Themed collection Celebrating Excellence in Research: Women of Materials Science

This review highlights recent developments in CVD graphene transfer methods from the perspective of mechanism, cleanness, quality, reliability, and cost.

The latest advances in modification of nanomaterials on paper cellulose were summed up.

This minireview deals with the recent advances on the synthetic strategies for the immobilization of enzymes in metal–organic frameworks.

Advanced antibacterial materials are classified and introduced, and their applications in multimodal imaging and therapy are reviewed.

This review summarized the recent progress in 2D/quasi-2D layered metal halide perovskites for solar cells.

Diamond nanoparticles (nanodiamonds) are unique among carbon nanomaterials, and are quickly establishing a niché in the biomedical application domain.

We review the diversity of the electrical behaviour of NBT induced by various defect mechanisms, including A-site Na or Bi non-stoichiometry, isovalent-substitution, and acceptor- and donor-doping.

The typical structures, types, principle, application, and prospects of different kinds of spectroelectrochemistry.

(Poly)peptide–polymer conjugates continue to garner significant interest in the production of functional materials given their composition of natural and synthetic building blocks that confer select and synergistic properties.

Persistent phosphors, which remain luminescent after excitation ceases, have brought about a new level of sensitivity for luminescence analysis.

We report the specific and sensitive detection of microRNA using an inverse DNA-mediated liposome fusion assay.

Energetic disorder is crucial to consistently model both absorption and photoluminescence spectra of charge transfer states in organic solar cells.

[MCl₃(EⁿBu₂)₃] (M = Sb, Bi; E = Se, Te) enable CVD growth of ternary Bi₂(Se_1−xTe_x)₃ and (Bi_1−ySb_y)₂Te₃ thin films with good compositional, structural and morphological control.

Excitation at 800 nm effectively triggers the upconversion emission of NaYF₄:Yb,Er(Tm)/NaYF₄ core–shell nanoparticles with Nd³⁺ anchored at the organic capping by using cucurbituril[7] as an adhesive.

The porous nature and tailorable host–guest interactions of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), cast into a 1D photonic crystal architecture, provide a versatile platform for specific and selective sorption, which can be exploited for chemo-optical sensing.

Inspired by 3D MAB, we propose a new concept of 2D MBenes, among which MnB metal exhibits stable ferromagnetism (FM) and high Curie temperature.

A Pickering-type emulsion is used as a template to encapsulate the phase change material stearic acid (SA) using graphene oxide nanosheets stitched together.

We propose a novel idea to improve the surface properties of carbon-based Pt-free electrocatalysts in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) and Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs).

A spontaneous growth and assembly of non-layered Ni–B_i into 2D nanosheets onto a graphene support, which demonstrate superior photo and electro catalytic performance over pure Ni–B_i aggregates.

Tetrazole–ene click chemistry was used to prepare fully biodegradable protein nanocarriers with high drug encapsulation and enzymatically-triggered intracellular release.

Zinc-substituted cytochrome c and single-walled carbon nanotubes form an efficient, water-soluble, donor–acceptor system for photoinduced charge transfer.

2,6-Diphenyl-9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene demonstrates improved mobility and comparable solid-state emission compared with 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene, suggesting it could be a new and better integrated optoelectronic organic semiconductor.

Engineered nanoparticles for biomedical applications require increasing effectiveness in targeting specific cells while preserving non-target cells safety.

We studied three n-type polymers of the naphthalenediimide-bithiophene family as electron extraction layers (EELs) in hybrid perovskite solar cells.

The LSPR of Au nanospheres shows almost no shift in the extinction spectrum with attachment of a silica domain but considerable shift with a uniform layer of silica, indicating LSPR can be used to differentiate the segregated/uniform dielectric distribution.

This work highlights the role of PEDOT:PSS composition in determining the efficiency of coupling between ionic and electronic charges.

The simplicity of making hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties from commercially available proteins is demonstrated for cardiac tissue engineering.

Nanoscale shaping of NPG's thermo-plasmonic effect is investigated to optimize localized light-to-heat conversion and its application in ultrasensitive heat-mediated actuation.

In the present work, we demonstrated for the first time in a mice bearing Colo-205 xenograft model system that local drug release at the tumor site can be tracked in real time via the establishment of a quantitative correlation between the drug release and a specific imaging agent for CT.

Self-generated interlayers provide insight on the energy level alignment at the organic semiconductor/back contact interface in organic solar cells.

Long DNA strands consisting of repetitive sequences are valuable tools to build organized DNA nanostructures. This approach produces higher-order origami structures with prescribed length and addressability and provides a unique platform for the modular re-organization of any of their parts.

The effect of crystal orientation on aliovalent dopant segregation at the surface of La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO₃ as a model perovskite oxide was investigated. Statistical evaluation of SEM-EBSD images revealed that the area coverage of precipitates on grains having orientations close to {001} is more than three times higher compared to that on other orientations.

Celastrol and doxorubicin are self-assembled into carrier-free and biocompatible nanoparticles via a green method, which enhance synergistic combination chemotherapy and overcome drug resistance.

