Volume 7 Issue 12, December 2012

We are changing our policy on when the received date of a manuscript is reset.

Corresponding authors should not neglect their responsibility to a journal or their co-authors.

DNA can be used to create a very soft gel with liquid-like properties that can return to a preset solid shape when water is added.

Magnetic circular dichroism on quantum dots doped with a small percentage of copper ions show the typical features of diluted magnetic semiconductors.

Confinement of light in subnanometre gaps encounters a fundamental limit in the quantum tunnelling regime.

Treatment of mammalian cells with dilute silicic acid followed by heating forms silica replicas of the cell template, offering a way to preserve cell specimens and generate biocomposites for various applications.

Nanoparticles in contact with the biological environment adsorb a layer of biomolecules, which forms the biological identity of the particles. This Review outlines the concepts of the nanoparticle corona and how it interacts with biological systems, and assesses the critical problems to be resolved.

Ion-exchange chemistry can be used to fabricate arrays of individually positioned carbon nanotubes with a density as high as 10⁹ cm⁻².

Magnetic circular dichroism reveals an enhancement of paramagnetism in copper-doped ZnSe–CdSe nanoscrystals and that the enhancement persists for hours in the dark.

A solution-processed ultraviolet photodetector with a nanocomposite active layer composed of ZnO nanoparticles blended with semiconducting polymers can significantly outperform inorganic photodetectors.

A highly stetchable non-woven mat with printed conductive circuits is fabricated by embedding silver nanoparticles in electrospun fibres.

Zn–Ti–O-based adsorbents with nanofibrous morphology offer a high sulphur removal capacity that can be sustained over multiple regeneration cycles.

Mechanical metamaterials that have liquid-like properties when taken out of water and solid-like properties when in water can be prepared from DNA hydrogels.

A new signal generation mechanism based on the growth of gold nanoparticles offers a way to detect ultralow concentrations of analytes with the naked eye.

A supramolecular polymer with embedded nanostructured Ni particles shows mechanical and electrical self-healing capabilities as well as piezoresistive properties, making it a good candidate for electronic skin applications.