Themed collection Research selection from the NCNST

This review summarizes recent developments in bioinspired flexible electronics for seamless neural interfacing and chronic recording.

Multi-targeting Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ as a ‘particulate medicine’ against tumours.

By using ultrasound-assisted coating technology, we modified fabrics with N_Au NPs to fabricate antibiofilm fabrics.

The exciton dynamics of the acceptor are revealed and enhanced photoluminescence of the heterostructure is achieved by energy transfer and exciton–exciton annihilation suppression.

Spatiotemporal controllable siRNA delivery and gene modulation by light-triggerable aptamer nanoswitcher was reported in this study, which achieved on-demand siRNA internalization by cancer cells at desired site and time in vitro and in vivo.

Biocompatible Fe₃O₄-Pd Janus nanoparticles were designed to achieve significantly high magnetic-photo heating efficiency accompanied by enhanced ROS generation for efficient cancer therapy.

The material demand for metal organic framework (MOF) production necessitates advances in their expedient and scalable synthesis at room temperature, which is pivotal for the chemical industry.

Fingerprint transfer and detection by fluorescent NFC/CDs paper. Compared with cyanoacrylate fuming and dusting with black powder, we can transfer clear fingerprint patterns from rubber substrate onto NFC/CDs paper. The results of feature points extraction and similarity assessment show that 80% of the feature can transfer from smooth substrates and 60% from rough substrates.

A facile polytetrafluoroethylene treated strategy is used to modify Cu nanowire electrocatalyst to achieve high CO₂ reduction selectivity and suppress H₂ evolution simultaneously.

The mechanism of single-mode lasing in CsPbBr₃ microsphere shifts from exciton–exciton scattering to exciton–phonon scattering with the increase in temperature from 77 to 300 K, and two different phonon modes were involved in the exciton–phonon scattering process.

Semiconductor quantum dots showing controlled circularly polarized luminescence were achieved through co-assembling with chiral peptide dendron gelator in water.

A high-temperature driven carrier transfer process of multilayer WS₂ is proposed and demonstrated for significant fluorescence emission enhancement.

Interfacial coupling between ZIFs and noble metal NPs plays a significant role in enhancing catalytic efficiency.

By constructing a pillar–cone double-structure surface on SiC, a near-perfect absorption is realized in the whole reststrahlen band of SiC.

A DNA-modified bumpy gold nanostructure with built-in electromagnetic hotspots was synthesized, and the DNA conformational changes that were triggered by the external stimuli (K⁺/kryptofix or H⁺/OH⁻) induced reversible on/off switching of SERS signals.

A high-performance flexible photoconductor based on a lead-free perovskite was made and it can be used as a light-stimulated synaptic device.

In this work, we synthesized a series of microcrystalline Mn_xN_100−x-MOF-74 (N = Fe, Co and Ni) materials by a one-pot reaction.

We first proposed a ratiometric photoacoustic (PA) imaging approach for real-time semi-quantitative calculated aggregation efficiency in vivo. The designed probe with high contrast will used for pancreatic tumor bioimaging or operation navigation.

Nanoscale vacuum channel transistors (NVCTs) are promising candidates in electronics due to their high frequency, fast response and high reliability, and have attracted considerable attention for structural design and optimization.

The 1% rGO/Bi₂Te₃ composite-based flexible six-element planar thermoelectric generator devices possess both high power output and significant flexibility, which will greatly promote the application of functional inorganic materials into flexible electronics.

Tumor-targeted drug carriers are becoming attractive for precise drug delivery in anti-tumor therapy.

Chiral nanostructures and their optical activity have been attracting great interest.

At sub-lethal doses, Au@Ag NRs induce oxidative stress that activates the protective autophagy of human hepatocytes.

We revealed the mechanism of improved phase stability of the Rb/K incorporation into inorganic perovskite CsPbI₃. Doped Rb/K will segregate in the surface layer, which displayed alleviated lattice distortion and higher water diffusion barrier.

The spatial separation of reduction and oxidation reaction sites on the different facets of a semiconductor is an ideal and promising route for the overall photocatalytic water splitting due to efficient charge carrier separation.

Vacuum channel diodes have the potential to serve as a platform for converting free-space electromagnetic radiation into electronic signals within ultrafast timescales.

The development of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials is moving forward towards being lightweight and showing high-performance.

Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy is a high-resolution method to monitor the evolution of nanocrystals’ electronic states under shape variation.

Acceptor-free photomultiplication-type organic photodetectors were fabricated with a blend of one polymer donor and one small molecule donor as the active layer.

The newly created surface defect states in the electronic band structures of the shortly-lived intermediate species, called transient surface defect states, bridge between computations and experiments at the atomistic level for nanozymes.

This study reports one dimensional lithium hexaoxotungstate (Li₆WO₆), with a diameter in the range of 200–500 nm, as a novel anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

The integration of zwitterion-coated UCNPs with azurin, a member of a family of redox-active copper proteins, can serve as an ideal platform for the label-free upconversion luminescence sensing of Cu²⁺ with a ratiometric response.

Novel materials from self-assembled nanocrystals hold great promise for applications ranging from inorganic catalysis to bio-imaging.

An rGO foam is designed as a smart thermal-management device with the dual functions of thermal dissipation and thermal insulation.

Schematic illustration of sonochemotherapy using HA-modified nanocomposites.

The design of highly efficient electrocatalysts containing non-precious metals is crucial for promoting overall water splitting in alkaline media.

Higher pyrolysis temperature results in a better CO₂ electroreduction activity of ZIF-8 derived nitrogen-doped carbon.

Gd@C₈₂(OH)₂₂ nanoparticles can attenuate the PDGF-stimulated phosphorylation of PDGFR-α in fibroblasts and suppress the fibroblast activation by interrupting endosomal recycling.

Magnetic resonance angiography can be enhanced up to 2 hours by single injection of ferritin-based nanoparticles with hematite/maghemite inner core.

This work reports the assembly of a carbon nanotube hybrid 3D flexible multifunctional film, which further adsorbs sulfur nanoparticles to form a flexible electrode. This electrode offers considerable potential for practical application in flexible Li–S batteries.

The in-plane mechanical anisotropy of 2D-materials is probed via the coupling of the puckering effect and interfacial thermal resistance.

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.

Facile synthesis of Co–N-doped hollow carbon spheres for rechargeable zinc–air batteries and the effect of their Co doping contents on ORR performance.

The monitoring of the magnetic field is the most significant process for academic or industrial applications.

The combination of mass-per-length measurement and de novo simulation facilitates the molecular packing determination along nanofibers.

Efficient perovskite/organic integrated solar cells with enhanced near-infrared light utilization were demonstrated.

We highlight enhanced green upconversion luminescence in tetrahedral LiYF₄:Yb/Er nanoparticles by manganese(II)-doping and the key role of the host lattice.

The first evidence of how mono-fullerenols modulate the cell stiffness: direct adhesion to f-actin and consequent perturbation of actin bundling.

Biodegradable MoO_x nanoparticles not only can convert light into heat but also generate ROS which realized synergic mild PTT and PDT under NIR-II laser (1064 nm) irradiation.