NANO @ IOWA
News from the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute at UI
February 4, 2015
Items in red are new this issue.
(Others are carried forward from previous issues.)
1. Upcoming conferences and seminars including nanoscience and nanotechnology:

What Do We Really Know about Nanoparticle Stability?
Professor Amanda Haes, Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa
C29 Pomerantz Center, The University of Iowa
Thursday February 5, 2015 12.30-1.20pm

Nanomaterials for Applications in Energy Technology: Energy Conversion, Storage, and
Transport
Ventura, CA
February 22-27, 2015
http://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?id=15821

SUN-SNO-GUIDENANO Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference
Venice, Italy
March 9-11, 2015
http://www.susnano.org/conferenceOverview2015SNO-SUN-GN.html

U.S.-EU: Bridging nanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop
Venice, Italy
March 12-13, 2015
http://us-eu.org/Calendar/eu-u-s-bridging-nanoehs-research-efforts-joint-workshop/

Society of Toxicology 54th Annual Meeting
San Diego, CA
March 22-26, 2014
http://www.toxicology.org/AI/MEET/AM2015/

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute Spring Symposium
Chemistry Building, The University of Iowa
Friday April 10, 2015
http://nanotech.uiowa.edu/events/nanoscience-and-nanotechnology-symposium

SENN 2015 – International Congress on Safety of Engineered Nanoparticles and
Nanotechnologies
Helsinki, Finland
April 12-15, 2015
http://www.ttl.fi/PARTNER/SENN2015/Pages/default.aspx

ASME 2015 4th Global Conference on Nanengineering for Medicine and Biology
Minneapolis, MN
April 19-22, 2015
http://www.asmeconferences.org/NEMB2015/
2. Upcoming grant opportunities and funding requests in nanoscience and nanotechnology:

Nanomanufacturing
National Science Foundation
PD 14-1788
Deadline Dates: February 1 – February 17, 2015
September 1 – September 15, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13347

NSF: Science of Science and Innovation Policy
National Science Foundation
PD 09-7626
Deadline Date: February 9, 2015 and September 9, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=501084

Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative Department of
Defense Office of Naval Research
Department of Defense
ONRFOA14-012
Deadline Date: February 23, 2015
http://www.grants.gov/view-opportunity.html?oppId=266208

Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation Grant Program
Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation
Internal deadline: February 26, 2015
https://research.uiowa.edu/grantTrack/preselection.php?get=uiwins&GrantID=17949&Type=2

Office of Naval Research – Research Opportunity – Select Topics in Nanoscience and
Nanotechnology
Office of Naval Research
ONR-15-SN-0002
Deadline Date: February 26, 2015
http://www.grants.gov/custom/viewOppDetails.jsp?oppId=269741

Project on Advanced Systems and Concepts for Countering WMD (PASCC)
Naval Postgraduate School
NPS-BAA-14-003
Deadline Date: March 31, 2015
http://www.nps.edu/Research/workingwithnps.html

Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology
National Institutes of Health
FOA Number: PAR-14-285
Deadline Date: April 15, 2015; October 15, 2015
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-14-285.html

Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program
National Science Foundation
nsf13-594
Deadline Dates: Letter of Intent June 26, 2015; Full proposal September 25, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5501&org=NNCO&sel_org=NNCO&from=f
und

Science, Technology, and Society
National Science Foundation
15-506
Deadline Date: August 3, 2015
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5324

Army Research Laboratory BAA for Basic and Applied Scientific Research
Department of Defense
FOA Number: W911NF-12-R-0011
Deadline Date: March 31, 2017
http://www.arl.army.mil/www/default.cfm?page=8

Image-guided Drug Delivery in Cancer
National Institutes for Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PA-09-253
Deadline Dates: January 25, May 25, and September 25, annually
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-09-253.html

Development of Multifunctional Drug and Gene Delivery Systems
National Institutes for Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PA-10-048
Deadline Dates: February 5, June 5, and October 5, annually
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-048.html

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Biology and Medicine
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PA-11-148
Deadline Dates: February 5, June 5, October 5, annually
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-148.html

Bioengineering Nanotechnology Initiative
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PA-10-149
Deadline Dates: April 5, August 5, December 5, annually
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=53500

Cancer Diagnostic and Therapeautic Agents Enabled by Nanotechnology
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PAR-10-286
Deadline Dates: April 5, August 5, December 5, annually
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-286.html
3. Recent news and updates from NNI:

Spring 2015 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Symposium
Save the date! Friday April 10, 2015 all-day symposium with keynote speaker Dr Philip
Demokritou, Associate Professor,Director, Laboratory for Environmental Health NanoScience
(LEHNS), and Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology Harvard School of Public
Health who will talk on “In-vitro Dosimetry of Nanomaterials: Too complicated to consider, too
important to ignore”

Nano REU program accepting applications
The National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program in
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at The University of Iowa is now accepting applications. The
application deadline is March 2, 2015. Please find all the details on the website:
http://nanotech.uiowa.edu/education/nano-reu-program/application
4. Highlights of some new interesting nanoscience and nanotechnology research and articles:

