Themed collection Recent Review Articles

The use of organic dyes, semiconductors, and plasmonic nanostructures are three of the most promising strategies to make lanthanide-doped nanoparticles brighter by means of increasing their absorption capabilities.

nMOF-mediated enzymatic reactions have spurred intensive research, securing their place as “magic bullets” for catalytic tumor-specific therapy.

We propose a timeline classifying self-healing polymers in generations based on the healing mechanism, and correlated with historical development.

The investigation of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures has been becoming an attractive research topic. This review aims to present a thorough summarization of the research progress of vdW heterostructures in ultrafast photonics.

The interfacial reactions and processes in rechargeable magnesium batteries are discussed in this minireview.

This review summarizes the strategies to simultaneously enhance air/water-resistance and electrochemical performance of lithium metal anodes.

This review focuses on the classification, synthesis, biomedical applications, prospects and challenges of biomimetic hybrid membrane-based nanoparticles.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a new therapeutic method, which can kill malignant tumors by using sonosensitizers and low intensity ultrasound (US) simultaneously.

In this minireview, we discuss the progress of polymersome formulations towards clinical translation and highlight key opportunities and challenges.

This review provides an up-to-date review on Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials and future directions for the development of new Bi-based nitrogen-fixation materials under ambient conditions.

This review highlights recent advances of MXenes and their composites in the environment-related applications including catalysis, water purification and sensors.

This Minireview highlights the pioneering advances in integration of 2D materials with soft matter for multifunctional robotic materials.

Recent advances in functional nanomaterials for photoacoustic imaging of glioma are summarized, and the current challenges and perspectives are discussed.

The synthesis routes and the electrochemical performance evaluation of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) based supercapacitor electrodes are discussed.

The most recent progress in high-quality upconversion particle synthesis, rational composite material design, and the combination with plasmonic metals renders upconversion-enhanced NIR photocatalysis increasingly more attractive than ever before.

PEGylation of nanoparticles prolongs circulation lifetimes and maximizes nanoparticle accumulation in target tumors. However, PEGylation comes at the cost of reduced cellular uptake of nanoparticles and concomitant drug delivery. This review discusses the various stimuli-responsive dePEGylation strategies that have been employed to overcome this “PEG dilemma”.

Artificial intelligence is poised to substantially enhance the efficacy and safety of nanomedicine.

Complex antibacterial mechanisms of graphene oxide and carbon dots.

This review presents the development of photonic memory, with a view towards inspiring more intriguing ideas on the elegant selection of materials and design of novel device structures that may finally induce major progress in the fabrication and application of photonic memory.

Combining the intrinsic enzyme-mimicking properties of nanomaterials with their unique characteristics enables the design of multifunctional nanozymes for new biomedical applications and beyond.

This review summarizes the advances in the derivation of one-dimensional porous and hollow carbon nanofibers from metal–organic frameworks for energy storage and conversion.

This review highlights recent developments in CVD graphene transfer methods from the perspective of mechanism, cleanness, quality, reliability, and cost.

Two current applications of metal nanoisland–graphene composites are shown.

Designing new molecular building blocks for functional supramolecular self-assembly at surfaces.

The range of possible nanostructures is so large and continuously growing, that collating and unifying the knowledge connected to them, including their biological activity, is a major challenge.

We review the crystal chemistry and physics of molecular perovskites, drawing on topical examples of the recent literature.

This review summarize the biomedical applications of iron carbide nanoparticles.

This minireview deals with the recent advances on the synthetic strategies for the immobilization of enzymes in metal–organic frameworks.

Water modulates the nucleation, growth and stability of halide perovskites, which can be rationally controlled.

Evolution of heterogeneous catalysts with steady down-sizing: from small particles, clusters, dots to single atoms, and now the “surface heterocompound”.

This review summarizes recent advances in organic core–shell structures from the aspects of fabrication methods and optoelectronic applications, providing inspiration for the rational design of organic core–shell structures with desired performance.

This review aims to explore the design, development and applications of magnetically supported metal-free and metal-containing ILs that play the role of catalytic moieties in various organic transformations.

MPS₃ exhibits great potential in many fields.

This review aims to comprehensively summarize the significant developments in nanostructural manipulations that benefit SnSe thermoelectrics.

Nanostructure-mediated EP platforms based on vertically aligned nanowires (NWs), nanostraws (NSs), and nanotubes (NTs). Left: Intracellular delivery. Middle: Intracellular extraction of biomolecules. Right: Intracellular probing of action potential.

Here, we review the physics and the technology of the recombination junction in perovskite-based tandem solar cells, with a summary of the most successful works.

