News & Views in 2012

A bioengineered thin film of M13 bacteriophage shows piezoelectric properties that are promising for small-scale device integration.

An ultrasensitive nanomechanical mass sensor based on a single carbon nanotube could have applications in mass spectrometry and surface science.

A direct current flowing through a carbon nanotube on a substrate heats the substrate but not the nanotube, and it may be possible to exploit this phenomenon in the thermal management of nanoelectronic devices.

Chemically modifying solid-state nanopores with a single nitrilotriacetic acid receptor allows the reversible detection of single proteins.

A motor protein can be made to walk in either direction along a filamentous track by adjusting the concentration of calcium ions in the surrounding solution.

The quantum interference of large molecules can be recorded in real time thanks to state-of-the-art nanofabrication and nano-imaging technologies.

An atomic force microscope with a gold-coated tip can be used to directly observe quantum interference in molecular monolayers adsorbed on gold substrates.

The distribution of electric charge within a single naphthalocyanine molecule has been revealed by researchers using a combination of three types of microscopy and theoretical modelling.

Using two gold nanoparticles to connect an antibody to metal electrodes results in the formation of a molecular junction that is both stable and highly reproducible.

A single-atom transistor has been made by positioning a phosphorus atom between metallic electrodes, also made of phosphorus, on a silicon surface.

Two independent groups have demonstrated that nanoscale electrodes can record action potentials in neurons and cardiac muscle cells, and a third group has shown that nanowire field-effect transistors can make electrical measurements on biological materials with unprecedented spatial resolution.

The thermal conductivity of pairs of boron nanoribbons can be switched between high and low values by wetting the interface between the nanoribbons with various solutions.

Sensors that combine solid-state nanopores and nanowire field-effect transistors can be used to detect single DNA molecules quickly and with high sensitivity.

Ferroelectric tunnel junctions can be operated as non-volatile memories with low write powers.

Circularly polarized light can isolate surface states from bulk states in topological insulators, allowing their unique properties to be probed.

A nanowire attached to an optical fibre can deliver payloads or light into specific compartments within a living cell, and also detect optical signals from subcellular regions with high spatial resolution.

The spin-dependent Peltier effect has been demonstrated in a nanostructure consisting of a non-magnetic metal sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers.