Friday, 18th March 2005 (2757 views)

A number of presentations on nanotechnology at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego reportedly highlighted the role gold is playing in research and development.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Quantum Dot Corporation in Hayward, California, have created fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystal labels for cells and other biological material.

The team used light-scattering techniques to probe the distance between two gold nanocrystals at the single molecule level and claim that the nanocrystals hold promise as flags of biological reactions in living cells that can serve as probes far longer than current dyes.

Researchers with the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) believe that the tools of green chemistry can guide nano developments and a University of Oregon chemist has received a patent for a greener method of synthesizing gold nanoparticles, Newswise reports.

A project relating to applications of nanocrystals in photonics concerns the use of discrete groups of nanocrystals as novel biological labels. For example, colloidal quantum dot emission can be altered by the placement nearby of Au (gold) nanocrystals and the distance between two Au nanocrystals can be probed at the single molecule level by light scattering.

Nanotechnology promises considerable benefit to society and the environment. The challenge now is to develop the technology to provide maximum benefit, while minimising the potential hazards. Discoveries in nanoscience will provide new opportunities for the development of sustainable technologies, greener products and processes.

 

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