open minds

I am, but I'm feel like a novice. I studied biomineralization in the hopes of developing environmentally benign nanodevices.

Hi can you elaborate? what would be an application for such a technology? How can it be produced?

Scot E. DOwd Ph.D. said:

Hi can you elaborate? what would be an application for such a technology? How can it be produced?

We studied the mechanism of abalone shell growth. I also looked at how unicellular marine micro-organisms build 'shells' out of surroundig media. Coccolithophores and diatoms both make hard exoskeletons. Coccolithophores, like the abalone fashion their shells out of calcium carbonate. Diatoms use silica to make shells. The interest in shells like the abalone is that it represents a high-composite material that is tougher and stronger than geological calcium carbonate (e.g. calcite, aragonite). So, potential applications are tougher, lighter, stronger materials (i.e. armour for the infantry), ceramics, etc. For siliceous materials, studying the diatoms can lead to a better, cheaper, more environmentally benign way to produce ... say computer chips. I know a guy who is using the diatoms as "nano-bio-reactors" and have shown that diatoms can uptake Ge and produce GeO2.

So, applications: biosensors, bioreactors, filters for remediation, photovoltaic devices, high-composite materials. .... commercial applications still several years away though.

hey bettye

the information that diatoms were used as reactors to make GeO2 seems very interesting to me.. can u please forward me the paper or atleast give me the link to the journal site where it is shown... who is the gentleman behind this.. is it from UCSB...(D. Morse et al.)

Please let me know

Thanks
VB

Does anyone keep up with the research into nanobes?--most of the info on-line is not very recent.

jim

jachmoody said:

Does anyone keep up with the research into nanobes?--most of the info on-line is not very recent. jim

The Nano-Europe 2006 conference seems pretty informative and up todate:

http://www.olma-messen.ch/wDeutsch/messen/nanoeurope/01_besucher/home/homeW3DnavanchorW262410314.php

Look into previous Nanofair conferences. You can find out plenty of topics and information regarding nanobioreactors