Nanoscale & Nanoscale Advances Blog

Conductance of single molecules gives information on electron transfer

16 Oct 2012

Researchers working in Wales and Denmark have used Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) to measure the conductance through single-molecules of the electron transfer protein cytochrome b₅₆₂. The authors modified the protein, adding SH groups at opposite ends to allow contact with a gold surface and a Pt-Ir STM tip. They noted high conductance and conclude that this shows the importance of the heme co-factor bound to the natively structured protein in the electron transfer process.

Read the full details of this HOT Nanoscale article today:

Fast electron transfer through a single molecule natively structured redox protein
Eduardo Antonio Della Pia, Qijin Chi, J. Emyr Macdonald, Jens Ulstrup, D. Dafydd Jones and Martin Elliott
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR32131A

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Self-propelled nanojets via template electrodeposition

12 Oct 2012

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

A rapid, high-yield, low-end and low-cost fabrication method for nanojet motors using a template directed electrochemical deposition method.

Read this ‘HOT’ Nanoscale article:

Self-propelled nanojets via template electrodeposition
Guanjia Zhao, Adriano Ambrosi and Martin Pumera
Nanoscale, 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31566A

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Excellent energy research in Nanoscale

28 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

We would like to share with you a selection of high impact articles, published in Nanoscale covering a wide range of energy research.

On behalf of the Editors-in-Chief, Chunli Bai (CAS President, NCNST, Beijing), Jie Liu (Duke), Wei Lu (Michigan), Markus Niederberger (ETH Zurich), and Francesco Stellacci (EPFL), we invite you to submit your best research to Nanoscale.

With an international readership, across the many disciplines involved with nanoscience and nanotechnology and a first (2011) Impact Factor of 5.91, Nanoscale is the ideal place to publish your research.

Nanoscale has very fast times to publication. Our Accepted Manuscript service means research is published and can be cited on average within 1 day of acceptance

Sign up to receive our free table-of-contents e-alert at www.rsc.org/alerts and be among the first to read our newest articles.

Read this high-impact energy research today:

Reviews

Recent advances in solar cells based on one-dimensional nanostructure arrays
Miao Yu , Yun-Ze Long , Bin Sun and Zhiyong Fan
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30437F

Building one-dimensional oxide nanostructure arrays on conductive metal substrates for lithium-ion battery anodes
Jian Jiang, Yuanyuan Li, Jinping Liu and Xintang Huang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00472C

Synthesis and optical properties of II–VI 1D nanostructures
Muhammad Iqbal Bakti Utama , Jun Zhang , Rui Chen , Xinlong Xu , Dehui Li , Handong Sun and Qihua Xiong
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11612F

Semiconductor nanostructure-based photovoltaic solar cells
Genqiang Zhang, Scott Finefrock, Daxin Liang, Gautam G. Yadav, Haoran Yang, Haiyu Fang and Yue Wu
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10152H

The role of nanomaterials in redox-based supercapacitors for next generation energy storage devices
Xin Zhao, Beatriz Mendoza Sánchez, Peter J. Dobson and Patrick S. Grant
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00594K

Nano active materials for lithium-ion batteries
Yonggang Wang, Huiqiao Li, Ping He, Eiji Hosono and Haoshen Zhou
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00068J

Oxide nanowire networks and their electronic and optoelectronic characteristics
Nripan Mathews, Binni Varghese, Cheng Sun, Velmurugan Thavasi, Björn P. Andreasson, Chornghaur H. Sow, Seeram Ramakrishna and Subodh G. Mhaisalkar
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00285B

Original research

3D branched nanowire heterojunction photoelectrodes for high-efficiency solar water splitting and H₂ generation
Ke Sun, Yi Jing, Chun Li, Xiaofeng Zhang, Ryan Aguinaldo, Alireza Kargar, Kristian Madsen, Khaleda Banu, Yuchun Zhou, Yoshio Bando, Zhaowei Liu and Deli Wang
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11952H

Polyaniline nanowire array encapsulated in titania nanotubes as a superior electrode for supercapacitors
Keyu Xie , Jie Li , Yanqing Lai , Zhi’an Zhang , Yexiang Liu , Guoge Zhang and Haitao Huang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00899K

Polyaniline-intercalated layered vanadium oxide nanocomposites—One-pot hydrothermal synthesis and application in lithium battery
Yuping Chen, Gang Yang, Zihui Zhang, Xiaoyan Yang, Wenhua Hou and Jun-Jie Zhu
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00246A

Architectural integration of the components necessary for electrical energy storage on the nanoscale and in 3D
Christopher P. Rhodes, Jeffrey W. Long, Katherine A. Pettigrew, Rhonda M. Stroud and Debra R. Rolison
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00731E

Preparation of TiO₂ nanowires/nanotubes using polycarbonate membranes and their uses in dye-sensitized solar cells
Dong Kyu Roh, Rajkumar Patel, Sung Hoon Ahn, Dong Jun Kim and Jong Hak Kim
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10525F

Plasma effects in semiconducting nanowire growth
Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov, Dong Han Seo, Hamid Mehdipour, Qijin Cheng and Shailesh Kumar
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10658A

