I have two items on quantum dots today. The first concerns a toxicity study performed on primates at the University of Buffalo (NY, USA). From the May 22, 2012 news item by Will Soutter for Azonano,

A multi-institute toxicity study on quantum dots in primates has discovered that these nanocrystals are safe for a period of one year.

This finding is encouraging for researchers and physicians looking for novel techniques to treat diseases such as cancer using nanomedicine. The organizations involved in the study included the University at Buffalo, Nanyang Technological University, ChangChun University of Science and Technology, and the Chinese PLA General Hospital.

On digging a little further, I found this information on the University of Buffalo website, from their May 21, 2012 news release,

– Tiny luminescent crystals called quantum dots hold great promise as tools for treating and detecting diseases like cancer.

– A pioneering study to gauge the toxicity of quantum dots in primates has found cadmium-selenide quantum dots to be safe over intervals of time ranging from three months to a year. The study is likely the first to test the safety of quantum dots in primates.

– The authors say more research is needed to determine quantum dots’ long-term effect on health; elevated levels of cadmium from the quantum dots were found in the primates even after 90 days.

The research, which appeared on May 20 in Nature Nanotechnology online , is likely the first to test the safety of quantum dots in primates.

In the study, scientists found that four rhesus monkeys injected with cadmium-selenide quantum dots remained in normal health over 90 days. Blood and biochemical markers stayed in typical ranges, and major organs developed no abnormalities. The animals didn’t lose weight.

Two monkeys observed for an additional year also showed no signs of illness.

The first  results are hopeful but there are some concerns,

The new toxicity study — completed by the University at Buffalo, the Chinese PLA General Hospital, China’s ChangChun University of Science and Technology, and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University — begins to address the concern of health professionals who worry that quantum dots may be dangerous to humans.

The authors caution, however, that more research is needed to determine the nanocrystals’ long-term effects in primates; most of the potentially toxic cadmium from the quantum dots stayed in the liver, spleen and kidneys of the animals studied over the 90-day period.

…

The cadmium build-up, in particular, is a serious concern that warrants further investigation, said Ken-Tye Yong, a Nanyang Technological University assistant professor who began working with Prasad [Paras N. Prasad] on the study as a postdoctoral researcher at UB.

Unusually, this article seems to be open access at Nature Nanotechnology,

A pilot study in non-human primates shows no adverse response to intravenous injection of quantum dots

Ling Ye, Ken-Tye Yong, Liwei Liu, Indrajit Roy, Rui Hu, Jing Zhu, Hongxing Cai, Wing-Cheung Law, Jianwei Liu, Kai Wang, Jing Liu, Yaqian Liu, Yazhuo Hu, Xihe Zhang, Mark T. Swihart, and Paras N. Prasad

Nature Nanotechnology (2012) doi:10.1038/nnano.2012.74

The acquisition of an Israeli quantum dot company by Merck is my second bit of quantum dot news, from the May 22, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

Merck announced today that within the scope of a capital increase by the Israeli start-up company QLight Nanotech, it is acquiring an interest in the Jerusalem-based company. QLight Nanotech is a spin-off subsidiary of Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. QLight Nanotech develops products for use in displays and energy-efficient light sources based on semiconductor nanoparticles known as quantum dots.

I understood that Merck was a pharmaceutical company so I was bit surprised to see this (from the May 22, 2012 news item on the Solid State Technology website)

“I am excited that our basic science discoveries on semiconductor nanocrystals are now being realized in innovative technological applications. The partnership with Merck, a world leader in materials for display applications, is a synergistic one allowing us at Qlight Nanotech to implement advanced chemicals manufacturing and applications’ know-how,” said the scientific founder of  QLight Nanotech, Professor Uri Banin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who will continue to support the company as a shareholder and advisor alongside of Yissum.

In fact, Merck bills itself as a pharmaceuticals and a s chemicals company.

There’s one more announcement from DRUPA (the 2012 edition of the International Trade Fair for prepress, premedia, printing, book binding, print finishing and paper converting held May 3 – 16, 2012) that I want to feature here, especially since it’s nanotechnology-related.  From the May 17, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

Landa Corporation announced the details of its groundbreaking Landa Nanographic Printing™ Presses that are set to transform mainstream commercial, packaging and publishing markets. With output speeds comparable to offset presses and employing NanoInk™ colorants that create unprecedented image qualities, the Landa Nanographic Printing™ Press portfolio is set to fundamentally change printing as we know it.

