Large-scale Synthesis of Uniform-sized Nanoparticles and their Designed Assembly and Multifunctional Biomedical Applications

Having developed new generalized synthetic procedures to produce uniform-sized nanocrystals of many transition metals and oxides from thermalysis of metal-surfactant complexes, Prof. Hyeon’s group synthesized uniform-sized nanoparticles in large-scale without size-selection process. They also synthesized uniform-sized nanocrystals of various oxides via non-hydrolytic sol-gel reactions and designed and fabricated multifunctional nanostructured materials based on uniform-sized nanoparticles that they applied to various bio-medical applications. A new T1 MRI contrast agent using biocompatible MnO nanoparticles exhibits detailed anatomic structures of mouse brains. They have reported on the fabrication of monodisperse nanoparticles embedded in uniform pore-sized mesoporous silica spheres and PLGA polymers for simultaneous MRI, fluorescence imaging, and drug delivery and have synthesized hollow magnetite nanocapsules and used them for both the MRI contrast agent and magnetic guided drug-delivery vehicle. Magnetic gold nanoshells have been fabricated for simultaneous MRI and NIR photothermal therapy.

Friday, Oct. 24, 12:15. Lecture in 6-120. Please join us at 11:45 for refreshments in the Chipman Room (6-104).

Materials Day 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
MIT, Kresge Little Theatre (Bldg. W16, opposite 77 Massachusetts Ave.)

This year’s Materials Day focuses on nanostructures, materials for infrastructure applications, and materials selection and processing for sustainability. While research and development in these areas have rapidly evolved in largely independent ways, opportunities exist to meld new understandings that have emerged in these three areas to create new paradigms for materials engineering.

Registrants are invited to the day’s activities; all are invited to the Poster Session at 3:45 in La Sala de Puerto Rico, Stratton Student Center.

Popular Science’s annual “Brilliant 10″ list, recognizing the top young scientists to watch, includes Prof. Francesco Stellacci who is noted for developing “a material that can suck 20 times its weight in oil out of a sample of water. The material can be used to clean up massive crude-oil spills, and some have called the work a blueprint for scientists designing nanomaterials to help protect the environment.”

In 2002, Prof. Angela Belcher was named to the Brilliant 10.

See the MIT News Office for a full story on the award and other recipients affiliated with MIT.

Prof. Angela Belcher was a participant at the European Science Foundation’s recent conference on Nanotechnology for Sustainable Energy. Her work on using viruses to build nanowires was a highpoint of the conference.

On a recent trip to Greece, Prof. Ned Thomas was honored with an honorary degree. He also gave a talk to the MIT Club of Greece.

Professor Thomas receiving the degree Honoris Causa from the University of Ioannina, Greece on September 29, 2008