Reviews & Analysis

New insights are emerging about the interactions between brain cells and carbon nanotubes, which could eventually lead to the development of nanoengineered neural devices.

Charged nanoparticles can alter the local physical properties of lipid membranes, which could shed new light on the interactions between living cells and nanomaterials.

Theorists have shown that the forces between atoms in an atomic-scale contact can do work when an electronic current is passed through it, opening up the possibility that current could be used to drive atomic-scale motors.

Research into public perceptions of nanotechnology is becoming more rigorous as increasingly complex theoretical models are developed and tested by social scientists.

By measuring changes in the photoluminescence of single-walled carbon nanotubes caused by the presence of molecules that damage DNA, it could be possible to build a biosensor that can identify multiple analytes in real time.

Lattice strain has long been avoided in the world of quantum dots, but it is now being used to tune the colour of light emitted by these structures

Two independent groups have demonstrated an unprecedented degree of control over the crystal structure and defect distribution in semiconductor nanowires

By using reversible enzyme reactions involving short peptides, molecular synthesis can be controlled by the self-assembly of the resulting products.

Protein nanoparticles derived from viruses are commonly studied, but a new rod-shaped thermophilic virus isolated from acidic hot springs may yield another class of protein building blocks that are stable and can be selectively modified with diverse chemical groups.