Themed collection Nanoscale 2024 Emerging Investigators

Our Emerging Investigators collection gathers some of the best research being conducted by nanoscientists in the early stages of their independent career. Congratulations to all of the researchers featured.

This article provides a review of various emerging micro/nanomotors utilized for neural modulation in recent years, with the aim of inspiring readers to explore broader biomedical applications of micro/nanomotors.

This review focuses on all substances that are regarded as cluster materials and makes a new attempt to provide a comprehensive understanding through categorizing and summarizing clusters based on their constituent elements in the periodic table.

This work shows that cation disorder is a key tuneable parameter that can improve the optoelectronic properties of emerging solar absorbers.

Supramolecular design principles are emerging as a powerful tool to manipulate organic cathode performance. In this review, we discuss how supramolecular interactions influence electrode behavior.

This mini-review highlights recent materials design strategies to alleviate distortive phase transformations in vanadium pentoxide materials for energy storage applications and characterization methods.

Enhanced by diverse color sorting techniques and deep learning, color routing at the nanoscale shows great potential in the image sensing field.

This minireview summarizes the utility of integrating nano-delivery systems with TCM, emphasizing their capacity to enhance treatment efficacy, modernize TCM, and expand global accessibility.

In this work, we focus on perovskite–organic tandem solar cells (PO TSCs) with advantages in device performance, manufacturing cost, and diverse applications and conclude the critical factors influencing the future development of PO TSCs.

The emergence of genetically engineered extracellular vesicles has marked a new epoch in cancer immunotherapy, presenting substantial clinical potentials.

This review introduces the modified methods of engineered EVs, summarizes the application of engineered EVs in preclinical and clinical trials, and discusses the opportunities and challenges for the clinical translation of surface-engineered EVs.

The recent development of lattice engineering, including lattice strain and lattice symmetry, in noble metal–light nonmetal binary nanocompounds and some of the core–shell nanostructures derived from them are discussed.

We highlight the recent advances, discuss challenges, and propose future opportunities in nanomedicine-based strategies centered around macrophages for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.

A comprehensive overview of the recent progress in synthesizing novel nanomaterials using Ga-based liquid metals as reaction media, detailing related properties, synthetic methods and future directions.

This minireview summarizes recent applications of machine learning interatomic potentials for predicting the stability and structures of solid-state surfaces.

The peripheral nervous and muscular system, a cornerstone of human physiology, plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless functioning of the human body.

This review aims to summarize the timely progress of manufacturing high-performance nanocellulose-based fibers using wet spinning process.

This minireview examines how the interfacial liquid, comprising water molecules and ionic species, profoundly impacts key electrochemical reactions: HER, OER/ORR, and CO₂RR/CORR.

This minireview focuses on wafer-scale synthesis of single-crystal 2D van der Waals thin films such as graphene, hBN and metal chalcogenides, summarizing the state-of-the-art synthesis routes, discussing the current challenges and future outlook.

In this review, the basic principles of plasmon-enhanced SHG, different methods to enhance the SHG intensity of metal nanostructures, and related applications of SHG based on metal nanostructures are introduced.

This minireview aims at highlighting the most recent advances in the production of electrocatalytically active nanomaterials and their applications in organic catalysis.

This minireview summarizes the most recent developments in live-cell RNA imaging technologies in mammalian cells.

This work provides a mini review on the state-of-the-art modelling and simulation of coalescence kinetics and mechanisms for metallic nanoparticles, including nanoparticles with the same and different elements, alloys and metal oxides.

New concepts, strategies, and latest developments of in-plane Zn ion hybrid MSCs as well as key challenges and future directions have been highlighted, which provides new insights into several kinds of emerging miniaturized energy storage devices.

This minireview concisely but comprehensively summarizes recent advances of bio-organic frameworks (BOFs) including their synthesis strategies and diverse applications.

The localized pH determination method is highly desirable to understand and control the local pH effects in CO₂ electroreduction.

Current advances in designing stimuli-responsive core/shell nanoparticle assemblies focus on reversible nanoparticle surface chemistry and experimental methods for air/liquid, liquid/liquid, and polymer interfaces.

Two-dimensional materials with various electronic properties were utilized as electrodes, interlayers, and catalysts in catalytic electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

This mini-review highlights the most recent advances in the design and application of synthetic nanoscale constructs that utilize biomacromolecular ligands (peptides, nucleic acids, carbohydrates) to target and cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

CO₂ electrolysis to multicarbon products can be promoted by tandem catalysis. Here we provide an overview of different effects at a range of length scales to identify how catalyst and device design can promote C₂₊ selectivity.

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough by merging the energy-saving attribute of organic solvent nanofiltration with the remarkable solvent permeance and solute rejection of two-dimensional (2D) laminated membranes.

This review highlights advances in 3D MIEC scaffolds for Na metal anodes. It delves into the regulation of Na deposition behaviors, the improved kinetics, and the pivotal role of MIEC scaffolds in stabilizing the electrode-electrolyte interface.

Biosensors are widely applied in biomarker detection. Their widespread use necessitates regeneration methods to ensure cost-effectiveness and sustainability. This mini-review systematically summarizes recently reported regeneration techniques.

Building C–N bonds via electrochemical NO_x reduction provides an attractive strategy to upgrade waste NO_x species into valuable organonitrogen products. Here we review the recent advances and highlight the key strategies and challenges in this area.

