Catalysis by design - p575

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.285

A fundamental understanding of many factors — including composition, size, shape and surface structure — is vital for the development of new and improved catalysts.

Full Text - Catalysis by design | PDF (127 KB) - Catalysis by design

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Structural properties

Large-scale application of nanotechnology for wood protection - p577

Philip Evans, Hiroshi Matsunaga & Makoto Kiguchi

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.286

Full Text - Large-scale application of nanotechnology for wood protection | PDF (285 KB) - Large-scale application of nanotechnology for wood protection

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Industry and IPR

When it pays to ask the public - pp578 - 579

Richard Jones

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.288

When a research council in the UK consulted the public about different aspects of nanomedicine, the feedback was loud and clear. Richard Jones reports.

Full Text - When it pays to ask the public | PDF (260 KB) - When it pays to ask the public

Subject Categories: Nanomedicine | Ethical, legal and other societal issues

Double nanoemulsions, nanotubes and neurons, X-rays focus on gold nanoparticles, carbon nanospheres in the atmosphere, and more - pp580 - 581

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.289

Full Text - Double nanoemulsions, nanotubes and neurons, X-rays focus on gold nanoparticles, carbon nanospheres in the atmosphere, and more | PDF (208 KB) - Double nanoemulsions, nanotubes and neurons, X-rays focus on gold nanoparticles, carbon nanospheres in the atmosphere, and more

Top down bottom up: Out and about - p581

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.290

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

Full Text - Top down bottom up: Out and about | PDF (134 KB) - Top down bottom up: Out and about

Subject Category: Environmental, health and safety issues

Catalysis: Individual nanoparticles in action - pp583 - 584

Bruce C. Gates

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.295

A catalytic reaction occurring on a single gold nanoparticle can be monitored directly with surface plasmon spectroscopy.

Full Text - CatalysisIndividual nanoparticles in action | PDF (223 KB) - CatalysisIndividual nanoparticles in action

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Structural properties

Clusters: A colloidal twist - p584

Owain Vaughan

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.291

Full Text - ClustersA colloidal twist | PDF (130 KB) - ClustersA colloidal twist

Subject Categories: Molecular self-assembly | Nanoparticles

Flexible electronics: Stretching our imagination - pp585 - 586

Melburne C. LeMieux & Zhenan Bao

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.296

Composites containing ultralong single-walled carbon nanotubes can be integrated with transistors to make stretchable and flexible electronic devices.

Full Text - Flexible electronicsStretching our imagination | PDF (202 KB) - Flexible electronicsStretching our imagination

Subject Categories: Nanosensors and other devices | Structural properties

Nanomaterials: Nanotubes reveal their true strength - pp586 - 587

Eric Stach

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.293

The mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes have not matched theoretical predictions in the past. New measurements have now confirmed that nanotubes are indeed as strong as theory suggests.

Full Text - NanomaterialsNanotubes reveal their true strength | PDF (127 KB) - NanomaterialsNanotubes reveal their true strength

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Structural properties | Synthesis and processing

Protein engineering: Electrifying cell receptors - pp587 - 588

Atheir Abbas & Bryan L. Roth

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.292

Ion channels can be attached to certain types of protein receptors in cells to make a detector–switch pair that could be used in various sensing and screening applications.

Full Text - Protein engineeringElectrifying cell receptors | PDF (146 KB) - Protein engineeringElectrifying cell receptors

Subject Categories: Nanosensors and other devices | Synthesis and processing

Borosilicate nanoparticles prepared by exothermic phase separation - pp589 - 594

Virendra K. Parashar, Jean-Baptiste Orhan, Abdeljalil Sayah, Marco Cantoni & Martin A. M. Gijs

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.262

Nanoscale particles play an important role in the chemical and biological sciences, but efforts to make nanoparticles from borosilicate glass — which exhibits high tolerance to chemicals and solvents — have proved unsuccessful so far. Now it has been shown that upon mixing a silicon–boron binary oxide solution with water, borosilicate nanoparticles are produced as a result of a vigorous exothermic phase separation.

Abstract - | Full Text - Borosilicate nanoparticles prepared by exothermic phase separation | PDF (456 KB) - Borosilicate nanoparticles prepared by exothermic phase separation | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Synthesis and processing

Imaging the passage of a single hydrocarbon chain through a nanopore - pp595 - 597

Masanori Koshino, Niclas Solin, Takatsugu Tanaka, Hiroyuki Isobe & Eiichi Nakamura

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.263

Molecular transport through nanoscale pores is important in many areas of science, but it is difficult to obtain information about the molecules as they pass through the pore. Now it has been shown that imaging with a transmission electron microscope can be used to observe the structure and orientation of a hydrocarbon chain as it passes through a defect in the wall of a carbon nanotube, and also to study how the chain interacts with the nanopore.

