Nanotechnology shows promise as next wrinkle fighter

January 16, 2007

The next big idea in preventing wrinkles is very, very small. Nano small.

A Michigan State University chemical engineer has discovered that nanoparticles can stop thin polymer films from buckling and wrinkling. It's a new solution to a critical problem as thin films become more important in new technology such as electronic monitors.

The cosmetic arsenal to fight human wrinkles embraces technologies that seems crossed with science fiction – from microdermabrasians to lasers to Botox injections – and nanoparticles are poised to join the war by warding off dreaded buckles in human skin.

Ilsoon Lee, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, along with Ph.D. student Troy Hendricks, published an online article in the American Chemical Society's Nano Letters in December 2006 that outlines the potential of using infinitesimally small nanoparticles – 50nm – between films to smooth out the tiny buckles that are the origin of wrinkles.

While the article addresses breakthroughs in the buckling of polymer films as they were compressed or heated during the manufacturing process, Ilsoon said the principles show promise to apply to human skin.

The research is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

On all fronts, it's all about nailing a wrinkle before it starts.

"Everything starts at a really small scale, so if we can prevent the buckling at the very beginning – at the nano level – we can eliminate large scale wrinkles," Ilsoon said. "Wrinkles can initiate from the small scale, and when it grows we cannot remove it."

Nanoparticles already have entered the cosmetic marketplace because they can penetrate deeper into the skin, transporting vitamins and other compounds to plump and smooth tissue. But Ilsoon envisions thin films that can be injected beneath the thinning outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, that over time stiffens and buckles with aging, and the thicker dermis beneath it, which remains more pliable over time. Think of a raisin.

Ilsoon explained that nanoparticles spread in a thin film can break up the compressive forces on a plane and redirect them. Once the force is reduced below the critical buckling strain, the film will not
buckle. No buckles, no wrinkles. The nanoparticles in the film can be stress busters without affecting the neighboring layers.

"The wrinkle-free films will automatically absorb or deflect the stress and stay flat, just as they are after formation," he said.

Nanoparticle films wouldn't be a face-lift itself, but Ilsoon sees the possibility in a film that could be added during a cosmetic procedure – such as an eyelift – to stabilize the improvements and prevent further wrinkling. He also sees applications in medical procedures – such as artificial skins for surgery.

The ideas are in the early stages with health and safety concerns to be worked through. Already Ilsoon's lab, with collaborators, is testing polymer films, by applying various cells and proteins to see if there are toxic reactions.

Source: Michigan State University


Rank 4 /5 (7 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Nanotube therapy takes aim at breast cancer stem cells

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers have again proven that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them.

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Inspired by steel, nanomanufacturing gets wear-resistant carbide tip

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IBM Research - Zurich have fabricated an ultrasharp silicon carbide tip possessing such high strength ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created 6 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New technology platform for molecule-based electronics

Researchers at the Nano-Science Center at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new nano-technology platform for the development of molecule-based electronic components using the wonder material graphene. At the same ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created 3 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Australians risking skin cancer to avoid nanoparticles

More than three in five Australians are concerned enough about the health implications of nanoparticles in sunscreens to want to know more about their impact. And while the initial scientific information released suggests ...

Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine

created 4 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

New kind of solar cell could capture significantly more energy than current cells

New solar cells could increase the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25%, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (9) | comments 14 | with audio podcast


Secrets of immune response illuminated in new study

When disease-causing invaders like bacteria infect a human host, cells of various types swing into action, coordinating their activities to address the threat.

Potentially important new mechanisms found anti-aging effects of resveratrol

A well-conducted experimental study in mice has provided potentially important new insights into the association of the intake of resveratrol and like compounds with health benefits. Resveratrol is a constituent of red wine ...

Touch screens create online shopping experiences at stores

Imagine browsing knife sets in an airport and then ordering one before you board your plane, or going to a department store to look at makeup without having to bounce from counter to counter to check out each brand's selection.

Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise

(AP) -- More and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get out and exercise, according to government survey released Thursday.

Study shows fainting factor in cardiac arrests

A new study by Dr. Andrew Krahn shows that over a quarter of unexplained cardiac arrests occurred after the patient had an event of fainting, known as syncope. According to Dr. Krahn, a Cardiologist at London Health Sciences ...

Researchers find important 'target' playing role in tobacco-related lung cancers

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., have discovered that the immune response regulator IKBKE (serine/threonine kinase) plays two roles in tobacco-related non-small cell lung cancers. Tobacco carcinogens induce ...