Highest honor of the American Chemical Society (ACS) presented to physical and nanomaterials chemist

Priestley Medal 2016 for Mostafa El-Sayed

Lipstick at Crime Scenes
Improved method for lifting lipstick samples from crime scenes and analyzing them in the lab

Hair Analysis Reveals Drug Use
External contamination or chronic drug abuse? Mass spectrometry can show the difference

Double Helixes Make Strong Scaffolds
DNA origami forms strong, lightweight trusses that could make scaffolding for nanoparticle arrays

Diagnosis by Lab-on-a-Drone
In the future, drones equipped with PCR instruments and smartphones could be flying over disease-stricken areas

Thinking Outside the Nanobox
Synthesis of sharp-edged silver nanocubes with a polyol method

Polymer Wash Keeps Nanoparticles Moving
Flooding oil reservoirs with a polymer solution prevents nanoparticle contrast agents from getting stuck on the rocks

Not All Facets Conduct Equally
Electrical conductivity is direction-dependent in semiconducting nanocrystals

Benchmarking Gold Catalysts
Effectiveness of different gold(I) catalysts in the synthesis of cyclic acetals

Metal–Organic Framework for Carbon Fixation
Efficient catalyst for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide and small epoxides