Abstract - | Full Text - Imaging the passage of a single hydrocarbon chain through a nanopore | PDF (647 KB) - Imaging the passage of a single hydrocarbon chain through a nanopore | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Surface patterning and imaging

Direct observation of chemical reactions on single gold nanocrystals using surface plasmon spectroscopy - pp598 - 602

Carolina Novo, Alison M. Funston & Paul Mulvaney

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.246

Current techniques to determine reaction rates on the nanoscale measure ensemble averages, making it difficult to relate the catalytic activity of nanoparticles to their morphology. Researchers have now used surface plasmon spectroscopy to observe the kinetics of a redox reaction catalysed by a gold nanoparticle and also the atomic deposition of gold onto a nanocrystal.

Abstract - | Full Text - Direct observation of chemical reactions on single gold nanocrystals using surface plasmon spectroscopy | PDF (327 KB) - Direct observation of chemical reactions on single gold nanocrystals using surface plasmon spectroscopy

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Structural properties

See also: News and Views by Gates

CMOS-compatible fabrication of room-temperature single-electron devices - pp603 - 608

Vishva Ray, Ramkumar Subramanian, Pradeep Bhadrachalam, Liang-Chieh Ma, Choong-Un Kim & Seong Jin Koh

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.267

Single-electron devices offer many advantages over traditional devices, but it is a challenge to fabricate them in large numbers. A novel geometry in which the source and drain electrodes are vertically separated by thin dielectric films, and nanoparticles attached to the sidewall of the dielectric films act as Coulomb islands, can now be used for the CMOS-compatible fabrication of single-electron devices that operate at room temperature.

Abstract - | Full Text - CMOS-compatible fabrication of room-temperature single-electron devices | PDF (466 KB) - CMOS-compatible fabrication of room-temperature single-electron devices | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Electronic properties and devices | Nanoparticles | Synthesis and processing

A microcavity-controlled, current-driven, on-chip nanotube emitter at infrared wavelengths - pp609 - 613

Fengnian Xia, Mathias Steiner, Yu-ming Lin & Phaedon Avouris

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.241

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes have a direct bandgap, which means that they could form the basis of nanoscale light sources. However, nanotubes tend to emit light over a broad range of wavelengths and directions. Placing the nanotube in a microcavity reduces the spectral width of the output and makes the emission highly directional. This microcavity-controlled, current-driven on-chip emitter is thus an important first step in the development of nanotube-based nanophotonic devices.

Abstract - | Full Text - A microcavity-controlled, current-driven, on-chip nanotube emitter at infrared wavelengths | PDF (360 KB) - A microcavity-controlled, current-driven, on-chip nanotube emitter at infrared wavelengths | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Photonic structures and devices

Patterning of light-emitting conjugated polymer nanofibres - pp614 - 619

Francesca Di Benedetto, Andrea Camposeo, Stefano Pagliara, Elisa Mele, Luana Persano, Ripalta Stabile, Roberto Cingolani & Dario Pisignano

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.232

Conjugated polymer fibres offer many advantages over other photonic materials, such as tunable properties and easy processability, making them attractive for optoelectronic applications. The waveguiding performance and emission tunability of fully conjugated, electrospun polymer nanofibres have been assessed and their forward emission shown to improve after periodic structures are imprinted using nanoimprint lithography.

Abstract - | Full Text - Patterning of light-emitting conjugated polymer nanofibres | PDF (678 KB) - Patterning of light-emitting conjugated polymer nanofibres | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Photonic structures and devices | Nanomaterials

Coupling ion channels to receptors for biomolecule sensing - pp620 - 625

Christophe J. Moreau, Julien P. Dupuis, Jean Revilloud, Karthik Arumugam & Michel Vivaudou

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.242

The challenge in developing electrical biosensors lies in connecting a molecule detector to an electrical switch. Attaching ion channels to certain cell receptors forms a detector–switch pair that converts chemical information into a measurable electrical signal, creating a platform suitable for screening drugs and other molecules.

Abstract - | Full Text - Coupling ion channels to receptors for biomolecule sensing | PDF (521 KB) - Coupling ion channels to receptors for biomolecule sensing | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanosensors and other devices | Synthesis and processing

See also: News and Views by Abbas & Roth

Measurements of near-ultimate strength for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and irradiation-induced crosslinking improvements - pp626 - 631

Bei Peng, Mark Locascio, Peter Zapol, Shuyou Li, Steven L. Mielke, George C. Schatz & Horacio D. Espinosa

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.211

The mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes rarely match the values predicted by theory owing to a combination of artefacts introduced during sample preparation and inadequate measurements. However, by avoiding chemical treatments and using high-resolution imaging, it is possible to obtain values of the mean fracture strength that exceed previous values by approximately a factor of three.

Abstract - | Full Text - Measurements of near-ultimate strength for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and irradiation-induced crosslinking improvements | PDF (620 KB) - Measurements of near-ultimate strength for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and irradiation-induced crosslinking improvements

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Structural properties | Synthesis and processing

See also: News and Views by Stach