Nanobiotechnology articles within Nature Communications

Featured

• Article | 15 November 2011

  Functionalized arrays of Raman-enhancing nanoparticles for capture and culture-free analysis of bacteria in human blood

  Detecting bacteria in clinical samples usually requires culture processes that are time consuming and impede rapid diagnoses. Now, a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic method is reported that allows the label- and culture-free detection and analysis of bacteria.

  • Ting-Yu Liu
  • , Kun-Tong Tsai
  •  & Yuh-Lin Wang

• Article | 20 September 2011

  A polysaccharide bioprotonic field-effect transistor

  The manipulation of electrons forms the basis of modern technology, whereas electrical signalling processes in nature are based on ions and protons. Rolandi and colleagues present a proton transistor based on polysaccharide nanofibres, which can control the flow of protonic currents.

  • Chao Zhong
  • , Yingxin Deng
  •  & Marco Rolandi

• Article
  28 June 2011 | Open Access

  Mediatorless high-power glucose biofuel cells based on compressed carbon nanotube-enzyme electrodes

  Glucose biofuel cells can be used to produce clean energy from renewable sources, but their use is limited by poor stability and low power output. In this study, bioelectrodes are fabricated using carbon nanotubes and the resulting biofuel cells have improved stability and power.

  • Abdelkader Zebda
  • , Chantal Gondran
  •  & Serge Cosnier

• Article
  21 June 2011 | Open Access

  Promotion of water-mediated carbon removal by nanostructured barium oxide/nickel interfaces in solid oxide fuel cells

  Anodes composed of nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia in solid oxide fuel cells are known to suffer from coking, which reduces their performance. Here, Yang and colleagues report a new barium oxide/nickel anode, which efficiently oxidizes fuel with minimum carbon buildup.

  • Lei Yang
  • , YongMan Choi
  •  & Meilin Liu

• Article
  31 May 2011 | Open Access

  Nanoantenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear spectroscopy of a single gold nanoparticle

  Optical nanoantennas can be used for spectroscopic investigations at previously unattainable dimensions. Schumacheret al.describe time-resolved antenna-enhanced ultrafast nonlinear optical spectroscopy and determine the transient absorption signal of a single gold nanoparticle.

  • Thorsten Schumacher
  • , Kai Kratzer
  •  & Markus Lippitz

• Article | 19 October 2010

  Piezoelectric-nanowire-enabled power source for driving wireless microelectronics

  Energy harvesting through mechanical actions of nanosized components could be useful for powering mobile electronics. Here, the authors grow lead zirconate nanowire arrays at comparatively low temperature and use them to power a macroscopic laser diode.

  • Sheng Xu
  • , Benjamin J. Hansen
  •  & Zhong Lin Wang

• Article | 07 September 2010

  Nanostructural hierarchy increases the strength of aluminium alloys

  Improving the properties of metallic alloys is important to develop new lightweight materials. In this paper, we show that an aluminium (Al) alloy containing a hierarchy of nanostructures in a solid solution with a high density of dislocations is capable of beating strength records for Al alloys while maintaining good ductility.

  • Peter V. Liddicoat
  • , Xiao-Zhou Liao
  •  & Simon P. Ringer

• Article | 27 July 2010

  Multifunctional nanoparticles as coupled contrast agents

  Multifunctional imaging probes are important in bionanotechnology. In this paper, the authors show that nanoparticles with magnetic cores, thin gold shells and an organic spacer layer support a novel magnetomotive photoacoustic imaging mode, and enhance contrast with respect to conventional imaging techniques.

  • Yongdong Jin
  • , Congxian Jia
  •  & Xiaohu Gao

• Article | 13 July 2010

  Motion-based DNA detection using catalytic nanomotors

  Synthetic nanomotors convert chemical energy into motion. Here, they have been implemented in a motion-based assay that allows specific DNA and ribosomal RNA detection. The technique is fast, simple and sensitive, and the concentration-dependant distance signals of the magnetically aligned nanomotors are detected by optical microscopy.

  • Jie Wu
  • , Shankar Balasubramanian
  •  & Joseph Wang

• Article | 17 May 2010

  Fluidic supramolecular nano- and microfibres as molecular rails for regulated movement of nanosubstances

  Microtubules act as molecular tracks for the transport of substances within cells, and have inspired the construction of artificial supramolecular fibres. Here, self-assembled glycol–lipid fibres are shown to be sufficiently fluid to allow directional movement of attached molecules, proteins and nanobeads.

  • Shun-ichi Tamaru
  • , Masato Ikeda
  •  & Itaru Hamachi