Landa Founder, Chairman and CEO Benny Landa says, “Nanography™ is a new technology for applying ink to paper. In developing Landa Nanographic Printing we had to re-think and reinvent the printing press. The result is digital printing with remarkable performance – from a family of presses that share stunning ergonomic design, a small footprint and some of the most advanced user functionality available in the market.”

There is very little technical detail which is typical of Landa’s approach. As I recall from my days working for a competitor, Indigo, Landa’s last printing company, sold presses built on proprietary software. Any printer who purchased Indigo products was locked into the ‘Indigo world’ as there was no possibility of mixing and matching products from other manufacturers.

On that note, I notice this reference to a propriety ink in Landa’s latest product announcement (May 17, 2012 news item),

At the heart of the Nanographic Printing™ process are Landa NanoInk™ colorants. Comprised of pigment particles only tens of nanometres in size (1 nanometer is about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair), these nano-pigments are extremely powerful absorbers of light and enable unprecedented image qualities. Landa Nanographic Printing is characterised by ultra-sharp dots of extremely high uniformity, high gloss fidelity and the broadest colour gamut of any four-colour printing process.

Nanographic Printing begins with the ejection of billions of microscopic droplets of water-based Landa NanoInk onto a heated blanket conveyor belt. Each droplet of aqueous NanoInk lands at a precise location on the belt, creating the colour image. As the water evaporates, the ink becomes an ultra-thin dry polymeric film, less than half the thickness of offset images.

The resulting image is then transferred to any kind of ordinary paper, coated or uncoated, or onto any plastic packaging film – without requiring pre-treatment. The NanoInk film image instantaneously bonds to the surface, forming a tough, abrasion-resistant laminated layer without leaving any residual ink on the blanket.

Since NanoInk images are already dry, there is no need for post drying. Two-sided printing becomes simple and printed goods can be immediately handled, right off the press, even in the most aggressive finishing equipment.

Given that the printing industry is not experiencing growth these days, it’ll be interesting to see if this ‘nano’ approach is going to work. My last posting about the 2012 DRUPA focused on 3-D printing and paper loudspeakers (May 4, 2012).

You just don’t expect a glorious moment when you’re searching for more information about a glass company but I had it on seeing some of the gallery images at the Curvet website (Italy),

_Edilizia facciate, vetrate isolanti, fotovoltaic (Curvet Italy website)

Getting to the news part of this, Curvet has signed with Diamon-Fusion international (they produce nanocoatings used on glass) for a third renewal  of their licensing deal. From the May 17, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

Diamon-Fusion International, Inc. (DFI), global developer and exclusive licensor of patented hydrophobic nanotechnologies, announced today the renewal of its license agreement with Italian glass manufacturer Curvet Group, one of the world’s leaders in the fabrication of specialty bent and flat glass in the architectural field for its application license agreement for Diamon-Fusion® glass nano-coating. This is the third renewal for Curvet Group and extends the partnership with DFI into 2017. For over a decade, Curvet has utilized DFI’s industrial flexibility in its 3D ultra-efficient CVD chamber, a patented technology that showcases DFI’s exclusive production capabilities.

Here’s a little more about Curvet,

Curvet Group produces glass for use in many different applications, incorporating modern stylish designs and a myriad different colors and effects, while maintaining and enhancing the inherent safety aspects and practical uses of this versatile product. Its wide-range of market segments include; home furnishings, bathroom furniture, automotive, transportation, marine, construction, architecture, urban furniture, household appliances, lighting and new technologies. In addition, the importance of renewable energy products today is an area in which glass plays a prominent part and where Curvet is an international leader in the field.

Curvet, a 30-year Italian privately-held holding group, is the only company in Europe that is able to produce bent glass of every type with unique and innovative solutions for every sector. The differentiation in equipment and the resulting flexibility are the key factors of Curvet’s success. It is the only company to carry out the whole processing of flat glass into any kind of curved finished product. Curvet is also a manufacturer of tempered, laminated and security glass with strategic distribution and sales offices in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Russia, USA and Morocco.

I have mentioned Diamon-Fusion and its technology previously (in a Nov. 26, 2009 posting and in a Feb. 11, 2011 posting) but here we go again with a very brief description  (from the May 17, 2012 news item),

Through DFI’s patented nano-coating process, the treatment to the glass creates a water repellent effect which enables ease of cleaning and protection against scratches, abrasion, hard water, soap scum, mildew and environmental elements, therefore considerably reducing the overall costs of maintenance. The Diamon-Fusion® nano-coating is optically clear, and does not affect the natural reflection of the glass.