Template synthesis of SnO₂/α-Fe₂O₃ nanotube array for 3D lithium ion battery anode with large areal capacity
Weiqian Zeng , Feipeng Zheng , Ruizhi Li , Yang Zhan , Yuanyuan Li and Jinping Liu
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30089C

Nanorainforest solar cells based on multi-junction hierarchical p-Si/n-CdS/n-ZnO nanoheterostructures
Wei Wang, Qing Zhao, Kevin Laurent, Y. Leprince-Wang, Zhi-Min Liao and Dapeng Yu
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11123J

A nanostructured graphene/polyaniline hybrid material for supercapacitors
Hualan Wang, Qingli Hao, Xujie Yang, Lude Lu and Xin Wang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00224K

Vertically building Zn₂SnO₄ nanowire arrays on stainless steel mesh toward fabrication of large-area, flexible dye-sensitized solar cells
Zhengdao Li, Yong Zhou, Chunxiong Bao, Guogang Xue, Jiyuan Zhang, Jianguo Liu, Tao Yu and Zhigang Zou
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30279A

Optical and electrical applications of ZnS_xSe_1−x nanowires-network with uniform and controllable stoichiometry
Junpeng Lu, Hongwei Liu, Cheng Sun, Minrui Zheng, Mathews Nripan, Gin Seng Chen, G. Mhaisalkar Subodh, Xinhai Zhang and Chorng Haur Sow
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11459C

Ab initio modeling of TiO₂ nanotubes
Dénes Szieberth, Anna Maria Ferrari, Yves Noel and Matteo Ferrabone
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00214F

Submit your best research to Nanoscale.

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New Nanoscale Associate Editor announced: Shouheng Sun

28 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Nanoscale is delighted that Professor Shouheng Sun has joined our Editorial Board as an Associate Editor.

Professor Sun is Professor of Chemistry at Brown University and has been the Associate Director of Brown’s Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation since 2008.

Professor Sun’s research in nanomaterials involves two related areas:

Chemical synthesis and self-assembly of nanoparticles
Construction and elaboration of functional nanoparticles and their assemblies for applications in biomedicine, catalysis, and information storage.

Read Prof. Sun’s recent Nanoscale Communication today:

Polyaspartic acid coated manganese oxide nanoparticles for efficient liver MRI
Ruijun Xing, Fan Zhang, Jin Xie, Maria Aronova, Guofeng Zhang, Ning Guo, Xinglu Huang, Xiaolian Sun, Gang Liu, L. Henry Bryant, Ashwinkumar Bhirde, Amy Liang, Yanglong Hou, Richard D. Leapman, Shouheng Sun and Xiaoyuan Chen
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11242B

We welcome your submissions to Prof. Sun’s Editorial Office. Submit your best work to Nanoscale.

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Rongchao Jin is new Nanoscale Associate Editor

25 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

We are delighted to announce that Professor Rongchao Jin of Carnegie Mellon University has joined Nanoscale as an Associate Editor.

Prof. Jin’s research covers the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanoparticles. His group develop chemical methods for synthesizing new types of inorganic nanoclusters and nanocrystals, hybrid nano-architectures, and inorganic/polymer nanocomposites. He is also very interested in the applications of nanoparticles in catalysis, optics, chemo- and bio-sensing, and photovoltaics.

Professor Jin was co-Guest Editor on the recent Nanoscale themed issue on Metallic Clusters which, according to his Editorial “offers a snapshot of the very diverse research work being carried out on metal clusters” from fundamental to applied research.

Read Prof. Jin’s popular review on gold nanoclusters and his recent articles in this area today:

Quantum sized, thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters
Rongchao Jin
DOI: 10.1039/B9NR00160C

Water-soluble Au₂₅(Capt)₁₈ nanoclusters: synthesis, thermal stability, and optical properties
Santosh Kumar and Rongchao Jin
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30833A

Unexpected reactivity of Au₂₅(SCH₂CH₂Ph)₁₈ nanoclusters with salts
Manzhou Zhu, Gerentt Chan, Huifeng Qian and Rongchao Jin
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00878H

We welcome your submissions to Prof. Jin’s Editorial Office. Submit your best work to Nanoscale.

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Colourful metal detection

24 Sep 2012

By Rachel Blakeburn.

The sensor changes from red to blue with an increasing mercury concentration

Scientists in China have developed a sensor that can indicate the presence of heavy metal ions in a sample with a simple colour change.

Heavy metal ions such as mercury and lead are persistent pollutants in the environment and can cause severe health problems. Routine sampling of water sources is vital to evaluate the levels of toxic metals.

