ACS NANO
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICE REPELLENT NANOTECHNOLOGY: Small structures
keep water off supercooled surfaces
ITH THE OFFICIAL first day of winter less than a month away, it’s almost time to break out the heaters, scrapers, and deicers. But according to a new study, the future of ice fighting may not involve thermal, mechanical, or chemical ice removal. Rather, it may belong to tiny structures that can repel water from surfaces before it even has a chance to freeze (ACS Nano, DOI: 10.1021/nn102557p). Inspired by the nanostructured surfaces that help water striders keep their legs dry and that render mosquitoes’ eyes fog-free, a team led by Harvard University materials science professor Joanna Aizenberg created surfaces covered in various micro- and nanostructures, such as honeycombs, bricks, and pillars. They then used high-speed video to study how water droplets behave when they strike these surfaces at low temperatures. “Freezing starts with droplets colliding with a sur-
W ICE PHOBIA Surfaces studded with honeycombs (35 µm), bricks (15 x 39 µm), and pillars (4 µm across) repel water before it can freeze.
ROCHE FOLLOWS JOB-CUTS TREND PHARMACEUTICALS: Cost-cutting
measures will impact 6,300 positions across the company
ROC HE
Roche plans to halt RNAi research at its Nutley, N.J., site.
R
OCHE HAS BECOME the latest major drug
company to launch a restructuring program in response to a worsening pharmaceutical business climate. Over two years, the company will eliminate 4,800 jobs, largely in the U.S. Overall, 6,300 employees, or 6% of its workforce, will be affected. Among the planned reductions are 600 jobs in pharmaceutical R&D. In particular—and despite a multiyear investment of nearly $500 million—Roche will cease RNAi research efforts in Nutley, N.J.; Kulmbach, Germany; and Madison, Wis. “We decided to react proactively and decisively,” Roche CEO Severin Schwan told investors in a conference call last week. “Our goal was to find the right balance of protecting our innovation capabilities on the one hand WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
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face, and very little is known about what happens when droplets hit surfaces at low temperatures,” Aizenberg explains. Her team found that on smooth surfaces, water droplets spread and freeze. But on micro- and nanostructured surfaces at temperatures as low as –30 °C, the droplets spread but then retract and bounce off before freezing can occur. At lower temperatures the droplets will freeze, but, Aizenberg says, “any ice that forms does not adhere well and is much easier to remove than the stubborn sheets on flat surfaces.” Di Gao, an engineering professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies ice-phobic materials, calls the work “a promising experimental result.” He notes that the retraction behavior of supercooled water droplets noted by Aizenberg’s team provides additional insights on ice-phobic materials and could aid the design of anti-icing surfaces. Aizenberg thinks micro- and nanostructured surfaces could help prevent ice buildup on airplanes, buildings, power lines, and pipelines. Her team is now testing the technology in real-world settings, such as wind tunnels. “We are certain that this new form of coatings integrated directly into a variety of materials could soon be developed and commercialized,” she says.—BETHANY HALFORD
and increasing our productivity in a focused way on the other hand.” The program is expected to save up to $2.4 billion a year. Product development activities involving another 800 positions, mostly in the U.S., will be discontinued or transferred to other Roche sites or third parties. Meanwhile, jobs outsourced to India are expected to rise by more than 60% to 650 in 2012. Reorganization of manufacturing operations in California, Germany, and elsewhere will eliminate about 750 positions. Another 600 employees will be affected by the sale of production sites in Florence, S.C., and Boulder, Colo. Overall, the Swiss firm anticipates transferring about 800 jobs internally and moving about 700 to third parties. Some job cuts will come through attrition. The cuts in pharma R&D are to be completed by the end of 2011. Roche isn’t the only company announcing cost-cutting measures. In an investor presentation this month, AstraZeneca reiterated its plans to cut $1 billion in spending and about 3,500 jobs in R&D by 2014. Pfizer recently reported that it expects to exceed its target of cutting 15% of its staff, or about 19,000 jobs, set after it acquired Wyeth in late 2009. Since then, the firm’s workforce has declined by 9,200 employees, primarily in U.S. sales, manufacturing, R&D, and corporate operations. One bright spot is Novartis, which indicated to analysts in a strategic overview last week that, contrary to its peers in the industry, it expects to continue investing in R&D.—ANN THAYER
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