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Volume 3 Issue 4, April 2008

The unique mechanical, electronic, optical and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes make them attractive building blocks for nanotechnology, but integrating them into functional nanosystems remains a challenge. Although there has been considerable progress in patterning surfaces with nanotubes, most of these methods have relied on the assembly of pre-formed nanotubes using templates or aligned growth. Now Noam Geblinger, Ariel Ismach and Ernesto Joselevich have shown that it is possible to create structures that are notably more complex than before such as the serpentines shown on the cover by using the flow of gas across a stepped surface to control the shape of a nanotube grown from a catalyst nanoparticle. The nanotube in this image has a diameter of 1.2 nanometres. Letter p195

Volume 3 Issue 4

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Editorial

  • Striking a balance between the need to allocate credit fairly and the need to be readable can be a challenge for editors and journalists when writing about research papers.

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Thesis

  • How has science fiction been influenced by nanotechnology? And why do so many reports about the possibilities of nanotechnology read like science fiction? Chris Toumey looks for answers.

    • Chris Toumey
    Thesis
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Research Highlights

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News & Views

  • Dipole-directed self-assembly can be used to create robust one-dimensional nanostructures on silicon. It also provides new insights into interactions between molecules and this important technological material.

    • Stacey F. Bent
    News & Views

  • The ability to perform optical measurements on a single molecule placed between two electrodes while also measuring the current flowing through it could herald a new generation of experiments on molecular junctions.

    • Latha Venkataraman
    News & Views

  • Atomic force microscopes have exploited the properties of DNA to 'cut-and-paste' molecules on surfaces with an accuracy of 10 nm.

    • Anne-Sophie Duwez
    News & Views

  • Terahertz measurements allow the electronic properties of carbon nanotube transistors to be explored at high frequencies, which should hasten the development of new devices based on these materials.

    • Bradley F. Habenicht
    • Oleg V. Prezhdo
    News & Views

  • The toxicity of carbon nanotubes is the subject of ongoing debate. A preliminary study using a small number of mice shows that they may be safe, but the results should be treated with caution.

    • Yuliang Zhao
    • Gengmei Xing
    • Zhifang Chai
    News & Views
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