Reviews & Analysis

Kinked nanowire transistors that can be manipulated in three dimensions can be used to record the intracellular electrical signals of targeted cells.

Coupling between optoelectronic states in a quantum dot and vibrations in a nanowire could lead to new techniques for laser cooling and control of mechanical motion.

Magnetic vortices can be controllably transferred in an extended system by electrical means.

Nanophotonic structures can be used to engineer efficient solar thermophotovoltaic systems.

Electronic transport in a nanodevice can be made insensitive to local heating by driving the device into strong non-equilibrium conditions.

Supramolecular structures composed of inorganic nanoparticles and DNA strands can efficiently target tumours and then be disassembled for ease of elimination from the body.

Stable fluorescence is observed in nanodiamonds of molecular dimensions extracted from a meteorite.

The exchange interaction between the electron spin in individual magnetic atoms and the spin of electrons in a non-magnetic substrate has a strong effect on the magnetic anisotropy of the atoms.

Polarized arrays of microtubules can be assembled and disassembled using motor proteins that are programmed by DNA strands.

DNA motors can transport CdS nanoparticles along tracks made of carbon nanotubes.

Nanomagnet logic devices that do not require a magnetic field for clocking can now be fabricated.

An artificial motor protein with loosely coordinated subunits can travel at high speed and over long distances.

This Review reports the state of the art for silicon nanostructures used in photonics and photovoltaic applications, and highlights the challenges for making silicon a high-performing photonic material.