Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
One-dimensional islands that grow during ice nucleation at low temperatures on a copper(110) surface are identified as chains of water-molecule pentagons. This unexpected molecular arrangement optimizes oxygen-atom proximity to preferred bonding sites on the metal, while minimizing strain in the hydrogen-bond network.
It's been possible for some time to create proteins synthetically, but cell-free gels that can produce proteins up to 300 times as efficiently as solution processes could provide new directions and greater complexity in synthetic biology.
Solution-based syntheses of nanoclusters typically produce a broad range of species. A step-by-step process using DNA-encoded nanoparticles assembled on a solid support aids in the design and production of specific self-assembled nanoclusters in high yields.
Ultrapure, isotopically engineered diamonds show record spin coherence times. The ideal spin-free material for quantum information processing and magnetometry is one step closer.
Theoretical advances demonstrating an improved dielectric response in nanocapacitor structures will lead to advanced electronics with greatly increased memory densities.
A large modulation of magnetic moments in superconductor/ferromagnet superlattices raises intriguing questions about the interaction between these competing states.
Anisotropic assembly of isotropic nanoparticles is observed in a polymer nanocomposite system and leads to considerable improvements in mechanical properties. The relatively simple sample preparation process means the approach could be used for large-scale manufacture of nanocomposites.
Non-toxicity in multifunctional inorganic nanoparticles is rare. However, with careful engineering of silicon-based nanoparticles they can be used in vivo as imaging and drug-delivery agents and later degraded and cleared without toxic effects.
Muon and neutron experiments on the new FeAs-based superconductors reveal phase diagrams and spin excitation modes with striking similarities to a wide range of other unconventional superconductors.
The melting of transition metals on compression is a challenging topic. Computer simulations suggest that hot-compressed tantalum becomes a one-dimensional, liquid-like glass, with important implications for understanding planetary interiors.
Biological membranes form an extremely complex and dynamic network in cells, guided by specialized protein machinery. A new algorithm analyses membrane shape to extract forces applied by proteins controlling the membranes.
Large and homogeneous layers of graphene are obtained by annealing silicon carbide in a dense noble gas atmosphere that controls the way in which silicon sublimates. Epitaxial graphene thus gets back on track towards future electronic applications.
The discovery that domain walls in insulating thin films of the multiferroic compound BiFeO3 are electrically conducting opens the door for a number of possible applications.
The role of catalysts is greater than simply increasing the rate of a reaction. Modifying nanoparticles enhances two significant catalyst attributes: selectivity and thermal stability.
Controlled assembly of diblock copolymers in which one of the blocks is crystalline enables the growth of a series of complex nano-architectures in a controlled fashion.
