The use of nanoparticles to enhance clothing is not a new development. Starting in the mid-2000s, many garment manufacturers began integrating silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial qualities into their products. More recently, major advancements have been made in self-cleaning fabrics that make use of nanoparticles.

In a newly-published study (Small, “A Universal Pick-and-Place Assembly for Nanowires”), a team of researchers in Oxford University’s Department of Materials led by Harish Bhaskaran, Professor of Applied Nanomaterials, describe a breakthrough approach to pick up single nanowires from the growth substrate and place them on virtually any platform with sub-micron accuracy.