News & Comment

A layer-by-layer assembly strategy is used to make ordered composite materials comprising clay nanoplatelets embedded in a polymer matrix

Analysis into the clearance of quantum dots from the body could enable them to fulfil their potential for medical applications

Two experimental studies demonstrate a method for measuring the density of electrons or 'holes' in semiconducting and metallic carbon nanotubes that could prove useful for characterizing nanotube-based electronics

Three-dimensional structures comprising alternating layers of two semiconductor materials are shown to exhibit negative refraction properties

Carbon nanotube electrodes are used to measure the conductance of organic molecules that can be switched back and forth between 'open' and 'closed' structures

A two-dimensional porous molecular network on a gold surface can trap fullerenes with hierarchical organization

Electricity can be generated from single barium titanate nanowires when they are mechanically strained, suggesting that this material may prove useful for energy-harvesting applications

Electromagnetic signals in the radio frequency band can be mixed mechanically with a nanoelectromechanical transistor

pH-sensitive quantum dots can monitor proton transfer reactions in a biological motor to detect viruses

A simple technique that relies on Joule heating can functionalize the surface of 'select' semiconductor nanowires that are part of a larger device

Highly branched organic compounds can be crosslinked to form ion-binding nanoparticles that are soluble in water

The composition and density of biomolecular nanoarrays can be modified using an electrochemical technique

High-density data storage could be achieved by using a scanning tunnelling microscope to switch the magnetization of tiny iron particles

By using ultra-small nanoparticles that can reach the lymph nodes, it is possible to deliver vaccines to immune cells — and activate them — more efficiently

The strength of hydrogen bonds between molecules on a metal surface can be quantified by observing them with a scanning tunnelling microscope

The way in which laser ablation can be used to pattern nanoscale features on a surface has been investigated with a striped diamond-like carbon film

The concept of 'chemical friction' is explored by studying how fullerenes rotate when surrounded by a molecular box

Long DNA molecules can be separated on the basis of their length by pulling them off a surface when stretched under the influence of an electric field