NANO @ IOWA
News from the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute at UI
November 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:

“Silicon nanowire based solar cells and biosensors”
Dr. Marcie Black, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Silicon Group
104 Iowa Advanced Technology Laboraties, University of Iowa
Thursday November 12, 1.30-2.30pm

“Multifunctional Nanoscale Platform Materials for Advanced Water Treatment and
Environmental Sensing Applications”
Assistant Professor John Fortner, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington
University, St. Louis
2229 Seamans Center, University of Iowa
Friday November 13, 3.30-4.20pm

2015 SNO Conference
Portland, OR
November 8-10, 2015
http://susnano.org/SNO2015/conferenceOverview2015.html

5th International Conference on Nanotek and Expo
San Antonio, Texas
November 16-18, 2015
http://nanotechnologyexpo.conferenceseries.com/

International Electron Devices Meeting
Washington, D.C.
December 7-9, 2015
http://www.his.com/~iedm/

Nanotech 2016
Tokyo, Japan
January 27-29, 2016
http://www.nanotechexpo.jp/

Pacific Conference on Spectroscopy and Dynamics
Pacific Grove, CA
January 28-31, 2016
http://www.cvent.com/events/63rd-pacific-conference-on-spectroscopy-and-dynamics/eventsummary-984c0d26160043038577d0ae64cf1a51.aspx

Society of Toxicology 55th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo
New Orleans, LA
March 13-17, 2016
https://www.toxicology.org/events/am/AM2016/

International Nanotechnology Conference and Expo
Baltimore, MD
April 4-6, 2016
http://nanotech.madridge.com/
2. Upcoming grant opportunities and funding requests in nanoscience and nanotechnology:

OVPRED/CMRF Seed Grants Available
The University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, in
conjunction with the Central Microscopy Research Facility (CMRF), has launched a seed grant
program to assist UI researchers with collecting preliminary data to support and enhance their
external funding applications. Awards of up to $1,000 will be offered to help offset the cost of
any technique offered by the CMRF.
Applications are due November 6, 2015.
Visit this link to learn more about the program and this link to apply for funding.
Contact Randy Nessler (link sends e-mail) if you have any additional questions.

Fiscal Year 2016 National Environmental Information Exchange Network
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA-OEI-16-01
Deadline Date: November 13, 2015
http://www2.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/fiscal-year-2016-national-environmental-informationexchange-network-grant-program

Cultivating Cultures for Ethical STEM (CCE STEM)
National Science Foundation
15-528
Deadline Dates: December 8, 2015 (Internal deadline); February 16, 2016 (Sponsor deadline)
https://research.uiowa.edu/grantTrack/preselection.php?get=uiwins&GrantID=18060&Type=2

OVPRED Internal Funding Initiatives (IFI)
University of Iowa
Deadline dates: December 15, 2015 and March 22, 2016
http://research.uiowa.edu/researchers/find-funding/internal-funding-initiatives-ifi

CHEEC seed grant research proposals
University of Iowa Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination
Deadline date: January 4, 2016
http://research.uiowa.edu/impact/news/cheec-seed-grant-research-proposals-are-due-january-4

Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF)
National Science Foundation
15-608
Deadline dates: January 4 – 19, 2016
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15608/nsf15608.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=clic
k

2015 Broad Agency Announcement Engineer Research and Development Center
Department of Defense
FOA Number: W912HZ-15-BAA-01
Deadline Date: January 31, 2016
http://nano.gov/node/1373

Materials Engineering and Processing
National Science Foundation
PD 13-8092
Deadline Dates: February 1 – 16, 2016
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504950

Nanomanufacturing
National Science Foundation
PD 16-1788
Deadline Dates: February 1 – 16, 2016
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13347&org=NSF

NIST Measurement Science Research: Material Measurement; Physical Measurement;
Engineering; Fire Research; Information Technology; Communications Technology;
Neutron Research; Nanoscale Science
National Institute of Standards and Technology
2015-NIST-MSE-01
Deadline Date: June 1, 2016
http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=277027

FY2016 Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, Water Systems (INFEWS)
National Science Foundation
15-108
Deadline Date: September 30, 2016
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15108/nsf15108.jsp#ref1

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

Exploratory/Developmental Bioengineering Research Grants
National Institutes for Health (NIH)
FOA Number: PA-12-284
Deadline Dates: January 25, May 25, and September 25, annually
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-12-284.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:

“NanoEHS – defining fundamental science needs: no easy feat when the simple itself is
complex” published in Environment Science: Nano
University of Iowa and other nationally recognized researchers call for fundamental research in
environmental health and safety studies of nanomaterials (NanoEHS). An article entitled
“NanoEHS – defining fundamental science needs: no easy feat when the simple itself is complex”
was just published in Environmental Science: Nano. The article is the outcome of a National
Science Foundation sponsored workshop co-chaired by Vicki Grassian and Amanda Haes held
last November in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Sustainable Nanotechnology
Organization. The article calls for new systematic, integrated research approaches in NanoEHS,
bridging current knowledge gaps, and suggestions of fundamental research areas to further
explore the scientific foundation to address NanoEHS needs. For the full article see
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/en/c5en00112a#!divAbstract

