Recent Patents on Nanotechnology - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2015

Three dimensional (3D) nano-structured crystals have received extensive attention for their superior properties over zero dimensional (0D), one dimensional (1D), or two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials in many areas. This review is generalized for the group of chalcogenide nanoflowers (NFs) by the synthetic techniques, such as solvothermal, wet chemical, sol-gel, surface oxidation, microwave, coating, electrochemical, and several other methods. The formation mechanism was also described for the purpose of opening up new food for thoughts to bring up new functionality of materials by tuning the morphology of crystals. The pH value or the template plays fundamental role in forming the nano-flowered structure. Moreover, the correlations between the surface area (SA), contact angle (CA), and the NFs are also discussed within the context. Here, we also discussed some patents relevant to the topic.

Nanohydrogel combines the advantages of hydrogel and nano particulate systems. Similar to the hydrogel and macrogel, nanohydrogel can protect the drug and control drug release by stimuli responsive conformation or biodegradable bond into the polymer networks. Nanohydrogel has drawn huge interest due to their potential applications, such as carrier in target-specific controlled drug delivery, absorbents, chemical/biological sensors, and bio-mimetic materials. Similar to the nanoparticles, stimuli responsive nanohydrogel can easily be delivered in the liquid form for parenteral drug delivery application. This review highlights the methods to prepare nanohydrogel based on natural and synthetic polymers for diverse applications in drug delivery. It also encompasses the drug loading and drug release mechanism of the nanohydrogel formulation and patents related to the composition and chemical methods for preparation of nanohydrogel formulation with current status in clinical trials.

In the present technological expansion, the radio frequency integrated circuits in the wireless communication technologies became useful because of the replacement of increasing number of functions, traditional hardware components by modern digital signal processing. The carrier frequencies used for communication systems, now a day, shifted toward the microwave regime. The signal processing for the multiple inputs multiple output wireless communication system using the Metal- Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor (MOSFET) has been done a lot. In this research the signal processing with help of nano-scaled Cylindrical Surrounding Double Gate (CSDG) MOSFET by means of Double- Pole Four-Throw Radio-Frequency (DP4T RF) switch, in terms of Insertion loss, Isolation, Reverse isolation and Inter modulation have been analyzed. In addition to this a channel model has been presented. Here, we also discussed some patents relevant to the topic.

One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials exhibit great potentials in their applications to functional materials, nano-devices and systems owing to their excellent properties. In the past decade, considerable studies have been done, with new patents being developed, on these 1-D building blocks for for their mechanical properties, especially elastic properties, which provide a solid foundation for the design of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and predictions of reliability and longevity for their devices. This paper reviews some of the recent investigations on techniques as well as patents available for the quantitative characterization of the elastic behaviors of various 1-D nanomaterials, with particular focus on on-chip testing system. The review begins with an overview of major testing methods for 1-D nanostructures’ elastic properties, including nanoindentation testing, AFM (atomic force microscopy) testing, in situ SEM (scanning electron microscopy) testing, in situ TEM (transmission electron microscopy) testing and the testing system on the basis of MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) technology, followed by advantages and challenges of each testing approach. This review also focuses on the MEMS-based testing apparatus, which can be actuated and measured inside SEM and TEM with ease, allowing users to highly magnify the continuous images of the specimen while measuring load electronically and independently. The combination of on-chip technologies and the in situ electron microscopy is expected to be a potential testing technique for nanomechanics. Finally, details are presented on the key challenges and possible solutions in the implementation of the testing techniques referred above.

In an effort to give a global view of this field of research, in this mini-review we highlight the most recent publications and patents focusing on modified asphalt pavements that contain certain reinforcing nanoparticles which impart desirable thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. In response to the increasing cost of asphalt binder and road maintenance, there is a need to look for alternative technologies and new asphalt composites, able to self-repair, for preserving and renewing the existing pavements. First, we will focus on the self-healing property of asphalt, the evidences that support that healing takes place immediately after the contact between the faces of a crack, and how the amount of healing can be measured in both the laboratory and the field. Next we review the hypothetical mechanisms of healing to understand the material behaviour and establish models to quantify the damage-healing process. Thereafter, we outline different technologies, nanotechnologies and methodologies used for self-healing paying particular attention to embedded micro-capsules, new nano-materials like carbon nanotubes and nano-fibres, ionomers, and microwave and induction heating processes.

The insertion of gold nanoparticles in biological liquids, tissues and organs permits to increase the equivalent atomic number of the medium that, if used as target to be irradiated by ionizing radiation, permits an increment of the absorbed dose. No toxic nanoparticles, such as the Au, can be injected in the cancer tissues at different concentrations before using a localized treatment that uses energetic proton beams for radiotherapy. Due to the high density and atomic number of the used gold nanoparticles, the absorbed radiation dose can be increased to about a factor six per cent using relatively low concentration of nanoparticles injectable as solution in the tumor tissue. This means to reduce the exposition to ionizing radiation or to increase the dose to the tumor site. Simulation programs of proton energy loss in tissues, using SRIM Code, are employed to evaluate the Bragg peak enhancing in presence of Au nanoparticles, so it will be presented and discussed. Some research findings and patents in the gold nanoparticle preparation and application to Medicine are reviewed in the present paper.

As absorption of sound of lower frequencies is quite problematic with fibrous material made up of coarser fibers, development of highly efficient sound absorption material is called for. This is why this work deals with the development of new high sound absorption material. To absorb the low frequencies, especially the structures based on resonance principle of nanofibrous layers are used, when through resonance of some elements the acoustic energy is transferred into thermal energy. The goal of the invention is achieved by a sound absorbing means which contains resonance membrane formed by a layer of polymeric nanofibers, which is attached to a frame. For production of nanofibrous membranes, the cord electrospinning was used. The resonance membrane was then, upon impact of sound waves of low frequency, brought into forced vibrations, whereby the kinetic energy of the membrane was converted into thermal energy by friction of individual nanofibers, by the friction of the membrane with ambient air and possibly with other layers of material arranged in its proximity, and some of the energy was also transmitted to the frame, through which the vibrations of the resonance membrane were damped. The density and shape of the mesh of frame formations determine the resonance frequency of the acoustic means. The goal of the invention is therefore to eliminate or at least reduce the disadvantages of the present state of the art and to propose sound absorbing means that would be capable of absorbing, with good results sounds in as broadest frequency range as possible. Here, we also discussed some patents relevant to the topic.