News & Comment

Temperature gradients can drive a spin current in an insulator.

The intrinsic magnetic properties of the edges of graphene sheets show promise for novel spintronic devices.

The ability to manipulate small molecules in a liquid crystal with light could find applications in optical recording and circuit design.

The use of carbon nanotubes in organic solar cells considerably enhances conversion efficiencies.

An aqueous lithium-ion battery can be recharged a thousand times with marginal capacity loss.

Injecting a beam of electrons directly into a semiconductor light-emitting device makes for a high-efficiency source of ultraviolet radiation.

Two polymers containing cyclodextrin and azobenzene side groups form a hydrogel that can be broken down by ultraviolet radiation and reformed upon warming or exposure to visible light.

Doping graphene with nitrogen to generate negative carriers can be achieved through irradiation and annealing in ammonia.

Self-assembly generates a highly efficient and thermally controllable electron-transfer system for solar cells.

Transparent polymer coatings of superhydrophobic ‘nanograss’ could improve the performance of microfluidic biochips.

Calculations show that graphene nanoribbons twisted into Möbius strips have unique characteristics, including stable magnetism.

Silver nanowires find use as highly efficient waveguides in nanophotonic devices.

‘Nanorattles’ consisting of a mesoporous shell and gold nanoparticle core can now be synthesized through a simple, efficient and controllable process.

A topological insulator state has been observed in a ternary chalcogenide.

A nanoscale mechanical switch made from single-crystal diamond shows high robustness and reproducibility

Graphene oxide films have been spin-cast on flexible substrates to construct large-area, flexible nonvolatile memory devices.

A rewritable optical memory device based on silica glass promises dramatically increased storage densities.

Silicon- and germanium-based nanowires offer easy control of their electronic properties, which could prove a boon for spintronics.

The resonant movements of electrons in graphene considerably enhance light emission from a semiconductor-based light-emitting diode.

Nitrogen-containing activated carbon obtained from biomass can be used to construct high-performance supercapacitors.