Themed collection Recent Review Articles

Challenging the belief that maximal photochemical reactivity occurs at absorption maxima, this work argues that reactivity can peak at lower absorption wavelengths, with significant implications for volumetric 3D printing and materials science.

Organic bioelectronics as an emerging interdisciplinary field of research has great potential for breakthrough and disruptive technologies. This article outlines the key challenges and opportunities ahead in this field, providing strategies for the way forward.

Material science publications are the outcome of research, but they can contain errors. We advocate for post publication peer review as a way to collectively improve self-correction of science.

Redox- and spin-active macrocyclic vanadyl(IV) complexes and polyoxovanadates(V) have promising structural and physicochemical characteristics for innovative bottom-up hybrid electronics.

This review summarizes the recent progress in atomically precise metal nanoclusters in various photocatalytic applications and highlights the strategy for constructing nanocluster-based heterostructures to improve stability and catalytic activity.

We highlight issues for H₂O₂ electrocatalysts, including stability, degradation factors, and testing protocols for long-term efficacy. Key catalyst degradation causes include harsh reaction conditions, potential shifts, and ROS from H₂O₂ production.

Nanotechnology may help provide new evidence to verify acupuncture theory, improve the features of acupuncture needles and their clinical effects by combining with drug delivery, and even enable new therapeutic methods.

As a powerful candidate for energy storage materials, improving the antioxidant properties of MXene and optimizing its synthesis method to enhance its energy storage performance has become a research hotspot.

Contextualising the promise of nanoscience and nanotechnology for water pollution remediation.

Non-collinear chiral antiferromagnets display strong magneto-transport signatures, while their octupole moment can be controlled and read fully electrically, making them useful in classical, neuromorphic, and quantum information processing domains.

Olfactory memory forms the basis for biological perception and environmental adaptation.

This article provides an overview of the advancements in atmospheric water collection driven by solar energy. The roles of materials, surfaces, equipment, and systems in enhancing water collection efficiency are discussed.

This review discusses the dark current generation mechanisms and summarized the main strategies for suppressing dark current in colloidal quantum dot short-wave photodiodes. Conclusions and perspectives are provided as a guideline for this field.

This review covers advances in conformal electronics surface engineering, focusing on wettability and adhesion to improve adaptability to wet conditions and irregular skin textures, enhancing durability and signal stability.

This review highlights the developments in the 3D/4D printing of MXene-based composites, focusing on their application in tissue regeneration, drug delivery, sensing, and energy storage.

The literature on antimicrobial applications of zeolites and metal–organic frameworks is reviewed with a focus on analytical techniques, antimicrobial mechanisms, and functional materials design.

This comprehensive review explores anode-free post-Li metal batteries (Na, K, Mg, Zn, Al), emphasizing metal-philicity, current collector functionalization strategies, insights from computational studies, and advancements in electrolyte formulations.

This review summarizes great advancements in visible-light-excited RTP, mainly focusing on the construction strategies, optical properties, underlying emission mechanisms, and innovative applications.

Preparation methods and applications of helical fibers.

The current state-of-the art on NIR-II-activated photosensitizers and their applications for the deep tumor treatment, as well as recent efforts that combine NIR-II activated PDT with other complementary therapeutic routes.

Classification and multifunctional scalability of advanced microwave absorbing materials.

Functional catalytic materials play an important role in environmental, biological, energy, and other fields, wherein unique properties can be endowed through various synthesis strategies.

Recent advancements and challenges in scaling up quantum dot light-emitting diodes are highlighted, particularly with respect to the metal oxide nanoparticle and organic electron transport layers.

Recently, PyCOFs have aroused great interest that pyrene unit could enhance the interlayer π–π interaction and promote the separation and migration of carriers, significantly improving the crystallinity and photoelectrical properties.

This comprehensive review summarizes the past, present, and future of plasmonic NP-based sensors in terms of different sensing platforms, different chemical and biological analytes, and the expected future technologies.

Hybrid clay/polymer composite hydrogels immobilized with microbial cells offer a novel, green, and effective methodology for bioremediation, biorecovery, and other applications, due to their enhanced properties and functionalities.

This review provides a summary of the characteristics, types, synthesis and characterization of plasmonic semiconductors, the mechanism of full-spectrum plasmonic photocatalysis, and the photocatalytic applications of plasmonic semiconductors.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the research progress of neuromorphic devices based on composites of perovskites and different materials. The challenges and potential directions for development are also presented.

Infection is the most prevalent complication of fractures, particularly in open fractures, and often leads to severe consequences.

Nanointerfacial bioengineering of titanium-based implants with synthetic technologies could improve their osseointegration, showing promise to enhance interfacial osteogenesis, preventing peri-implant infection and overcome osteodegenerative stress.

Rocking-chair capacitive deionization (RCDI) is a rising star in the CDI field, delivering ultrahigh desalination efficiency and excellent cycling stability.

This review unveils advancements in neuroscience, enabling a comprehensive exploration of the capabilities and practical applications of neuromorphic science.

This review deeply explores the application of alternating current electroluminescence in functional and visualization sensing, particularly emphasizing its future potential in human–machine visual interaction.

This review comprehensively covers the translation from batch to continuous flow synthesis of metal nanowires (i.e., silver, copper, gold, and platinum nanowires) and their diverse applications across various sectors.

Immune profiling provides insights into functioning of the immune system: distribution, abundance and activity of cells. Nanoparticles can offer a versatile approach to profile the immune system with improved efficiency and multiplexed imaging power.

