Themed collection Celebrating International Women’s Day: Women in Nanoscience

Copper and silver nanowires as novel electrocatalysts for the electroreduction of CO₂.

This review summarizes the works regarding chiral inorganic nanomaterials with bio-functions and bio-applications, which can deep our understanding on chiral inorganic nanomaterials' construction principles and biological functional properties.

As a lab-on-soft biochip providing accurate and timely biomarker information, wearable biosensors can satisfy the increasing demand for intelligent e-health services, active disease diagnosis/therapy, and huge bioinformation data.

This Minireview focuses on recent advances in detailed structure–property correlations and light-induced morphological changes of individual metal nanostructures through correlated optical spectroscopy and electron microscopy.

This mini review summarizes recent progress in polydiacetylene (PDA) mechanochromism, with a special focus on the quantitative and nanoscopic data that have emerged in recent years.

Light-driven multi-charge accumulation (i.e., photodoping) of doped metal oxide nanocrystals opens the way to innovative solutions for the direct conversion and storage of the solar energy.

Transition-metal chalcogenide nanostructures provide a unique material platform to engineer next-generation energy storage devices such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and potassium-ion batteries and flexible supercapacitors.

Biomolecules have been integrated in halide perovskite nanocrystals (HPNCs), impacting their formation, physicochemical properties, and stability. We address the biomolecule's role in modulating HPNCs properties and extending their applications.

This article provides a comprehensive and systematic review of permeable skin-mountable electronics, with a focus on representative porous materials and structures, device properties, and latest applications.

This work reviews the chemical approaches to synthesizing metal alloy nanowires, and briefly discusses their applications as electrocatalysts.

Hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles can be promising tools for gene delivery in in vivo reprogramming CAR T cells, as well-designed carriers are needed for targeting and transducing circulating T cells.

This review summarizes the current advanced high-crystalline conjugated organic polymeric materials for photocatalytic CO₂ conversion.

The applications of electrospun nanofiber in cancer research, including cancer models, drug delivery, and cancer diagnostics, are reviewed. The current barriers to and the outlook for clinical translation of these applications are discussed.

This Review highlights recent advances in the synthesis, unique properties, and most prominent applications of cyclic polymers, and discusses the major challenges and future opportunities in this field.

Nanotechnology holds great promise and is hyped by many as the next industrial evolution.

In this review, we present the state-of-art progress in halide perovskite-based PENG and TENG devices, focusing on their different performance optimization strategies and prospective applications in the future.

We discuss materials and design strategies for stretchable electroluminescent (EL) devices. We categorize stretchable EL devices into two types: (i) structurally stretchable and (ii) intrinsically stretchable EL devices.

Monolayers of assembled nano-objects with a controlled degree of disorder hold interest in many optical applications, including photovoltaics, light emission, sensing, and structural coloration.

This review summarizes recent progress in the colloidal synthesis, growth mechanisms, properties, and applications of 2D copper-based nanostructures with tunable compositions, dimensions, and crystal phases.

Magnetogenetics: the use of magnetic fields along with magnetic actuators can be used to modulate biological functions in a non-invasive way, paving the way for the development of exciting tools useful in basic research and clinical applications.

Infectious diseases caused by viral or bacterial pathogens are one of the most serious threats to humanity. 2D materials can efficiently favor antimicrobial activity and maintain a safer environment to protect people against these pathogens.

This review covers the main applications of copper indium sulfide quantum dots for bioimaging applications.

Nanochitin and nanochitosan are nanowhiskers combining the structural strength of nanocellulose with the versatile chemistry of chitin/chitosan. We review their fabrication, properties and uses, with a focus on recent progress.

The illustration of the different types of interfaces arising from the binary combinations of the three states of matter, acting as removal templates for the morphological tuning of conducting polymers.

Review of Porous Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO or NAA) membranes: from fabrication, mechanisms, and internal and surface nanostructuration to applications.

Dispersant-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation allows the production of a wide range of water-based 2D material dispersions. This review provides an overview on this production method and also gives some perspectives on future research directions.

