Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

a) This image shows loading clay nanotubes with drug from saturation solution. b,c) Mixing with drug solution, pumping out air, and pulling in drug molecules, washing, and loaded tubes. Credit: Yuri Lvov, Wencai Wang, Liqun Zhang, Rawil Fakhrullin

Halloysite is a natural biocompatible nanomaterial available in thousands of tons at low price, which makes it a good candidate for nanoarchitectural composites. In vitro and in vivo studies on biological cells and worms indicate the safety of halloysite, and furthermore, it can store and release molecules in a controllable manner, making these tiny containers attractive for applications in drug delivery, antimicrobial materials, self-healing polymeric composites, and regenerative medicine.

In chemical composition they are similar to kaolin and c...

Electrodeposited TO films on a variety of surface geometries and steel grades

The surface coating, made from rough nanoporous tungsten oxide, is the most durable anti-fouling and anti-corrosive material to date, capable of repelling any kind of liquid even after sustaining intense structural abuse.

Aizenberg’s team developed Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces in 2011 and has demonstrated a broad range of applications for the super-slick coating, SLIPS. “Our slippery steel is orders of magnitude more durable than any anti-fouling material that has been developed before,” said Aizenberg. “So far, these 2 concepts – mechanical durability and anti-fouling – were at odds with each other...

A 3-D image of a tooth filled with nanodiamond-enhanced gutta percha, and an individual gutta percha point. Credit: American Chemical Society/Dong-Keun Lee

Tiny particles strenthen the compound used to fill teeth, ward off infection. Nanodiamonds may help patients that have had the dreaded root canal. Dental researchers have developed a nanodiamond-reinforced version of gutta percha, the compound that is used to fill void spaces in dental root canals to prevent infection that can lead to tooth loss. Tested in patient-extracted teeth, the nanodiamond-embedded polymer was substantially stronger than conventional gutta percha...

BTI Professor Daniel Klessig and lab members Research Associate Hyong Woo Choi and Postdoctoral scientist Murli Manohar.

Aspirin’s active form, salicylic acid, blocks a protein called HMGB1, which triggers inflammation in damaged tissues. The new findings may explain the disease-preventing effects of a low-dose aspirin regimen and offer hope that more effective aspirin-like drugs may be developed for a wide variety of diseases.

“We’ve identified what we believe is a key target of aspirin’s active form in the body, salicylic acid, which is responsible for some of the many therapeutic effects that aspirin has...