If you want to see more beautiful images of Curvet glass, go here and click on the coloured boxes.

There’s more than one NCC, which I’ve used exclusively as an abbreviation for nanocystalline cellulose. There’s also nanocrystalline Cobalt according to the May 9, 2012 news item on Nanowerk highlighting another NCC and Toronto’s Integran Technologies, Inc.,

Toronto-based Integran Technologies, Inc. (Integran) today announced that it has reached an agreement with Enduro Industries LLC (Enduro) to extend Enduro’s license exclusivity term for Integran’s nanocrystalline Cobalt electroplating process, Nanovate™ CoP, in the US fluid power market by five years.

Enduro Industries LLC of Hannibal, Missouri, a subsidiary of PTC Alliance, and a major manufacturer of hard chrome steel bars and tubes for the fluid power industry, has successfully marketed a corrosion and wear resistant Nano-CobaltTM alternative alongside its conventional engineered hard chrome (EHC) ChromerodTM and Chromrod ExtremeTM product lines.

I notice they don’t use the NCC abbreviation; I imagine they would prefer to avoid any confusion.  Integran’s company president and CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Gino Palumbo goes on to hint at further developments due to this renewed licensing agreement but offers no details, from the news item,

“Furthermore, this agreement will now extend to other Cobalt-based Nanovate coatings systems and a new field repair process recently developed by Integran.”

I have mentioned Integran before, most recently in an April 16, 2012 posting about a Canadian federal government investment in the company and in a March 26, 2012 posting about a deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Iranian scientists are using lecithin to synthesize and bind silver nanoparticles more tightly to wool according to this April 25, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

“Bearing the basic concepts of the green chemistry in the mind, we have managed to synthesize the nanoparticles both in the aqueous phase and over a woolen medium. We employed Lecithin to serve as the stabilizer and carrier of the silver nanoparticles through the woolen medium,” says Hossein Barani, a member of the research group [at Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran].

The goals targeted by this research project apparently include the synthesis of silver nanoparticles with the help of Lecithin as a biodegradable surface active agent, to apply environmentally friendly chemicals in the synthesis of nanoparticles, simultaneous synthesis and loading of the nanoparticles into the fiber structures which effectively improves the quality and durability of the washing.

“Lecithin acts as a stabilizer for the silver nanoparticles during their synthesis step and also is the vehicle by which the nanoparticles are transferred into the woolen fiber structures. The prepared silver nanoparticles possess approximate dimensions of 7 nm and are entrapped inside a liposomic vesicle,” Barani added.

Here are some of the advantages (from the news item),

“Simultaneous synthesis and loading of the silver nanoparticles is in favor of the loading efficiency and durability of washing. In addition, the presence of Lecithin boosts the loading quality, avoids excessive concentration of the nanoparticles upon the fibers’ surfaces, reduces the undesired yellowing of the fabric, and increases the antibacterial performance through a gradual release with lowest toxicity for fibroblast cells,” he reiterated.

Apparently, it would be fairly easy to transfer this process to industry (from the news item),

Barani also evaluated the commercialization of the method as promising, and said, “In case of industrial investment, the proposed approach can be implemented to the production line of textile companies with practical ease.”

The industry analysts seem very excited about the newly announced merger between two companies, Stratasys and Objet, that specialize in 3-D printing as Robert Cyran states in his April 16, 2012 posting on the Fast Company website,

Making physical items from digital files is a hot technology – maybe too hot if the market reaction to the acquisition of privately held Objet by Stratasys is any guide. Despite few synergies and an odd poison pill, the buyer’s shares rose nearly 25 percent, mainly on potential revenue synergies. But the future isn’t quite here yet.

Rich Brown in his April 16, 2012 posting on C/Net seems mildly more enthused,

You’ll be forgiven if you haven’t previously heard of Stratasys Inc or Objet Ltd. Stratasys, formerly a NASDAQ-traded company from Eden Prairie, MN, has a multi-pronged business selling industrial-quality 3D printers and on-demand object printing services. Objet, of Rehovot, Israel, is a 3D printer manufacturer notable for its “polyjet matrix” technology, that can print an object using multiple different materials.

Here’s why you might care that [they] announced their intention to merge: the new company, Stratasys, Ltd. could become a third major competitor in the consumer 3D printing market.

