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By means of electron microscopy it is shown that two closely spaced crystalline ZnSe nanorods connected by twinning structures can form through a self-limiting self-assembly process. These colloidal nanorod couples have low photoluminescence polarization anisotropy, their composition can be changed by means of a cation-exchange approach, and could be used to investigate the electronic coupling between the individual nanorods.
Although producing 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an attractive way to synthesize renewable fuels, achieving high yields for this reaction has proved difficult. PtCo bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts embedded in hollow carbon nanospheres now show improved catalytic performance for the hydrogenolysis of HMF to DMF (98% yield after 2 hours).
Confining light in subwavelength nanowires has posed a challenge to harnessing their potential for integrated photonic devices. Now, it is shown that a high-Q cavity can be achieved by placing a single nanowire into a groove in a photonic crystal resonator.
A promising strategy for achieving information storage devices with low energy consumption is to avoid using applied magnetic fields as a means to manipulate the magnetization of materials. Now, the class of materials that can be switched by all-optical means is shown to extend beyond alloys consisting of rare earths and transition metals.
Glioblastoma multiforme—an aggressive form of brain tumour —is known to migrate along white matter tracts and blood vessels. Now, aligned polycaprolactone nanofibres within a polymeric carrier are shown to guide tumour cells from the primary tumour site to an extracortical hydrogel ‘sink’ and hence lower tumour volume in the brain.
Cavity polaritons have been extensively studied in inorganic materials. An organic polariton condensate is now demonstrated to occur in the strongly interacting regime, at room temperature, in a cavity containing an organic polymer.
Spin currents form the basis of spintronics as a viable approach for future memory and information storage devices. Now, it is shown that a thermal spin current can be induced and controlled by applying a voltage.
Magnetic memory devices are typically based on ferromagnetic materials. Now, a memory resistor based on the antiferromagnetic alloy FeRh is demonstrated at room temperature.
Spermine—a polyamine found in eukaryotic cells—mediates the assembly of taxol-stabilized microtubules into hexagonally packed bundles. It is now shown with electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering that at higher concentrations of spermine the bundles disassemble and then reassemble into inverted tubulin tubules that expose the inner surface of the precursor microtubules, and that this results from spermine triggering a straight-to-curved conformation transition in the taxol-stabilized tubulin oligomers.
Resolving the internal structure of water molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces is challenging. Submolecular-resolution imaging of individual water monomers and tetramers on NaCl(001) films supported by a Au(111) substrate is now reported. The molecular orbitals of adsorbed water were directly visualized, which lead to the discrimination between the orientation of the monomers and the tetramers H-bond directionality.
