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Inorganic nanoribbons can be attached to an elastic surface at selected positions to make wave-like structures that maintain their semiconducting properties when stretched or compressed. These nanostructures will prove to be immediately useful in flexible electronics.
With high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, it is now possible to explore to what extent the random distribution of atomic elements in an alloy is preserved when it is reduced to a linear atomic chain, one atom thick.
Peptides can self-assemble into gels that are able to control bleeding from surgical wounds within seconds of being applied. This new nano-haemostat could dramatically change the way surgery is performed in the future.
Nature builds sophisticated materials and machines one molecule at a time with minimal energy. Scientists are now emulating these assembly processes to make artificial structures that are not found in the natural world.
Collaborations between academic institutions and industrial companies are increasing across Europe, even though each measures progress on different time scales.
Most models of DNA elasticity ignore the details of how it bends on short length scales. Now, high-resolution atomic force microscope images of DNA on a surface suggest that it is much more flexible than previously thought.
Cerium oxide nanoparticles can scavenge reactive molecules in the eye and prevent degenerative retinal disorders in rats. The results suggest that nanoceria particles could be used to treat a variety of problems that cause blindness.
By growing and characterizing over 1,400 samples, researchers have been able to identify the optimum reaction conditions and catalyst structure for the production of ultrahigh 'forests' of double-walled carbon nanotubes.
Can cutting edge science, applied to the very toughest and most persistent global problems, simultaneously involve and inspire the next generation of scientists?
It is now possible to prepare a semiconductor quantum dot that contains a single magnetic atom, and then add just one extra electron or 'hole' to it, opening up the possibility of a new era in spintronics.
The tobacco mosaic virus can be combined with metallic nanoparticles to make novel electronic memory elements. Are virus-based memory sticks just around the corner?
Controlling the friction between two moving surfaces — and possibly even reducing it to zero — is one of the outstanding challenges in modern tribology. Two recent discoveries may make this dream come true.
The proteins used as fluorescent markers in cellular imaging are only a few nanometres in size, yet the image resolution is typically diffraction-limited to one hundred times this scale. Now, a new strategy exists for imaging intracellular structure and dynamics with 10 nm resolution.
A new and scalable method for separating metallic from semiconducting carbon nanotubes will make for easier wiring of nanocircuits and lead to more reliable nanoelectronic devices.
