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Gold nanoparticles can be assembled into ordered arrays through the site-selective deposition of mesoscopic DNA origami onto lithographically patterned substrates and the precise binding of gold nanocrystals to each DNA structure.
The adhesion of single DNA molecules on modified gold surfaces can be adjusted by surface potential, and the desorption forces of these interactions are measured by single-molecule force spectroscopy.
Asymmetric salt concentrations can be used to enhance the capture rate of DNA in solid-state nanopores and detect picomolar solutions of unlabelled DNA.
An atomic force microscope can probe both the surface and subsurface regions of a sample by exploiting nanomechanical coupling between the probe and the sample.
Nanoparticles can be assembled into superlattices and dimer clusters using a reconfigurable DNA device that also allows interparticle distances to be modified, post-assembly, in response to molecular stimuli.
A biosensor containing a microfluidic purification chip that supplies a downstream nanoribbon-detector can detect disease biomarkers in samples of whole blood.
A single dopant atom can dominate the subthreshold behaviour of a field-effect transistor, and this effect is enhanced if the atom is located near a dielectric.
Direct observations of domain walls and flux distributions in manganite have shed new light on the dynamics of the ferromagnetic phase in colossal magnetoresistance.
A nanoscale electrode assembly consisting of nanoparticles with tailored conductivity deposited above or below a functional nanoparticle film is demonstrated in sensor devices that achieve 20 ppb ethanol gas sensitivity.
A photonic–plasmonic device — which can be used as a tip for an atomic force microscope and also as a nanoscale light source for near-field Raman excitation — allows topographic, chemical and structural information to be obtained with a spatial resolution of 7 nm.
Electrically induced light emission from an individual carbon nanotube p–n diode is both more efficient and has a narrower spectrum than previously demonstrated, allowing emission from free and localized excitons to be identified.
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.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be self-assembled into cross junctions using DNA origami, establishing these structures as programmable nanobreadboards.
Photosynthetic nanoparticles obtained from a thermophilic bacterium can produce a stable supply of hydrogen at temperatures up to 55 °C with a yield that is approximately 25 times greater than current hydrogen production strategies.
Nanoparticles can damage cellular DNA from a distance without entering the cells, suggesting the need to consider indirect effects when evaluating nanoparticle safety.