Research Highlights in 2008

A Swiss collaboration has found that many more nanoparticles can leave an experimental sewage works than was previously thought.

A new optical imaging technique shows how fluids are affected by nanopatterned surfaces

Fullerene molecules demonstrate their potential as anchoring groups in molecular junctions

Nanoparticle shape changes that occur during a catalytic cycle can be monitored using X-ray diffraction

Two analytical methods can determine the content and size of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in commercial sunscreens

Magnetic colloids can be used to create chiral clusters

Flexible microtubules can orient themselves parallel or perpendicular to an electric field

Highly focused coherent X-rays can be used to image single gold nanoparticles with a spatial resolution of 5 nm

Single-walled carbon nanotubes can block the ability of neurons to internalize materials

A graphene transistor has been built with high on/off ratios

Carbon nanotube pipettes can be used to release tiny amounts of copper iodide in a controlled fashion using electrical pulses

Metallic and semiconducting nanotubes show very different chiral angle statistics when they are separated with density-gradient centrifugation

A simple method has been devised for making nanoscale double emulsions using a single surfactant

Researchers have set up a company to sell graphene samples to other researchers.

Specially designed thin films can fold themselves up into tiny boxes for storing microelectronic devices

Electron irradiation can induce a reversible metal-to-insulator transition in carbon nanotubes

By creating highly uniform millimetre-long silicon nanowires, one-dimensional arrays of nanodevices can be built on a single wire

Composites made from ionic liquids and carbon nanotubes dispersed in a polymer matrix can be integrated with transistors to make stretchable electronics