Top Ten: News from July 2012

Strain forces diamond needles to alter their electronic properties

Applying strain to tiny needles of diamond can transform their electronic properties from insulating, through semiconducting, to highly conductive.

Latest carbon nanotube fibers are strongest and most conductive yet

Using a wet spinning process, researchers have produced carbon nanotube fibers that are stronger than Kevlar and almost as conductive as copper.

Paper-based thermoelectric promises easy heat recovery

thermoelectric generators based on cellulose paper and thin layers of non-toxic metals promise a cheap and eco-friendly means of heat recovery

Challenges and future perspectives on sodium and potassium ion batteries for grid-scale energy storage

Laser-induced graphene and carbon nanotubes as conductive carbon-based materials in environmental technology

Fabrication of soft, stimulus-responsive structures with sub-micron resolution via two-photon polymerization of poly(ionic liquid)s

Bioinspired yeast microcapsules loaded with self-assembled nanotherapies for targeted treatment of cardiovascular disease

Recent advancements of high efficient donor–acceptor type blue small molecule applied for OLEDs