[
THROUGH THE SALLYPORT
]
Architecture Program
Researchers Create New Nanoparticle
Ranks Nationally
Who better to invent “nanorice” than researchers
with greater accuracy.
Rice University’s School of
Halas and her colleagues plan
Architecture’s graduate pro-
at Rice University? But marketing and whimsy to capitalize on this by moving
gram placed seventh—ahead
weren’t what motivated the team of engineers,
grains of nanorice next to pro-
teins and unmapped features on
of such prestigious schools as
physicists, and chemists from Rice’s Labora- the surfaces of cells, hoping to
Massachusetts Institute of
tory for Nanophotonics (LANP) to make rice-
get a far clearer picture of them
Technology, Yale, and Princ-
than is possible with current
shaped particles of gold and iron oxide.
eton—in the 2006 national
technology. The researchers
already have shown, for ex-
ranking of architecture schools
ample, that nanoshells are about by DesignIntelligence for the
“On the nanoscale, the shape with gold. The core size and
10,000 times more effective at
Design Futures Council. Last
of a particle plays a critical role shell thickness vary slightly, but
surface-enhanced Raman scat-
in how it interacts with light,” the nanorice particles described
tering than traditional methods.
year, Rice’s graduate program
says Naomi Halas, the Stanley C. in the Nano Letters paper were
Raman scattering is a type of
was No. 9 nationally.
Moore Professor in Electrical and about 360 nanometers long and
spectrographic technique used
Rice’s undergraduate pro-
Computer Engineering, profes- about 80 nanometers in diam-
by medical researchers, drug
sor of chemistry, and director of eter—1/20th the size of a red
gram in architecture maintained
designers, chemists, and oth-
LANP. “We were looking for a blood cell.
ers to determine the precise
its No. 3 spot from last year in
new shape that would combine Research over the past decade
chemical makeup of materials. a tie with California Polytechnic
the best properties of the two has shown that some nanoscale
Nanorice possesses a far greater
State University—right behind
most optically use- structures—like
ability to change the shape of a
ful shapes—spheres
“We were looking
nanoshells and na-
No. 1-ranked Cornell University
metal at the nanoscale than even
and rods. It’s just
for a new shape
norice—act as su-
nanoshells and another com-
and No. 2-ranked University of
a coincidence that
that would combine
perlenses that can
monly studied optical nanopar- Texas at Austin.
that shape turned
the best properties
amplify light waves
ticle, the nanorod, indicating
out to look exactly
of the two most
The rankings were deter-
and focus them on
that nanorice is the most sensi-
like a grain of rice.”
optically useful
spots far smaller
tive surface plasmon resonance
mined by a survey of more than
The new par-
shapes—spheres
than a wavelength
nanosensor yet devised.
400 U.S. architecture fi rms and
ticles, which are
and rods. It’s just
of light. When
The research appeared in the
organizations of various sizes.
being examined
a coincidence that
light of a specifi c
April 12 issue of Nano Letters.
for possible appli-
that shape turned
frequency strikes
In reference to graduates hired
The co-authors include Peter
cations in molecu-
out to look exactly
plasmons—ripples
Nordlander, professor of physics
over the past fi ve years, the
lar imaging, cancer
like a grain of rice.”
in the ocean of
and astronomy and in electrical survey participants were asked
treatment, medical
—Naomi Halas
electrons that fl ow
and computer engineering, and
which schools best prepared
diagnostics, and constantly across
graduate students Hui Wang,
chemical sens- the surface of
students for real-world practice.
Daniel Brandl, and Fei Le. It
ing, are similar in structure to metals—that oscillate at a com-
was funded by the National
Only schools accredited by the
nanoshells, spherical nanoparti- patible frequency, the light is
Science Foundation, the U.S. National Architectural Accredit-
cles invented by Halas in 1998. converted into electrical energy
Army Research Offi ce, the U.S.
ing Board were eligible.
Both are made of a noncon- that propagates, as plasmons,
Air Force Offi ce of Scientifi c
ducting core that is covered by though an adjacent nanostruc-
Research, NASA, and the Rob-
For more information on the
a metallic shell—in the case of ture. This allows scientists and
ert A. Welch Foundation.
rankings, visit
www.di.net.
nanorice, a nonconducting iron engineers to examine minute
—Jade Boyd
oxide called “hematite” covered details of the adjacent surfaces
Summer ’06 11
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