Nano Writing
The relentless pursuit of smaller components for everything from electronics to medical devices is making nanotechnology increasingly attractive to manufacturers. But one of the biggest challenges in the field is finding a cheap, easy, and fast method for building things on an extremely small scale.
One possible solution is dip-pen nanolithography, which a Northwestern University startup called NanoInk is commercializing. The technology, pioneered in 1999 by Chad Mirkin, a chemistry professor at Northwestern and NanoInk’s founder, uses microscopic tips coated with a material that is deposited as “ink” on a surface. The approach makes it possible to “write” with a wide range of inks-metals, DNA, proteins-on an equally wide range of surfaces, such as silicon, glass, or metal. “We have total flexibility of inks and surfaces, which makes dip-pen nanolithography very attractive,” says Cedric Loiret-Bernal, the company’s president and CEO.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.