In this review, the recent advancements of SERS for biomedical, food and agricultural applications in the past 6 years are discussed. We also discuss the opportunities and challenges in the field while highlighting the technological gaps.

The review focuses on the importance of soft-templates in the micro/nanostructure tuning of transition metal oxides.

We demonstrate fabrication of a surface-supported array of VOPc with controlled spin-spin distance, electronic decoupling from the substrate, and individual addressability to realize molecular qubit platforms interfaceable to solid state devices.

The lattice strain effect in Pd–Ni core–shell nanocubes on the selectivity of urea electrolysis is elucidated, which can facilitate catalyst design for efficient urea waste treatment and concomitant cathodic hydrogen production or CO₂ reduction.

A cascade nanozyme with glucose oxidase and haloperoxidase activities was designed and synthesized, which was shown to generate antiseptic HOBr from a ubiquitous non-ROS, O₂. It successfully inhibited growth of a bacterial pathogen and its biofilm.

Using five reaction parameters as “reaction coordinates”, we mapped out the “reaction zones” that produce CdTe magic-sized clusters (MSCs) and quantum dots (QDs). The photoluminescent properties of CdTe MSCs and QDs were also investigated.

Nasal mucus plays a key role in the sense of smell by absorbing and transporting chemicals to olfactory receptors.

Electrolyte engineering by adding salts to propylene carbonate (PC) leads to enhanced voltage-controlled ON–OFF ferromagnetism via oxygen ion motion in electrolyte-gated Co₃O₄ films. 35-fold faster magneto-ionic rate is achieved in KI-containing PC.

Glioblastoma cancer stem-like cells seeded on substrates exhibiting surface potential differences, undergo differentiation due to the forced hyperpolarization of the membrane potential at the cell/substrate interface.

Substantial variations in nanoclusters formed in an unexpected low-fluence range of an ultra-short laser are visualized on the microscale in a novel scanning approach across the laser spot.

Rearrangement of the internal structure of NC-PNIPAM nanocomposite hydrogels through heating or salt treatment renders self-strengthening properties to the nanocomposite hydrogels.

We demonstrate the successful immobilization of polymer-stabilized ZIF-8 nanoparticles within a kidney scaffold, endowing it with a high adsorption capacity to remove uremic toxins (mainly hydrophobic ones) under flow conditions.

A rare POM cluster [NiW₁₂O₄₄]¹⁴⁻ based solid was explored for OER. It acts as an efficient and highly sustained pre-catalyst in alkaline medium with an overpotential of 347 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and stability up to 96 h.

An AFM-Raman combined system identifies subtle differences in the biophysical properties of SnC- and non-SnC-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs).

The nanowires assembled from [PS₄] clusters and group-IIIA or transition metal atoms with unique structural symmetry show diverse electronic and magnetic properties.

Atomic-scale dent structures on the surfaces of cellulose nanofibers were detected. These dent parts constituted at least 30–40% of the total length of the dispersed nanofibers, and deep dents induced the kinking and fragmentation of nanofibers.

We investigated phase transitions of Co(OH)₂ nanosheets by in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy heating experiments. The layered Co(OH)₂ transformed to Co nanoparticles via CoO phases; spinel Co₃O₄ was formed with temperature reduction.

Fully biodegradable protein nanocarriers were prepared by metal-free click reaction in inverse miniemulsion and loaded in situ with up to four different cargo molecules to achieve a synergistic therapeutic treatment.

Chemically manipulated silicon diffraction gratings serve as a toolbox for the systematic investigation on how different material properties guide bacterial attachment onto a surface, which is imperative for mediating infections and biofouling.

Schematic of our bidirectional, ML-empowered approach incorporating plasmonic featurization for rapid (<30 s) and accurate determination of the size and size distribution of gold nanosphere (Au NSs) ensembles in real samples.

IMEAC is an integrated microfluidic electrochemical assay for cervical cancer detection at point of-care testing.

Arene–perfluoroarene moieties are used to assemble Dion-Jacobson perovskite phases, revealing nanosegregation and enhanced environmental stabilities relevant to their application.

