Themed collection Celebrating Materials Science in the UK

A holistic review detailing the recent advances and challenges of nanosheet-derived photocatalysts for the removal of pollutants using sunlight.

This review examines state-of-the-art techniques to control the porosity of both activated carbons and zeolite templated carbons in order to fine-tune their ability towards the capture and storage of various gases under different pressure and temperature applications.

A review of recent developments in half-Heusler thermoelectrics for waste heat recovery.

Direct Ink Writing is a promising technique for the sustainable fabrication of energy devices with arbitrary architectures.

This review puts forward a few critical issues existing in nitrogen photoreduction apart from discussion of the efficient strategies for improvement of NH₃ synthesis.

Unique multicoated composites are fabricated through aerosol-assisted chemical deposition (AACD) and applied as anodes in Li-ion batteries.

Multielectrode arrays (MEAs) are electrical devices that transduce (record/deliver) cellular voltage signals.

This article describes a process for the repair and re-use of an aluminium-containing pouch used as an outer casing for a Lithium-ion battery cell.

Naphthalene diimides have electrochromic applications due to their highly stable dark reduced state along with a transparent colourless neutral state. Here we show the morphology of aggregated structures at different pHs has a greater influence on the chromic properties than the chemical structure.

New triazine-based linker used to cross-link PEI into an unsupported adsorbent with high CO₂ uptake at ambient temperature.

A simple one-step glancing angle deposition technique is employed to increase the rotational velocity of anisotropic ellipsoidal micro-swimmers.

We have developed a conceptual model describing the formation and mineralisation processes of hydroxyapatite during biogenic and abiotic treatment on cement surfaces.

For almost two decades, scientists have been exploring the use of nanoparticles as drug vesicles capable of protecting their cargo and deliver it to the target site while evading detection by the body.

In situ growth of the MFM-300(Fe) on an ultra-thin sheet of graphitic carbon nitride, formed by exfoliation using supercritical CO₂, is reported. The resultant composite CNNS/MFM-300(Fe) shows excellent performance in photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of benzylic C–H groups.

We study the structural, optical, conductive and piezoresistive properties of d⁸ iridium dicarbonyl complexes with different β-diketonate ligands.

Both the trigonal (Berlinite-type, phase-I), and orthorhombic (CrVO₄-type, phase-II) forms of FePO₄ have been studied at high-pressure using neutron powder diffraction.

LPCVD with the title compounds produces S-deficient SnS, or stoichiometric, semiconducting, resistive SnS or SnSe films with large positive Seebeck coefficients and an SnSe power factor of 0.4 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² at 425 K.

In this work natural deep eutectic solvents are explored as versatile plasticisers for the formation of chitosan-stabilised films.

A green synthesis of well dispersed LDH nanosheets via a reconstruction process in concentrated amino acid solution was reported. The LDH nanosheet/PVA coated PET films exhibited excellent optical response and high oxygen barrier (0.35 cc m⁻² day⁻¹).

A new reductive route produces dense SWCNT buckypapers with a high degree of individualization. These buckypapers are excellent supercapacitor electrodes, in particular offering exceptional volumetric performance in full cell devices, when combined with a new class of ultrathin bacterial nanocellulose separator.

Zn-Based materials produced by direct oxidation of metallic zinc in aqueous [C₄C₁im]Cl solutions.

A simple complex of copper immobilised on silica exemplifies how lighter transition metal complexes can efficiently kill both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in water – in some cases in only 15 min – under visible light.

Antibiotics lose their effectiveness over time due to antimicrobial resistance.

Glucose, starch and cellulose produce porous graphitic carbons with distinctly different properties due to different rates of catalyst formation.

The air stability of PSCs is enhanced by employing a TiO₂/Al₂O₃ bilayer mesoporous scaffold.