Themed collection Celebrating International Women’s day 2025: Women in Nanoscience

This review highlights advances in the use of biomolecular ligands to synthesize gold nanoclusters, factors affecting their optical and chiroptical features, and applications in biosensing, bioimaging, and theranostics.

This review provides insights on recent advances using label-free and label-based SERS assays for detecting multiple small extracellular vesicle biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, including issues surrounding their translation from lab to clinic.

In recent studies, lipid nanoparticles have attracted attention as drug delivery systems owing to their preeminent potential in achieving the desired bioavailability of biopharmaceutics (BCS) class II and class IV drugs.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess outstanding photophysical properties which has garnered interest towards utilizing these materials for biosensing and imaging applications.

Magnetic nanocellulose composite (MNC) has emerged as a potential ‘green’ material owing to its inimitable properties.

Simultaneous hyperthermia and drug delivery with magnetic iron oxide nanogels.

Advancements in RA therapy from conventional drugs to nanomedicines based on immune cell therapy, which increases the specificity of the treatment and decreases the off-site effects, are reported. Images are created with BioRender.com.

Effect of Doxorubicin on cancer cells.

This review highlights the latest advances in lipid nanoparticle mRNA based nanomedicines under preclinical and clinical investigation.

Substrate development in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) continues to attract research interest.

Monolayer-protected noble metal nanoclusters: a survey of their diverse chemical reactions, associated kinetics, and implications.

Second-order nonlinear optical scattering properties of Ag₂₅ nanoclusters are strongly affected by the nature of the metal dopant. Also, hyperpolarizabilities are one order higher than the one reported for Au₂₅ nanoclusters and represent the largest values ever reported for nanoclusters.

We implemented fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to track biomolecular corona formation on extracellular vesicles in human plasma. Applied to red blood cell and mesenchymal stromal cell vesicles, the method revealed distinct corona dynamics.

We studied the exciton delocalization of indodicarbocyanine 5 dye derivative (Cy5-R) heterodimers templated by a DNA Holliday junction (HJ), which was quantified by the exciton hopping parameter J_m,n.

Substrate concentration induced modulation of reaction rates inside catalytic condensates.

Polymeric nanoparticles expansion microscopy scheme. Left: cells with no expansion in where individual nanoparticles visualization is complicated. Right: system expand allowing visualization of individual nanoparticles inside cells.

Helical modulators improve the operational stability of perovskite solar cells without a significant effect on photovoltaic characteristics, challenging the role of chiral interfacial modulators in hybrid perovskite photovoltaics.

Anaerobic bacteria deliver anisotropic magnetic nanocarriers to hard-to-reach hypoxic tumor cores. The enhanced heating effect at the cores of tumors acts as a smart therapeutic approach for improved magnetic hyperthermia-based cancer therapy.

Different phases of nickel selenides are synthesized from a single coordination polymer precursor by tuning the electronic structure for bifunctional electrocatalytic OER and ORR in alkaline media.

Using an ideal synthetic strategy, we constructed an outstanding multifunctional electrocatalyst for UOR, OER, HER, and seawater splitting.

Compositionally complex doping of spinel oxides toward high-entropy oxides and oxyhalides enhances their electrochemical performance substantially.

Novel membranes have been prepared utilizing natural polymer guar gum (GG), conjugate polymer (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate)) PEDOT:PSS, and bimetallic PdPt nanoparticles for efficient CO₂ separation.

The PAM-Ag-BN hydrogel showed high strength, improved stability in SBF, perfect bioactivity and strong bonding, making it a prime implant for cartilage repair applications.

The gold nanocluster Au25AcCys18 modulates human microglia and neuronal cells at the level of oxidative stress and protein–protein interactions (HMGB1 and TFEB). Complementary computational and biological methods reveal these interactions.

Multilayer vesicles with an onion-like architecture are obtained by aggregation of an amphiphilic Au₃(pyrazolate)₃ complex in aqueous solution.

The graphene/1T-CrTe₂ heterostructure shows electron transfer, exchange, and crystal field effects that shift and split graphene Dirac points, enabling an anomalous Hall transistor, spin-charge storage via spin-polarized anomalous Hall conductivity.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a well-known and cost-effective synthetic polymer that offers a variety of applications, including medical, food, aerospace, automotive, and material industries, for the construction of structures.

A one-pot method for creating self-assembled Au–Ag bimetallic mesostructures using a reaction between atomically precise gold nanoclusters and plasmonic silver nanoparticles.

Understanding the intricate interplay between cancer metabolism and intercellular communication within the tumour microenvironment (TME) is crucial for advancing cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Brookite exists as the metastable phase of titania and often mediates the transformation of anatase to rutile.

Interface-engineered semiconductor quantum dots finally have it all – near-ideal photoluminescence efficiency and wide tunability without self-absorption.

