Research Highlights in 2008

Altering the chemical reactivity of molecules through self-assembly

Europium-based nanoparticles can detect anthrax spores more rapidly than traditional terbium-based sensors

Gold nanoparticles of a known weight can act as mass standards for 'weighing' other particles

The synthesis of carbon nanohoops — the basic unit of an armchair carbon nanotube

Clothes made from titanate nanotubes could decontaminate themselves during chemical warfare

Contrary to many silica materials, certain types of mesoporous silica nanoparticles do not rupture red blood cells easily

Tunnelling field-effect transistors using graphene nanoribbons could significantly outperform modern MOSFETs

Quantum dot structures can be formed by annealing ferromagnetic layers in the vicinity of a quantum well

The diffusion of atoms on a metal surface can be controlled by using channels of confined electrons

Nanoscale waveguides can be mechanically excited and probed by optical forces

The electric field from a scanning tunnelling microscope tip can be used to move individual molecules without touching them

Certain polymers can make nanocrystals instantly soluble in both polar and nonpolar solvents

Adsorption of charged nanoparticles on to phospholipids can change the lipid's stiffness

Organic molecules have been self-assembled to form random, non-periodic tiling of a graphite surface

An automated method has been developed to place single carbon nanotubes in precise locations in devices

Thin semiconducting nanorods have 'breathing' vibrational modes that can be excited via Raman spectroscopy in order to measure their size

Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy can be used to monitor chemical changes to a catalyst during a reaction

The ferroelectric material PZT emits terahertz radiation when it is fashioned into nanotubes and optically pumped