Recent Patents on Nanotechnology - Volume 5, Issue 1, 2011

As the continuous advance in the process of device miniaturisation reaches down to the nanometre range, fabrication techniques based on self-organisation, i.e., the spontaneous formation of ordered patterns on surfaces, are becoming increasingly attractive as potential, highly efficient alternatives to lithographic methods. In this article we review some of the methodologies that have been developed recently to produce Read More

A thorough review on the patents in the applications of nano-powder technology shows that research work in this technical field is growing stronger, as indicated by a rapid increase in the number of independent patents in relevant topics. This also indicates ever increasing and continuous interests on the nano-podwer technology even after 15 years of dynamic global nanotechnology development. The review o Read More

In the last years, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has become a powerful tool not only to study the surface morphology but also the nanomechanics of all kind of samples. In this paper, the applicability of this technique is reviewed and its basic aspects of operation, advantages and drawbacks of using the AFM probe as a picoindenter (Force Spectroscopy mode, FS-AFM) are discussed. The patents concerning picoindentation meas Read More

In recent years, the development of cost-effective processing techniques, novel design concepts and new materials paved the way to a widespread diffusion of micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS). Obviously, the reliability as well as the performance of NEMS/MEMS depend on the corresponding materials properties, which in turn should be determined using ad-hoc small samples fabricated at the relevant siz Read More

Here, we intend to review those patents related with the technology of dye sensitized solar cells. In particular we discuss patents and papers that enable metal oxide layer to be more controllable and feasible for applications, and new and innovative dyes, sensitizers and electrolytes with promising features. Finally various methods were reviewed for fabricating semiconductor layers and complete DSSC devices focusing on Read More

Currently there is great interest in patterned silicon nanowire arrays and applications. The accurately controlled fabrication of patterned silicon nanowire arrays with the desirable axial crystallographic orientation using simpler and quicker ways is very desirable and of great importance to material synthesis and future nanoscale optoelectronic devices that employ silicon. The recent advances in manipulating patterned silic Read More

The patents annotated in this section have been selected from various patent databases. These recent patents are relevant to the articles published in this journal issue, categorized by different nanotechnology methods, processes and techniques involved.