In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some of the stories that made headlines in the world of cleanrooms and nanotechnology in the past week:
A team of Swedish researchers have created a type of “power paper” that is able to store energy. The paper is made from nanocellulose and a conductive polymer, and one sheet — measuring just 15 centimeters in diameter and a few tenths of a millimeter thick — is able to store up to 1 F, which is comparable to supercapacitors currently on the market. The paper can be recharged hundreds of times, at only a few seconds per charge. The new material now holds a world record in simultaneous conductivity for ions and electrons. It’s produced from simple materials — renewable cellulose and an easily available polymer. It is lightweight, doesn’t require no dangerous chemicals or heavy metals, and it is waterproof as well.
Sony and Toshiba have signed definitive agreements for the transfer of Toshiba’s semiconductor fabrication facilities. Under the agreements, Toshiba has agreed to transfer semiconductor fabrication facilities, equipment, and related assets of its 300mm wafer production line, which are primarily located at its Oita Operations facility. The purchase price of the transfer is about $154 million. The companies aim to complete the transfer by the end of March 2016.
Finally, researchers in North Carolina have developed a new drug delivery technique utilizing a biodegradable liquid metal aimed at cancer cells, in order to increase the effect of cancer drugs. To create the nano-terminators, the scientists put the bulk liquid metal (gallium indium alloy) into a solution that contains two types of molecules called polymeric ligands. They then hit the solution with ultrasound, which makes the liquid metal burst into nanoscale droplets about 100 nanometers in diameter. The ligands in the solution attach to the surface of the droplets as they break away from the bulk liquid metal. Meanwhile, an oxidized “skin” forms on the surface of the nanodroplets. The oxidized skin, together with the ligands, prevents the nanodroplets from fusing back together.