This review investigates the concept of introducing disorder to single-walled carbon nanotubes for enhancement of their optical properties.

This review focuses on recent progress in defect-engineered novel functionalities of complex oxide thin films for electronics and energy applications, and current challenges and perspectives.

Oxygen vacancies can promote Li-ion diffusion, reduce the charge transfer resistance, and improve the capacity and rate performance of Li-ion batteries. However, oxygen vacancies can also lead to accelerated degradation of the cathode material structure, and lead to phase transition etc.

Ultrasmall Au NCs have recently emerged as functional bionanomaterials due to their unique physicochemical and theranostic properties. To explore the therapeutic potential of Au NCs and to overcome biological barriers, interfacial engineering approaches are discussed in details.

A systematical summary of the recent progress of porous graphene networks applied in different components of lithium–sulfur batteries.

We summarize recent developments of Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites as intriguing and high-performing electrocatalysts for key reactions relevant to energy conversion and storage at both low and high temperatures.

Recent advances in the development and application of novel anisotropic wetting interfacial phenomena through the use of unique micro-/nanostructures have been summarized.

This review summarizes the opportunities offered by internal and external confinement of single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) in catalysts, drug delivery, sensing, and other emerging potential applications.

The electron transport layer plays an essential part for high-performing perovskite solar cells, on which successful extraction of charges from light harvester and the transfer to the electrode are critically dependent.

Lignin-based smart materials are emerging into advanced material applications as stimuli-responsive actuators, sensors, controlled release systems, and more.

Growth of non-layered 2D materials and their application in photoelectric devices are summarized, accompanied by prospects for future development.

Various intermolecular interactions in perovskite solar cells can help in improving efficiency and stability.

The surface biofunctionalization of a biomaterial aim to enhance their biofunctionality at the cellular/tissue level. This review summarized different biofunctionalization strategies applied in the Tissue Engineering and Medicine Regenerative field.

Self-assembling peptide hydrogels can effectively transport, hold and release therapeutic molecules in a spatially and temporally controlled manner and, in doing so, improve anti-cancer drug efficacy while reducing non-specific toxicity.

Through additive manufacturing (AM) of natural biopolymers, significant progress has been made in the field of biomedical devices and bone tissue engineering of low load bearing applications like maxillofacial, bone defects, and dental.

Crystal regulation as the “key” powerfully unlocks the “crystal house” for fast and stable Mg ion migration and storage.

We introduce green synthetic methods and environmentally benign processing strategies that provide some ideas for total green fabrication of electronic devices.

The basic knowledge in battery research bridging the gap between academia and industry was reviewed by the authors from both fields.

The rational design of various hollow array architectures, including their advantages, synthetic strategies and applications in energy storage, is reviewed in this study.

This review unravels the interaction of PC and PEC water splitting with interfacial ferroelectric polarization.

This review summarizes the advances and challenges of shape memory polymers with nano/microstructures from materials to applications.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate), PEDOT:PSS, has been widely used as an effective hole transporting material in many different organic semiconductor devices for well over a decade.

In this review, we summarize the anodic interface problems, advanced strategies, in situ characterization technologies and future perspectives of SSLMBs.

In this review, we provide a comprehensive discussion of how to design a stable slippery lubricant-infused porous surface. The design principles and preparation methods for enhancing the stability of the lubricant layer are illustrated.

Cellulose nanomaterials, often called nanocellulose, have created a lot of buzz as a renewable building block for new materials. In this review, the steps necessary to generate soluble nanocellulose-based drug carriers are discussed, which includes surface modifications and toxicity.

Various cracking methods and its applications for transparent conductors, sensors, and microfluidics.

Mechanochemistry became a powerful and popular method for the preparation of various porous materials.

In this review, recent progress in the development of semiconducting polymer brushes for advanced cancer theranostics has been presented.

A summary of the characteristics and switching mechanisms of memristors based on novel 2D materials.

Review of nonlamellar lipidic mesophases as matrices for organic and enzymatic reactions, and synthesis of polymeric, metallic and mesoporous materials.

A critical review on the potential of nano-porous graphene materials, their key structural and physicochemical properties for applications in the areas of separation and sensing and energy storage.

High-ionic-conductivity solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) have been extensively explored for electrochemical energy storage technologies because these materials can enhance the safety of solid-state energy storage devices (SSESDs).

Trivalent erbium, Er³⁺, with its 4f¹¹ electronic configuration, was the first lanthanide cation for which linear upconversion could be induced in a molecular complex. The reasons for this success and its perspectives are discussed in this review.

A systematic comparison between electrochemical and organic bioelectronic sensors reveals a unified rational description for a transistor amplified detection.