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Although magnetic molecules are widely investigated for their potential use in memory devices, their regular arrangement on surfaces has proven difficult. Arrays of iron atoms, linked by molecular ligands, have now been fabricated on copper surfaces. Importantly, the magnetism of the iron atoms is preserved and can be switched through oxygen adsorption.
The development of a direct ethanol fuel cell has been hampered by ethanol’s inefficient and slow oxidation. A ternary electrocatalyst consisting of platinum and rhodium deposited on carbon-supported tin dioxide nanoparticles is now shown to oxidize ethanol to carbon dioxide with high efficiency by splitting C–C bonds at room temperature.
Nanocrystalline materials show significantly different mechanical properties than their bulk counterparts. An in situ microscopy study of Al nanocrystals is now able to directly observe the role of dislocations in tensile deformation and uncover a sensitivity to the strain rate.
