Crystal structures in a new light ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A European team has developed a technique that can image the hitherto inaccessible nanometer-scale structure of crystalline materials. The technique makes it possible to obtain 3D images with a resolution of around ten nanometers without destroying the sample. It uses a microscopic X-ray beam to scan the object. A detector records the strength of the X-rays diffracted by the sample, providing a series of ‘diffraction images’, which are turned into a 3D image by an algorithm. To achieve these results, the researchers used the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble (France). It took the scientists three years to develop this imaging technique, inspired by a concept thought up in 1969 by physicist Walter Hoppe. It could lead to important discoveries, especially in the life sciences and microelectronics sectors. Nature Communications November 2011 Self-assembling nanopiston Nanobeacon detects single molecules A Sino-French team has developed the first molecular piston capable of self-assembly. It is composed of a rod-shaped molecule along A nanometer-scale antenna developed by a scientific team can turn the length of which slides a helix-shaped molecule, depending on a single molecule into an intense, unidirectional light source. This the acidity of the environment. This nanoscale system represents allows the fluorescence intensity of the molecule to be enhanced significant technological progress in the design of molecular motors, 120-fold and to be emitted in a narrow cone, rather like a beacon. and could, for instance, be used to develop artificial muscles. The system makes it possible to detect single fluorescent molecules using a simple microscope, and could prove extremely useful in Science March 2011 biological and pharmaceutical research. Nano Letters January 2011 Characterizing hybrid nanoparticles by making them vibrate A CNRS team, together with researchers in Spain, have succeeded in characterizing the nature of the contact between two components of nanoparticles. To do so, they subjected the nanoparticles to ultra-short laser pulses so as to make them vibrate. The vibrations revealed the precise nature of the contact between the nanoparticle’s silver core and the glass shell surrounding it. The technique could be invaluable for technological applications where the quality of nano-objects is key. Nano Letters June 2011 Artist’s impression of vibrating nanoparticles. 35 2011 A year at CNRS
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