We report the proof-of-concept design of interfacial sites with a selectivity-governing and hydrogen evolution reaction-suppressing domain (Bi) and an electrokinetic-promoting domain (Cu₂S) for efficient CO₂ electroreduction to formate.

Double transition metal MXenes with the formula MCr₂CT_x feature ferromagnetic half-metallicity, antiferromagnetic semiconductivity, as well as antiferromagnetic half-metallicity, are interesting for the spintronics community.

Understanding key parameters for III–V nanowire growth on SiO₂/Si nanopillars, and using them to grow large-scale arrays by phase-shift lithography and/or deep ultraviolet (DUV) stepper lithography.

Painless and controlled on-demand drug delivery is the ultimate goal for the management of various chronic diseases, including diabetes.

A self-amplifying nanodrug was precisely designed to reprogram the Janus-faced nature of ferroptosis via harnessing the positive role of ferroptosis along with reversing its inherent negative role to achieve optimal ferroptotic tumor therapy.

A templated synthetic approach to porous organic polymers, in which branched, rigid monomers are pre-assembled around a target ion before polymerization, can significantly enhance the ion adsorption capacity of the resulting polymer.

Global minimum searching on Np₂O_x (x = 1–7) clusters and computational studies on their chemical bonding, suggests that the Np(V) could act as structural directing role, leading to a mixed-valent Np(III/V) in Np₂O₄ accessible.

The smart nanoparticles may provide a combinatorial spatiotemporal platform against tumors for chemotherapy and the CRISPR/Cas gene-editing system with the advantages of a tumor pH response, active EGFR targeting, and nuclear localization.

Low limiting potential, high product selectivity, strong visible light absorbance and satisfactory band edge positions make Cu₂S monolayers a very compelling photocatalyst for CO₂ reduction.

A plasmon-based “stiffness nanoruler” paves the way for a cost-effective and high-throughput determination of the mechanical properties of synthetic and biogenic nanometric vesicles at a collective level.

Air-borne hydrocarbon contamination is investigated for slit-like angstrom-channels made from 2D-materials, using gas flow measurements. Our results constitute a new way to monitor, assess and alleviate the hydrocarbon contamination in nanochannels.

Graphene oxide (GO) microfibers with controlled and homogeneous shapes and tunable diameters were fabricated using the 3 dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic focusing concept on a microfluidic device.

Iron labeled CTCs home to previously established mammary fat pad tumours and can be visualized using magnetic particle imaging and magnetic resonance imaging.

Scientific intuition can help anticipate the outcome of experiments, but machine learning based on data does not always support these assumptions. A direct comparison of human intelligence (HI) and AI suggests domain knowledge is not always enough.

An enhancement strategy for the bio-reduction of Cr⁶⁺ in the presence of manganese ferrite nanostructures using Shewanella oneidensis.

Correlated fluorescence super-resolution and atomic force microscopy reveal the multiple conformations of human nuclear pore baskets.

The developed Eu₂O₃–BaTiO₃/PVDF-HFP electrospun-nanofiber TENGs could be used not only as a self-powering device, but also as a sensor.

Synthesis of disulfide chemistry based redox sensitive DEEU NPs without using any additional chemical crosslinker for colorectal cancer.

3D understanding of block copolymer membranes is challenging due to the lack of inherent contrast between the blocks. Selective growth of AlO_x within the pore-forming domain achieved stable contrast enhancement and enabled 3D characterization.

Cisplatin-loaded porous hollow copper iron oxide nanoparticles (PHCuFeNPs/Pt) synthesized via galvanic reaction can effectively kill tumors by synergizing chemodynamic-photothermal-chemotherapy.

We develop a simple synthesis method that results in the formation of quasi-spherical SERS nanotags and larger highly anisotropic nanoparticles with a novel structure, which we have designated nanosupernova.

Schematic diagram of the n-MoS₂/p-GaN heterojunction photodetector fabricated and light intensity-dependent of responsivity and specific detectivity of the 30 minutes device.