The same old story - p697

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.348

Another panel of experts in the UK has published another report calling from more research into the effects of nanomaterials on health and the environment. Will anyone listen this time?

Full Text - The same old story | PDF (133 KB) - The same old story

Subject Categories: Environmental, health and safety issues | Ethical, legal and other societal issues

Why nanotechnology needs better polymer chemistry - pp699 - 700

Richard Jones

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.349

The self-assembly properties of block copolymers are primitive when compared with natural examples such as protein folding but, as Richard Jones reports, promising new approaches and ideas are being explored.

Full Text - Why nanotechnology needs better polymer chemistry | PDF (234 KB) - Why nanotechnology needs better polymer chemistry

Subject Categories: Molecular self-assembly | Nanobiotechnology

AFMs spell it out, terahertz emission from PZT nanotubes, a close look at catalysts, making loudspeakers with nanotubes, and more - pp702 - 703

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.350

Full Text - AFMs spell it out, terahertz emission from PZT nanotubes, a close look at catalysts, making loudspeakers with nanotubes, and more | PDF (241 KB) - AFMs spell it out, terahertz emission from PZT nanotubes, a close look at catalysts, making loudspeakers with nanotubes, and more

Top down bottom up: Finding each other - p703

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.351

Full Text - Top down bottom up: Finding each other | PDF (131 KB) - Top down bottom up: Finding each other

Subject Category: Nanobiotechnology

Optical Materials: Variety pays off for nanotubes - pp705 - 706

Werner J. Blau & Jun Wang

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.354

Carbon nanotubes are usually produced in samples that contain a mixture of different diameters and electronic properties; this is a problem for applications in nanoelectronics but is advantageous when generating ultrashort laser pulses.

Full Text - Optical MaterialsVariety pays off for nanotubes | PDF (754 KB) - Optical MaterialsVariety pays off for nanotubes

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

Nanostructures: Welcome to nanobama - p706

Peter Rodgers

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.353

Full Text - NanostructuresWelcome to nanobama | PDF (424 KB) - NanostructuresWelcome to nanobama

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

DNA Nanotechnology: Bacteria as factories - pp707 - 708

Chuan Zhang & Chengde Mao

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.358

Producing large quantities of designer DNA nanostructures at low cost has been a long-standing challenge in nanobiotechnology. It is now possible with the aid of bacteria.

Full Text - DNA NanotechnologyBacteria as factories | PDF (231 KB) - DNA NanotechnologyBacteria as factories

Subject Categories: Nanobiotechnology | Synthesis and processing

Nanotubes: Giving catalysis the edge - pp708 - 709

Daniel E. Resasco

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.357

Effective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes can be created by adding functional groups to carbon nanotubes.

Full Text - NanotubesGiving catalysis the edge | PDF (151 KB) - NanotubesGiving catalysis the edge

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Structural properties

Nanomaterials: The ins and outs of thermal expansion - pp710 - 711

Andrew L. Goodwin

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.355

Most materials expand when they are heated, but some contract instead. A record value of this effect — known as negative thermal expansion — has now been observed in magnetic nanocrystals.

Full Text - NanomaterialsThe ins and outs of thermal expansion | PDF (133 KB) - NanomaterialsThe ins and outs of thermal expansion

Subject Categories: Nanomagnetism and spintronics | Nanoparticles

Nanomechatronics: A new twist on a classic experiment - pp710 - 711

Alexey A. Kovalev

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.356

The interplay between angular momentum, electron spin and magnetism at the nanoscale could have applications in spintronics, transducers and actuators, as well as fundamental research.

Full Text - NanomechatronicsA new twist on a classic experiment | PDF (149 KB) - NanomechatronicsA new twist on a classic experiment

Subject Categories: Nanomagnetism and spintronics | NEMS

Time-domain control of ultrahigh-frequency nanomechanical systems - pp715 - 719

N. Liu, F. Giesen, M. Belov, J. Losby, J. Moroz, A. E. Fraser, G. McKinnon, T. J. Clement, V. Sauer, W. K. Hiebert & M. R. Freeman

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.319

Most experiments on nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have so far been performed in the frequency domain, whereas applications in computation and information storage will require such systems to be operated in the time domain. A time-resolved optical approach to the transduction of ultrahigh-frequency NEMS that works at frequencies from less than 10 MHz to over 1 GHz has now been demonstrated.

Abstract - | Full Text - Time-domain control of ultrahigh-frequency nanomechanical systems | PDF (262 KB) - Time-domain control of ultrahigh-frequency nanomechanical systems | Supplementary information

Subject Category: NEMS

Nanomechanical detection of itinerant electron spin flip - pp720 - 723

Guiti Zolfagharkhani, Alexei Gaidarzhy, Pascal Degiovanni, Stefan Kettemann, Peter Fulde & Pritiraj Mohanty

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.311

When a spin-polarized current passes from a ferromagnet into a non-magnetic material, the spins of the itinerant electrons are 'flipped' at the interface between the two materials, producing a mechanical torque. A nanoscale torsion oscillator has now measured this torque in a metallic nanowire in which one half is ferromagnetic and the other non-magnetic. The unprecedented torque sensitivity offered by this device could have applications in spintronics and fundamental physics, chemistry and biology.

