Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The adhesion of single DNA molecules on modified gold surfaces can be adjusted by surface potential, and the desorption forces of these interactions are measured by single-molecule force spectroscopy.
Asymmetric salt concentrations can be used to enhance the capture rate of DNA in solid-state nanopores and detect picomolar solutions of unlabelled DNA.
A nanoscale electrode assembly consisting of nanoparticles with tailored conductivity deposited above or below a functional nanoparticle film is demonstrated in sensor devices that achieve 20 ppb ethanol gas sensitivity.
A photonic–plasmonic device — which can be used as a tip for an atomic force microscope and also as a nanoscale light source for near-field Raman excitation — allows topographic, chemical and structural information to be obtained with a spatial resolution of 7 nm.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be self-assembled into cross junctions using DNA origami, establishing these structures as programmable nanobreadboards.
Photosynthetic nanoparticles obtained from a thermophilic bacterium can produce a stable supply of hydrogen at temperatures up to 55 °C with a yield that is approximately 25 times greater than current hydrogen production strategies.
Nanoparticles can damage cellular DNA from a distance without entering the cells, suggesting the need to consider indirect effects when evaluating nanoparticle safety.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be modified into bright and biocompatible agents for high resolution whole-animal imaging at wavelengths in the 1100–1700 nm region.
Proteins isolated from a specific type of virus have channels that are wide enough to allow double-stranded DNA to pass through, offering a new conductive biological pore for various applications including DNA sequencing.
A detailed understanding of the response of graphene resonators to changes in mass and temperature could lead to the development of ultrasensitive mass detectors and other nanoelectromechanical systems.
A meta-analysis of surveys of public attitudes to nanotechnology reveals that public perceptions are malleable, so new methods for understanding future responses need to be developed.
Experimental evidence is presented showing that strong spin polarization in side-gated quantum point contacts can be achieved electrically, making these structures attractive for future spintronic applications.
Carbon nanotubes coated with a thin layer of gold can be a good alternative to fluorescent labels and gold nanoparticles for non-invasive in vivo photoacoustic and photothermal imaging.
Transparent films of titania nanotubes up to 30-μm long are fabricated on transparent conducting oxide glass, and used to make dye-sensitized solar cells.
The room-temperature magnetism of colloidal doped semiconductor nanocrystals can be manipulated reversibly by controlling their electric charge state, making such materials attractive for potential spintronics applications.
The mobility of field-effect transistors made from self-assembled monolayers of liquid-crystal molecules depends on channel length only when the monolayer coverage is incomplete.