Volume 6 Issue 3, March 2011

The presence of a large bandgap means that a single layer of molybdenum disulphide can be used to make field-effect transistors with high on/off ratios and reasonably high mobilities.

Recyclable membranes that are capable of separating nanoparticles of different sizes can be prepared from supramolecular assemblies that are held together by non-covalent bonds.

A statistical model based on a quantitative structure–activity relationship accurately predicts the cytotoxicity of various metal oxide nanoparticles, thus offering a way to rapidly screen nanomaterials and prioritize testing.

Statistical analysis of nanoparticle delivery shows that cells take up nanoparticles randomly and redistribute them to their daughter cells in a biased way.

Supramolecular membranes prepared from fibrous assemblies in water can be disassembled in organic solvent after use and then cleaned, reassembled and reused numerous times.

The large bandgap of a single layer of molybdenum disulphide can be exploited to construct transistors with high on/off ratios and high mobilities.

Grey-scale lithography has been used to make Luneburg and Eaton lenses that have lower losses than previously reported plasmonic elements.

Carbon nanotube transistors with high mobilities and high on/off ratios are demonstrated, along with flexible nanotube-based integrated circuits that are capable of sequential logic.

Calculations show that two-dimensional conductance spectra in a graphene nanoribbon placed across a fluidic nanochannel can be used to rapidly and reliably sequence DNA.

Real-time atomic force microscopy can be used image the individual steps of a DNA motor as it moves, autonomously and at constant average speed, along a 100-nm track.

The uptake of nanoparticles into cells and their inheritance during cell division is shown to be random, which has implications for dose considerations in drug delivery and nanotoxicology studies.

Approaches in quantitative structure–activity relationships developed to predict the physical and chemical properties of chemical compounds can also be used to predict the toxicity of nanoparticles.

The contact resistance of a junction between graphene and palladium is shown to be strongly affected by carrier transport in graphene underneath the palladium, and is measured to be just two to three times larger than the minimum resistance achievable.

A single magnetic molecule between ferromagnetic contacts exhibits a 60% magnetoresistance effect and nearly metallic conduction at the same time.