Avalanche of Nanotechnology Patents in Second Week of January, 113+ Awarded in Accelerating Pace, 30 Uses of Nanotechnology Briefly Noted

 The rush to secure intellectual property related to nanotechnology continues unabated.  In the first week of January an estimated 102 nanotechnology patents were granted. At least 113 more nanotechnology related U.S. Patents were awarded on January 12, 2009. 

Thirty of the newly awarded patents and their relation to nanotechnology are noted below. The patent number, assignees and patent titles arecited followed by brief descriptions of where or how nanotechnology is used.   

Nano Notes,  Week of January 12,2010

U.S. Patent 7,644,479

Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, JP) Method of producing a piezoelectric actuator  Piezoelectric actuator in which diffusion-preventive layer is formed of metal nano-particles having a particle size of not more than 50 nm.

U.S. Patent 7,644,489

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MS) inventors William J. Arora,  Fernando Castano, Anthony J Nichol and George Barbastathis Thin membrane alignment method using patterned nanomagnets  Nanofabrication process for lithographically patterned magnetic material.  It is a way to build 3D nanostructures is by "stacking" 2D membranes or "folding" a large membrane into a layered structure.  Nanomagnets may be made of iron, cobalt, nickel or any alloy consisting primarily of one or more of these metals.

U.S. Patent  7,645,133

Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (Daejeon, KR) UV nanoimprint lithography process and apparatus  Next generation nanofabrication process for semiconductor production.

U.S. Patent  7,645,397

Nanosys, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) Nanocrystal doped matrixes  A nanocrystal density gradient, thereby creating an effective refractive index gradient. The matrixes can also be used as filters and antireflective coatings on optical devices and as down-converting layers. Processes for producing matrixes comprising semiconductor nanocrystals are also provided. Nanostructures having high quantum efficiency, small size, and/or a narrow size distribution are also described, as are methods of producing indium phosphide nanostructures and core-shell nanostructures with Group II-VI shells.

U.S. Patent  7,645,439

Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (Mexico City, MX) Nanostructured titanium oxide material and its synthesis procedure New crystalline structure is the basic unit of construction of nanomaterials which are nanofibers, nanowires, nanorods, nanoscrolls and/or nanotubes. These nanomaterials are obtained from a precursor that is isostructural to the new crystalline structure. The precursor is composed of hydrogen titanate and/or a mixed sodium and hydrogen titanate. These titanates are the hydrogenated, protonated, hydrated and/or the alkalinized phases of the new crystalline structure. In addition, this invention also relates to the procedure of synthesis of the nanomaterials.  Nanomaterials are used in catalysis and materials fields

U.S. Patent  7,645,497

Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, NY) Multi-layer conductor with carbon nanotubes  An electronically conductive article comprising at least one conductive carbon nanotube layer in contact with at least one conductive layer comprising electronically conductive polymer.

U.S. Patent  7,645,540

Rovcal, Inc. (Madison, WI)  Separators for alkaline electrochemical cells  Chemically synthesized agglomerates of a nano-CuO may also be used for the cathode. Such materials can be obtained from NanoScale Materials, Inc.

U.S. Patent  7,645,584

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. (Gainesville, FL)  and Banyan Biomarkers (Alachua, FL) Biomarkers of liver injury  Digests are analyzed using nanospray liquid chromatography online with tandem mass spectrometry (nano-LC/MSMS)

U.S. Patent  7,645,669

Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc. (Camas, WA) inventors Sheng Teng Hsu and  Fengyan Zhang  Nanotip capacitor  A nanotip capacitor and associated fabrication method are provided. The method provides a bottom electrode and grows electrically conductive nanotips overlying the bottom electrode. An electrically insulating dielectric is deposited overlying the nanotips, and an electrically conductive top electrode is deposited overlying dielectric-covered nanotips.  

U.S. Patent  7,645,780

Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA) Acetyl 2-hydroxy-1, 3-diaminoalkanes  The nano crystalline formulations typically afford greater bioavailability of drug compounds.

