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Security and surveillance are emerging as major and sometimes controversial applications of nanotechnology, especially in the United States. Although some of these applications are to be welcomed, others should be handled with care.
Nanotechnology is having a major impact on medicine and the treatment of disease, notably in imaging and targeted drug delivery. It may, however, be possible to go even further and design 'pseudo-cell' nanofactories that work with molecules already in the body to fight disease.
Everyone has heard of Feynman, Binnig and Rohrer, and the scanning tunnelling microscope, but where does Conrad Schneiker fit in? Chris Toumey explains.
With new research centres opening in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, close links between government-funded laboratories and industry, and a plentiful supply of researchers, China is set to become a major player in nanotechnology. Adarsh Sandhu finds out more about the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology
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.
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.
By coating a nanotube with a molecular layer that is thicker on one end than the other, it is possible to make a thermal rectifier that allows heat to flow easily along the tube in one direction, but not so easily in the opposite direction.