…

Where might newly-formed Stratasys, Ltd fit in? Neither originating firm is as large as 3D Systems, but both Stratasys Inc. and Objet Ltd. saw revenue increases over 30-percent for 2011, suggesting both companies are healthy. …”

3D Systems hasn’t really established its own name among consumer 3D printers, so it’s not clear that MakerBot really has any large competition yet. If Stratasys Ltd. does enter the consumer market, and if 3D Systems does make a credible entry, consumers will get to chose from at least three major technology originators. If that happens, here’s hoping that means more competition-induced innovation, and less court-bound patent squabbling.

I will add my wishes to Brown’s hope that this move stimulates innovation and not a series of law suits.

Oddly, I had already planned to write about 3-D printing last Friday, April 13, 2012, when I found a news item by Joel L. Shurkin on physorg.com which includes a good description of the 3-D process (Note: I have removed links),

Much of modern manufacturing is by reduction. Manufacturers take blocks of plastic, wood, or metal, and grind and machine away until they get the item they want. All the plastic, wood, or metal that doesn’t make it into the item is thrown away, maybe as much as 90 percent wasted.

3-D printing puts down layers of metal powders or plastics as directed by software, just as ink is laid down on paper directed by printer drivers. After each layer is completed, the tray holding the item is lowered a fraction of a millimeter and the next layer is added. Printing continues until the piece is complete.

Molten metal is allowed to cool and harden; plastics or metal powders are hardened by heat or ultraviolet light. The ingredients aren’t limited to those substances; almost anything that flows can be accommodated, even chocolate.

There is little waste, and it is possible to change the object by simply working with the software that drives the printer the way text is changed in a word processor.

In addition to the advantages there are also some disadvantages to the technology,

“Printing a few thousand iPhones on demand (and with instant updates or different versions for each phone) at a local facility that can manufacture many other products may be far more cost-effective than manufacturing ten million identical iPhones in China and shipping them to 180 countries around the world,” the Atlantic Council wrote in a report.

Clearly, not everyone would share the advantages. Manufacturing centers like China could lose millions of jobs in that sector, and their economies could be destabilized. The industries that transport the supply line and distribute the finished product would also be hit, the council wrote. Warehouses full of parts and products could be replaced by machines that print on demand.

Closer to home, I mentioned Stratasys and 3-D printing in a Sept. 28, 2011 posting about Manitoba’s Urbee car. My most recent mention of 3-D printing was in an April 10, 2012 posting about print-on-demand robots.

(Sigh) I really wish for fluency in more languages. Today, it’s Spanish. Miguel Aznar, Director of Education at the Foresight Institute, noted in his April 6, 2012 posting on the Foresight Institute blog that he will be speaking at a symposium (NanoDYF 2012) which is part of a set of nano conferences running from June 11-15, 2012 in Puebla, Mexico (from the posting),

NanoDYF promotes nanoscience / nanotechnology outreach and education in Latin America. The NanoDYF 2012 conference in Puebla, Mexico 2012 June 11 – 13, will draw together leaders in research, education, business, and politics to share discoveries and discuss objectives for this outreach. I will present on critical thinking about nanotechnology.

Here’s a little more about the joint conference set from their homepage (thanks to translate.google.com),

Mexico has very important groups working in N[anoscience] & N[anotechnology] in its leading universities and research centers. The work is of very high quality and results of these studies are published in leading journals in the world. During this week we gather in the city of Puebla to scientists and students from the various areas of nanoscience and Nanotecnogía to have a discussion about real progress, promises and implications of nanotechnology. In this direction there will be three events that traditionally take place on different dates:

First Latin American Symposium Outreach and Education in Nanotechnology, NANODYF’2012.
Second Coordination Meeting of the Network NANODYF – CYTED.
Nanomex’2012, Fifth International Meeting and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
Second Meeting of the Network of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conacyt.

You can find out more about NanoDYF and its 2012 symposium here or you can go directly to the symposium page here.

The NanoMex 2012 conference runs from June 13-15, 2012 in Puebla, from the NanoMex 2012 homepage (thanks again to translate.google.com),

NanoMex’12 is the 5th. International Meeting and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience and Nanotechnology organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Group is an initiative of nano-UNAM, formed initially by the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Sciences and Humanities, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Center and Applied Science and Technological Development. Since 2009, 11 nano-structured UNAM university entities. On this occasion, is done in partnership and with support from the Institute of Physics, Autonomous University of Puebla. It is also done in conjunction with the Second Meeting of the Network of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conacyt.

