Volume 7 Issue 3, March 2012

Two independent groups have demonstrated that nanoscale electrodes can record action potentials in neurons and cardiac muscle cells, and a third group has shown that nanowire field-effect transistors can make electrical measurements on biological materials with unprecedented spatial resolution.

The spin-dependent Peltier effect has been demonstrated in a nanostructure consisting of a non-magnetic metal sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers.

Using two gold nanoparticles to connect an antibody to metal electrodes results in the formation of a molecular junction that is both stable and highly reproducible.

A nanowire attached to an optical fibre can deliver payloads or light into specific compartments within a living cell, and also detect optical signals from subcellular regions with high spatial resolution.

A combination of Fizeau interferometry and Raman spectroscopy can be used to probe the motion and strain in a nanoelectromechanical system.

Charge-neutral bilayer graphene has an energy gap of 2 meV that can be reduced by an electric field and increased by a magnetic field.

A single point defect in graphene can act as an atomic antenna in the petahertz frequency range, leading to surface plasmon resonances at the subnanometre scale.

Spin currents are used to heat or cool the interface between a ferromagnetic metal and a non-ferromagnetic metal.

A molecular motor can be programmed to follow a route through a network of tracks using instructions added externally or carried by the motor itself.

A silicon nanowire field-effect transistor coupled to the interior of a cell by means of a hollow silicon dioxide nanotube can detect changes in the electric potential of the intracellular fluid.

Arrays of vertical silicon nanowires can record and stimulate neuronal activity from within mammalian nerve cells, and can also map multiple individual synaptic connections between these cells.

Arrays of vertical nanopillar electrodes can be used for both intracellular and extracellular recording with excellent signal strength and quality, and minimal damage to the cells.

A nanowire waveguide attached to an optical fibre can deliver payloads into cells and act as an endoscope capable of imaging single living cells with high spatial resolution.

A single molecule of the antibody immunoglobulin G can self-assemble with two gold nanoparticles to fabricate a protein transistor in a highly reproducible manner.