Nanoscale Horizons最新文献

Coordinating the droplet capture, transport, and shedding processes during fog collection to achieve efficient fog collection is a major challenge. In this study, a copper mesh with different wettability was prepared by chemical etching and thiol modification. The Cu(OH)₂ needle structure on the surface of the samples was characterized by FE-SEM and EDS tests, and the surface of the samples was chemically analyzed by infrared and XPS analyses. A Janus membrane matchbox fog collector was thus designed and assembled with directional transport properties. While achieving directional transport of fog droplets on a grid, the fog capture efficiency was also improved. We built a fog collection test rig in the laboratory and tested the samples at a fog flow rate of 0.8 m s^-1, and the highest fog collection efficiency reached 6.9 g h^-1 cm^-2, enabling a long-term and efficient fog collection process even in dynamically changing fog environments. This study demonstrates a wide range of applications to achieve green, low-cost, and efficient fog collection strategies.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are materials with a thickness of one or a few atoms with intriguing electrical, chemical, optical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties. Therefore, they are deemed candidates for ubiquitous engineering applications. Films and three-dimensional (3D) structures made from 2D materials introduce a distinct assembly structure that imparts the inherent properties of pristine 2D materials on a macroscopic scale. Acquiring the adequate strength and toughness of 2D material structures is of great interest due to their high demand for numerous industrial applications. This work presents a comprehensive review of the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of robust films composed of 2D materials that help them to attain other extraordinary properties. Moreover, the various key factors affecting the mechanical performance of such thin films, such as the lateral size of nanoflakes, fabrication technique of the film, thickness of the film, post-processing, and strain rate, are elucidated.

Antiferromagnetic materials have several unique properties, such as a vanishingly small net magnetization, which generates weak dipolar fields and makes them robust against perturbation from external magnetic fields and rapid magnetization dynamics, as dictated by the geometric mean of their exchange and anisotropy energies. However, experimental and theoretical techniques to detect and manipulate the antiferromagnetic order in a fully electrical manner must be developed to enable advanced spintronic devices with antiferromagnets as their active spin-dependent elements. Among the various antiferromagnetic materials, conducting antiferromagnets offer high electrical and thermal conductivities and strong electron-spin-phonon interactions. Noncollinear metallic antiferromagnets with negative chirality, including Mn₃Sn, Mn₃Ge, and Mn₃GaN, offer rich physics of spin momentum locking, topologically protected surface states, large spin Hall conductivity, and a magnetic spin Hall effect that arises from their topology. In this review article, we introduce the crystal structure and the physical phenomena, including the anomalous Hall and Nernst effects, spin Hall effect, and magneto-optic Kerr effect, observed in negative chirality antiferromagnets. Experimental advances related to spin-orbit torque-induced dynamics and the impact of the torque on the microscopic spin structure of Mn₃Sn are also discussed. Recent experimental demonstrations of a finite room-temperature tunneling magnetoresistance in tunnel junctions with chiral antiferromagnets opens the prospect of developing spintronic devices with fully electrical readout. Applications of chiral antiferromagnets, including non-volatile memory, high-frequency signal generators/detectors, neuro-synaptic emulators, probabilistic bits, thermoelectric devices, and Josephson junctions, are highlighted. We also present analytic models that relate the performance characteristics of the device with its design parameters, thus enabling a rapid technology-device assessment. Effects of Joule heating and thermal noise on the device characteristics are briefly discussed. We close the paper by summarizing the status of research and present our outlook in this rapidly evolving research field.

Realizing plasmonic nanogaps with a refractive index (n = 1) environment in metallic nanoparticle (NP) structures is highly attractive for a wide range of applications. So far in self-assembly-based approaches, without surface functionalization of metallic NPs, achieving such extremely small nanogaps is challenging. Surface functionalization introduces changes in the refractive index at nanogaps, which in turn deteriorates the desired plasmonic properties. In addition, fabrication of low-density dimer NP designs with smaller nanogaps poses a big challenge. Here, we introduce a simple and straightforward self-assembly-based strategy for the fabrication of low-density, isolated dimer gold nanoparticles in a nano-particle-on-metallic-mirror (NPoM) platform. A minimum interparticle gap distance between NPs of ∼3 nm is achieved without surface functionalization. This is possible by utilizing the M13 bacteriophage as the spacer layer instead of SiO₂ in NPoM. Density functional theory calculations on Au atom adsorption on SiO₂ and M13 bacteriophage surface constituents trace the NP assembly on the latter to a comparatively weak interaction with the substrate. Our study offers an attractive route for fabricating low density plasmonic dimer structures featuring small nanogaps and will enrich structure specific/isolated studies benefitting a variety of optical, actuator, and sensing applications.