As in previous years, seeks to promote high-quality interdisciplinary dialogue on the progress, promise and implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology in order to enrich the national decision-making concerning the distribution of profit maximization and the definition of responsibilities and minimizing unnecessary costs or unwanted.
Be held in the city of Puebla, Puebla 13 to June 15, 2012.

The main themes are:

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured systems.
Specific applications in nanomaterials.
Modeling of nanostructures and molecular systems.
Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and regulation.
International cooperation and national and industrialization.
Ethical, economic, social and legal aspects of nanotechnology.

The stream education, outreach and media in nanoscience and nanotechnology, will be treated in the First Symposium on Dissemination and Training of Nanotechnology [NanoDIY 2012], organized in collaboration with the Network “José Roberto Leite” outreach and training in nanotechnology and to be held in the city of Puebla on 11-13 June. It extends the invitation to our colleagues to discuss, analyze and propose alternatives in a broad context, open and interdisciplinary which includes a whole range of specialists from the exact sciences, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, the business sector and the political sphere, among others.

Language:
The official languages ​​of the event are the SPANISH and ENGLISH. There will be no simultaneous translation.

For anyone who’s not familiar with Puebla, Puebla, where this set of conferences is being held (from the Wikipedia essay

),

The city of Puebla(Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweβla]) is the seat of the Municipality of Puebla, the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important Spanish colonial cities in Mexico. Being a colonial era planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico’s main Atlantic port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two in Central Mexico.

…

Being both the fourth largest city in Mexico and the fourth largest Metropolitan area in Mexico, the city serves as one of the main hubs for eastern Central Mexico. Many students come from all over the country. The city is also important because of its industry, with one of the world’s largest Volkswagen factories outside of Germany located in the Municipality of Cuautlancingo. As a result, a many suppliers factories have opened in the city of Puebla.

According to the April 2, 2012 news item on Nanowerk, the National Nanomanufacturing Network has announced an online survey. From the news item,

The National Nanomanufacturing Network is conducting a survey of nanomanufacturing community members to better understand the avenues that people use to stay informed about advances in nanomanufacturing.

As for who the National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) is (from the NNN About page),

The National Nanomanufacturing Network (NNN) is an alliance of academic, government and industry partners that cooperate to advance nanomanufacturing strength in the U.S.

Mission

The mission of the NNN is to serve as a catalyst for progress in nanomanufacturing in the U.S., through the facilitation and promotion of nanomanufacturing workshops, roadmapping, inter-institutional collaborations, technology transition, test beds, and information exchange services. The NNN operates as an open-access network of centers, leaders, experts, and stakeholders from the nanomanufacturing research, development, and education community. It is a partnership between academia, industry and government that is built to foster and serve nanomanufacturing communities of practice.

Network Partners

…

The core foundation of the NNN consists of the four NSF nanomanufacturing NSECs—the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CHM), the Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN), the Center for Scalable and Integrated NanoManufacturing (SINAM), and the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS)—as well as the DOE Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Sandia National Laboratories and the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) and other affiliations. InterNano is the information arm of the NNN—a digital library resource of timely information on nanomanufacturing and a platform for collaboration.

You can go here to take the Nanomanufacturing Information Survey. It’s apparently quite short (five mins.).

I like to keep up with the nanocellulose scene so I’m featuring this item even though it’s a bit late and a bit thin. From the March 29, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

CelluForce, the world leader in the commercial development of NanoCrystaline Cellulose (NCC), announced that it will participate in the Bioplastek Forum 2012 being held March 28-30, 2012 at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Wadood Hamad, Principal Scientist and expert in NCC, will present product development opportunities with NCC on March 29, 2012. The Forum will address the opportunity bioplastics represent in sustainability and environmental leadership for the chemical and materials industries, as well as the issues confronting the bioplastics value chain.

More specifically, Dr. Hamad’s session was titled, Advances in ‘New-to-the-World’ Bioplastics for Durables and concerns itself with making nanocellulose products economically attractive. From the 2012 BioPlatek Forum program page, here’s the session overview,

Most of the “new-to-the-world” bioplastics are more costly and have property shortcomings versus the petro-derived plastics they are attempting to replace. This session will examine what economically attractive modifications have been achieved for durable product applications.

You can find out more about CelluForce here.