This minireview presents the recent progress on organic nanomotors using stimulus-responsive organic fuels/engines as organic kinetic systems.

As a promising prophylactic and therapeutic strategy, polypeptide-based mRNA delivery systems attract significant interest because of their low cost, simple preparation, tuneable sizes and morphology, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.

This minireview highlights recent advancements and perspectives on the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reactions (CO₂RR) in acidic environments, covering strategies from the nanoscale to the bulk scale.

This review summarizes the classifications, advantages, and applications of nanodiscs in disease therapy.

This article reviews the general principles and strategies for constructing protein-mineralized nanomaterials (PMNMs). Subsequently, the progress of PMNMs in bioimaging, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory therapies is summarized.

The schematic diagram of a porous carbon structure with voids and pores produced by 3D printing for diverse applications.

In this review, the authors elaborate on the most recent advances of lung in vitro models and inform on the potential of nanoparticles as a means to create dynamic models as well as nanoparticle-based characterization strategies.

Nanostructures obtained from self-assembled organic dyes are emerging as alternatives to molecular and semiconductor photocatalysts. With their unique properties, they offer a promising way to bridge homo- and heterogeneous (photo)catalysis.

The review delves into exploring diverse cellular sources for coating nanoparticles to treat osteoporosis. Furthermore, it highlights the pivotal role of these nanoparticles in restoring the immune microenvironment, offering promising avenues for combating osteoporosis.

Extracellular vesicles from vaginal microorganisms mediate women's health outcomes and provide insight into new therapeutic options for gynecologic disease.

This review delves into enzyme-mimic catalysis of metal nanoclusters based on a hierarchical structure scheme reminiscent of proteins. Biomedical applications established by the enzyme-mimic catalysis of clusters have also been outlined.

The therapeutic efficacy of nanozymes, which have wide applications in cancer treatment, can be enhanced by various biomimetic design strategies, from structural and process mimicry to advanced functional biomimicry.

This is a comprehensive review for resolving compatibility challenges in fabricating practical metal–organic framework composite membranes for gas separation.

Printable technologies emerged as one of the most promising strategies to achieve versatile design and integration of multi-functional modules, including sensors and data transmission units, onto various flexible platforms.

This review highlights the latest advances in lipid nanoparticle mRNA based nanomedicines under preclinical and clinical investigation.

Magnetic anisotropy in sensors and actuators enables remote and high-degree-of-freedom manipulation of soft robots, as well as cutting-edge control through sensor-actuator feedback systems.

AI enabled imaging technology advances the precision, early detection, and personalizes treatment through analysis and interpretation of medical images.

A timely review on the recent advances of metal–organic framework-based step-scheme heterojunctions with respect to their synthesis, structures and applications is provided.

The development of UES is summarized from the kinetics and thermodynamics viewpoint. Challenges and future development are also discussed.

Nanomaterial-based miRNA biosensors have received significant attention owing to their unique properties, especially enhanced sensitivity.

Schematic illustration of the combinational strategy of nanotechnology and PROTACs (Nano-PROTACs): the typical shortcomings of traditional PROTACs and the nanotechnology-based strategies for PROTAC drugs optimization.

Among the numerous strategies to synthesize nanochitin from waste, the more sustainable methods are identified to facilitate the valorization of chitin waste and its eventual infiltration in advanced manufacturing.

Photoluminescence upconversion is a phenomenon involving light–matter interaction and has a broad application prospect. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of PL upconversion and ultrafast photophysical processes.

Advanced electrochromic nanomaterials with excellent optical performance have shown numerous potential applications including smart windows, multicolor displays, atuto-diming mirrors, camouflage and adaptive thermal management.

Organic iontronic memristors are promising for high-density data storage, artificial synapses, and neuromorphic computing. This review provides a comprehensive summary of their concept, classification, preparation, mechanism, and application.

This review summarizes the recent advances of heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic transfer hydrogenation using CO₂-derived formic acid and methanol as the hydrogen sources.

Colorimetric biosensors of exosomes based on natural enzymes and nanozymes.

Covalent organic frameworks (COF) are porous crystalline polymers connected by covalent bonds.

This review article highlights recent advancements in silicon carbide nanomaterials for supercapacitors, encompassing synthesis techniques, electrochemical performance, SiC-based composite materials, and future research prospects.

Sonocatalytic cancer therapy has emerged as a promising strategy through the combination of ultrasound waves and catalytic materials to selectively target and destroy cancer cells.

For the molecular properties in which energy transfer/migration is determinantal, such as triplet–triplet annihilation-based photon up-conversion, intermolecular distances and relative molecular orientations play pivotal roles.

This review summarises the fundamental properties of liquid marbles, the recent advances in the concept of liquid marbles, physical properties, formation methods, liquid marble-templated material design, and biochemical applications.

The advancement in drug delivery systems in recent times has significantly enhanced therapeutic effects by enabling site-specific targeting through nanocarriers.

Anaerobic bacteria deliver anisotropic magnetic nanocarriers to hard-to-reach hypoxic tumor cores. The enhanced heating effect at the cores of tumors acts as a smart therapeutic approach for improved magnetic hyperthermia-based cancer therapy.

Al-enhanced OCT imaging module resulted in an accurate and robust quantification of particle concentration of gold nanorods, which exemplify nanoparticles with high light scattering signals (OCT signals).

A non-equilibrium chemical reaction system allows transient control of lytic activity.