The Langmuir−Blodgett deposition of organically passivated gold nanoparticles is reported. A monolayer of these particles has been incorporated into a metal−insulator−semiconductor (MIS) structure. The MIS device exhibits a hysteresis in its capacitance versus voltage characteristic, the magnitude of which is dependent on the voltage sweep conditions. Charge storage in the layer of nanoparticles is thought to be responsible for this effect.

Membrane proteomics, the large-scale global analysis of membrane proteins, is often constrained by the efficiency of separating and extracting membrane proteins. Recent approaches involve conjugating membrane proteins with the small molecule biotin and using the receptor streptavidin to extract the labelled proteins. Despite the many advantages of this method, several shortcomings remain, including potential contamination by endogenously biotinylated molecules and interference by streptavidin during analytical stages. Here, we report a supramolecular fishing method for membrane proteins using the synthetic receptor-ligand pair cucurbit[7]uril-1-trimethylammoniomethylferrocene (CB[7]-AFc). CB[7]-conjugated beads selectively capture AFc-labelled proteins from heterogeneous protein mixtures, and AFc-labelling of cells results in the efficient capture of membrane proteins by these beads. The captured proteins can be recovered easily at room temperature by treatment with a strong competitor such as 1,1'-bis(trimethylammoniomethyl)ferrocene. This synthetic but biocompatible host-guest system may be a useful alternative to streptavidin-biotin for membrane proteomics as well as other biological and biotechnological applications.

We describe the use of C 60 fullerene molecules as the charge storage medium in an insulating poly-vinyl-phenol (PVP) polymer. The simple metal-organic-metal (MOM) sandwich structure devices deposited from solution exhibit distinct high and low conduction states, which can be used to program read, write and erase memory operations. The charge transfer and retention in C 60 molecules at room temperature has been confirmed by capacitance-voltage and Raman spectroscopy measurements. Conducting atomic force microscopy has been used to demonstrate that high and low conductance states persist even at the nanoscale.

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Open Sesame! A template-free synthetic approach to stimuli-responsive polymer nanocapsules that are potentially useful for targeted drug delivery has been developed. In their Communication on p. 4405 ff., K. Kim and co-workers show that reductively labile polymer nanocapsules composed of CB[6] and disulfide bridges allow not only facile, noncovalent surface modification for targeted delivery but also the release of encapsulated cargo in response to a predefined redox stimulus in an intracellular environment.

We demonstrate a nonvolatile electrically erasable programmable read-only memory device using gold nanoparticles as charge storage elements deposited at room temperature by chemical processing. The nanoparticles are deposited over a thermal silicon dioxide layer that insulates them from the device silicon channel. An organic insulator deposited by the Langmuir–Blodget technique at room temperature separates the aluminum gate electrode from the nanoparticles. The device exhibits significant threshold voltage shifts after application of low-voltage pulses (⩽±6 V) to the gate and has nonvolatile retention time characteristics.

Open Sesame! A synthetic approach to stimuli‐responsive polymer nanocapsules has been developed. The reductively labile polymer nanocapsule allows for not only facile, noncovalent surface modification but also the release of encapsulated cargo in response to a predefined redox stimulus in an intracellular environment.

The demand for more efficient and faster memory structures is greater today than ever before. The efficiency of memory structures is measured in terms of storage capacity and the speed of functioning. However, the production cost of such configurations is the natural constraint on how much can be achieved. Organic memory devices (OMDs) provide an ideal solution, in being inexpensive, and at the same time promising high performance. However, all OMDs reported so far suffer from multiple drawbacks that render their industrial implementation premature. This article introduces the different types of OMDs, discusses the progress in this field over the last 9 years and invokes conundrums that scholars of this field are currently faced with, such as questions about the charging mechanism and stability of devices, contradictions in the published work and some future directions.