Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits

A new microscopic technique zeroes in on the poorly explored world of nanoplastics, which can pass into blood, cells and your brain

11-Jan-2024 - In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans ...

New separation technology for biomolecules

i3 Membrane receives 7 figure sum for development and market launch

26-Jan-2021 - Four investors are financing the further growth of i3 Membrane GmbH. High-tech venture capital investor HTGF from Bonn, Germany, and three private investors are together investing a 7 figure sum in the further development and market launch of new separation technology for biological molecules. ...

Tiny fibers create unseen plastic pollution

18-Feb-2019 - While the polyester leisure suit was a 1970s mistake, polyester and other synthetic fibers like nylon are still around and are a major contributor to the microplastics load in the environment, according to a Penn State materials scientist, who suggests switching to biosynthetic fibers to solve ...

Tiny lasers from a gallery of whispers

21-Sep-2017 - Whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonators are used to make tiny micro-lasers, sensors, switches, routers and other devices. These tiny structures rely on a phenomenon similar to an effect observed in circular galleries, such as in some cathedrals or museums, where sound waves travel across the ...

New way to filter light

System could provide first method for filtering light waves based on direction

31-Mar-2014 - Light waves can be defined by three fundamental characteristics: their color (or wavelength), polarization, and direction. While it has long been possible to selectively filter light according to its color or polarization, selectivity based on the direction of propagation has remained ...

Tiny tool can play big role against tuberculosis

21-May-2012 - A tiny filter could have a big impact around the world in the fight against tuberculosis. Using the traditional microscope-based diagnosis method as a starting point, a University of Florida lung disease specialist and colleagues in Brazil have devised a way to detect more cases of the bacterial ...

Porvair Filtration Report Strong Gain in 2011

30-Aug-2011 - Porvair Filtration Group, specialists in media and equipment for filtration and separation applications, has announced a strong increase in sales for the first half of fiscal year 2011. This growth is reflected in the half yearly results reported by parent company - Porvair plc for its ...

Building a smaller, lighter future: Understanding polymer behaviors below 1 nanometer

13-Oct-2010 - Knowing how to build nanosized assemblies of polymers (long molecular chains) holds the key to improving a broad range of industrial processes, from the production of nanofibers, filters, and new materials to the manufacture of low-energy, nanoscale circuits and devices. A recent paper in Nature ...

New technique enables drugs tests via exhaled breath

20-May-2010 - A new study from Karolinska Institutet presents a new technique that makes drug testing possible through exhaled air for the first time. By examining people who had received emergency care for an amphetamine overdose, the researchers found that in all cases there were traces of amphetamine and ...

Sculptured materials allow multiple channel plasmonic sensors

12-Nov-2009 - Sensors, communications devices and imaging equipment that use a prism and a special form of light -- a surface plasmon-polariton -- may incorporate multiple channels or redundant applications if manufacturers use sculptured thin films. "Everyone uses surface plasmon resonance sensors. They are ...