An in situ polymerization method is developed and utilized to achieve superior dispersion of cellulose nanocrystals in hydrophobic polymer matrices, resulting in highly reinforced bio-nanocomposites with a very low fraction of cellulose nanocrystals.

Cl-doped ZnO films, grown via aerosol-assisted CVD, can function as both TCOs and photocatalysts.

Choice of substrate material for electrodeposited Sb alloy-anodes influences the cycling stability and lifetime of Li-ion batteries.

Internalization of rod-like micelles by breast cancer cells is significantly affected by the stiffness of nano-rods.

Using electron microscopy, polymer encapsulated silver nanoparticles were visualized and their coverage, molecular structure and plasmonic properties could be investigated.

3-Dimentional nanoparticle base coatings greatly increase the degree of surface immobilization, elevating the bioactivity of both protein and antioxidant modifications.

An ammonia detecting mechanism that involved pre-doping and de-doping was revealed by the recovery process of an organic transistor.

Organic nanoparticles with a high quantum yield of 90% and aggregation-induced emission characteristics were prepared for cellular imaging and real-time two-photon vasculature imaging of the lungs.

Layered, Ca₂Mn₃O₈ exhibits complex ‘bow-tie’ connectivity between manganese ions within the layer with magnetic spins ordered in an ↑↑↓↓ arrangement.

Improving photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation by using multicomponent heterojunctions.

We demonstrate that the high-capacity organic electrode material, p-benzoquinone, is able to sustain ultrahigh redox reaction rates without any conductive additives when applied as ultrathin layers in an all-solid-state thin-film battery setup, viable for e.g. high-performance power sources in microelectronic devices.

Self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets into strong and hierarchically porous 3D sponges is a promising approach to exploit their capacity to adsorb contaminants while facilitating the recovery of the nanosheets from treated water.

Extensive surface purification of alloy NPs can significantly change their composition and transform them into core/shell nanostructures with improved catalytic properties.

Ca₃Ru₂O₇(001), an oxide surface without dopants, defects, or low-coordinated sites, readily activates molecular oxygen to O₂⁻.

All solid-state batteries based on NASICON-type LiM₂(PO₄)₃ electrolyte phases are highly promising owing to their high ionic conductivities and chemical stabilities.

3-MPA capped CdS nanoparticles sensitize the NIR emission of Nd^III and Yb^III.

Green-emitting quantum dot luminescent solar concentrators are used to sensitise an optically-matched dye-sensitised solar cell.

The structure–property relationship between molecular packing and charge-carrier mobility is explored for the chiral [6]helicene molecule.

The formation of 1,3-butadiene units between pyrene moieties through surface-confined [2 + 2] cycloaddition polymerization is reported using H-treatment under UHV conditions.

Poly(ionic liquids)-based gel polymer electrolytes containing high lithium salt concentration ionic liquids are demonstrated.

Electrolyte instability is one of the greatest impediments that must be overcome for the practical development of rechargeable aprotic Li–air batteries.

Ionic transport in gel electrolytes at the nano- and mesoscales is explored experimentally using single pores.

Porphyrins and fluorides are combined to fabricate MOFs that also serve as single-source precursors for fluorine-doped carbon for oxygen reduction.

Stable Ag@graphene oxide nanocolloid (GON) core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized by photochemical reaction.

Multiscale structured membranes with selective molecular functionalities for controlled mineralization and cell attachment.

Molecular dynamics simulations of calcium and phosphate ions in water show that Posner-like clusters originate during the aggregation process.

Polycationic nanoentities with low variability are able to act as cooperating carriers for dsDNA complexation and transport.

Bismuth ferrite:cobalt ferrite (BiFeO₃:CoFe₂O₄) nanofibers with tailorable exchange bias effects were synthesized utilizing a Janus type morphology, wherein both phases are coupled longitudinally along the length of each fiber.

Light- and thermoresponsive hyaluronic acid-based nanogels carry hydrophobic molecules to cancer cells.

To develop stimuli-responsive polymers with highly comprehensive properties, sulfide-containing polyimides with relatively simple structures were designed and synthesized.

A novel strategy was used to immobilize bacterial cells on the surface of functional polymer particles for the efficient adsorption and biodegradation of organics in wastewater.

The synthesis of biocompatible polymers for coating applications has gained significant attention in recent years due to the increasing spread of infectious diseases via contaminated surfaces.

A green and scalable one-pot hydrothermal synthesis generates polyimide/silica hybrid materials, which can be processed by green, solvent-free sintering.

A fiber asymmetric supercapacitor with a FeOOH/PPy anode has been fabricated, achieving high volumetric energy density and water-proof feature.

An Au@Hcys-C₆₀ nanocomposite for L-histidine sensing.

DSCs co-sensitized with a copper(I)-based dye and an organic dye achieve the highest photoconversion efficiency relative to N719 so far reported for a copper-based DSC. The procedure by which the photoanodes are exposed to the two dyes is optimized for panchromatic light-harvesting.

A recently developed atom-counting/energy-minimization method to reconstruct 3D atomic models from a single Z-contrast image is validated and its utility is illustrated.