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Delivering biomolecules to living cells in a spatially defined way in vitro could help us to understand more in vivo processes. Using an aqueous two-phase system enables the formation of patterns at the nanolitre scale that can serve as a confined reagent-delivery system for mammalian cells.
The biocatalytic activity of enzyme-loaded responsive layer-by-layer films can be switched on and off by simple mechanical stretching. Soft materials could thus be used to trigger biochemical reactions under mechanical action, with potential therapeutic applications.
Investigation of the phase diagram of the structurally simple compound FeSe may prove instrumental in raising the transition temperature in Fe-based superconductors and in understanding magnetic-mediated superconductivity.
With liquid-crystal displays now ubiquitous in everyday life, liquid-crystal research is moving beyond these applications and evolving in entirely new and unexpected directions.
Metamaterials have seen many exciting applications. A design that is able to circumvent singularities in refractive index now allows a broad range of new applications, including an omnidirectional retroreflector.
Solid liquid crystals couple orientational order and mechanical strain, enabling fundamentally new mechanisms of actuation. Depositing the materials using inkjet printing allows precise control of their shapes and composition, producing devices with new microfluidic applications.
A renormalization group study of electric transport in nanocontacts reveals the importance of quantum correlations for achieving a startling ferromagnetic Kondo effect.
DNA provides more than lock-and-key control of assembly. Careful engineering of hairpins and loops provides the means to control the kinetics of particle assembly, allowing structures to be 'glued' together by heating.
Ever since invisibility cloaking has left the realm of fiction and been demonstrated for microwave radiation, cloaking in the visible has been the aim. Having reached the near-infrared, we might be there soon.
Nanoparticles containing a silver iodine core and a polymer shell have superionic conductance even near room temperature, showing promise for a new generation of electrochemical devices.
Advances in the functionality of multifunctional nanoparticles push their potential for the remote detection and treatment of cancer nearer to real-life patient care.
Spray-coating of multilayer films on fibre mats yields conformal coatings, opening up new possibilities for the fabrication of protective clothing and reactive membranes.
By using light to control the degradation of hydrogel components in space and time, researchers have generated a tool to help them reconstruct functional biological tissues in a culture dish.
