Reviews & Analysis

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.

Composites of carbon nanotubes and polymers act as hosts for enzymes and can prevent protein contamination on the surfaces of medical devices.

Symmetry is usually prized in nature, but the deliberate skewing of symmetry in nanofluidic devices can lead to elegant new ways of sorting biomolecules.

A new approach to sensing mechanical motion allows high-frequency measurements to be made with cantilevers that are smaller than the wavelength of light.

In the effort to make better and less expensive optoelectronics devices molecular self-assembly proves to be a solution — in solution.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes can now effectively target tumours in mice, which suggests that nanotubes could form the basis of a safe drug-delivery system for cancer therapy.

Most methods for making carbon nanotubes require further processing to separate tubes with different chirality. Now, seeding growth from an existing nanotube segment ties synthesis and selectivity into a single step.

The response of a cantilever to bacteria deposited on it depends on the mechanical properties of the sample, as well as its mass. This effect needs to be considered in sensor design.