Joined: 16 Mar 2004 |Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 12:33 pm Post
subject: Nanoparticles Go Bob Bob Bobbin’ |Nanoparticles Go Bob
Bob Bobbin’, Create Controllable Surface Patterns In a finding
that could speed the use of sensors or barcodes at the
nanoscale, North Carolina State University engineers have shown
that certain types of tiny organic particles, when heated to the
proper temperature, bob to the surface of a layer of a thin
polymer film and then can reversibly recede below the surface
when heated a second time. Selectively bringing a number of
particles to a surface and then sinking them back below it
results in controllable surface patterns. According to NC State
researchers involved in the project, patterning surfaces is one
of the holy grails of current nanotechnology research, and is
difficult to do with certain particles. They add that the
finding could result in tiny reusable bar codes, or in small
fluorescent features that turn off when they sense too much heat
or the presence of a certain chemical.