used in catalytic converters, self-cleaning ovens and various green-energy applications, such as fuel cells and solar water splitters.

Ceria stores and releases oxygen as needed, like a sponge, says study co-author Will Chueh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford and a faculty scientist at SLAC. We discovered that stretching and compressing ceria by a few percent dramatically increases its oxygen storage capacity. This finding overturns conventional wisdom about oxide materials and could lead to better catalysts.

Ceria has long been used in catalytic converters to help remove air pollutants from vehicle exhaust systems.

In your car, ceria grabs oxygen from poisonous nitrogen oxide, creating harmless nitrogen gas, says study lead author Chirranjeevi Balaji Gopal, a former postdoctoral researcher at Stanford. Ceria then releases the stored oxygen and uses it to convert lethal carbon monoxide into benign carbon dioxide.

Studies have shown that squeezing and stretching ceria causes nanoscale changes that affect its ability to store oxygen.

The oxygen storage capacity of ceria is critical to its effectiveness as a catalyst, says study co-author Aleksandra Vojvodic, a former staff scientist at SLAC now at the University of Pennsylvania, who led the computational aspect of this work. The theoretical expectation based on previous studies is that stretching ceria would increase its capacity to store oxygen, while compressing would lower its storage capacity.

To test this prediction, the research team grew ultrathin films of ceria, each just a few nanometers thick, on top of substrates made of different materials. This process subjected the ceria to stress equal to 10,000 times the Earths atmosphere. This enormous stress caused the molecules of ceria to separate and squeeze together a distance of less than one nanometer.

Typically, materials like ceria relieve stress by forming defects in the film. But atomic-scale analysis revealed a surprise.

Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to resolve the position of individual atoms, we showed that the films remain stretched or compressed without forming such defects, allowing the stress to remain in full force, says Robert Sinclair, a professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford.

To measure the impact of stress under real-world operating conditions, the researchers analyzed the ceria samples using the brilliant beams of X-ray light produced at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratorys Advanced Light Source.

The results were even more surprising.

We discovered that the strained films exhibited a fourfold increase in the oxygen storage capacity of ceria, Gopal says. It doesnt matter if you stretch it or compress it. You get a remarkably similar increase.

The high-stress technique used by the research team is readily achievable through nanoengineering, Chueh adds.

This discovery has significant implications on how to nanoengineer oxide materials to improve catalytic efficiency for energy conversion and storage, he says. Its important for developing solid oxide fuel cells and other green-energy technologies, including new ways to make clean fuels from carbon dioxide or water.

Other Stanford co-authors of the study are Max Garcia-Melchor, now at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), and graduate students Sang Chul Lee, Zixuan Guan, Yezhou Shi, and Matteo Monti. Additional co-authors are Andrey Shavorskiy of Lund University (Sweden) and Hendrik Bluhm of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy.

Source: Stanford University

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Performance of Key Industrial Catalyst Boosted by Nanotech - Controlled Environments Magazine

Wrinkle-smoothing hyaluronic acid can now be introduced into the skin without injections, thanks to an Israeli research team that spent years developing a nanotechnology for this purpose.

Facial wrinkles, lines and sagging result from the bodys gradual loss of its ability to produce hyaluronic acid.

In the past, treatments of hyaluronic acid couldnt get into the skins deepest layers except by injection or in a powder form that must be mixed with water and therefore loses its potency.

That problem was solved by a research team headed by Prof. Rachel Lubart and Prof. Aharon Gedanken from the departments of chemistry and physics and Bar-Ilan Universitys Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA).

The Israeli scientists achieved this breakthrough by micronizing hyaluronic acid.

Based on this development, Israeli cosmeceuticals pioneer Hava Zingboim has created Prophecy, the first-ever cream formula that allows hyaluronic acid to penetrate into the deeper skin layers.

Facial skin before (above) and after treatment with Prophecy hyaluronic acid cream pioneered in Israel. Photo courtesy of Bar-Ilan University

Once they reach nano size, the hyaluronic acid molecules are transferred into the formula, which enables them to remain nano-sized throughout the process.

According to a university statement, this is the only technology in the world capable of creating small molecules that remain small even when applied to the skin.

The effect of the micronized hyaluronic acid applied to the skin is identical to the effect achieved when injecting hyaluronic acid into the skin, with the benefits of enhanced skin texture and a younger look.

