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
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.