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Volume 3 Issue 5, May 2008

Individual carbon nanotubes have been widely used as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) such as oscillators, actuators, sensors, memory devices and even radios. However, there is also a demand for similar devices made from large numbers of nanotubes. Now Kenji Hata and co-workers have fabricated well-defined three-dimensional structures such as the threedimensional nanotube relay shown here from highly ligned carbon nanotube wafers using a lithography-based approach in which every fabrication step is both parallel and scalable. This technique opens up new ways to make devices with unprecedented structural complexity and functionality. Image width: 10 m. Letter p289

Volume 3 Issue 5

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Editorial

  • As the impact of the atomic force microscope is felt more and more in nanobiotechnology, physical scientists continue to use and develop this versatile instrument.

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Commentary

  • Nanomedicine offers new opportunities to fight diseases but a global effort is needed to safely translate laboratory innovation to the clinic. Seven priority areas have been identified for this endeavour.

    • Wendy R. Sanhai
    • Jason H. Sakamoto
    • Mauro Ferrari
    Commentary
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Thesis

  • Synthetic biology and nanotechnology have much in common, including the presence of competing schools of thought within each field. Richard Jones explores the parallels between the two subjects.

    • Richard Jones
    Thesis
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Research Highlights

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News & Views

  • Could a mechanical principle familiar from the playground be the key to a new means of computation? Research on tiny gallium arsenide bridges points in that direction.

    • Mark Freeman
    • Wayne Hiebert
    News & Views

  • Environmental toxicologists, chemists and social scientists have identified three priorities for research into the impact of engineered nanoparticles on the environment.

    • Renata Behra
    • Harald Krug
    News & Views

  • Techniques for creating ultrathin films of reduced graphene oxide with large areas could prove useful in flexible electronics and other applications.

    • John A. Rogers
    News & Views

  • A new generation of scanning transmission electron microscopes will allow researchers to study the composition and bonding of all the atoms in a solid material.

    • Leslie J. Allen
    News & Views

  • Green plants have an in-built protection system that prevents their photosynthetic machinery from being damaged by excessive levels of light. Researchers have now demonstrated a similar mechanism in an artificial molecular system.

    • Dirk M. Guldi
    News & Views
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Review Article

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Letter

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Article

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