Getting to know the public - p71

doi:10.1038/nnano.2009.419

As research into the public perception of nanotechnology becomes more complex and rigorous, it is increasingly clear that greater public awareness of nanotechnology will not, on its own, automatically lead to widespread public acceptance.

Full Text - Getting to know the public | PDF (199 KB) - Getting to know the public

Subject Category: Ethical, legal and other societal issues

Applicability of AFM in cancer detection - p72

M. Lekka & P. Laidler

doi:10.1038/nnano.2009.004

Full Text - Applicability of AFM in cancer detection | PDF (55 KB) - Applicability of AFM in cancer detection

Subject Categories: Nanomedicine | Structural properties

Applicability of AFM in cancer detection - pp72 - 73

Sarah E. Cross, Yu-Sheng Jin, Jianyu Rao & James K. Gimzewski

doi:10.1038/nnano.2009.036

Full Text - Applicability of AFM in cancer detection | PDF (89 KB) - Applicability of AFM in cancer detection

Subject Categories: Nanomedicine | Structural properties

Nanotechnology, energy and markets - p75

Richard Jones

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.420

From solar power to supercapacitors, nanoscience and technology have the potential to help solve a number of pressing energy problems but, as Richard Jones reports, the credit crunch and wild swings in the price of oil could get in the way of these solutions.

Full Text - Nanotechnology, energy and markets | PDF (97 KB) - Nanotechnology, energy and markets

Subject Categories: Education and research | Industry and IPR

Our choice from the recent literature - pp76 - 77

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.421

Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (156 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature

Top down Bottom up: Power from proteins - p77

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.422

Full Text - Top down Bottom up: Power from proteins | PDF (66 KB) - Top down Bottom up: Power from proteins

Subject Categories: Nanobiotechnology | Photonic structures and devices

Nanotechnology and society: New insights into public perceptions - pp79 - 80

Steven C. Currall

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.423

Research into public perceptions of nanotechnology is becoming more rigorous as increasingly complex theoretical models are developed and tested by social scientists.

Full Text - Nanotechnology and societyNew insights into public perceptions | PDF (78 KB) - Nanotechnology and societyNew insights into public perceptions

Subject Category: Ethical, legal and other societal issues

Computational nanoscience: Atomic waterwheels go to work - pp81 - 82

Mads Brandbyge

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.413

Theorists have shown that the forces between atoms in an atomic-scale contact can do work when an electronic current is passed through it, opening up the possibility that current could be used to drive atomic-scale motors.

Full Text - Computational nanoscienceAtomic waterwheels go to work | PDF (206 KB) - Computational nanoscienceAtomic waterwheels go to work

Subject Categories: Computational nanotechnology | Molecular machines and motors

Nanomedicine: Shorting neurons with nanotubes - pp82 - 83

Gabriel A. Silva

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.424

New insights are emerging about the interactions between brain cells and carbon nanotubes, which could eventually lead to the development of nanoengineered neural devices.

Full Text - NanomedicineShorting neurons with nanotubes | PDF (454 KB) - NanomedicineShorting neurons with nanotubes

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Nanomedicine

Imaging: Highs from lows - p83

Adarsh Sandhu

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.412

Full Text - ImagingHighs from lows | PDF (318 KB) - ImagingHighs from lows

Subject Categories: Nanometrology and instrumentation | Nanoparticles

Nanotoxicology: Nanoparticles reconstruct lipids - pp84 - 85

Kenneth A. Dawson, Anna Salvati & Iseult Lynch

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.426

Charged nanoparticles can alter the local physical properties of lipid membranes, which could shed new light on the interactions between living cells and nanomaterials.

Full Text - NanotoxicologyNanoparticles reconstruct lipids | PDF (101 KB) - NanotoxicologyNanoparticles reconstruct lipids

Subject Categories: Nanomedicine | Nanoparticles

Biosensors: Nanotubes light up cells - pp85 - 86

Todd D. Krauss

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.425

By measuring changes in the photoluminescence of single-walled carbon nanotubes caused by the presence of molecules that damage DNA, it could be possible to build a biosensor that can identify multiple analytes in real time.

Full Text - BiosensorsNanotubes light up cells | PDF (191 KB) - BiosensorsNanotubes light up cells

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Nanometrology and instrumentation | Nanosensors and other devices

Cultural cognition of the risks and benefits of nanotechnology - pp87 - 90

Dan M. Kahan, Donald Braman, Paul Slovic, John Gastil & Geoffrey Cohen

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.341

A sample of 1,862 adults was presented with balanced information on the risks and benefits of nanotechnology. Subjects did not react in a uniform manner, but polarized along lines consistent with cultural predispositions towards technological risk generally.

Abstract - | Full Text - Cultural cognition of the risks and benefits of nanotechnology | PDF (176 KB) - Cultural cognition of the risks and benefits of nanotechnology | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Ethical, legal and other societal issues

See also: News and Views by Currall

Religious beliefs and public attitudes toward nanotechnology in Europe and the United States - pp91 - 94

Dietram A. Scheufele, Elizabeth A. Corley, Tsung-jen Shih, Kajsa E. Dalrymple & Shirley S. Ho

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.361

Research suggests that citizens use 'religious filters' as an important cognitive shortcut for many scientific issues, including nanotechnology. Combining the results of surveys in the United States and Europe, it has been found that US respondents were significantly less likely to agree that nanotechnology is morally acceptable than respondents in many European countries. These moral views correlated directly with aggregate levels of religiosity in each country.

