Research Highlights in 2009

Incident photons may induce a huge voltage in metal nanowires, bringing the possibility of nanoscale optical detection.

Interface superconductivity in bilayer cuprate devices is sensitive to changes in just one layer of copper and oxygen atoms.

The fractional quantum Hall effect has been observed in ultraclean suspended graphene.

The cooling rates of fullerene ions have been measured at a storage ring in Japan.

Oil-in-water microemulsions embedded in a polymer network can remove aged protective coatings on works of art.

Superconducting single-molecule transistors have been realized using single C₆₀ molecules.

A catalytic reaction can be followed in real time using plasmonic probes.

Crystals that can confine both light and mechanical vibrations.

Physical changes in a nanoscale system can be accurately measured by restricting the reaction in a carbon 'nano test tube'.

Single carbon nanotubes can be used as probes for electrically active cells.

The vibrations of nanoscale beams have been measured to record precision using light.

A new type of optical trap that works with a low-intensity laser could safely confine nanosize objects such as viruses.

The effluent from the synthesis of carbon nanotubes contains a variety of side-products that can harm the environment if released in large quantities.

Tomato seeds treated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes germinate and grow faster.

Researchers can grow samples containing mostly metallic carbon nanotubes by carefully controlling the ambient gases used during production.

The mobility of graphene on a graphite substrate exceeds past measurements by orders of magnitude.

Nanotube networks may be reaching the limits of their conductivity.

The same laser can be used to both drive and detect the rotation of a nanoscale object.

Ultrathin nanowires grown inside carbon nanotubes are more stable than those grown with other techniques.