CBEN Grantees Poster

1
Center for Biological and Environmental
Nanotechnology (NSEC EEC-0118007) Vicki L.
Colvin, James M. Tour, Rebekah Drezek, Jennifer
West, Jason Hafner, Pedro Alvarez, Qilin Li, Jun
Lou, Mason Tomson, John Hutchinson, Carolyn
Nichol, Kristen M. Kulinowski (Rice University) ,
Jay L. Conyers (UT Health Science Center)
Creating sustainable nanotechnologies that
improve human health and the environment
Nano Teacher-Training Course Goes the Distance
(Hutchinson, Nichol)
Nanotubes Scavenge Free Radicals (Tour, Conyers)

• Ultrashort nanotubes functionalized with
  derivatives of the phenolic antioxidant,
  butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
• Oxygen radical scavenging ability measured via
  oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay
• Both nonfunctionalized and BHT derivatized SWCNTs
  have little or no deleterious effect on cell
  viability.

• Teacher-training course exposes teachers to
  fundamental concepts in nanotechnology
• Partnership with CUs Alliance for Technology,
  Learning and Society Institute permits course to
  be offered via videoconference and web.
• Spring 2009 offering reaches 47 teachers in Texas
  and Colorado
• Additional 6 participate from home via web

Ultrashort nanotube modified to become
free-radical scavenger
Course offered simultaneously in Texas (Nichol,
left) and Colorado (Hutchinson, right)
Nanoparticles Improve Detection of Cancer Cells
(Drezek, West, Colvin, Hafner)

• Audience response system (clickers) employed to
  enhance active learning

• Immunotargeted gold nanoshells used as contrast
  agents for in vitro two-photon microscopy
• Entire procedure can be done in 10 minutes
• Initial study on missed cancer after surgical
  resection is planned with MD Anderson Cancer
  Center

• The GoodNanoGuide A wiki for the safe handling
  of nanomaterials (Kulinowski)
• VIEW
• COMMENT
• CONTRIBUTE
• http//goodnanoguide.org
• Protected Internet site on occupational practices
  for the safe handling of nanomaterials
• Multiple stakeholders contribute, share and
  discuss information
• Modern, interactive, up-to-date

Nanoshell-tagged cancer cells (top) are much
easier to detect than unlabelled cells (bottom).
Nanotechnology 19 (2008) 315102
Pilot Project To Test Nanoparticle Water
Treatment (Alvarez, Colvin, Li, Lou, Tomson)
Guanajuato, Mexico (UN Heritage, pop. 80,000)
Grad Student Jesse Farrell
Wastewater Treatment Plant

• 1st known test of nanoparticles in municipal
  water and wastewater treatment
• Test bed will explore (1) using a
  sand-nanomagnetite in-line filter to remove
  arsenic in a well field, and (2) wastewater
  photo-disinfection with fullerenes
• Partnership with Municipal Water and Sewerage
  Authority of Guanajuato.