Themed collection Recent Review Articles

Engineered nanomaterials integrated with molecular assays or miniature sensing devices formed a promising nanodiagnostic tool box for plant diseases.

We review recent progress in the application of Deep Learning (DL) techniques for photonic nanostructure design and provide a perspective on current limitations and fruitful directions for further development.

Graphene nanocrystals can utilize solar light and are valuable in cases where electricity is lacking due to their chemical stability during the photocatalytic process, low cost and non-toxicity.

This review identifies the latest advances and potential of magnetically actuated biomaterials within the scope of tendon tissue engineering.

We investigate the principal elements affecting the properties of bimetallic oxide electrodes to reveal the relevant energy storage mechanisms.

Marine mussels are able to firmly affix on various wet surfaces by the overproduction of special mussel foot proteins (mfps).

“Solar hydrogen and oxygen cycles” involving hydrogen (H₂) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as the key compounds, respectively, can be driven by gold nanoparticle-based plasmonic photocatalysts.

Organic semiconductors have received substantial attention as active components in optoelectronic devices because of their processability and customizable properties.

This mini-review presents a summary of recent developments in supercapacitor research and technology, including all kinds of supercapacitor design techniques using various electrode materials and production methods for addressing energy storage and harvesting issues.

Recent theoretical advances in simulating the structural evolution of metal/alloy nanoparticles under working conditions are reviewed, coupled with the qualitative comparison to the experiments and a brief introduction of MOSP software.

This review focuses on the structural color induced by colloidal assembly at the generation, modulation, and application stages, along with the authors' perspectives on the challenges and future opportunities.

Ball milling, an efficient method to obtain cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals.

Development of plasmonics for diagnostic spectrometry encompassing the interface, mechanism, and application of nanomaterials.

Multi-component crystals of various shapes, sizes and compositions (hybrid nanostructures) are much sought-after functional materials. Herein, the synthesis and emerging properties of nanomaterials with metal/semiconductor interface(s) are reviewed.

This review article discusses the magnetic interactions attained by 2D carbon related materials.

This review focuses on the imaging applications of metasurfaces.

This review compares and critically discusses the most widely used analysis techniques for protein corona investigations: centrifugation, magnetism and chromatography.

The recent progress on the fabrication of two-dimensional metal–organic frameworks and their derivatives as well as their applications in electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalysis are reviewed.

Low-symmetry layered materials such as black phosphorus (BP) have been revived recently due to their high intrinsic mobility and in-plane anisotropic properties, which can be used in anisotropic electronic and optoelectronic devices.

This review details methods used to activate Au and Ag clusters for catalysis and routes that have been effective in mitigating sintering.

Overcoming the global energy crisis due to vast economic expansion with the advent of human reliance on energy-consuming labor-saving devices necessitates the demand for next-generation technologies in the form of cleaner energy storage devices.

This review summarizes recent developments in the photo/electro catalytic and photosensitizing characteristics of metal and alloy NCs for green energy and medical applications.

In the past few years, intensive attention has been focused on birnessite based electrodes for supercapacitors.

This article gives a thorough and unprecedented review that presents new perspectives, unusual physics, and exciting trends for photonic nanojets.

Application of nanomaterials greatly improves performance of electrochemical enzyme-based biosensors.

A comprehensive survey on methods for surface modification of noble metal–metal oxide core–shell nanoparticles is presented and highlights various strategies for binding of molecules and molecular ions to core–shell nanoparticles.

Recent advances in artificial muscles based on twisted and coiled carbon nanotube yarns and graphene fibers.

Carbon nanotubes are obtained using a domestic microwave oven in a few seconds at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.

Hydrophobic ion pairing has emerged as a method to modulate the solubility of charged hydrophilic molecules ranging in class from small molecules to large enzymes. Here we review the application of hydrophobic ion pairing for encapsulating charged hydrophilic molecules into nanocarriers.

In this paper, we review the recent studies on all-optical light control based on two main nonlinear mechanisms in LDMs: the thermo-optic effect and saturable absorption.

The paper reviews materials science aspects of chalcogenide-based phase change thin films relevant for non-volatile memory applications.

This review discusses the control over the degrees of freedom (DOF) in the design space to develop multi-functional metasurfaces.

The supercapacitive charge storage as a function of electrolyte factors are critically reviewed.

This review summarizes recent advances in carbon nanomaterials-modified molecularly imprinted polymers as electrochemical chemosensors. Preparations and applications are reviewed. Current status, challenges and perspectives are discussed.

Aqueous two-polymer phase extraction is described for its best-practice use to isolate single-wall carbon nanotube species.

The use of titanium dioxide nanotubes in the powder form (TNTP) has been a hot topic for the past few decades in many applications.

Exploring nanomaterials for the fabrication of aptamer based biosensors and their application in clinical diagnostics and contaminant monitoring in food & environment.

Binder-free structures offering structural and kinetic advantages for constructing high performance sulfur cathodes and dendrite-free Li metal anodes are reviewed.

Raman spectroscopy is a very valuable and fast-performance tool to gain insight first into the different iron oxide phases present in nanoparticles, to correlate then the magnetic properties with potential bio-related applications.

This review article focuses on the current developments of UV photodetectors from conventional to self-powered device designs based on energy efficient ZnO nanomaterials.

Iron with carbonaceous materials, conducting polymers, dielectric materials or insulating polymers is reviewed.

Summary and perspective on gas-sensing applications of ordered macroporous oxide nanostructures have been outlined in this review.

In the development of perovskite solar cells, a new version of Don Quixote is needed if scientists are to keep on seeking the most celebrated works of literature, according to the evaluation criterion of ‘THE FIRST’ and ‘THE BEST’.

The recent advances in sustainable optoelectronics applications of quantum dots derived from different biomolecules are documented in this review.

The preparation, properties, and photonic applications of π-conjugated nanostructured-materials are reviewed.

In this review, we mainly summarize the important progresses made in the development of photocatalysis-oriented mesocrystals, including synthesis engineering, functional modifications (hybridization and doping), and typical structure-related photocatalytic mechanisms. Some urgent issues and perspectives have also been discussed.