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Superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon that occurs when a material is cooled below a critical transition temperature. Much research has focused on increasing this transition temperature and making longer superconducting wires for applications. But how small can a sample of superconducting material be and still display superconductivity? To address this question Saw-Wai Hla and co-workers deposited (BETS)2GaCl4 molecules on a silver surface and used scanning tunnelling spectroscopy to examine the molecular islands and chains that formed. They observed a superconducting gap below about 10 K. Moreover, the size of the gap depended on the length of the chains and could still be seen in chains that contained just four molecules. In this scanning tunnelling microscope image, which measures 18.5 nm across, the silver surface is mostly blue/purple and six chains of molecules (orange) can be seen.
It is 20 years since researchers at IBM spelt out the name of their company with atoms. Chris Toumey looks at the story behind a landmark in nanotechnology.
In an experimental tour de force involving ultrahigh vacuum and low-temperature scanning probe techniques, researchers have created organic nanostructures that show evidence of unconventional superconductivity.
Electron tunnelling can be used to selectively identify the basic constituents of DNA, indicating that the approach could be used to efficiently read a DNA sequence.
Computer simulations have shown that hydrophobic nanoparticles encapsulated in a deformable shell can repair surfaces in a manner that is similar to the way white blood cells work in the body.
Ultradrawn polymer fibres with diameters of 50–500 nm and lengths up to tens of millimetres have been prepared, and found to show thermal conductivities as high as ∼105 W m−1 K−1.
Suitable distributions of vertical posts, prepared by electron-beam patterning of an inorganic resist, can be used to template complex patterns in a cylindrical block copolymer.
Real-space scanning tunnelling spectroscopy has provided new insights into the properties of a well-known two-dimensional organic superconductor, including a superconducting gap that increases exponentially with the length of the molecular chain.
A spintronic device in which the input, output and internal states are all represented by spin, and that shows the five essential characteristics necessary for logic applications, is proposed.
Theoretical simulation predicts that unless very small nanoparticles are shown to be safe, there is no combination of nanoparticle size and concentration that will deliver optimal sun protection while being safe and aesthetically appealing.
High-speed atomic force microscopy imaging in liquid reveals the variability of the onset of cell death induced by antimicrobial peptides on a cell-by-cell basis.
Adjustable nanoelectrodes have been used to measure tunnelling currents through single nucleotides, and could form the basis of a new approach to DNA sequencing.
Magnetic levitation of cells with a hydrogel containing magnetic nanoparticles forms a three-dimensional tissue culture suited for various multicellular studies.
Arrays of single-walled carbon nanotubes can detect hydrogen peroxide from live cells in real time, providing a new tool to understand signalling of reactive oxygen species in cells.