ZnO single butterfly wing scales: synthesis and spatial optical anisotropy. The team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University created ZnO replicas of butterfly wing scales by using the natural scales as templates. The team says this work should help researchers to understand the mechanism behind the optical properties of functional butterfly wing scale replicas. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C1JM10678C, Advance Article)
Synthesis and modelling of gold nanostars with tunable morphology and extinction spectrum. Italian scientists have created stable gold nanostars with tunable extinction properties from the visible up to 1800 nm. These nanostars could lead to the improvement of IR diagnostics or chemical sensing the team say. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C0JM04519E, Advance Article)
Electrospinning fabrication, structural and mechanical characterization of rod-like virus-based composite nanofibers. A biodegradable fibrous mat that mimics the extracellular matrix has been created by a team from China and the US. The mat is formed by electrospinning tobacco mosaic virus with polyvinyl alcohol into continuous TMV–PVA composite nanofibers. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C1JM00078K, Advance Article)
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