Themed collection Recent Review Articles

Many materials exhibit static and functional properties.

Lost in translation: no targeted nanoparticle has reached the clinic due to poor targeting efficacy, and overcoming this will require rethinking pharmacokinetics, optimizing dosing regimens, and addressing issues like antigen depletion.

Garnet-type cubic Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (c-LLZO) is a single-ion conductor, but the electrochemically generated charged vacancies make it a binary ionic electrolyte, which explains the current- and thickness-dependent lithium dendrite initiation dynamics.

Debonding-on-demand adhesives enable the disassembly of multilayer electronic devices under external stimuli, facilitating efficient recycling and reuse of valuable components.

Na_2/3[Ni_1/3Mn_2/3]O₂ (NNMO) Na-ion battery cathodes cycle well between 2 and 4 V (a) but suffer from severe decay when cycled above 4 V (b) due to P2–O2 transition. Doping strategies used to overcome this issue are discussed in this article.

This article highlights recent advances in the rational design of uniform afterglow SiO₂ microparticles, facilitated by pseudomorphic transformation-assisted doping, identifies key challenges, and explores opportunities in this field.

This minireview highlights recent breakthroughs and outstanding challenges in the programmable self-assembly of dynamic DNA superstructures with emergent, collective behaviors.

A comprehensive overview of recent advances in stretchable soft antenna systems, emphasizing material innovations, structural strategies, and system-level integration to enable robust performance in next-generation wearable and robotic platforms.

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries (AZBs) are becoming promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage because of their inherent safety, cost-effectiveness, and high theoretical capacity.

The recent significant advances in biphasic liquid metal-based soldering systems for stretchable hybrid devices are systematically reviewed, offering insights into their potential for advanced electronic integration.

This mini review summarizes the recent progress of Zn–V static battery and Zn–V redox flow battery. Mechanisms, classification and structures, problems and modification strategies are discussed for future developments of these batteries.

An overview of MeSNs for photo-enhanced chemodynamic theranostics of tumors is provided in this review, offering insights into their potential for next-generation cancer treatments.

This review summarizes the recent progress in the design and application of highly sensitive fluorescent probes for liver fibrosis.

Colloidal systems provide real-space access to structural, dynamic, and mechanical descriptors, enabling physics-informed feature extraction and machine learning for predictive modeling of condensed matter.

ABO₂-type delafossites, distinguished by their layered crystalline framework, tunable quantum-enabled properties, and inherent sustainability, represent an emerging multifunctional material platform for next-generation photoelectronics.

Confined polymerization, as an innovative polymerization strategy, achieves precise control over the reaction pathway and microscopic structure of the product by confining the polymerization reaction within the physical space of a micro–nano scale.

This review highlights advances in integrating 2D materials with nematic liquid crystals, focusing on structure–property relationships, molecular alignment strategies, polymer networks, lyotropics, applications, and key challenges and opportunities.

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) hydrogen production technology combines the advantages of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis and utilizes solar energy to drive water splitting, which is a technology for sustainable energy systems.

The latest progress on synchronous reinforcement and toughening methods and mechanisms of thermosets is reviewed, and the development direction and challenges of high-performance thermosets are discussed.

Recent progress on OSM-based cathodes for AZIBs has been summarized, with their molecular structure design or modification strategies being highlighted.

Nanotools in biomedicine open up novel applications in research, diagnostics, and clinical care.

A pioneering review of process intensification strategies in nanomaterial synthesis, detailing mechanisms and applications to accelerate advances in the field.

This review gives an overview of RCA/RCT-based nanocarriers for nucleic acid drug delivery, systematically summarizing their nanoization strategies, drug loading approaches, targeting modalities, and controlled release mechanisms.

This review explores the recent advances in agricultural nanozymes for sustainable agriculture, emphasizing their physicochemical properties, enzyme-like activities, and applications in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses.

This review elucidates the potential of GDY heterostructures for advancing energy storage technologies by examining doping methods, investigating doping mechanisms via calculations, and showcasing the superior applications in metal ion batteries.

This review presents a comprehensive three-stage synthesis planning framework for atomically precise metal nanoclusters, demonstrating how data-driven approaches can systematically address design and synthesis challenges to enhance rational design.

Cutting-edge computational strategies that bridge theoretical principles and experimental insights to enable the rational design and dynamic understanding of electrocatalysts.

Overview of interfacial structure types and mechanical properties from different scale perspectives of AMCs.

Linking short-range disorder in high entropy oxides to emergent properties enable design rules for next-generation disordered materials.

As a powerful single-molecule analysis tool, nanopore technology enables a wide range of practical applications, including genome sequencing, proteomics analysis, and detection of various viruses and related biomarkers.

Diverse structure–property relationships of liquid-like surfaces are explored, alongside their long-term anti/de-icing mechanisms, featuring integrated photothermal-transparent properties and promising future strategies.

