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Monday, 2nd June 2008 (2715 views)

Gold nanopartcles could help to clear up oil slicks in the ocean after scientists developed a new method to form them into bag-like sacks for trapping oil particles in polluted water, according to reports.

ZDNet.com states that researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas, discovered they could trap oil droplets by triggering stick-like gold and carbon nanoparticles to spontaneously form the sacks.

In addition to clearing up pollution, the sacks - or nanobatons - could also be used to deliver drugs within the body, as ultraviolet and magnetic fields can be used to "flip" the nanoparticles, causing them to unload their cargo.

Professor Pulickel Ajayan, who led the research team said although the nanobatons are currently confined to a lab, they brought the use of 'smart' nanomaterials "one step closer to reality".

"The core of the nanotechnology revolution lies in designing inorganic nanoparticles that can self-assemble into larger structures like a 'smart dust' that performs different functions in the world - for example, cleaning up pollution," he said.

Professor Ajayan added that he team are now testing whether they can modify the nanobatons so that once they have captured oil droplets, they can break them down into non-toxic chemicals.

 

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