Nanotechnology with soft matter: From structures to functions

Contributions from leading scientists on the topic of 'Nanotechnology with Soft Matter', are compiled.Hu et al. chemically synthesized single-crystalline sharp nanocone arrays of a charge-transfer complex, which exhibited excellent field-emission properties. De Cola and co-workers described their effort in building antenna-like nano-assemblies by coating the dyeloaded zeolite L surface with quantum dots, which showed Förster resonance energy transfer. Spatz and collaborators revealed the age-dependent changes in cell mechanical properties and in active mechanoresponses by determining the stiffness of human fibroblasts from AFM measurement as well as the cell's reaction to periodic mechanical deformation of the culture substrate. Zhao et al. discussed the cellular uptake ways, and location and translocation of nanoparticles, and the cellular responses with potential signaling pathways activated by nanoparticle interactions.