On the Wings of a Butterfly

The wings of a butterfly attract our attention for their marvellous colours. Have you noticed how the colour in some butterfly wings change depending on observer's position? These colours and their changing behaviour is because of well defined patterns on the wings. These patterns are visible when observed through nano-scale viewing microscopes (Scanning Electron Microscopes or Atomic Force Microscopy etc.). The physics behind these colours is now well understood, a combination of reflection, refraction and diffraction. Unlike reflection and refraction, it is the principle of diffraction which depends on the size of different shapes on the wings.

Recently, researchers in Cambridge Nano-science Centre have not just replicated these butterfly wings at the nanoscale but have shown capacity to tune their behaviour by selectively altering the nanoscale shapes. They have done this by the bottom-up approach (link), making small objects and thin films one-at-a-time.

This approach followed by researchers helps to create even more beautiful colours (see image below, click to enlarge) and aids in confirming the earlier proposed mechanisms which produce the concoction of colours on the wings of a butterfly (link to article).

Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Nanotechnology (PUBLISHED ONLINE: 30 MAY 2010 | DOI: 10.1038/NNANO.2010.101), copyright 2010.

Open Innovation in Nanotechnology

One of the most significant new evolving development concepts in industry is Open-Innovation. Companies facing an issue pose a question for the whole wide world like a challenge. It is a leap in corporate culture where it is now realized that the best way to solve a problem is by sharing it.


The firms do not risk too much but can benefit a lot since:
(a) If someone has a solution then it would be virtually impossible for an individual or a small player to overtake the giant corporation and thus would not pose a threat,
(b) Moreover no one would give the 'solution finder' a better quick reward than the solution seeker themselves.


It is here that most academic research /inventors/free lancers etc. and industry are crossing paths. Open innovation inventor Henry Chesbrough's blog.


Nanotechnology can benefit significantly from open innovation-
Nanotechnology can be divided into bottom-up or top-down approaches. The top-down approach is where existing products are miniaturized. This is often reflected in the rapidly evolving electronic market which are catered-to by foundries in Taiwan and S.Korea. These foundries make small transistors for electronic chips. 
But from the open-innovation pov, bottom-up approach is where most of todays research is focussed since it has shown enormous potential to improve every sphere of life - medicine, textiles, cosmetics, chemicals etc. even steel is being made stronger (http://www.outokumpu.com/).
One of the key challenges is the multidisciplinary nature of nanotechnology and nano-related sciences (Shea 2005; Palmberg and Nikulainen 2006 link). Nanotechnology and nanosciences draw upon a variety of different disciplines. It is related to both organic and inorganic disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, biology and biosciences. Thus, for large incumbents to benefit from the technological and scientific advances in nanotechnology it might be best to share the problems or collaborate with research organizations. Thus by spreading the awareness of the problem among relevant knowledge groups the companies stand the best chance to find a solution and gain an edge over their competitor.


Here is a sample list of selected open innovation initiatives relevant to the nano-sphere and otherwise


1. Identification of new materials that mimic human skin (link)
2. Solutions to the response to the 'OIL SPILL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO' (link)
3. Submit your innovation to P&G (link)
4. Nokia's collaborative open innovation world map (link)

Apple's Iphone 4 - Whats nano about that ?

Apple unveiled the new iphone 4 yesterday in San Francisco, their design homeland from where originate their license to publish 'Designed in California' on all products.
It is an amazing product with many new features well visible here (this would need quicktime installed). With this product Apple aims to re-conquer lost ground after Google's android and other smartphones capitalized market and application developer's inclination.


At the heart of the great many features is the new A4 processor manufactured by Samsung. Wherein lies nanotechnology..this new processor is made of transistors (the basic binary computing unit used in electronics today) with features as small as 45 nanometers (nm), roughly a thousand times smaller than the thickness of human hair. For an amazing analysis of the chip see details here.


Simply put:
Smaller the transistors, larger their number on a chip. Thus, either the device can be smaller or if the chip is still the same size then faster or both. Earlier versions were made by the 65nm technology.


For the new iphone 4 Apple has chosen both increased speed and reduced size and Samsung has delivered.


This new A4 processor can clock 1GHz speed which allows the software gurus to harness this capacity by multi-threading, piping; otherwise, efficient coding etc. amply visible in the use of any Apple Operating System.


Great advance in nanotechnology by Samsung coupled with novel Apple OS has produced the new marvel - Iphone 4.