Themed collection Recent Review Articles

The synthesis, characterization, and applications of rare earth-based single-atom catalysts.

Silk fibroin-based bio-memristors with diversified functions and outstanding performance constitute candidates for next-generation non-volatile storage, bionic synapses, and bio-integrated systems.

This review summarizes the emerging anti-icing gels and corresponding anti-icing mechanisms, and provides a future perspective.

After rational component regulation and surface modification, functional nanoprobes could efficiently cross the blood–brain barrier and target gliomas to realize precise imaging, drug delivery or therapy for gliomas.

This minireview discusses the advantages and challenges in constructing bioinspired double-network hydrogels mimicking the structure and/or properties of biological tissue.

Beyond the usual surface-to-surface Planck's law of thermal radiation, nanoscale radiative heat transfer is experiencing a revolution.

In this Minireview, we discuss several appealing approaches that have been developed in the last few years for the fabrication of MOF thin films, highlighting their assets and the challenges still faced.

This review summarizes the advances in solar cells based on PbX CQD inks, including both lab-scale and large-area photovoltaic devices.

We survey the most important kinds of structural complexity in Prussian blue analogues and their implications for materials function. In particular, we explore the challenges for K₂Mn[Fe(CN)₆], the leading cathode material for K-ion batteries.

Vibrational parameters fare better in correlating with local properties than purely static structural parameters.

The intestinal mucosal barrier could maintain intestinal homeostasis and resist diseases. We review the effect of nanomaterials on the intestinal mucosal barrier and the potential application of nanomaterials in the intestines.

This review outlines recent progress and strategies for highly efficient, environmentally-friendly marine antifouling technology based on nanomaterials and nanocomposites, as well as synergistic and biomimetic approaches.

Textile fabric fibers meet functionalized carbon nanostructures and 2D nanomaterials, enabling the fabrication of novel fabrics with advanced qualities against operational limitations and extreme environmental conditions.

This review presents an integrated perspective on the recent progress and advances of emerging iongel materials and their applications in the areas of energy, gas separation and (bio)electronics.

This article systemically reviews ABO₃ multiferroic perovskite materials and their applications in memristive memory and neuromorphic computing.

This review summarizes eight different strategies to formulate non-flammable liquid electrolytes to improve safety of alkali-metal-ion batteries such as lithium-ion, sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries.

This review summarizes strategies for achieving high thermal conductivities of polymer composites by tailoring orientation of fillers that is hardly achieved in conventional particulate-filled composites for emerging thermal management applications.

Various semiconductor photocatalyst systems for photo-induced bacterial inactivation.

Room-temperature Na–S batteries have captured research attention from the community as promising next-generation energy storage devices as they integrate the advantages of high abundance and low cost of elemental Na/S with high theoretical capacity and energy density.

This review focuses on the recent research efforts devoted to Ti₃C₂ MXene nanostructures with respect to their synthesis methods, fundamental properties, theoretical description and optoelectronic applications.

This review article critically evaluates the diverse strategies used in processing MXene into functional architectures, with an assessment of how processing variables influence properties and relevant device performance metrics.

Typical synthesis methods toward two-dimensional (2D) Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and its application in flexible high-performance strain and pressure sensors.

Inverse dependence of 2D covalent bonding on bond length of elemental and isoelectronic binary monolayers of the main group elements II–VI. This behavior is also observed for the Young's modulus and ultimate strength.

Nano-scale interactions are key to understand the SARS-CoV-2 infectious potential and bio–nano sciences can provide hints on viral particles behaviour.

We review the design and fabrication of selective chemical sensors based on low-dimensional materials functionalized with (supra)molecular receptors, from the choice of the analyte of interest to its final device integration.

We review the present state and advances of the design and preparation strategies for fabricating multidimensional sensors based on anisotropic conducting networks.

This review summarizes the main concepts, technologies and recent reports that allow interconnecting printing technologies with magnetoactive materials.

Sulfation of chitosan makes this polymer a closer mimic of heparins and heparan sulfates, giving rise to the so called heparanized chitosan, that exert their biological activities through their capacity to interact with a range of biological targets.

In this review article, we focus on recent advances in the detection of biomolecule activities based on lanthanide luminescent systems, including UCNPs, Ln-MOFs, and lanthanide organic complexes.

An emerging trend in the application of metal–organic frameworks is to engineer mobile devices to possess chemical detecting capabilities for environmental monitoring, point-of-care testing, artificial intelligence, food security and defence.

A review discussing materials and mechanism for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide.

The state-of-the-art research development of emerging polymer electrode materials for aqueous batteries is overviewed. Guidance is provided on structural design and energy storage performance.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONP) can be used for MRI-mediated immune cell tracking for improved cancer diagnosis and therapy. IONPs are also used in immunotherapeutic approaches such as cancer vaccines and hyperthermic therapy.

This review covers the main applications of copper indium sulfide quantum dots for bioimaging applications.

This paper comprehensively reviews methods and approaches to enhance the piezoresistive effect, ranging from the quantum physical effect and new materials to nanoscopic and macroscopic structures, and from conventional rigid to soft electronic applications.