We investigated the effect of uniaxial strain on the electrical properties of few-layer ZrSe₃ devices under compressive and tensile strains applied up to ±0.62% along different crystal directions. We observed that the piezoresponse, the change in resistance upon application of strain, of ZrSe₃ strongly depends on both the direction in which electrical transport occurs and the direction in which uniaxial strain is applied. Notably, a remarkably high anisotropy in the gauge factor for a device with the transport occurring along the b-axis of ZrSe₃ with GF = 68 when the strain is applied along the b-axis was obtained, and GF = 4 was achieved when strain is applied along the a-axis. This leads to an anisotropy ratio of almost 90%. Devices whose transport occurs along the a-axis, however, show much lower anisotropy in gauge factors when strain is applied along different directions, leading to an anisotropy ratio of 50%. Furthermore, ab initio calculations of strain dependent change in resistance showed the same trends of the anisotropy ratio as obtained from experimental results for both electrical transport and strain application directions, which were correlated with bandgap changes and different orbital contributions.

Ribosomes are the most essential macromolecules in cells, as they serve as production lines for every single protein. Here, we address the demand to study ribosomes in living human cells by applying time-resolved microscopy. We show that oxazole yellow iodide (YO-PRO-1 dye) intercalates tRNA and rRNA with a determined equilibrium constant of 3.01 ± 1.43 × 10⁵ M⁻¹. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is used to measure both the rotational (∼14 ms⁻¹) and translational (∼4 μm² s⁻¹) diffusion coefficients of the 60S ribosomes directly within living human cells. Furthermore, we apply the empirical length-scale dependent viscosity model to calculate the hydrodynamic radius of 60S ribosomes, equal to ∼15 nm, for the first time determined inside living cells. The FCS in YO-PRO-1 stained cells is used to assess ribosome abundance changes, exemplified in rapamycin-treated HeLa cells, highlighting its potential for dynamic ribosome characterization within the cellular environment.

Over the last two decades, advancements in nanomaterials and nanoscience have paved the path for the emergence of nano-medical convergence science, significantly impacting healthcare. In our review, we highlight how these advancements are applied in various biomedical technologies such as drug delivery systems, bio-imaging for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Recently, novel inorganic nanohybrid drugs have been developed, combining multifunctional inorganic nanomaterials with therapeutic agents (known as inorganic medicinal nanoarchitectonics). These innovative drugs are actively utilized in cutting-edge medical treatments, including targeted anti-cancer therapy, photo and radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. This review provides a detailed overview of the current development status of inorganic medicinal nanoarchitectonics and explores potential future directions in their advancements.

The Nanoscale Horizons Editorial Board and Editorial Office reflect on the exciting events, activities and updates from the journal in 2024 and look forward to celebrating 10 years since the journal was inaugurated in 2025.

Artificial neuronal devices that emulate the dynamics of biological neurons are pivotal for advancing brain emulation and developing bio-inspired electronic systems. This paper presents the design and demonstration of an artificial neuron circuit based on a Pt/V/AlO_x/Pt threshold switching memristor (TSM) integrated with an external resistor. By applying voltage pulses, we successfully exhibit the leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) behavior, as well as both spatial and spatiotemporal summation capabilities, achieving the asynchronous signal integration. Notably, the Pt/V/AlO_x/Pt TSM demonstrates ultrafast switching speeds (on/off times ∼165 ns/310 ns) and remarkable stability (endurance >10² cycles with cycle-to-cycle variations <2.5%). These attributes render the circuit highly suitable as a spike generator in neuromorphic computing applications. The Pt/V/AlO_x/Pt TSM-based spike encoder can output current spikes at frequencies ranging from approximately 200 kHz to 800 kHz. The modulation of output spike frequency is achievable by adjusting the external resistor and capacitor within the spike encoder circuit, providing considerable operational flexibility. Additionally, the Pt/V/AlO_x/Pt TSM boasts a lower threshold voltage (V_th ∼ 0.84 V) compared to previously reported VO_x-based TSMs, leading to significantly reduced energy consumption for spike generation (∼2.75 nJ per spike).

Our Emerging Investigator Series features exceptional work by early-career nanoscience and nanotechnology researchers. Read Mita Dasog's Emerging Investigator Series article ‘Unlocking the secrets of porous silicon formation: insights into magnesiothermic reduction mechanism using in situ powder X-ray diffraction studies’ (https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NH00244J) and read more about her in the interview below.