Designer nanorod synthesis

One-dimensional (1D) rodlike nanostructures are of fundamental interest for examining size- and shape-dependent phenomena and can have applications that include next-generation electronics and sensing elements (1–3). The growth of such nanostructures poses considerable challenges for synthetic chemists and materials scientists. However, because few materials naturally grow in such an anisotropic manner, linear pores (molds) or surface templates (such as DNA) are used to guide their formation. On page 1268 of this issue, Pang et al. (4) describe a highly versatile approach that combines both multicompartmentalization and surface modification using cellulose-based materials and that can control nanorod surface chemistry. This work conceptually extends the level to which chemical reaction space can be designed.