Helical micro- and nanostructures
Original research articles and reviews in this themed collection cover recent advances in the field of helical micro- and nanostructures from the fabrication technology to their applications.
Wafer-scale, three-dimensional helical porous thin films deposited at a glancing angle
Helical porous thin films obliquely deposited are reviewed in terms of fabrication, growth mechanism, physical properties and applications in green energy.
Three-dimensional printing of freeform helical microstructures: a review
This review presents different 3D printing methods used for the fabrication of freeform helical microstructures and their applications.
Helical metallic micro- and nanostructures: fabrication and application
This review paper specifically focuses on the fabrication and application of helical metallic structures with a size ranging from the micro- to nanoscale.
A review of helical nanostructures: growth theories, synthesis strategies and properties
The novel properties of helical nanostructures may open new opportunities for developing our understanding of new physics, chemistry and biology as well as enabling new nanodevice design and fabrication. This review article presents a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the latest progress in helical nanostructure synthesis, properties and potential applications.
Emerging double helical nanostructures
The ‘bottom-up’ and ‘top-down’ fabrication strategies for double helical nanostructures are reviewed and their promising properties are presented.
Helical nanostructures based on DNA self-assembly
Recent advances in design and fabrication of helical nanostructures based on DNA self-assembly are reviewed.
Coiled fiber scaffolds embedded with gold nanoparticles improve the performance of engineered cardiac tissues
We report here on the fabrication of coiled fiber scaffolds incorporated with gold nanoparticles for improved cardiac tissue performance.
Template electrosynthesis of tailored-made helical nanoswimmers
We demonstrate a template electrosynthesis for large-scale preparation of remarkably small magnetically driven tailored-made helical nanoswimmers that display efficient propulsion behavior.
The fabrication of three-dimensional plasmonic chiral structures by dynamic shadowing growth
We describe several scalable dynamic shadowing growth methods to fabricate chiral plasmonic nanostructured thin films with visible light optical activity.
Design principles for Bernal spirals and helices with tunable pitch
Bernal spiral composed of eight Janus particles.
Geometric nonlinearity and mechanical anisotropy in strained helical nanoribbons
Fabrication and synthesis of helical nanoribbons have received increasing attention because of the broad applications of helical nanostructures in nano-elecromechanical/micro-electromechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS), sensors, active materials, drug delivery, etc.
Nanohelices by shadow growth
Complex, hybrid nanohelices fabricated by dynamic shadow growth in a high-throughput manner exhibit novel optical, magnetic and mechanical properties.
Chiromers: conformation-driven mirror-image supramolecular chirality isomerism identified in a new class of helical rosette nanotubes
Chiromerism: conformation-dependent supramolecular chirality.
Grating-structured metallic microsprings
Grating-structured metallic microsprings with imprinting-tailored mechanical elasticity were synthesized via grating-directed self-rolling.
Mechanically tough, elastic and stable rope-like double nanohelices
Mechanically tough, elastic and stable rope-like double nanohelices are investigated by applying the Cosserat curve theory.
About this collection
The helix is one of the most fundamental geometrical shapes in nature, which can be found at all length scales: from the structure of DNA to planetary helix nebula. This web themed issue celebrates current achievements and future perspectives from scientists who are working on these fascinating structures at small scales, and to review the recent advances of helical micro-and nanostructures from the fabrication technology to their applications.
The guest editors of the issue are Li Zhang (The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China), Lixin Dong (Michigan State University, USA) and Peer Fischer (Max-Planck-Institute, Germany)
Articles in this web themed issue will be added below as soon as possible after they are published. Please return to this page frequently to see the collection grow.