Volume 12 Issue 12, December 2017

Publicly accessible databases are core resources for data-rich research, consolidating field-specific knowledge and highlighting best practices and challenges. Further effective growth of nanomaterial databases requires the concerted efforts of database stewards, researchers, funding agencies and publishers.

Large DNA molecules are rapidly loaded into nanoscale wells from dilute solution for single-molecule sequencing.

Lipid-motif-decorated DNA nanocapsules filled with photoresponsive polymers are capable of delivering signalling molecules into target organisms for biological perturbations at high spatiotemporal resolution.

Thermally activated escape underlies processes in chemistry, physics and biology. Experiments with levitated nanoparticles now confirm the underlying theory in the hitherto unmapped turnover regime.

Integration of 2D semiconductor optoelectronics with silicon photonics opens a new path for on-chip point-to-point optical communications.

Optical interconnect components based on bilayer MoTe₂ p–n junctions can be directly integrated with silicon photonics

The influence of damping on the transition rate of a bistable system has been measured with an optically levitated nanoparticle.

Highly efficient interlayer e–h pair multiplication process in two-dimensional TMD heterostructures leads to strong enhancement of the optoelectronic responsivity.

Blocking band-edge absorption of compositionally graded quantum dots with suppressed Auger recombination by pre-existing electrons allows for demonstrating near-zero-threshold optical gain and amplified spontaneous emission at sub-single-exciton pump levels.

Black phosphorus/molybdenum disulfide heterostructures serve as a building block for logic devices with overall superior performance characteristics.

Strong anisotropy of the electronic Bloch functions observed in CdSe nanoplatelets enables efficient directional emission.

A molecule-sized ‘nose’ capable of producing unique fluorescence signatures for different proteins can detect combinations of biomarkers in biofluids, track several binding interactions simultaneously, and identify isoforms in living cells inaccessible to comparable macroscopic analytical devices.

Fast four-colour sequence readout from 20,000-bp-long DNA has been realized at sub-nanogram DNA input based on length-independent, voltage-induced DNA loading into waveguides equipped with nanopores in their floors.

For the first time, four different double-walled carbon nanotubes were sorted via aqueous gel permeation according to the electronic coupling between the inner and outer wall.

An icosahedral DNA nanocapsule with photoresponsive polymers that can deliver small molecules into model organisms with high spatial and temporal resolution.

A synthetic antibody fragment can disrupt the interaction of a GPCR regulatory protein β-arrestin with clathrin, and thereby inhibit induced internalization of GPCRs.

What do you need to consider when launching a scientific start-up? James Vicary highlights what in his views are the three main issues.