News & Views in 2008

A new generation of scanning transmission electron microscopes will allow researchers to study the composition and bonding of all the atoms in a solid material.

Environmental toxicologists, chemists and social scientists have identified three priorities for research into the impact of engineered nanoparticles on the environment.

Techniques for creating ultrathin films of reduced graphene oxide with large areas could prove useful in flexible electronics and other applications.

Could a mechanical principle familiar from the playground be the key to a new means of computation? Research on tiny gallium arsenide bridges points in that direction.

Atomic force microscopes have exploited the properties of DNA to 'cut-and-paste' molecules on surfaces with an accuracy of 10 nm.

The toxicity of carbon nanotubes is the subject of ongoing debate. A preliminary study using a small number of mice shows that they may be safe, but the results should be treated with caution.

The ability to perform optical measurements on a single molecule placed between two electrodes while also measuring the current flowing through it could herald a new generation of experiments on molecular junctions.

Dipole-directed self-assembly can be used to create robust one-dimensional nanostructures on silicon. It also provides new insights into interactions between molecules and this important technological material.

Terahertz measurements allow the electronic properties of carbon nanotube transistors to be explored at high frequencies, which should hasten the development of new devices based on these materials.

Nanocrystals of magnetite in magnetic bacteria are known for their high chemical purity, but recent work shows they can be doped with cobalt. This finding could pave the way for the biosynthesis of magnetically tailored nanoparticles.

Experiments in magnetic fields suggest that defects are responsible for light emission from silicon nanocrystals. However, when these defects are passivated with hydrogen, quantum effects become responsible for the emission.

Researchers have managed to extract electrical energy from environmental noise by exploiting the piezoelectric properties of zinc oxide nanowires with a device that could herald a new generation of local power sources.

Nanoparticles can control the basic functions of cells, and potentially kill cancer cells, by virtue of their size alone without the need for drugs.

The ability to excite extreme states of motion such as shock waves in nanomechanical resonators will provide new insights into the interactions between electrons and phonons.

DNA self-assembly is the basis for building three-dimensional structures. Now it is possible to use DNA as 'fuel' to change the shape of these nanostructures.