Nanotech+.

NANOTECHNOLOGY; MOLECULAR structure; SEMICONDUCTORS; IRVINE, Darrell; IVANISEVIC, Albena; BULOVIC, Vladimir; UNIVERSITIES & colleges

This article focuses on several innovations in nanotechnology in the U.S., as of October 2004. Nanotechnology, the science of building and manipulating structures at the molecular level, promises fresh perspectives on and unexpected solutions to a wide range of existing problems in semiconductors, optics, sensing and biotechnology. Darrell Irvine, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is helping to build better vaccines against diseases such as malaria and cancer by designing nanoparticles of a synthetic polymer. The nanoparticles, which carry specific stimulating molecules and antigens, are taken up by immune cells, triggering an immune response. Meanwhile, Albena Ivanisevic, a chemistry professor at Purdue University, is employing a technique called dip-pen nanolithography to help solve a central problem for tissue engineers hoping to repair damaged body parts: controlling the precise growth of cells at specific locations. Ivanisevic coats microscopic tips with cell-nourishing peptide molecules, the tips then deposits the peptides onto a surface. Finally, Vladimir Bulovic, a professor of electrical engineering at MIT, is using hardy, brightly colored nano dots to reinvent the light bulb. From quantum dots, Bulovic has built novel light-emitting diodes that can be incorporated into flexible materials like plastic and should last much longer than typical light bulbs.