Themed collection ISACS21: Challenges in Nanoscience

Ultrathin Pt nanoplates exposing {111} facets are synthesized by galvanic-replacement-free templating of conveniently available Ag nanoplates, showing enhanced oxygen reduction activity.

As low as 1% content of a supramolecular catalyst, cucurbit[8]uril, is sufficient to accomplish the photodimerization of Brooker’s merocyanine within 10 minutes.

An interfacial self-assembly strategy was developed to synthesize sub-100 nm noble metal colloidosomes, showing intriguing collective optical and catalytic properties.

Assemblies of polylactide-based amphiphiles in alcohols are shown to give unprecedented shape selectivity based on unimer solubility, leading to the formation of large uniform 2D diamond-shaped platelets, up to several microns in size.

2D nanofluidic systems are endowed with photo-responsive ionic rectification by asymmetric modification with spiropyran. Structural and photo-induced charge heterostructures result in smart 2D ionic rectifiers with a maximum rectification ratio of 48.

We present a new two-step synthetic route combining the concepts of crystal symmetry, seed ratio and oxidative etching that yields tetrametallic PtAgBiCo nanoplates.

A facile strategy that can functionalize the surfaces of hydrogels, while keeping the interior network unchanged, was reported.

A new porous carbon-supported Ni/Mo₂C composite exhibits high activity towards both the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction for overall water splitting.

This edge article reports the epitaxial growth of five 4H hexagonal metal nanostructures on 4H Au nanoribbons under ambient conditions.

Dissipative self-assembly is a challenging but attractive field of supramolecular science, because it generally concerns complex system but is more close to the self-assembly of living bodies. We successfully realized dissipative self-assembly by coupling a supra-amphiphile with a chemical oscillator.