Recent Patents on Nanotechnology - Volume 1, Issue 2, 2007

Nanoclusters (NC) as charge storage nodes have been applied in nonvolatile, high-speed, high-density and low-power memory devices. Compared with conventional floating gate memory, where a layer of poly-Si is used for charge storage, a memory device composed of nanoclusters isolated by dielectrics benefits from a relatively low operating voltage, high endurance, fast write-erase speeds and better immunity to soft errors due to the quantum confinement and Coulomb blockade effects. Recent patents in this field have proposed several innovated structures and fabrication methods for nanocluster based floating gate flash memory and single-electron memory devices.

This paper describes mass spectrometry (MS) using nanoparticles (NPs) for the analysis of biomolecules such as aminothiol compounds, drugs, peptides, proteins, and bacteria. Papers and patents dealing with preparation and use of several NPs in MS have been briefly reviewed, including carbon nanotubes, gold NPs, and magnetic NPs. The NPs or bioconjugated NPs were used for selective concentration and/or assisted matrices for desorption and ionization of analytes of interest. When compared to conventional organic matrixes, the NPs provide low MS background in low-mass region and low shot-to-shot variation. MS techniques using NPs and bioconjugated NPs for the analysis of disease-associated biomarkers and bacteria in real samples such as blood and urine are highlighted, showing the advantages of high sensitivity, reproducibility, and simplicity.

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) is a widespread and powerful technique for mass analysis allowing the soft ionization of molecules such as peptides, proteins and carbohydrates. In many applications, an energy absorbing matrix has to be added to the analytes in order to protect them from being fragmented by direct laser beam. LDI-MS in conjunction with matrix is commonly referred as matrix-assisted LDI (MALDI). One of the striking disadvantages of this method is the desorption of matrix molecules, which causes interferences originating from matrix background ions in lower mass range (< 1000 Da). This has been led to the development of a variety of different carbon based LDI sample supports, which are capable of absorbing laser light and simultaneously transfering energy to the analytes for desorption. Furthermore carbon containing sample supports are used as carrier materials for the specific binding and preconcentration of molecules out of complex samples. Their subsequent analysis with MALDI mass spectrometry allows performing studies in metabolomics and proteomics. Finally a thin layer of carbon significantly improves sensitivity concerning detection limit. Analytes in low femtomole and attomole range can be detected in this regard. In the present article, these aspects are reviewed from patents where nano-based carbon materials are comprehensively utilized.

The hydrothermal method for nanostructure synthesis is of considerable interest for practical applications since it is a low cost, environmentally friendly technique which can be used on large area and/or flexible substrates, as well as fabrication of free standing nanostructures. The low substrate temperature enables compatibility with temperature sensitive substrates such as plastics or textiles, while fabrication of aligned nanorods on substrates is possible with substrate pretreatment to control the nucleation. Up to date, hydrothermal synthesis of a number of different materials has been demonstrated. In this review, we will provide an overview of the relevant issues concerning hydrothermal synthesis of different nanostructured materials.

Wires capable of conducting electric current are basic blocks of all electronic applications. Of particular interest for nanoelectronics are superconducting elements taking advantage of the superconductor's macroscopic quantum coherence and zero resistance. Recently there appeared indications that due to quantum fluctuations the dissipationless electric current (supercurrent) can be suppressed in ultra-narrow superconducting channels with the effective diameter below ∼ 10 nm. In this Review we will describe methods of fabrication of quasi-one-dimensional superconducting micro- and nanowires suitable for electric transport measurements at cryogenic temperatures. In the first section we will concentrate on structures with characteristic cross-section ∼ 1 μm, while in the second section we will focus on much narrower systems down to sub-10 nm scales.

Despite the large number of publications in peer review literature in the field of nanofibers, there is still uncertainty as to what aspects of these research results have commercial applications. In an effort to better understand the technological progress made in the field of nanofibers, we surveyed the patents issued in the United States from 1976 up to end 2006. The present review will provide an overall view of the current patent landscape including trends and key applications. Key assignees and key inventors were identified and their contributions were discussed. Patents were identified using keywords such as nanofibers, ultrafine, and electrospinning. After patents were downloaded, we reviewed each patent for relevancy and identified 100 patents to be related to nanofibers. 75% of the current issued patents on nanofibers are directed at either fabrication methods or the use of nanofibers in filtration systems. The patent data indicates that medical applications and medical products using nanofibers appear to be the emerging application for nanofibers. We anticipate a growing number of patents on novel applications for nanofiber would originate from academic centers in the future.

The unique combination of mechanical properties such as excellent wear resistance and good chemical stability at elevated temperature helps titanium carbonitride based (Ti (C, N)-based) cermets to play an important roles in metal cutting operations. Nowadays, cermets cutting tools are widely used for semi-finishing and finishing works on steel and cast iron. However, their brittleness is still an unavoidable limitation for their utilization. With the development of nano-technology, nano-modified cermets have received more attention due to the high toughening enhancements. In this review, the development of nano-modified Ti(C,N) cermets is discussed including the fabrication, microstructure, mechanical properties, cutting performance and the practical applications in different fields. Many patents having important effect on the development of cermets were noticed, too.

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