Nanoparticles for clean drinking water
One way of removing harmful nitrate from drinking water is to catalyze its conversion to
nitrogen. This process suffers from the drawback that it often produces ammonia. By using
palladium nanoparticles as a catalyst, and by carefully controlling their size, this drawback can
be eliminated. It was research conducted by Yingnan Zhao of the Univ. of Twente’s MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology that led to this discovery. Due to the excessive use of fertilizers,
our groundwater is contaminated with nitrates, which pose a problem if they enter the mains
water supply. Levels have fallen significantly in recent years, as a result of various European
directives. In addition, the Integrated Approach to Nitrogen program was launched in various
Dutch nature reserves at the start of January. Tackling the problem at source is one thing, but it
will still be necessary to treat the mains water supply. While this can be achieved through
biological conversion—bacteria convert the nitrate to nitrogen gas, this is a slow process. Using
palladium to catalyze the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen speeds up the process enormously.
However, this reaction suffers from the drawback that it produces a harmful by-product—
ammonia.
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2015/01/nanoparticles-clean-drinking-water

Self-Assembling Carbohydrates Trap Cancer Cells In A Cage
Chemists have designed a carbohydrate-based molecule that can surround and strangle bone
cancer cells by self-assembling into a tangled web of nanofibers (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, DOI:
10.1021/ ja5111893). The molecule spares healthy cells because its assembly is triggered by
an enzyme that’s overexpressed on cancer cells. The inspiration for spinning a molecular cage
around cells came from nature, says Rein V. Ulijn of the City University of New York’s Hunter
College. Many of the body’s cells are enmeshed in an extracellular matrix—a complex web of
biomolecules that provides structure for tissues, facilitates intercellular communication, and
traps nutrients. Scientists are developing molecules that spontaneously assemble into simpler
versions of this matrix to provide a growth medium for cells, in particular for tissue
engineering. The field has focused mainly on self-assembling peptides. In a recent study, Bing
Xu of Brandeis University and colleagues designed a nonnurturing peptide that aggregates and
engulfs cancer cells only when its phosphate group is removed (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014,
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201402216). The phosphate-free peptides have a hydrophilic end and a
hydrophobic one, which allow them to assemble like lipids in a cell membrane. The negative
charge on the phosphate groups creates electrostatic repulsion between the molecules and
prevents this. This phosphate on-off switch is great for targeting cancer because some types of
cancer cells overexpress alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme that cleaves phosphates.
http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/01/Self-Assembling-Carbohydrates-Trap-Cancer.html

New laser-patterning technique turns metals into supermaterials
By zapping ordinary metals with femtosecond laser pulses researchers from the University of
Rochester in New York have created extraordinary new surfaces that efficiently absorb light,
repel water and clean themselves. The multifunctional materials could find use in durable, low
maintenance solar collectors and sensors. "This is the first time that a multifunctional metal
surface is created by lasers that is superhydrophobic (water repelling), self-cleaning, and highly
absorptive," said Chunlei Guo, a physicist at the Institute of Optics at the University of
Rochester who made the new surfaces with his colleague and fellow University of Rochester
researcher Anatoliy Vorobyev. The researchers describe the laser-patterned surfaces in an
article published in the Journal of Applied Physics ("Multifunctional surfaces produced by
femtosecond laser pulses").
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=38767.php

Researchers tune friction in ionic solids at the nanoscale
Friction impacts motion, hence the need to control friction forces. Currently, this is
accomplished by mechanistic means or lubrication, but experiments conducted by researchers
at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have uncovered a way of
controlling friction on ionic surfaces at the nanoscale using electrical stimulation and ambient
water vapor. The research, which demonstrates a new physical effect, was undertaken at the
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at ORNL, and is
published in the journal Scientific Reports. "Our finding can have a significant technological
impact on applications for both macroscopic and nanoscale devices," said lead author Evgheni
Strelcov. "Decreasing or increasing nanoscale friction at will and thus controlling mechanical
energy losses and wear of a microelectromechanical system's parts has enormous implications
for applied energy research and opens a new vista for fundamental science studies."
http://phys.org/news/2015-01-tune-friction-ionic-solids-nanoscale.html
About NANO @ IOWA
NANO @ IOWA is a biweekly electronic newsletter to inform faculty, staff and students about important
news and events in nanoscience and nanotechnology. This newsletter is provided as a service of the
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute at UI (NNI).
To subscribe to NANO @ IOWA, please send an email to NNI@uiowa.edu with subject line: Subscribe
NANO @ IOWA. In the body of the message, type: (your first name) (your last name). To unsubscribe,
send an email message to: NNI@uiowa.edu with subject line: Unsubscribe NANO @ IOWA. In the body
of the message, type: (your first name) (your last name).
If you have news for NANO @ IOWA, please e-mail jenny-nelson@uiowa.edu
or call Jenny Nelson at 319-384-3292.
http://nanotech.uiowa.edu