Pancatalytic biomaterials, via the P–A–N framework, exert multifunctional non-toxic therapeutic effects on inflammatory diseases across multiple organ systems.

Magnetically responsive intelligent fibers integrate magnetic materials into flexible fiber architectures, enabling remote actuation, multimodal sensing, and self-powered operation for wearable electronics, robotics, biomedicine, and energy systems.

Other than H₂ and O₂, water electrolysis can also be used for producing ozone for versatile applications. Here we report the recent advances on the relevant catalysts, categorized by material synthesis and types.

Composition, structures, functionalities, and applications of conductive polymer-based microwave absorption materials.

DNA computing represents an innovative computational paradigm that leverages DNA molecules and spontaneous reactions. This review elucidates the advantages and development route based on DNA circuits and DNA data storage.

2D van der Waals heterostructures offer great promise for memristors and neuromorphic computing. This review covers their preparation methods, band structures, switching mechanisms in memristors, and neuromorphic computing applications.

Types and applications of perovskite photodetectors.

Electromagnetic interference has promoted the development of hydrogel shielding materials. This review explores their shielding mechanisms, research progress, challenges and future directions.

This review highlights the pivotal role of diverse small molecules in engineering hydrogel network structures and enhancing mechanical toughness. Emerging applications of small-molecule-toughened hydrogels across advanced fields are also explored.

This review not only overviews recent advances in nanosheet zeolite synthesis strategies and catalytic applications, but also analyzes their physicochemical properties and effectiveness in diverse catalytic reactions.

This article reviews advances in mechanically active materials for wearable electronics. The content covers mechanisms of piezoelectric, magnetic and elastomeric materials, as well as applications in multimodal sensing, haptic feedback and others.

In this review, we present a comprehensive analysis of crystalline porous materials (MOFs, COFs, and HOFs) as membrane devices for carbon-neutral technologies.

Human–machine interfaces have received significant attention for their potential in VR/AR. This review summarizes recent progress in simulating physical and chemical sensations for enhancing eating experiences by utilizing wearable electroncis.

This review highlights recent advances in interface engineering for narrow-bandgap perovskite photodetectors, offering strategies to enhance response speed, stability, and spectral selectivity for low-cost, high-sensitivity near-infrared detection.

In this review, we summarize recent breakthroughs in DNA nanotechnology-driven strategies for detecting EV-associated biomarkers (proteins, miRNA, mRNA, glycoRNA), addressing a pressing need for non-invasive diagnostic tools.

This work highlights the design of globular proteins into functional–mechanical materials, emphasizing advances in mechanical enhancement through molecular-to-macroscale strategies and their applications in both biomedical and non-biomedical fields.

Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can be categorised into decoctions and active ingredients. Nanotechnology and effective cerebral delivery strategies unlocked the potential of CHMs to treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

This review offers a systematic and practical guide to solid-state OECTs. We explore the different classes of solid electrolytes, key considerations in choosing an appropriate electrolyte, device architectures, applications, and current challenges.

A comprehensive review of multifunctional MEMS/NEMS devices enabled by piezoelectric and ferroelectric effects, spanning sensors, resonators, energy harvesters, memory, and optoelectronic modulators.

Nanoformulation-based drug delivery systems for various gastric cancer treatment strategies.

Surface-mediated pathogen transmission remains a critical vector for infectious diseases, especially amidst biofilm-associated infections and rising antimicrobial resistance.

This review systematically summarizes the roles of different anions in nickel-based catalysts for the electro-oxidation of urea.

This review systematically introduces the evolution of PDI-based photocatalytic systems, combined with modern synthesis methods and emphasis on structural/functional modifications to advance semiconductor photocatalysis for solar energy harvesting.

This review summarizes advances in in situ formed hydrogels for soft bioelectronics, highlighting formation mechanisms, application methods, functions with design considerations, emerging applications, and future perspectives for the field.

The TOC highlights the integration of triboelectric nanogenerators for powering soft robotic systems. The illustration emphasizes self-powered actuation, eliminating the need for external energy sources by mimicking natural movement, soft robotics.

This review explores laser-induced graphene as a versatile sensing material for multifunctional biomedical sensors, emphasizing its synthesis, properties, and advances in health monitoring and diagnostics.

This review highlights pathological mechanisms of lubrication failure in osteoarthritis and explores nano/micro particle strategies—covering material design, particle types, modifications, and translational potential for OA therapy.

Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensors (AEBs) have emerged as a highly promising platform for disease diagnostics, offering high specificity, sensitivity, and real-time detection capabilities.

This review provides a comprehensive analysis of silicon-based negative electrodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

This review article discusses membrane technology for wastewater reclamation using electrically conductive nanomaterials (ECNMs) and emphasizes “green synthesis” for nanomaterial manufacturing.