U.S. Patent  7,645,786

Pfizer Inc. (New York, NY) Substituted arylpyrazoles  Compounds for pharmaceutical use may be administered as crystalline or amorphous products, for example, spray-dried dispersions or as produced by melt-extrusion or nano-milling. Compounds may be administered include oral administration by capsule, bolus, tablet, powders, lozenges, chews, multi and nanoparticulates, gels, solid solution

U.S. Patent  7,645,828

Kawamura Institute of Chemical Research (Sakura-shi, JP) Monodisperse silica spheres containing polyamine and process for producing the same  Since polyethyleneimine is a strong ligand, metal ions can be concentrated within silica. Also, since polyethyleneimine can reduce noble metal ions to metal atoms, nanoparticles of noble metals can be conveniently immobilized within the silica. Since polyethyleneimine also has properties such as a sterilizing function, resistant to viruses, and the like, the spheres can also exhibit such properties. Therefore, the monodisperse silica spheres can be applied to various areas such as carriers for metal ions and/or nanometals, catalysts, antibacterial agent, disinfectants, antiviral agents, cosmetic products, and the like.

U.S. Patent  7,645,933

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (Madison, WI) Carbon nanotube Schottky barrier photovoltaic cell  Carbon nanotube Schottky barrier photovoltaic cells and methods and apparatus for making the cells.

U.S. Patent  7,645,934

Nanosolar, Inc. (San Jose, CA) Nanostructured layer and fabrication methods  Nanostructured layers with 10 nm to 50 nm pores spaced 10-50 nm apart, a method for making such nanostructured layers, optoelectronic devices having such nanostructured layers

U.S. Patent  7,646,001

David Michael Feyler  (Westwood, MA) Fake ID finder  A device to magnify a driver's license sufficiently to view the micro printing, nano printing and Ultra Violet features for fine detailed inspection.

U.S. Patent  7,646,025

Chien-Min Sung (Tansui, Taipei County 251, TW) Diamond LED devices and associated methods A way of forming epitaxially a substantially nanometer single crystal diamond layer on the SiC layer

U.S. Patent  7,646,142

Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. (Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, KR) Field emission device (FED) having cathode aperture to improve electron beam focus and its method of manufacture  Emitter comprises carbon nano-tubes (CNTs), graphite nano-particles, or nano-diamonds.

U.S. Patent  7,646,494

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (Madrid, ES) System and method for detecting the displacement of a plurality of micro- and nanomechanical elements, such as micro-cantilevers  Micro- or nanomechanical elements, for example, micro- or nanomechanical cantilevers clamped at one or both ends, elastic membranes, etc.

U.S. Patent  7,646,587

Showa Denko K.K. (Tokyo, JP) Electric double layer capacitor uses a carbon nano-tube or a carbon nano-fiber.

U.S. Patent  7,646,588

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP) Miyahara; Tomoko (Kanagawa, JP), Anazawa; Kazunori (Kanagawa, JP) Carbon nanotube film, production process thereof and capacitor using the same  Synthesis of carbon nanotube carboxyl acid in Clause (Introduction of functional groups into small diameter carbon nanotube)

U.S. Patent  7,646,641

Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) NAND flash memory with nitride charge storage gates and fabrication process  Fabrication process advances to very small geometries, e.g., tens of nanometer

U.S. Patent  7,646,799

Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Regensburg, DE) Edge emitting semiconductor laser comprising a plurality of monolithically integrated laser diodes  Laser diodes preferably have a quantum well structure. It encompasses, inter alia, quantum wells, quantum wires and quantum dots

U.S. Patent  7,647,618

Charles Eric Hunter; (Hilton Head Island, SC), Bernard L Ballou, Jr.;. (Raleigh, NC), Kelly C. Sparks; (Morrisville, NC), John H. Hebrank; (Durham, NC) Video distribution system  Nanometer lasers are cost-effective for writing conventional CDs.

U.S. Patent  7,645,253

National Quality Care, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA) Wearable ultrafiltration device may use nanotechnology pump, microtechnology/micromachined pump, syringe pump

U.S. Patent  7,645,308

Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA) Osmium diboride compounds and their uses  Nanoindentation₂. The osmium diboride compounds may be used in the same manner as other super hard material as a protective surface coating, a cutting or abrading tool surface coating or as an abrasive. measurements were thus performed on OsB

U.S. Patent  7,645,326

James Neil Rodgers (Langley, BC, CA) RFID environmental manipulation  Uses aluminum oxide particles, introduced in minute or nanoparticle form.