A nano-ceria integrated microfluidic electrochemical immunosensor for IL8 biomarker detection in human saliva samples.

A gold nanorod-polyoxometalte composite enhances SERS by combining electrostatic concentration of analyte and sequestration of it within the particle monolayer.

Nanostructured oligodimethylsiloxane-helicene-pyrene chiral materials exhibit an excimeric response and improved CPL activity in the bulk state.

Chiral nematic mesoporous organosilica (CNMO) films have unique iridescent properties that make them attractive candidates for decorations, sensing and photonics.

Peptide functionalized-reduced graphene oxide biomaterial for wound care applications.

This study aimed to synthesize a Zn-AgIn₅S₈/CdS/SrGO nanocomposite for Cr(VI) removal from contaminated water under solar irradiation.

L-Cysteine capped MoS₂ QDs are synthesized and employed for dual-channel imaging and superior Fe³⁺ ion sensing in biological systems.

Herein, Ni-decorated SnO₂ (Ni@SnO₂) nanostructures have been synthesized over SnO₂ nanoparticles via a simple electroless deposition method for the generation of hydrogen, a potent near-future fuel.

Possible photocatalytic mechanisms over BaZrO₃ nanoparticles under visible-light illumination.

In this work, we clarify the role and impact of graphitic nanoflake size and oxidation on protein structure and binding, providing crucial atomistic insights for designing graphitic nanoflakes capable of modulating protein aggregation.

The semitransparent layer composed of organized titania nanotubes hosting silver sulphides became a nanostructured platform for oxygen evolution.

DNA cages loaded with Dopamine as carriers for dopamine release in neuronal cells for applications in neurological disorders.

By combining experimental studies and time-dependent density functional theory simulations, we show the formation of insulin–Au(III) conjugates diplaying charge transfer-like excitation in the visible range.

“Clicking” trimeric peptides onto T₈POSS nanocages achieves high completion rates, however, full decoration is limited due to adverse side reactions.

The electronic, magnetic, and optical characteristics of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) decorated with neptunium (Np) and plutonium (Pu) are investigated by using density functional theory.

We report multinary CuZn₂AS_xSe_4−x semiconductor nanocrystals in a wurtzite phase, achieved via hot-injection synthesis.

ConA-coated QDs allow live-cell labeling of Leptospira, which is a class of pathogenic bacteria causing Leptospirosis.

Interactions between solvents with surface Sn atoms are unravelled experimentally and theoretically for impacting the electronic properties of 2D SnO₂ nanosheets.

The supramolecular polymerization of the [6]helicene-based luminophores 1 and 2, showing a rich dichroic pattern, is reported. The inherent chirality of both the monomeric and aggregated species of 1 and 2 provides the systems with a remarkable overall CPL-efficiency.

Small molecule-based nucleic-acid interactome protein degradation through PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) is a relatively new modality in cellular interventions.

A novel GO-hoisted SnO₂–BiOBr bifunctional catalyst for the remediation of organic dyes under illumination by visible light and electrocatalytic water splitting.

Y nanotube architectures are formed from the growth of DNA nanotubes on Y-shaped origami seeds. The resulting Y nanotube architectures are hierarchically assembled into DNA nanotube networks through end-to-end joining of the DNA nanotubes.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) pose a significant challenge in hospital settings.

Self-assembly of two similar porphyrin derivatives leads to long axial nanofibers but their mixture results in short nanorods comprising narcissistic self-sorted structures with transitional electrical conductivity.

Strategic design of VO₂ encapsulated in N-doped carbon shows efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia under both acidic and neutral pH, with very high faradaic efficiency.

The SPION@MSN-EPI/pDNA-ZIF-8-PEG-Apt nanocarrier showcases exceptional plasmid stability, drug loading, and controlled release. Its outstanding anti-tumor efficacy through targeted chemo–gene therapy is supported by its imaging traceability.

We present a 3-layer cavity model to calculate the polarizability of solvated molecules. By analogy, the different layers of our cavity model resemble the nested structure of a Matryoshka doll.

Four redox active viologen-based ionic covalent organic networks (vCONs) were synthesized by the solvothermal-assisted Zincke reaction which are directly used as metal-free bifunctional electrocatalysts for ORR and OER applications.

Modularly assembled, antimicrobial peptide capped phage-mimicking nanoparticles are highly biocompatible, rapidly bactericidal, and clear wound infections without the emergence of antibacterial resistance.

Non-cement pastes in the form of injectable materials have gained considerable attention in non-invasive regenerative medicine.

This study seeks to explore and model force-controlled single hiPSC-CM mechanical, adhesion, and viscoelasticity performance to reveal its dynamic spatiotemporal changes using AFM, micropipette, and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques.