TECHNOLOGY: Laser Nanomachining

While the nanomaterials and devices developed in nanoscience labs hold a great deal of promise in their future applications, scalability remains an issue. The jump in quantity of nanomaterials required in basic research to that required for mass scale manufacturing is a formidable one. In fact, one of the largest obstacles on the path to bring progress in nanoscience to mainstream markets is that of manufacturing. A recent paper published in PNAS offers a potential solution in a method of machining with ultra-fast laser pulses that can carve into materials with precision on the order of nanometers.

In their paper, this group, led by Dr. Alan Hunt from University of Michigan, found that by using laser pulses on the order of femtoseconds (1 millionth of a nanosecond), they could carve holes and canals (see figure) in metals nanometers wide while doing very little damage to areas outside the target zones. This method of carving involves freeing up electrons with each laser pulse and accelerating them to tunnel through the material, exciting electrons that they encounter on the way in what is described as an "avalanche effect". The extremely short pulse durations used in the experiment constrict this effect to within target zones and result in cuts which appear smooth down to 4nm resolution.

This laser nanomachining has a wealth of applications in the nanotech industry. Its speed and ease of manipulation far outmatch the capabilities of current methods of nanolithography. Laser nanomachining will most likely find a niche in electronics industries for its promise as a nanoscale mill. Its foreseeable applications are destructive (as opposed to constructive layering of nanomaterials), and carving will probably be the largest role for this technology. Laser nanomachining provides speed and manipulation similar to that of traditional milling and will likely serve similar purposes - albeit on a nanoscale.

(FIGURE from article)

TECHNOLOGY: Microneedles

When oral medications fail due to failed absorption, poor dosing, or degradation in the GI tract, injections are the most common alternative. However, injections are not the most appealing method of drug delivery from a marketing standpoint. Almost 30 years ago, transdermal patches were developed as a noninvasive alternative to injections, though low absorption through the skin has limited these patches to select compounds such as nicotine and steroids. Enter the microneedles - micron sized needles capable of delivering drugs beneath the skin with the absorptive powers of injections and without their painful pricks.

One might ask, why must we deliver nanometer sized drugs through millimeter sized needles? There is no reason for this size disparity in most cases, and microneedles hold the promise of drug injection at a fine level that bypasses our nerves and saves us from the dreaded prick feeling. Feats in microengineering have finally led to reliant manufacturing of these microneedles to the point where several labs across the country have been able to test these needles in animal models fot the delivery of traditional injection medications like insulin.

The most common method through which these microneedles have been used is through a patch attached to the needle array. Once the patch is placed over the body, the needes can penetrate the shallow layers of skin and commense the injection of drugs. The actual injection can be controlled in a number of ways, from simple diffusion to iontophoresis to polymer control. In iontophoresis, an electrical gradient causes the drug molecules to move in a desired direction. This can be controlled through electric systems on the patch for time control of drug release. Polymers are complex proteins used in drug delivery systems that can act to release drugs due to a timing mechanism or action from external cues.

Today, microneedles can be microfabricated into many designs from many materials including silicon and metal. Studies have shown that patches covered with these needles cause no pain and are, in fact, indistinguishable from normal patches by human subjects. The needles have already been proven successful in animal models and may someday help provide much preferable solutions to injection for medications like insulin.

(FIGURE from mems.gatech.edu)

COMPANY: Nanosys

Overview
Nanosys is a privately held company founded in 2001 in Palo Alto to develop nanomaterials for a wide variety of industries, including energy, biotech, and electronics. The technology under Nanosys is covered by over 500 patents, and Nanosys has secured partnerships with many industry leaders, including Intel, In-Q-Tel, NTT DoCoMo, Rockwell Collins, the Sharp Corporation, and the U.S. government. In essence, Nanosys is a company fueled by a rich ecosystem of Nanotech-savvy engineers and business partners that provides nanoscale innovation in high technology industries. Nanosys has received awards from Red Herring magazine, Small Times magazine, Scientific American, and the World Technology Network, and has received over $125M in funding from venture capitalists, private equity firms, and the government.

NanosysInc.com

Technology
The core technolgy of Nanosys involves piecing together materials atom-by-atom with elements such as Silicon and Gallium with an aim toward maximal control over composition, size, shape, and surface chemistry. As we have seen in earlier technology profiles of nanoshells, dendrimers, and nanotubes, the functional characteristics of a material can be largely dependent on the tiniest manipulations of its matter. Such manipulations can produce a wealth of desirable characteristics in a material such as superconductivity, biological specificity, and unparalleled strength. Nanosys has taken advantage of these properties of nanoscale materials to produce and patent a plethora of new materials with properties that are currently and will continue to remain very valuable in high technology manufacturing.

Products
While Nanosys does not have any products that it considers its own, it has utilized partnerships with industry leaders to develop a range of interesting technologies including flexible electronics, non-volatile memory, fuel cells, solar cells, and nano-surfaces for use in biological assay systems.

News
4.12.2006- Nanosys receives $4.6M in government contracts

11.9.2005 - Nanosys raises $40M in private equity financing led by El Dorado Ventures

5.12.2005 - Nanosys named a Top 100 company by Red Herring magazine

10.12.2004 - Nanosys Wins 2004 World Technology Network Award

12.1.2003 - Nanosys founders selected as top nanotechnology researcher and business leader finalist by Small Times magazine's 2003 Best of Small Tech

11.19.2003 - Nanosys named business leader in nanotechnology and molecular electronics on the "Scientific American 50"

Collaborations
3.6.2007- Nanosys collaborates with Rockwell Collins for development of a nanotechnology enabled optical system

1.11.2007- Nanosys, DoCoMo Capital, and NTT DoCoMo collaborate on the roles of nanotechnology enabled wireless communication

10.11.2005- Nanosys and Sharp expand a collaboration to develop fuel cells to include nanotechnology enabled displays

8.22.2005 - Nanosys and In-Q-Tel expand collaboration to develop nanotechnology enabled phased array antennas for the government

1.14.2004 - Nanosys and Intel collaborate to investigate nanotechnology enabled memory