Nanoshell

A nanoshell is a 100 nanometer spherical shell of metal (often gold) surrounding a core of silicon dioxide atoms. Naomi Halas, a professor at Rice University, is the inventor of the nanoshell. Nanoshells have special optical properties with various promising applications; these applications are primarily being investigated at Rice University. Nanoshells are currently being investigated as:

• a treatment for cancer similar to chemotherapy but without the toxic side-effects [1]
• inexpensive, quick analysis of "samples as small as a single molecule" and builds on Raman spectroscopy [2]

Nanoshells featured in the fictional Alex Rider book Scorpia, where they were filled with cyanide to kill thousands.

See also

• nanotechnology

Links

• [1] Best nanotechnology discoveries of 2003
• [2] Nanoshell Sensor Opens Door For New Methods To Examine Single Molecules