Volume 4 Issue 12, December 2009

A 1959 lecture by Richard Feynman has become an important document in the history of nanotechnology but, as Chris Toumey reports, there are disagreements about when it became important, and why.

Irrespective of what he got right and what he got wrong in his famous 1959 lecture, Richard Feynman's vision and imagination have had an important role in the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, as Richard Jones reports.

In 1959 Richard Feynman called for researchers to improve the resolution of the electron microscope, and they have — but resolution is only part of the story.

Nanotechnology could have an impact on many areas of the food industry, including packaging, nutrient delivery and food quality, but it is too early to tell if it will be embraced by food companies and the general public.

Researchers in Liverpool have found a unique way to unite the physical and biological sciences.

Nanoparticles can have an adverse impact on cells, even when there is a barrier between the cells and the source of the nanoparticles. Both direct and indirect effects should therefore be included in assessments of nanoparticle safety.

By measuring the motion of a nanomechanical oscillator with an extremely small error, researchers have passed a milestone on the road to measurements of position at the ultimate limit set by quantum mechanics.

Magnetic nanoparticles and gold-plated carbon nanotubes allow rapid detection of circulating tumour cells in the blood vessels of mice using two-colour photoacoustic methods.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be dissolved in superacids to produce solutions that should make it easier to process nanotubes into bulk structures.

This article reviews the emergence of the atomic force microscope as a tool capable of creating nanostructures at room temperature, one atom at a time.

Arrays of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are well suited for use in radiofrequency transistors. This article reviews progress towards nanotube-based radiofrequency devices in terms of device physics, circuit design and manufacturing challenges.

The motion of a nanomechanical oscillator has been measured with ultrahigh precision using a microwave interferometer that operates close to the shot-noise limit.

Zigzag nanowires containing field-effect transistors and p–n diodes at the kinks have been made with a new growth technique.

The phase diagram of single-walled carbon nanotubes in superacids is reported, including true solutions, which are suitable for processing into aligned nanomaterials.

Semiconductor quantum dots grown by droplet epitaxy have been characterized with atomic resolution using direct X-ray methods, showing a core–shell structure with a composition that is strongly influenced by the substrate.

Field-effect transistors made from graphene act as photodetectors at frequencies up to 40 GHz, demonstrating the advantage offered by graphene for photonic applications.

Creating fine nanostructures on sensing electrodes can improve and expand the detection sensitivities of biosensors for nucleic acids

Large arrays of aligned aromatic peptide nanotubes can be fabricated using vapour deposition methods, and used for energy storage and microfluidic devices.

Circulating tumour cells can be captured in the bloodstream by magnetic nanoparticles, and the use of gold-plated carbon nanotubes as a photoacoustic imaging agent allows multiplexed in vivo detection of these cells.

A detailed understanding of the response of graphene resonators to changes in mass and temperature could lead to the development of ultrasensitive mass detectors and other nanoelectromechanical systems.

Ferroelectric domains in multiferroic materials can be engineered through the lateral motion of a biased scanning probe tip.

Nanoparticles can damage cellular DNA from a distance without entering the cells, suggesting the need to consider indirect effects when evaluating nanoparticle safety.

50 years after Richard Feynman delivered his famous lecture, 'There's plenty of room at the bottom', Nature Nanotechnologylooks at its influence on subsequent developments in nanoscience and technology.