Photogallery

The size, shape, surface property and material composition of polymer-coated nanoparticles (NPs) are four important parameters in designing efficient carriers for targeted drug delivery. Comparing systems with identical BP surface area, ligand-receptor interaction strength, and polymer grafting density, we find that spherical NPs exhibit the fastest internalization rate. They need to overcome a minimal membrane bending energy barrier, compared with with non-spherical counterparts, while the internalization of disk-like NPs involves a strong membrane deformation. Polymer Physics

Distribution of ferroelectric domains in a hexagonal ErMnO₃ bulk crystal visualized by piezoresponse force microscopy. Bright and dark areas correspond to up- and down-polarized domains, respectively. The peculiar distribution with six domains meeting in a point is a consequence of the unusual topology of this multiferroic. Multifunctional Ferroic Materials

Measuring nanoscale wetting. Cryo-SEM image of 200 nm latex particles on a water-decane interface after shock-freezing and removal of the oil. Knowing how micro and nanoscale objects are wetted is crucial for a vast range of materials, including particle-stabilized emulsions and foams found in foodstuffs and chemical or pharmaceutical formulations, and can shed light on complex mechanisms involving nanoparticles crossing biological membranes, for diagnostics and drug delivery. Interfaces, Soft Matter and Assembly

Oxides with the perovskite structure shown here have many interesting and technologically relevant properties such as ferroelectricity, superconductivity and exotic magnetism. Materials Theory

Crack arresting at the dentin-enamel interface of a synthetic tooth. Complex Materials

Photograph of an aerogel monolith composed of titania and magnetically aligned iron oxide nanoparticles. Multifunctional Materials

Scanning electron micrograph of silver nanoparticles, formed by annealing a silver film on a silica surface. Surface Science and Technology