Abstract - | Full Text - Nanomechanical detection of itinerant electron spin flip | PDF (327 KB) - Nanomechanical detection of itinerant electron spin flip | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanomagnetism and spintronics | NEMS

See also: News and Views by Kovalev

Giant negative thermal expansion in magnetic nanocrystals - pp724 - 726

X. G. Zheng, H. Kubozono, H. Yamada, K. Kato, Y. Ishiwata & C. N. Xu

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.309

Most solids expand when they are heated, but some non-magnetic materials expand when they are cooled. Researchers have now observed evidence for negative thermal expansion (NTE) in nanocrystals of two magnetic materials. Moreover, the NTE effect in nanocrystals of CuO is four times larger than that observed in the celebrated NTE material zirconium tungstate.

Abstract - | Full Text - Giant negative thermal expansion in magnetic nanocrystals | PDF (446 KB) - Giant negative thermal expansion in magnetic nanocrystals

Subject Categories: Nanomagnetism and spintronics | Nanoparticles

See also: News and Views by Goodwin

Detection of heating in current-carrying molecular junctions by Raman scattering - pp727 - 732

Zvi Ioffe, Tamar Shamai, Ayelet Ophir, Gilad Noy, Ilan Yutsis, Kobi Kfir, Ori Cheshnovsky & Yoram Selzer

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.304

Local heating and conduction will have a major role in the stability of nanoscale devices based on molecular junctions, so reliable methods are needed to measure the temperature of such junctions. Researchers have now developed a technique to monitor the effective temperature of current-carrying molecular junctions based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Abstract - | Full Text - Detection of heating in current-carrying molecular junctions by Raman scattering | PDF (355 KB) - Detection of heating in current-carrying molecular junctions by Raman scattering | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Electronic properties and devices

Flying plasmonic lens in the near field for high-speed nanolithography - pp733 - 737

Werayut Srituravanich, Liang Pan, Yuan Wang, Cheng Sun, David B. Bogy & Xiang Zhang

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.303

Maskless nanolithography is a flexible nanofabrication technique but it suffers from low throughput. By developing a new approach that involves 'flying' an array of plasmonic lenses just 20 nm above a rotating surface, it is possible to increase throughput by several orders of magnitude.

Abstract - | Full Text - Flying plasmonic lens in the near field for high-speed nanolithography | PDF (550 KB) - Flying plasmonic lens in the near field for high-speed nanolithography | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Photonic structures and devices | Surface patterning and imaging

Wideband-tuneable, nanotube mode-locked, fibre laser - pp738 - 742

F. Wang, A. G. Rozhin, V. Scardaci, Z. Sun, F. Hennrich, I. H. White, W. I. Milne & A. C. Ferrari

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.312

Fibre lasers are used as light sources in many fields of science and technology, and the inclusion of a saturable absorber inside the laser cavity enables ultrafast pulses to be generated. It has now been demonstrated that single-wall carbon nonotubes are excellent saturable absorbers, especially in the 1.3–1.5 m wavelength region used for optical communications, enabling the output of ultrafast fibre lasers to be tuned over wide range of wavelengths.

Abstract - | Full Text - Wideband-tuneable, nanotube mode-locked, fibre laser | PDF (410 KB) - Wideband-tuneable, nanotube mode-locked, fibre laser

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

See also: News and Views by Blau & Wang

Carbon nanotubes as templates for polymerized lipid assemblies - pp743 - 748

Cédric Thauvin, Stéphane Rickling, Patrick Schultz, Hervé Célia, Stéphane Meunier & Charles Mioskowski

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.318

Carbon nanotubes used as templates for polymerizing lipids into regular ring-shaped water-soluble assemblies that can dissolve various hydrophobic compounds and membrane proteins, could have applications in cosmetics, medicine and materials science.

Abstract - | Full Text - Carbon nanotubes as templates for polymerized lipid assemblies | PDF (704 KB) - Carbon nanotubes as templates for polymerized lipid assemblies | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanoparticles | Surface patterning and imaging

Upscaling, integration and electrical characterization of molecular junctions - pp749 - 754

Paul A. Van Hal, Edsger C. P. Smits, Tom C. T. Geuns, Hylke B. Akkerman, Bianca C. De Brito, Stefano Perissinotto, Guglielmo Lanzani, Auke J. Kronemeijer, Victor Geskin, Jérôme Cornil, Paul W. M. Blom, Bert De Boer & Dago M. De Leeuw

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.305

Combining discrete molecular junctions to make integrated circuits is a major goal in molecular electronics, but problems with reliability, stability and yield have hindered progress. Researchers have now overcome some of these challenges to simultaneously fabricate 20,000 molecular junctions on a single wafer and connect 200 of them in series.

Abstract - | Full Text - Upscaling, integration and electrical characterization of molecular junctions | PDF (400 KB) - Upscaling, integration and electrical characterization of molecular junctions | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Electronic properties and devices | Molecular self-assembly