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A low-cost processing technique that is widely used to make polymer films is also capable of producing large-area films of aligned nanowires and nanotubes
For decades semiconductors have formed the core of microelectronic circuits. Although nanofluidics may not put silicon out of business, it will likely open a host of new applications.
Designer nanotubes based on mesoporous silica can now penetrate the thick cell walls of plants and deliver DNA and their activators. This opens the way to precisely manipulate gene expression in plants at the single-cell level.
A new approach to magnetic resonance force microscopy has demonstrated a resolution of 90 nm, and with further improvements it may be possible to determine the chemical compositions of single molecules.
A combination of theory and experiment is shedding new light on the structural and electronic properties of gold nanoclusters, including cage-like structures that contain other atoms.
A scanning tunnelling microscope has been used to image — with single-molecule resolution — a chemical reaction occurring at a solid — liquid interface, providing a clearer picture of the role played by individual catalysts in this process.
Keeping drug-delivery vehicles in the bloodstream for a long time is a challenge. New results suggest that adopting the filamentous shape of viruses may lead to better nanocarriers.
Relatively little is known about how spins interact with an organic environment. Now, a study of organic nanowires shows that spin information is preserved over exceptionally long times.
With exciting new results appearing every week, graphene is one of the hottest topics in physics, and may also form the basis of a new approach to electronics a decade from now.
An innovative and scalable strategy for making high-density arrays of aligned nanotubes could lead to the mass-production of high-performance, high-power flexible electronics.
Numerous copies of a pumpkin-shaped molecule can be linked together to form a nanocapsule shell that can trap compounds inside. The outer surface of this capsule can be decorated with other species by plugging them into the cavities of the hollowed-out pumpkins.
Quantized magnetoresistance has been observed in an experiment for the first time. In addition to being of fundamental interest, the result could have applications in sensing and data storage.
Coaxial cables transmit radiation with a wavelength much bigger than their diameter. Now, a miniature version borrows this concept to carry visible light at the nanoscale.
With templates, it is possible to make large arrays of polymer nanostructures with adjustable shapes and sizes. Researchers are now adopting these techniques to make compact, subwavelength, polymer nanowire lasers.
Carbon nanotubes have been used to probe the properties of bilayer systems resembling living cell membranes. Such experiments could offer new insights into the working of cells.
A molecular motor inspired by Maxwell's demon can be driven away from equilibrium using the information provided by the location of one of its interlocked components.