U.S. Patent  7,646,080

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Tu-Cheng, Taipei Hsien, TW) Protective film structure contains nano particles comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon nano tubes, carbon nano sticks, carbon 60, carbon particles, nano-sized conductive metals, nano-sized semiconductors, and any combination thereof.

U.S. Patent  7,646,948

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP) Flexible optical waveguide film, optical transceiver module, multi-channel optical transceiver module, and method of manufacturing flexible optical waveguide film  Curable organopolysiloxanes, liquid silicone rubber which becomes silicone rubber when cured is excellent in the contradictory properties of adhering and coming off to and from the film substrate for the bottom clad, and it is capable of duplicating nano-structures and preventing a liquid from entering when made to tightly adhere to the film substrate for the bottom clad.

U.S. Patent  7,647,100

Power Paper Ltd. (Beit Shemesh, IL) Method, apparatus, and kit for onychomycosis treatment Pharmaceutical formulations include incorporation in nano-particles, liposomes, microemulsions. Anti-fungal formulations.

U.S. Patent  7,645,318

Vive Nano, Inc. (Toronto, CA) Producing nanoparticles using nanoscale polymer templates Methods of producing a composite nanoparticle comprising a nanoparticle confined within or associated with a shape-static polymeric material, which is itself a nanoparticle

Quantum Dots Reveal Protein Interactions as Malaria Develops at NIAID

Credit: H. Kang / NIST and F. Tokumasu / NIAID

The photo shows human red blood cells, in which membrane proteins are targeted and labeled with quantum dots, reveal the clustering behavior of the proteins. The number of purple features, which indicate the nuclei of malaria parasites, increases as malaria development progresses. The NIST logo at bottom was made by a photo lithography technique on a thin film of quantum dots, taking advantage of the property that clustered dots exhibit increased photoluminescence. (White bars: 1 ¼m; red: 10 ¼m.)

A joint research team, working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has discovered a method of using nanoparticles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal these slow processes. Nanoparticles, thousands of times smaller than a cell, have a variety of applications. One type of nanoparticle called a quantum dot glows when exposed to light. These semiconductor particles can be coated with organic materials, which are tailored to be attracted to specific proteins within the part of a cell a scientist wishes to examine.

“Quantum dots last longer than many organic dyes and fluorescent proteins that we previously used to illuminate the interiors of cells,” says biophysicist Jeeseong Hwang, who led the team on the NIST side. “They also have the advantage of monitoring changes in cellular processes while most high-resolution techniques like electron microscopy only provide images of cellular processes frozen at one moment. Using quantum dots, we can now elucidate cellular processes involving the dynamic motions of proteins.”

For their recent study, the team focused primarily on characterizing quantum dot properties, contrasting them with other imaging techniques. In one example, they employed quantum dots designed to target a specific type of human red blood cell protein that forms part of a network structure in the cell’s inner membrane. When these proteins cluster together in a healthy cell, the network provides mechanical flexibility to the cell so it can squeeze through narrow capillaries and other tight spaces. But when the cell gets infected with the malaria parasite, the structure of the network protein changes.

“Because the clustering mechanism is not well understood, we decided to examine it with the dots,” says NIAID biophysist Fuyuki Tokumasu. “We thought if we could develop a technique to visualize the clustering, we could learn something about the progress of a malaria infection, which has several distinct developmental stages.”

The team’s efforts revealed that as the membrane proteins bunch up, the quantum dots attached to them are induced to cluster themselves and glow more brightly, permitting scientists to watch as the clustering of proteins progresses. More broadly, the team found that when quantum dots attach themselves to other nanomaterials, the dots’ optical properties change in unique ways in each case. They also found evidence that quantum dot optical properties are altered as the nanoscale environment changes, offering greater possibility of using quantum dots to sense the local biochemical environment inside cells.

“Some concerns remain over toxicity and other properties,” Hwang says, “but altogether, our findings indicate that quantum dots could be a valuable tool to investigate dynamic cellular processes.”

* H. Kang, F. Tokumasu, M. Clarke, Z. Zhou, J. Tang, T. Nguyen and J. Hwang. Probing dynamic fluorescence properties of single and clustered quantum dots towards quantitative biomedical imaging of cells. WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology. Early view online at http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresIssue/wisId-WNAN.html?pageType=early.

Media Contact: Chad Boutin, boutin@nist.gov, (301) 975-4261