We review recent progress in the development of self-driving laboratories and discuss their application to autonomous inorganic materials synthesis.

Crystal structure without distortion for orthorhombic SrIrO₃ (left) and the room temperature in-plane band structure of SrIrO₃(001) thin film (right). Here, the green, orange, and blue circles represent Sr, Ir, and O, respectively.

The design strategy and synthesis approach impact the physico-chemical properties, catalytic performances and reaction pathways of ODS catalysts.

New innovations in the fabrication of curved surface electronics open up exciting possibilities in human–computer interaction, sensing, and other applications.

Thermoelectric materials, which enable direct energy conversion between waste heat and electricity, are witnessing exciting developments due to innovative breakthroughs both in materials and the synergistic optimization of structures and properties.

This review article summarizes the state-of-the-art techniques for the characterization and monitoring of flow battery electrolytes highlighting in particular the importance of the electrolyte state-of-charge and state-of-health assessment.

Nanochitin and nanochitosan are nanowhiskers combining the structural strength of nanocellulose with the versatile chemistry of chitin/chitosan. We review their fabrication, properties and uses, with a focus on recent progress.

Gold-based nanomaterials can be used in various electrocatalytic reactions. The rational tuning of their composition, architecture, and particle size can achieve enhanced electrocatalytic activity.

This review presents the recent progress of printed flexible heaters for portable and wearable thermal management.

This review focuses on the recent progress in polydopamine antibacterial materials, including their structural and functional features, preparation strategies, antibacterial mechanisms, and their biomedical applications.

We review the physics, design, and optimization of four steep-slope transistors and demonstrate their potential and drawbacks.

This review describes state-of-art techniques and knowledge on the creation of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts using atomically precise metal nanoclusters.

This review summarizes the recent progress in a novel route to both synthesize and process complex and multi-component materials as thin films, based on interfaces between immiscible liquids, highlighting different materials and applications.

This comprehensive and critical review covers the recent important progress of the fabrication of nanopores in two-dimensional materials.

We present a review of the recent advances in environment-friendly photodetectors based on lead-free metal halide perovskites and perovskite derivatives.

Radiation therapy (RT), including external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and internal radioisotope therapy (RIT), has been an indispensable strategy for cancer therapy in clinical practice in recent years.

A review covering catalytic method development to enable efficient chemical recycling and upcycling of the most abundant commercial polymers.

This review revisits the state of the art of research efforts on the design of mechanical materials using machine learning.

This review summarizes the crystalline features, electrochemical characteristics, ions intercalation charge storage mechanisms, and recent advances in niobium pentoxide related materials for high-rate electrochemical energy storage.

Ytterbium-doped lead halide perovskite (Yb³⁺:CsPbX₃ with x = Cl or Cl/Br) nanocrystals and thin films have shown surprisingly efficient downconversion by quantum cutting with PLQYs up to 193%.

The integration of various materials and technologies enables the intelligent SDLG biosensor to detect the different types of targets with high sensitivity and generate diversified output signals.

Recent developments and major advances in field-assisted additive manufacturing technologies from aspects of materials, methodologies, and applications.

We review the electrochemical theory, material design, and device fabrication for nitroxide radical polymers in emerging plastic energy storage and organic electronics.

This review summarizes the recent progress in self-assembled oxide-metal nanocomposites, their design criteria using the in-plane strain compensation model, functionalities, and the coupling between electrical, magnetic and optical properties

A rich variety of unconventional computing paradigms has been raised with the rapid development of nanoscale devices. Magnetic skyrmions, spin swirling quasiparticles, have been endowed with great expectations for unconventional computing.

All major classes of porous crystalline frameworks including zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks and hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks exhibit structural flexibilities.

This review revisits staining protocols for electron microscopy focussing on the visualization of active sites, i.e. enzymes, metabolites or proteins, in cells and tissues, which were never established as standard protocols in electron microscopy.

Sorption, size-selective & catalytic film or particle-bed filters dramatically enhance gas sensor selectivity. We critically review 300+ articles and tutorially give guidelines for systematic filter design in air quality, health & food applications.

This review encompasses the underlying working principles behind the most critical approaches to solve challenging issues in Mg–S batteries.

This review aims to comprehensively summarize the significant developments in design strategies, processing approaches, and application-oriented techniques of 2D nanomaterials for water purification and monitoring.

This review provides an account of the state-of-the-art light-driven bimorph soft actuators from their fundamentals to emerging applications, as well as new perspectives on the future scope, opportunities, and challenges.

Porous bioactive glass micro- and nanospheres are attractive biomaterials for biomedical applications: bone regeneration, wound healing, drug delivery and theranostics.

Dioxaborine-based materials, including molecules and nanoparticles, possess various interesting photophysical properties allowing advanced bioimaging from cells to in vivo.

Solution-processed artificial synapses are expected to develop the synaptic electronics towards flexible and highly integrated three-dimensional neural networks to break through the von Neumann computing architecture in the post-Moore era.

The gaps and catching up strategies between nanozymes and enzymes in terms of their activity, specificity, physiological reaction conditions and biologically relevant reactions are critically reviewed.