Current detection techniques involve the use of expensive equipment, require skilled technicians and are time consuming. A range of research has looked at developing detection techniques for in-field use and recently, interest has been focused on using aptamers. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that have been shown to reversibly bind with mercury and lead. Several sensors have been developed that incorporate aptamers but most have required complex labelling or detection techniques.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Colorimetric photonic hydrogel aptasensor for the screening of heavy metal ions
Bao-Fen Ye , Yuan-Jin Zhao , Yao Cheng , Ting-Ting Li , Zhuo-Ying Xie , Xiang-Wei Zhao and Zhong-Ze Gu
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 5998-6003, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31601C

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Controlled bidirectional transport of nanoparticles

21 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Baojun Li and coworkers at Sun Yat-Sen University in China have used counter-propagating laser beams in an optical nanofibre to control the transport of nanoparticles in two opposite directions. They were also able to stop the nanoparticles where they wanted.

Being able to transport and position such particles accurately is important for various applications, for example in biomedical research and chemical analysis.

Read the full details of this HOT Nanoscale Communication:

Bidirectional optical transportation and controllable positioning of nanoparticles using an optical nanofiber
Hongxiang Lei , Chong Xu , Yao Zhang and Baojun Li
DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31993D

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Zhiyong Tang and Roberto Salvarezza join Nanoscale Advisory Board

20 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

We are delighted to announce that Professor Zhiyong Tang of the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China and Roberto Salvarezza of the National University of La Plata, Argentina have both joined the Nanoscale Advisory Board.

Professor Roberto Salvarezza

Professor Salvarezza’s research is focused on scanning probe microscopies and surface physical chemistry, including the physical chemistry of molecular self-assemblies.

Read Prof. Salvarezza’s latest Nanoscale article today:

Self-assembly of thiolated cyanine aggregates on Au(111) and Au nanoparticle surfaces
Guillermo O. Menéndez, Emiliano Cortés, Doris Grumelli, Lucila P. Méndez De Leo, Federico J. Williams, Nicolás G. Tognalli, Alejandro Fainstein, María Elena Vela, Elizabeth A. Jares-Erijman and Roberto C. Salvarezza
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11039J

Professor Zhiyong Tang

Professor Tang is interested in the application of functional nanomaterials in the fields of energy and the environment.

He recently review the latest progress in chiral inorganic nanoparticles in Nanoscale:

Chiral inorganic nanoparticles: origin, optical properties and bioapplications
Yunsheng Xia, Yunlong Zhou and Zhiyong Tang
DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00903B

One-step template-free synthesis of monoporous polymer microspheres with uniform sizes via microwave-mediated dispersion polymerization
Ming-Qiang Zhu, Gan-Chao Chen, Yun-Mei Li, Jun-Bing Fan, Ming-Feng Zhu and Zhiyong Tang
DOI: 10.1039/C1NR10920K

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Temperature controlled drug release from magnetic liposomes

17 Sep 2012

By Heather Montgomery, Deputy Editor.

Researchers based at Chongqing University in China have reported the synthesis of thermosensitive magnetic liposomes which release 5-(and-6)-carboxylfluorescein and the cancer drug doxorubicin only when the temperature reaches 42 °C. The materials are stable at body temperature, but irradiation with infrared light allows drug release by causing a change in permeability of the liposome membrane.

The authors suggest that the system has great potential for the efficient release of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs.

Read this HOT Communication in full:

Biocompatible magnetic liposomes for temperature triggered drug delivery
Xingwei Ding, Kaiyong Cai, Zhong Luo, Jinghua Li, Yan Hu and Xinkun Shen
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31292A

Scheme for fabrication of thermosensitive magnetic liposomes

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Nano-branched transparent conducting oxide for flexible electrodes

17 Sep 2012

By Jane Hordern, Deputy Editor.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) nano-branches for application in transparent flexible electrodes (TFEs) have been made by researchers in Korea.

The team used a simple beam evaporation method to make single crystal ITO nano-branches, which show better conductivity, better thermal stability and significantly better mechanical flexibility compared to commercial ITO film.

Transparent conducting oxides are very attractive materials for TFEs as they overcome limitations of alternatives such as metallic nanowires and carbon-based nanostructures, but their mechanical brittleness is a drawback. The nano-branched structure is much more flexible, and has an improved production process requiring lower temperatures and offering larger synthesis areas.

TFEs pervade modern technologies as critical components of many optoelectronic devices, e.g. solar cells, displays and lighting devices. The much-improved mechanical flexibility of this nano-branched structure implies potential for broad applicability in optoelectronic devices.

Read the Nanoscale article:

Nano-branched transparent conducting oxide: Beyond the brittleness limit for the flexible electrode applications
Hak Ki Yu, Sungjun Kim, Bonhyeong Koo, Gwan Ho Jung, Bola Lee, Juyoung Ham and Jong-Lam Lee
Nanoscale, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR32228E

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Nanoscale & Nanoscale Advances Blog

Conductance of single molecules gives information on electron transfer

Self-propelled nanojets via template electrodeposition

Excellent energy research in Nanoscale

New Nanoscale Associate Editor announced: Shouheng Sun

Rongchao Jin is new Nanoscale Associate Editor

Colourful metal detection

Controlled bidirectional transport of nanoparticles

Zhiyong Tang and Roberto Salvarezza join Nanoscale Advisory Board

Temperature controlled drug release from magnetic liposomes

Nano-branched transparent conducting oxide for flexible electrodes

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