Abstract - | Full Text - Religious beliefs and public attitudes toward nanotechnology in Europe and the United States | PDF (177 KB) - Religious beliefs and public attitudes toward nanotechnology in Europe and the United States | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Ethical, legal and other societal issues

See also: News and Views by Currall

Deliberating the risks of nanotechnologies for energy and health applications in the United States and United Kingdom - pp95 - 98

Nick Pidgeon, Barbara Herr Harthorn, Karl Bryant & Tee Rogers-Hayden

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.362

Public surveys provide valuable information on how people view nanotechnology, but cannot easily uncover more detailed responses to the complexities of any new technology. Four concurrent workshops debating energy and health nanotechnologies in the US and UK found that energy applications were viewed more positively than those for health in both countries.

Abstract - | Full Text - Deliberating the risks of nanotechnologies for energy and health applications in the United States and United Kingdom | PDF (116 KB) - Deliberating the risks of nanotechnologies for energy and health applications in the United States and United Kingdom

Subject Category: Ethical, legal and other societal issues

See also: News and Views by Currall

Current-driven atomic waterwheels - pp99 - 102

Daniel Dundas, Eunan J. McEniry & Tchavdar N. Todorov

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.411

Current-induced forces in atomic wires are shown to be non-conservative, which means that they are able to do net work and to drive atomic-scale motors. Numerical simulations are presented of a motor that turns like a waterwheel when current runs through it

Abstract - | Full Text - Current-driven atomic waterwheels | PDF (378 KB) - Current-driven atomic waterwheels

Subject Categories: Computational nanotechnology | Molecular machines and motors

See also: News and Views by Brandbyge

Donor deactivation in silicon nanostructures - pp103 - 107

Mikael T. Björk, Heinz Schmid, Joachim Knoch, Heike Riel & Walter Riess

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.400

Electronic devices based on semiconductor nanowires will rely on the location and number of dopant atoms in the host semiconductor being controlled during the fabrication process. It has now been shown that the properties of dopant atoms — in particular, their ionization energies — change with nanowire radius more markedly than previously predicted.

Abstract - | Full Text - Donor deactivation in silicon nanostructures | PDF (302 KB) - Donor deactivation in silicon nanostructures | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Electronic properties and devices | Nanomaterials

Imaging the electrical conductance of individual carbon nanotubes with photothermal current microscopy - pp108 - 113

Adam W. Tsen, Luke A. K. Donev, Huseyin Kurt, Lihong H. Herman & Jiwoong Park

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.363

The electrical conductance of a nanotube decreases when it is heated. This phenomenon is exploited in a new technique called photothermal current microscopy to image the conductance of individual nanotubes and groups of nanotubes.

Abstract - | Full Text - Imaging the electrical conductance of individual carbon nanotubes with photothermal current microscopy | PDF (537 KB) - Imaging the electrical conductance of individual carbon nanotubes with photothermal current microscopy | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Electronic properties and devices

Multimodal optical sensing and analyte specificity using single-walled carbon nanotubes - pp114 - 120

Daniel A. Heller, Hong Jin, Brittany M. Martinez, Dhaval Patel, Brigid M. Miller, Tsun-Kwan Yeung, Prakrit V. Jena, Claudia Höbartner, Taekjip Ha, Scott K. Silverman & Michael S. Strano

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.369

The photoluminescence properties of carbon nanotubes are sensitive to molecular adsorption. By studying the response of a pair of single-wall carbon nanotubes, researchers have now shown that analytes of biological interest can be identified and measured in real-time within living cells.

Abstract - | Full Text - Multimodal optical sensing and analyte specificity using single-walled carbon nanotubes | PDF (582 KB) - Multimodal optical sensing and analyte specificity using single-walled carbon nanotubes | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Nanometrology and instrumentation | Nanosensors and other devices

See also: News and Views by Krauss

One-step DNA-programmed growth of luminescent and biofunctionalized nanocrystals - pp121 - 125

Nan Ma, Edward H. Sargent & Shana O. Kelley

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.373

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are widely used in biological imaging, but existing synthesis techniques are difficult and require specialized expertise. Here it is shown that the use of DNA as a ligand allows a simpler synthetic protocol to be used, producing biofunctionalized nanocrystals that exhibit strong optical emission in the visible spectrum, minimal toxicity and small hydrodynamic diameter.

Abstract - | Full Text - One-step DNA-programmed growth of luminescent and biofunctionalized nanocrystals | PDF (521 KB) - One-step DNA-programmed growth of luminescent and biofunctionalized nanocrystals | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Nanobiotechnology | Organic-inorganic nanostructures | Photonic structures and devices | Synthesis and processing

Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts - pp126 - 133

Giada Cellot, Emanuele Cilia, Sara Cipollone, Vladimir Rancic, Antonella Sucapane, Silvia Giordani, Luca Gambazzi, Henry Markram, Micaela Grandolfo, Denis Scaini, Fabrizio Gelain, Loredana Casalis, Maurizio Prato, Michele Giugliano & Laura Ballerini

doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.374

Carbon nanotubes can enhance the excitability of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes to favour electrical shortcuts between the distal and proximal compartments of the neuron.

Abstract - | Full Text - Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts | PDF (639 KB) - Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes | Nanomedicine

See also: News and Views by Silva