New nanotech products hitting the market at the rate of 3-4 per weekApril 25, 2008WASHINGTON - New nanotechnology consumer products are coming on the market at the rate of 3-4 per week, a finding based on the latest update to the nanotechnology consumer product inventory maintained by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). One of the new items among the more than 600 products now in the inventory is Swissdent Nanowhitening Toothpaste with "calcium peroxides, in the form of nano-particles." Today, in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee, PEN Project Director David Rejeski cited Ace Silver Plus-another of the nine nano toothpastes in the inventory-as an example of the upsurge in nanotechnology consumer products in stores. The hearing marks the start of U.S. Senate debate on the future direction of the annual $1.5 billion federal investment in nanotechnology research and development (R&D). The number of consumer products using nanotechnology has grown from 212 to 609 since PEN launched the world's first online inventory of manufacturer-identified nanotech goods in March 2006. Health and fitness items, which includes cosmetics and sunscreens, represent 60 percent of inventory products. The colorful and searchable list of nanotechnology merchandise-containing everything from nanotech diamonds and cooking oil, to golf clubs and iPhones-is available free at www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts.
There are 35 automotive products in the PEN inventory, including the Hummer H2. General Motors Corporation bills the H2 as having a cargo bed that "uses about seven pounds of molded in color nanocomposite parts for its trim, center bridge, sail panel and box rail protector." Nanoscale silver is the most cited nanomaterial used. It is found in 143 products or over 20 percent of the inventory. Carbon, including carbon nanotubes and fullerenes, is the second highest nanoscale material cited. Other nanoscale materials explicitly referenced in products are zinc (including zinc oxide) and titanium (including titanium dioxide), silica and gold. While polls show most Americans know little or nothing about nanotechnology, in 2006 nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods. By 2014, Lux Research estimates $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology-or about 15 percent of total global output. Despite a 2006 worldwide investment of $12.4 billion in nanotech R&D, comparatively little was spent on examining nanotechnology's potential environmental, health and safety risks. "Public trust is the 'dark horse' in nanotechnology's future," says Rejeski in his testimony. "If government and industry do not work to build public confidence in nanotechnology, consumers may reach for the 'No-Nano' label in the future and investors will put their money elsewhere." According to Rejeski, "The use of nanotechnology in consumer products and industrial applications is growing rapidly, with the products listed in the PEN inventory showing just the tip of the iceberg. Public perceptions about risks-real and perceived-can have large economic consequences. How consumers respond to these early products-in food, electronics, health care, clothing and cars-is a litmus test for broader market acceptance of nanotechnologies in the future." Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size. Autoimmune Diseases Mortality Rate Psychotherapy Immunization Pheromones Gestational Diabetes Combination Therapy Chromosome Leukemia Carbon Cardiac Surgery Bone Loss Depleted Uranium Stomach Cancer Estrogen Receptor Lymphedema Gene Therapy Tropical Disease Data Storage Opioid Asthma Lemur Sleep Apnea Kidney Transplant Silver
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Related Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles Nanotechnology may increase longevity of dental fillings Tooth-colored fillings may be more attractive than silver ones, but the bonds between the white filling and the tooth quickly age and degrade. University of Leicester researchers discover new fluorescent silicon nanoparticles Researchers in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester have developed a new synthesis method, which has led them to the discovery of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles and may ultimately help track the uptake of drugs by the body's cells. New statistical technique improves precision of nanotechnology data A new statistical analysis technique that identifies and removes systematic bias, noise and equipment-based artifacts from experimental data could lead to more precise and reliable measurement of nanomaterials and nanostructures likely to have future industrial applications. First step to converting solar energy using 'artificial leaf' An international team of researchers has modified chlorophyll from an alga so that it resembles the extremely efficient light antennae of bacteria. Singapore nanotechnology combats fatal brain infections Doctors may get a new arsenal for meningitis treatment and the war on drug-resistant bacteria and fungal infections with novel peptide nanoparticles developed by scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) of Singapore and reported in Nature Nanotechnology. Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems The recent explosion in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics for use in commercial and medical applications has increased the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with these materials. UGA researchers achieve breakthrough in effort to develop tiny biological fuel cells University of Georgia researchers have developed a successful way to grow molecular wire brushes that conduct electrical charges, a first step in developing biological fuel cells that could power pacemakers, cochlear implants and prosthetic limbs. The journal Chemical Science calls the technique "a significant breakthrough for nanotechnology." Nonstick and laser-safe gold aids laser trapping of biomolecules Biophysicists long for an ideal material-something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface-to anchor and position individual biomolecules. Researchers putting a freeze on oscillator vibrations University of Oregon physicists have successfully landed a one-two punch on a tiny glass sphere, refrigerating it in liquid helium and then dosing its perimeter with a laser beam, to bring its naturally occurring mechanical vibrations to a near standstill. UCF researcher's nanoparticles could someday lead to end of chemotherapy Nanoparticles specially engineered by University of Central Florida Assistant Professor J. Manuel Perez and his colleagues could someday target and destroy tumors, sparing patients from toxic, whole-body chemotherapies. More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles |
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