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nanotimes News in Brief

films of nanodiamond. They have created diamond versions of transistors and, most recently, logical gates, which are a key element in computers.

“Diamond-based devices have the potential to ope- rate at higher speeds and require less power than silicon-based devices,” Research Professor of Elec- trical Engineering Jimmy Davidson said. “Diamond is the most inert material known, so our devices are largely immune to radiation damage and can ope- rate at much higher temperatures than those made from silicon.”

11-10 :: October 2011

http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/el.2011.1586 http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/08/nanodiamond/

Researchers at Institute of Toxicology and Institute of Health Economics & Healthcare Management, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, and TU Munchen, both Germany, established the isolated beating heart (Langendorff heart) as a model system to study cardiovascular effects of Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs).

This model enables observation and analysis of electrophysiological parameters over a minimal time period of 4 h without influence by systemic effects and allows the determination of stimulated release of substances under influence of ENPs. They found a significant dose and material dependent increase in heart rate accompanied by arrhythmia evoked by ENPs made of flame soot (Printex 90), spark discharge generated soot, anatas (TiO2 dioxide (SiO2). However, flame derived SiO2

), and silicon (Aero-

This scanning electron microscope close-up shows how the components of a nanodiamond device are cantile- vered above a surface of the electrical insulator silicon dioxide. © Davidson Lab

N. Ghosh, W.P. Kang, and J.L. Davidson: Nanodiamond lateral field emission vacuum logic OR gate, In: Electro- nics Letters, Vol. 47(2011), Issue 16, August 04, 2011, Pages 926-927, DOI: 10.1049/el.2011.1586:

sil) and monodisperse polystyrene lattices exhibited no effects.

The increasing heart rate through nanoparticles is likely caused by the neurotransmitter noradrenaline released from nerve cell endings in the heart. The transmitter increases the heart rate and is also cru- cial for the central nervous system - that indicates that nanoparticles might have a harmful effect.