Chiral graphene, a “superlattice structure,” effectively engages with target substances. Its superconductivity, tunable electronic structure, and topological states could significantly contribute to advanced materials science technologies.

The review examines the recent progress in gas sensors with different perovskite structures and offers suggestions for future research.

This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancements in hydrogel-based thermochromic smart windows, focusing on fabrication, chromic mechanisms, and improvements in responsiveness, stability, and energy-saving performance.

This review explores various mechanisms enabling threshold switching in volatile memristors and introduces recent progress in the implementation of neuromorphic computing systems based on these mechanisms.

This review presents the progress of amorphous nanocatalysts in membrane electrode based electrocatalytic hydrogen production, in which the modulating of morphology, composition and phase of amorphous nanomaterials are systematically discussed.

p–n heterojunctions between 2D layered materials and organic molecules have been developed for better understanding of photoinduced charge separation mechanism and optoelectronics applications (e.g., solar cells).

A broad spectrum of materials that BASIS has explored to resolve the dynamics from pico- to nano-seconds using the quasielastic neutron scattering technique.

Cryogel applicability is strongly determined by the respective functionalization which can be evaluated directly or indirectly using different analytical techniques. This also helps to ensure a high reproducibility among the produced materials.

This review focuses on strategies to fabricate biomaterials, including the ones with higher degree complexity and cell-rich constructs, using all-aqueous immiscible systems and critically discusses their potential, key requirements, and challenges.

The applications of 2D material photodetectors in extensive fields, including imaging, health monitoring, tracking, logic operation, ultraviolet monitoring, communications, automatic driving, and acoustic signal detection, have been introduced.

MXene-based architectures have paved the way in various fields, particularly in the healthcare area, owing to their remarkable physiochemical and electromagnetic characteristics.

Many pathological conditions are predominantly associated with oxidative stress, arising from reactive oxygen species (ROS); therefore, the modulation of redox-activities has been a key strategy to restore normal tissue functions.

This review focuses on recent developments in understanding the fluorescence mechanism of ultra-small nanoparticles sensors, including quantum dots, gold nanoclusters, and carbon dots.

This review summarizes the design strategies of MXene-based catalysts for HER, OER, ORR and NRR, including surface modification, MXene lattice substitution, morphology, defect and heterostructure engineering.

Increase in emission of EM radiation due to electronic devices risks to both equipment and human health which have been reduced by using cost effective, environmental stability, and lightweight PPy-metal oxide nanocomposites for EMI shielding.

This comprehensive review systematically summarizes the intrinsic mechanism of different metal ion (such as Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺/Cu⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, Na⁺/K⁺, and Mg²⁺)-mediated interference therapies and their research progress in cancer treatment.

Flexible memristors enable high-performance wearable electronics with low power consumption. This review introduces the mechanisms, typical materials, and applications of flexible memristors. Potential directions and challenges are also discussed.

From individuals to families: design and application of self-similar chiral nanomaterials.

Current advances in wet gas sensing are highlighted taking advantage of optimized mass transport pathways endowed by multi-scale interface design.

The proliferation of data has facilitated global accessibility, which demands escalating amounts of power for data storage and processing purposes.

Monometallic, bimetallic, and multi-metallic MOF-based composites are highlighted for their applications in detecting, absorbing, and degrading environmental pollutants.

We discussed 2D semiconductors as alternative channel materials for advanced 3D transistors, such as GAAFETs and CFETs, and assessed various contact engineering techniques for their applicability toward advanced 3D-structured transistors.

Molecular disassembly is pioneering a new route to refined diagnostic and therapeutic solutions. This approach breaks down self-assembled molecules, offering enhanced precision and efficiency in various bio-oriented applications.

The processing of conjugated organic materials into films, nanoparticles, and nanofibers, presents significant opportunities to increase their activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and for scaled-up systems for real world applications.

Hydrogels with intricate 3D networks and high hydrophilicity have qualities resembling those of biological tissues, making them ideal candidates for use as smart biomedical materials.

This review provides a summary on the recent progress of porous crystalline conjugated macrocyclic materials in energy storage applications.

Recent evaluations of nanospring synthesis methods, mechanical properties, simulations, and applications are analyzed. Future perspectives focus on molecular engineering, advanced synthesis & characterizations, and machine learning.

Illustration of the anti-cancer application of 2D MOFs.

This review primarily discusses the effects of green antisolvent treatment on crystal growth and the nucleation crystallization mechanism on the device performance and stability of perovskite solar cells.

Various Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometries of graphene patterns obtained during art etching process of precisely integrated CVD growing/etching using hydrocarbons (CH₄, C₃H₈, C₂H₆, etc.), Ar, and H₂.

Functional peptide assemblies can be used for various applications, such as photo/electro catalysts, optical resonators, optical/electronic gates and sensors.

Polymers are conventionally thought to be thermal insulators, but it is known that some macromolecules host high thermal conductivities. This work reviews the chemostructural features that yield intrinsically thermally conductive polymers.

This review encompasses advances made in the development of cerium oxide nanoparticles, their structure, properties, and translation in catalysis, chemical mechanical planarization, sensing, environmental remediation and biomedicine.

The review examines corrosion responses of WAAM steels, summarizing common production techniques, discussing both uniform and localized corrosion types, proposing corrosion mechanisms for WAAM steel, and offering suggestions for future research.

This review presents the interfacial properties and behavior of gallium-based liquid metals (GaLMs) in various environments and application examples based on them.