Volume 9 Issue 7, July 2014

Research in nanotechnology in India is on an upswing given the substantial investments in the past two decades. Making an impact globally will now require investing in education, entrepreneurship, translational science, infrastructure for manufacturing, and changing the administrative mindset.

Although numerous statements on ethics in nanotechnology have been published, they exist as seemingly disparate, stand-alone works. Inspired by a process that the field of genetic engineering went through in the 1970s, Chris Toumey suggests one way in which some clarity could be brought to the topic.

Moving individual atoms on a surface with the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope now enables the production of artificial atoms and molecules with precisely engineered molecular orbital energy-level diagrams.

A layer of disordered proteins can selectively control the diffusion of particles along a surface.

Spin–orbit torques can switch the magnetization in perpendicularly magnetized films without the need for an external magnetic field.

Spin waves generated by a spin-torque nano-oscillator can be propagated in a magnonic nanowaveguide fabricated next to the oscillator.

The coupling between quantum dot states in indium atomic chains can be controlled by precise positioning of the atoms on indium vacancies on an InAs surface.

Magnonic nano-waveguides created by dipolar fields enable efficient coupling and transmission of spin waves generated by spin-torque nano-oscillators.

Artificial spin ice structures can be designed that allow for the induction of thermal fluctuations, with dynamics that depend on the material and the lattice geometry.

An array of suspended membranes is used as a phonon waveguide that can enable the integration of nanoelectromechanical resonators in circuits.

Biomimetic interactions associated with the nuclear pore complex makes functionalized colloidal nanoparticles diffuse selectively on a surface.

A DNA nanostructure can be used to create a multi-enzyme complex in which an artificial swinging arm facilitates hydride transfer between two coupled dehydrogenases.

Amyloid fibrils can be grown inside DNA origami nanotubes and then arranged on a DNA surface.

The use of a metamaterial mirror in a thin-film solar cell enhances light absorption and photocurrent generation by about 20%.

Spin–orbit torques in a geometrically asymmetric device made from a perpendicularly magnetized ferromagnet can switch its magnetization without the assistance of an applied magnetic field.

Hierarchical hybrid carbon fibres consisting of a network of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide and single-walled carbon nanotubes are synthesized and subsequently used to make a supercapacitor with high volumetric energy density.

C. N. R. Rao describes the difficult situation that Indian education is facing and provides some suggestions on how things can get better.