Reviews & Analysis

Many living organisms contain silica structures. A biomimetic synthesis process that uses a peptide as a template gives an opportunity for making a new kind of silica structure and understanding the details of how it forms.

Polyelectrolyte gels are currently used as superabsorbers for polar solvents, such as water. Designing them so that the polyelectrolyte chains and their counterions don't get too close to each other makes them useful for absorbing less-polar solvents, too.

Ferromagnetic clusters within magnetic semiconductors have long been regarded as the bane of semiconductor spintronics. However, they can actually be used to tailor desirable spintronic functionality.

The opportunity to power devices remotely from a thin flexible sheet on the floor or walls sounds futuristic. Combining the unique attributes of organic electronics with high-resolution printing methods has made it possible.

A direct electrical current can drive high-frequency oscillations of the magnetization of a nanomagnet. A current-tunable microwave oscillator has now been demonstrated that shows large-amplitude oscillations.

The thermoelectric properties of molecular junctions can now be investigated with scanning tunnelling microscopy. Such experiments provide insights into charge transport in single molecules, which is inaccessible to more standard transport techniques.

The integration of electronics and clothing promises a variety of new technologies, but constructing electronic circuits on fabrics is complex. Coating fibres to create electrodes and forming transistors at their crossing points offers an elegant solution.

Wall paint gives the best result if the surface is primed with an undercoat. The same concept, applied to biomaterials, yields successful fixation of implant and tissue integration.

Carbon nanostructures in zero, one and two dimensions offer great potential in a broad range of applications. The most recent developments in the study of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene were highlighted at a conference held in the Austrian Alps.

The integration of semiconducting nanowires and metallic nanoparticles in a single device leads to a biosensor with enhanced sensitivity that detects molecules over a broad range of concentrations.

The assembly of nanoparticles in polymer films is driven by a complex combination of both enthalpic and entropic effects. Careful control of these factors during preparation can lead to finely structured composites.

To achieve the often-promised capabilities of polymer nanocomposites, the properties of the interfacial region between polymer and filler must be controlled. Model nanocomposites offer a path towards understanding the physics of this region.

The magnetization direction in the centre of a submicrometre magnetic disk can now be switched by an electrical current. This discovery demonstrates the potential of realizing all-electrically controlled magnetic memory devices.

Multiferroics might hold the future for the ultimate memory device. The demonstration of a four-state resistive memory element in a tunnel junction with multiferroic barriers represents a major step in this direction.