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Devices that manipulate single electrons have applications in many areas of nanotechnology. The artist's impression on the cover shows the tip of an atomic force microscope creating a single-electron transistor at the interface between two oxide materials. Jeremy Levy and co-workers have used this approach to make a transistor in which single electrons tunnel between two nanowires through a conducting island with a diameter of just ~1.5 nm. The island (white circle at the bottom of the image), nanowires and other features are formed from a single oxide-based material that can be erased and rewritten, which is why the devices are called sketched oxide single-electron transistors.
Pregnant mice treated 70-nm silica nanoparticles or 35-nm titanium dioxide nanoparticles suffer damage to the placenta and fetus, whereas larger nanoparticles do not have an adverse impact.
Self-assembled nanostructured cathodes allow lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride batteries to charge and discharge at very high rates without significant loss of capacity.
Ultrathin large-area solid-oxide membranes can be fabricated using lithographically patterned metallic grids and used to make fuel cells that operate at relatively low temperatures.
The temperatures of the graphene–metal contacts in working transistors have been measured with a resolution of ∼10 nm, revealing the presence of both heating and cooling effects.
Thin films of single-wall carbon nanotube have been used to create stretchable devices that can be incorporated into clothes and used to detect human motions.
Silver nanoparticles with thin palladium shells are active and selective catalysts for the production of hydrogen from formic acid at room temperature.
Giant magnetoresistive nanosensors are used to quantify the binding kinetics of proteins at the surface of the sensor array, thus offering a sensitive assay for applications in antibody and drug development, and clinical diagnostics.
Pregnant mice treated with silica and titanium dioxide nanoparticles show abnormalities in the placenta and have smaller uterine and fetuses than untreated control mice and those receiving larger particles.