Themed collection Nanoscale Horizons HOT Papers

We review how the motion of π-conjugated organic molecules on surfaces is shaped by physicochemical factors such as friction and molecule–surface interactions, revealing mechanisms that govern diffusion, dissipation, and nanoscale assembly.

In this review, we summarize recent breakthroughs in DNA nanotechnology-driven strategies for detecting EV-associated biomarkers (proteins, miRNA, mRNA, glycoRNA), addressing a pressing need for non-invasive diagnostic tools.

This review explores the recent advances in agricultural nanozymes for sustainable agriculture, emphasizing their physicochemical properties, enzyme-like activities, and applications in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses.

Although scanning probe microscopy is the main analytics of on-surface synthesis, it alone cannot address all relevant scientific questions. This gap is filled by complementary analytics, which decisively contribute to the advancement of the field.

This review covers wet chemically synthesized nanomaterials for soft wearable biosensors, covering materials, inks, fabrication and sensing applications, and concludes with challenges and opportunities in personalized healthcare.

Polarization-sensitive photodetectors based on two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered significant research attention owing to their distinctive architectures and exceptional photophysical properties.

This review discusses commonly used semiconductor photocatalytic antibacterial materials, methods for improving their photocatalysis performance and their application for bone infection treatment.

A catalytic coacervate is introduced using salt–bridge interactions between a biguanide polymer (PHMB) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Augmented catalysis is exhibited by the G-rich DNAzyme inside the coacervates, with ATP-fueled activity cycling.

Ten orders of magnitude enhancement of designed two-photon π-conjugated molecular emitters in nanoparticle-on-mirror plasmonic cavities.

Catalytical dehydrofluorination of HFC-245fa over V₂O₅/γ-Al₂O₃ yields HFO-1234ze (Trans/Cis) with HF.

Spontaneous nanophase separation of polymer blends result in ultratough elastomers and hydrogels.

The excited state behavior of Au₁₈(SR)₁₄ nanoclusters can be controlled by tailoring the surface ligands; specifically, the aromatic ligands’ networking can promote the intersystem crossing in Au₁₈(SR)₁₄ compared to the case of non-aromatic ligands.

Strain gradients in untwisted homo-bilayer graphene result in moiré superlattices. Force-field and DFT simulations reveal three kagome-like patterns with tunable electronic kagome bands near the Fermi level, extending moiré engineering beyond twist.

Meso- and microporosity, engineered through tailored pore architecture via hard templating synthesis, plays a key role in tuning the activity and stability of Fe–N@C electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction across different media.

A disaggregation-induced emission-active photosensitizer enables type I-to-type II photochemical conversion and induces site-specific oxidative damage upon G-quadruplex complexation.

A non-saturating nucleic acid probe (NSNAP) couples dynamic DNA nanotechnology with enzymatic target depletion to enable wide-range, reusable nucleic acid quantification, overcoming saturation limits for clinical and research applications.

We demonstrate that magnetic exchange force microscopy enables the readout of the spin texture in a finite one-dimensional Fe chain via ferromagnetic coupling between the Fe chain and the Fe tip.

We report a paper-based immunoassay where secondary antibodies with catalytic bimetallic nanoclusters (NCs) integrated into their structure serve as detection antibodies for naked-eye detection.

We introduce a novel mechanism for the nucleation and growth of perovskite nanocrystals within a glass matrix, a process that is initiated and facilitated by laser-induced destruction.

A single-gate-tunable bipolar photoresponse photodetector based on a WSe₂ in-plane homojunction is developed towards simultaneous high dynamic range image perception and processing.

A precisely structured framework nucleic acid-programmed aptamer–paclitaxel conjugate with well-defined paclitaxel loading dose is fabricated, enabling the regulation of receptor–aptamer affinity to facilitate tumor-targeted chemotherapy.

This work features the temperature-dependent growth kinetics of silica-embedded AgPt alloy NPs, focusing on maintaining ultrasmall NP size and nanoalloy phase stability for high-temperature catalytic applications.

A scalable 2D photonic architecture coated with a high-refractive-index dielectric enables robust, low-threshold multiband lasing. Metal-free and fabrication-friendly, this strategy advances nanophotonic integration in optical devices.

This study demonstrated the potential of vertically stacked resistive random access memory (V-RRAM) as a hardware security solution, capable of performing both key generation and encryption.