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Nanoparticles have the potential to exhibit risks to human beings and to the environment; due to the wide applications of nanoproducts, extensive risk management must not be neglected. Therefore, we have constructed a cell-based, iterative screening system to examine a variety of nanoproducts concerning their toxicity during development. The sensitivity and application of various cell-based methods were discussed and proven by applying the screening to two different nanoparticles: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles. They were used as benchmarks to set up our methods and to examine their effects on mammalian cell lines. Different biological processes such as cell viability, gene expression of interleukin-8 and heat shock protein 70, as well as morphology changes were investigated. Within our screening system, both nanoparticle suspensions and coatings can be tested. Electric cell impedance measurements revealed to be a good method for online monitoring of cellular behavior. The implementation of three-dimensional cell culture is essential to better mimicin vivoconditions. In conclusion, our screening system is highly efficient, cost minimizing, and reduces the need for animal studies.

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An integrated organic temperature sensor with 10 bits dynamic range is reported by Paddy K.L. Chan and co‐workers . Inside the sensor, silver nanoparticles are inserted into the pentacene to enhance the temperature sensitivity of the thermistor. The high dynamic range of the sensor is attributed to the signal amplification by the integrated device.

This review article is divided in two parts. In the first part (Sections 2 and 3) selected examples of the publications that appeared in the literature in the period 2003–2005 in the field of immobilized organic catalysis are presented. When appropriate, the results of these publications are compared to those reported earlier and already discussed in a previous review article (see ref. 4). On the basis of this survey, in Section 4 some general considerations about when and why a supported version of an organic catalyst is worth developing are proposed. In Section 4 a list of suggestions about how the process of immobilization should be carried out is also included, taking into account several factors such as the properties of the catalyst, the nature of the support, and the mode of connection of the catalyst to the support.

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A general electrochemical strategy for synthesizing charge‐transfer complex micro‐/nanowires utilizing a carbon nanotube (CNT) electrode is demonstrated by Z. Liu and co‐workers . The background scanning electron microscopy image depicts high‐quality AgTCNQ nanowires grown from a CNT electrode. The uniform and high‐aspect‐ratio nature of thus‐grown charge‐transfer complex micro‐/nanowires intrinsically originates from the specific features of CNTs in terms of one‐dimensional structure and ultrasmall surface area with few or no defects.