An overview of a very specific application of nanomaterials was recently highlighted by
a nice article in Nanowerk: ‘Nanotechnology andnanomaterials for camouflage and stealth applications’ This article highlights nanomaterials as one of the
emerging materials suitable for 'multi-spectral camouflage/stealth applications owing
to their response to electromagnetic radiation of different energies'. They also
highlight that the stealth coating technology mimics the active camouflage used
by the squid.
More applications of nanomaterials:
A paper was published by PetroleumScience and Technology recently investigating the application of nanomaterials
to boost oil extraction. The paper describes the use of fumed silica (AEROSIL®
200) to prevent adsorption of surfactant on reservoir rocks during oil
extraction. Surfactant is injected into site during oil extraction
to change properties of the reservoir rock and fluid and thus making extraction easier. Adsorption of the surfactant on the surface of reservoir
rock is a problem during oil extraction. This paper investigates this issue
examining the use of Aerosil 200 prevent the adsorption of surfactant on the
reservoir rock. The article is pay walled so
can’t see if it was nano silica or what exactly the material was but the news article can be found here.
To end this weeks nano reading the nanotox paper (published Jan 2015) Toxicity of particulate matter from incineration of nanowaste (open access) is
worth highlighting. The paper exams oxidative potential (as measured by reactive
oxygen species consumption of ascorbic acid, dithiothreitol,
glutathione, or uric acid antioxidants) and toxicity (as measured by cytotoxicity
and genotoxicity of PM to A549 human lung epithelial cells) of PM resulting from the
incineration of pure nanomaterials and of paper and plastic wastes containing Ag,
NiO, TiO2, ceria, C60, Fe2O3, or CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (CdSe QD). The results reported that in most
cases ( see paper) the presence of nanomaterials in the waste did not significantly affect
the oxidation potential of the PM and did not
significantly modify the cytotoxicity or genotoxicity of the PM.