August 2008
featured highlights
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Polymer capsules: A swell idea
The pH-induced reversible opening of nanopores on the surface of polymer-peptide microcapsules allows the encapsulation and controlled release of quantum dots.
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Quantum dots: Clay composites
Flexible thin film composites of quantum dots and clay demonstrate high luminescence efficiencies suitable for future optoelectronic devices.
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Ultra Steel
Processing steel to a fibre-like structure and adding nanoparticles can make it really strong.
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Polymer composites: Trick of the light
Ultraviolet irradiation is used to create nanotube-polymer composites of any desired shape.
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Nanotubes and chips
A scalable approach to building complex nanotube structures and devices makes the next step towards nanotube electronic chips.
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Spintronics: Phase-change materials an attractive choice
Incorporation of magnetic atoms into phase-change materials creates new opportunities for information storage.
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Unleaded piezoelectrics
A simple method for growing sodium niobate nanowires could be useful in the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials.
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Self-assembly: Donuts and rosettes
Hierarchical self-assembly provides a new route to building nanostructures.
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Drug delivery: Open sesame
Self-assembled hollow spheres with reversibly gated pores allow precious cargo to be carried and released at will.
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Drug delivery: Virus with a ribbon
A tiny ribbon modeled on natural viruses could deliver both DNA and drugs into cancer cells.
research highlights
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Metal nanocrystals: Layers of complexity
New rules for making core–shell nanoparticles.
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Hollow metal oxide structures: Inside out
Complex metal oxide structures with porous hollow shells can be made via a simple top-down approach.
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Nanotube-hydrogel composites: Wetting and dewetting
Films of aligned carbon nanotube arrays in a hydrogel matrix show unique wetting and electrical conductance properties.
Advanced Materials -
Zeolite crystals: Made to order
Self-assembly enables the formation of monolayer membranes of well-oriented zeolite crystals on thin polymer films.
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Spintronics: Magnetic silicon
The hydrogenation of amorphous silicon films containing chromium atoms produces ferromagnetic ordering above room temperature.
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Self-assembly: Fluid construction on the rails
Guided microfluidic assembly could enable the mass production of complex microstructures
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Silicon quantum dots: Getting the light out
The emission efficiency of silicon-based light-emitting diodes is significantly enhanced by surface plasmons.
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Catalysis: Superficial fluorine
Covering an inorganic crystal with fluorine atoms preserves usually less stable crystalline facets.
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Clearly conducting plastic
Highly conducting transparent polymer provides a flexible alternative for organic electronics.
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Light clouds the solution
The temperature dependent clouding behavior of certain molecules in solution can be controlled optically with potential uses in drug delivery.
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Light-powered motors
The demonstration of a light-driven plastic motor opens new opportunities for photomobile applications.
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Proteinous nanotubes
Viruses and bacteria team up to build protein-based biological nanotubes.
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Electronics: Golden Transistors
Scientists show that transistors can be made ofa wide range mateirals including metals thus opening up the possiblity of novel devices structures not possible with conventional semiconductors.
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Nano-gas sensors: Affinity for carbon monoxide
The sensitivity of ceria oxide nanowires to carbon monoxide increases significantly when the wires are coated with platinum nanoscrystals.
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Nanofabrication: Groovy mechanisms
New insights into the role of iron nanoparticles in the formation of nanotrenches in oxide substrates may have implication for nanodevice fabrication.
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Molecular electronics: Redox redux
Deeper insights into the switching mechanisms of individual redox-active molecular complexes may lead to novel applications in molecular electronics.
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UV light from gold nano-bow ties
Plasmonic nanostructures enable a very efficient production of coherent extreme ultraviolet light..