“Zeolite and mesoporous silica nanomaterials: greener syntheses, environmental
applications and biological toxicity” article makes top 10
An article by Sarah C. Larsen and Sean E. Lehman entitled “Zeolite and mesoporous silica
nanomaterials: greener syntheses, environmental applications and biological toxicity” is in the
top 10 most accessed Environmental Science: Nano articles in June 2015. The article discusses
zeolite and mesoporous silica nanomaterials with emphasis on connections to the environment.
Specifically, the topics of greener syntheses, environmental applications and biological toxicity
are addressed. For the full article see:
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2014/EN/C4EN00031E#!divAbstract
4. Highlights of some new interesting nanoscience and nanotechnology research and articles:

Strong and extremely insulating: hybrid aerogels made from biopolymers and silica
Airy, airier, aerogel: the sponge-like networks that make up these highly porous solids can
consist of up to 99.98 % pores. The most common aerogels are based on silica and are most
often used as insulation because of their unusually low thermal conductivity. The serious
disadvantage of these materials is their fragility. In the journal Angewandte Chemie ("Strong,
Thermally Superinsulating Biopolymer–Silica Aerogel Hybrids by Cogelation of Silicic Acid with
Pectin"), a team of Swiss and French scientists has now introduced a new class of hybrid
aerogels made from silica and plant-derived pectins. The new materials have comparable
thermal properties but are far more mechanically stable. In addition, they are made by an
aqueous, “green” process from bioderived materials. Silica aerogels are made when hydrochloric
acid is used to precipitate silica particles out of a sodium silicate solution. The particles
aggregate into a gel with a network structure, which is subsequently washed and dried. Their
very high porosity and specific surface area makes them useful for catalysis, pharmaceuticals,
and chemistry; their superinsulating properties are useful for transparent thermal insulation in
solar thermal systems or as insulation for renovations where there isn’t enough space for
conventional insulation materials.
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=41685.php

Nanotech: The new alchemy
Alchemy left the mainstream centuries ago, but one of its core concepts, transmuting the
elements, is experiencing a revival in nanotechnology. Researchers at the Univ. of Michigan are
charting a path toward materials with new properties by cleverly altering the nanoparticles used
to build them. "Today, scientists achieve something akin to alchemy when we change materials'
building blocks by adding atoms or molecules to them, or even changing their shape. Such
changes affect how the building blocks fit together, which in turn controls material's behavior
and properties," said Sharon Glotzer, the John Werner Cahn Distinguished University Professor
of Engineering and the Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering. "We've
developed a new theoretical tool that can be used by computers to carry out 'alchemy' on the
fly, rapidly searching for the best building block for a given application. Digital alchemy will
transform the way we design materials."
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2015/10/nanotech-new-alchemy

Carbon nanotube catalysts for converting CO2 to CO
Using solar or wind power to produce carbon-based fuels, which are commonly called fossil
fuels, might seem like a self-defeating approach to making a greener world. But when the
starting material is carbon dioxide, which can be dragged out of the air, the approach is as
green as it gets. The technology that makes it economically feasible isn't available yet, but a
recently published paper presents nice step forward in the effort to not just sequester CO2, but
turn it into a useful fuel that is part of a carbon-neutral future. Xiao-Dong Zhou, an associate
professor of chemical engineering at the University of South Carolina, is part of a team that is
working on a sustainable approach to harnessing renewable energy. Solar panels and wind
turbines are most typically used to produce electricity, but on a large scale, electricity from
sources like these pose problems. Utilities need to meet demand at all times, so if a power
company is relying solely on wind or solar, what happens when the sun goes behind the clouds
or the wind takes a breather? An alternative that has been long talked about is to use that green
electricity to kick CO2 up the energy ladder. Carbon dioxide, the combustion by-product that
comes out of power plant smokestacks and is getting too plentiful in the Earth's atmosphere, is
at the bottom of the hill when it comes to carbon-based fuels. As energy goes, it's spent.
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=41751.php

New imaging technology is advance for medical diagnostics, research
A team of researchers has demonstrated a new type of imaging system that reveals the
chemical composition of living tissue for medical diagnostics and cellular studies. The
development is potentially important because knowing the chemical content of tissue is needed
for early detection of disease, and the system also can be used to study molecular dynamics in
living cells as they are occurring, said Ji-Xin Cheng, a professor in Purdue's Weldon School of
Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemistry and Scientific Director of the Label-free
Imaging lab at Purdue's Discovery Park. Conventional imaging technologies such as magnetic
resonance imaging and computed tomography do not reveal the chemical composition of
tissues, he said. Although optical spectroscopy has been routinely used to study molecules in a
sample cell, it is currently not practical to perform in-vivo spectroscopy, or the analysis of how
light interacts with molecules in living tissue. This is because photons strongly scatter when
light shines through tissues, making detection of the signal through a spectrometer inefficient,
Cheng said. "Our technique overcomes this problem," he said.
http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-news/newsid=41743.php
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