Scientists at University of Texas Austin have created new silicon nano needles with “modulated porosity” capabilities. The nano needles’ unique properties such as flexibility, semiconductors, biodegradable, and having a surface approximately 100 times bigger than the solid nano wires allows them to store higher amount of energy and could be used in lithium batteries and microchips for implantation or protecting drugs.
“We have indicated that the novel combination of nano scale dimensions of the needles with their flexibility, ability to conduct electricity, degrade in the body and have the surface of a tennis court on the tip of your thumb is crucial to develop lithium batteries that can store more energy, produce integrated circuits that can be implanted in the body and deliver drugs more efficiently” says Mauro Ferrari (chair of the nano Medicine and Biomedical Engineering Department).
During this research, the first report included the use of new, inexpensive ‘etech mechanism’ that uses [silver] nano particles to form nano needles from silicon. After the needles are synthesized in a hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of peroxide would change by controlling the porosity along the length of the needle. This would result in biodegrading the needles over time and creating a 120 times larger surface than solid wires.
This new nanomaterial could improve healthcare devices by increasing energy storage, making better drugs, and help realize implantable microchips.