Prophecy will be available in Israel shortly for 575 (about $160) per 60 grams (2.11 ounces) and will be marketed globally in September.

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Israeli research leads to unique nanotech wrinkle cream - ISRAEL21c

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 18, 2017) - Nanotech Security Corp. (TSX VENTURE: NTS) (OTCQX: NTSFF) is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced bought deal private placement with a syndicate of Canadian underwriters (the "Underwriters"), pursuant to which the Company issued 11,586,870 common shares (the "Shares") of the Company at a price of $1.15 per Share for gross proceeds of $13,324,900.50 (the "Offering"). The Offering included the Underwriters exercising their over-allotment option for an additional 1,152,087 common shares.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering to simplify and improve Nanotech's capital structure by immediately redeeming the $4.2 million of convertible debentures that bear an interest rate of 12% per annum and are convertible at $1.25, to increase production capacity, strengthen the balance sheet and general corporate initiatives.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements about the proposed financing. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "predicts", "potential", "targeted" "plans", "possible" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about opportunities that could accelerate the growth of the Company and use of proceeds are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by risk factors contained in our public filings at http://www.sedar.com and there can be no assurance that actual results or developments that we currently anticipate, including completion of the financing, will be realized. Nanotech disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

This news release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities described in this news release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of such laws.

About Nanotech Security

Nanotech Security Corp. has been a leading innovator in the design and production of advanced banknote and commercial branding authentication products. Nanotech's KolourOptikand Plasmogram products are nanotechnology based optical imaging product platforms originally inspired by the unique optical properties of the iridescent wings of the Blue Morpho butterfly. Our nano-optical products produce intense, high definition optically-variable images and colour-shift optical thin films. Activated by a simple tilt or rotation, with higher resolutions than the best LED-displays, they are ideal for authentication of currency, passports, and identification cards in addition to distinguishing branded goods from counterfeits.

Additional information about Nanotech can be found at the Company's website http://www.nanosecurity.ca, the Canadian disclosure filings website http://www.sedar.com or the OTCMarkets disclosure filings website http://www.otcmarkets.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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Nanotech Security Corp. Announces Closing of $13.3 Million Bought ... - Marketwired (press release)

Working together with scientists and medical researchers at University of Miami, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of California, and the University of Notre Dame, Khizroev, and his research team, are using nanotechnology as an option to fight cancer in humans in the near future. The technology has already proved successful in treating certain cancers in mice. Currently, they are applying this nanotechnology to cure brain tumors, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and others. Heres how it works:

Engineers prepare tiny particles known as magnetoelectric nanoparticles, or MENs, which have an electrical charge that allows them to uniquely locate specific cancer cells in the body. Unlike any other nanoparticles, MENs lets researchers use externally applied magnetic fields to control intrinsic electric fields at the sub-cellular level, and thus provide a way to simultaneously see and treat cancer cells.

Current cancer treatments have limitations. Patients develop multidrug resistance, and chemotherapy may stop working at some point during the course of treatment. These nanoparticles are so tiny that doctors can send them in, non-invasively, as many times as needed with no lasting side effects.

The research has been partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation (NSCFF), Department of Defense, and National Institutes of Health (NIH), with a combined amount of approximately $1 million.

Emmanuel Stimphil, one of the researchers working toward his Ph.D. in electrical engineering, finds inspiration in the possibility of a cure. Cancer is not biased. I have not lost anyone to cancer, but it can strike anyone, and knowing that is what drives me, Stimphil says. Ultimately, this technology may help families that have lost someone to cancer, and I would be doing my part to make the world a better place.

To describe the fundamental physics that underlies the new treatment, this April, Khizroev and Stimphil, along with research colleagues Abhignyan Nagesetti, Rakesh Guduru, Tiffanie Stewart, Alexandra Rodzinski, and Ping Liang published the paper, Physics consideration in targeted anticancer drug delivery by magnetoelectric nanoparticles, in the prestigious journal, Applied Physics Reviews.

Cancer is a disease malfunction that takes place at the most fundamental level, Khizroev says. The treatment also needs to be done at the fundamental level.

The next step for the team is more animal studies, and then preclinical studies. Within a few years, the researchers hope to be offering human clinical trials, and bringing society closer to a cure.

Source: Florida International University

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Nanotech Provides Personalized Cancer Treatment - Controlled Environments Magazine