Themed collection Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering

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.

The strategies implemented for upcycling thermoset waste are first reviewed, followed by their strengths and weaknesses; lastly, future directions are highlighted.

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

Oligonucleotide-based targeted therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in medicine, offering treatments for various diseases. We review the hybridisation-dependent off-target effects of therapeutic oligonucleotides, and the DNA nanotechnology-based strategies designed to mitigate these interactions.

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

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.

The successful construction of objective sensors needs to focus on the theoretical elaboration of sensing mechanisms and practical applications for on-site monitoring antibiotics.

This review highlights advancements in the thermal management of graphene-based polymer composites, emphasizing material selection, preparation, modification, structural design, and innovative applications.

Atomic point contact structures are constructed by the electric field-driven nanoionics technique to achieve stable and adjustable quantum conductance states for various applications.

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.

This review introduces three strategies (encapsulation, covalent binding and coordinated bonding) for construction of COF-based nanoplatforms for the integration and delivery of bioactives including small molecule, biomacromolecule and exosome.

The bio-inspired general synthesis strategies of anti-freezing hydrogels and their potential application fields.

The neutral surface in the structural design enables a flexible dual modal strain sensor with strain–temperature decoupling. At the same time, material selection ensures stable sensing of temperature and strain over a wide temperature range.

We used molecular layer deposition technology to deposit polyimide to stabilize RuCat for water oxidation, and the stability was significantly improved.

Multi-functional hemostatic powders with rapid self-gelation, strong acid tolerance, and on-demand removability have been developed via ionic assembly of HTCC and phytic acids for treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Single-crystalline TiN(111) films in acid and alkaline solutions show a superior corrosion resistance compared to polycrystalline TiN films, with unexpected stability and durability of superconducticity.

The first report using peroxide cross-linking to create intrinsic high-elastic relaxor ferroelectric materials for elastic energy storage.

Establishing an efficient and sustainable membrane module is of great significance for practical oil/water emulsion separation.

The ultramicroporous crosslinked polyxanthene-poly(biphenyl piperidinium)-based anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer demonstrated exceptional electrolysis performance under highly alkaline conditions.

In this study, we reported a flower-like Cu₂O@Ag SERS substrate for distinguish three types of cancer cells from white blood cells by using machine learning-assisted LDA, after separating cancer cells from blood samples via a microfluidic chip.

An experimental framework for high-throughput development of tough metallic glass films as strain-sensing materials for application in the field of soft electronics was proposed.

Bioinspired electrothermally activated polymer gel systems with synergistic fluorescence-colour/3D shape changing properties are developed for rewritable and programmable information displays.

This work reports a self-reinforcing ion-conductive elastomer with an ultimate strength of ∼51.0 MPa and an instant resilient efficiency of ∼92.9%, which can be utilized for grid-free position recognition sensors.

By introducing the active telluride Ag₉GaTe₆ in p-type Bi_0.4Sb_1.6Te₃, lath twin boundaries are induced as differential scattering centers for carriers and phonons, leading to improved ZT values and high thermoelectric conversion efficiencies.

A self-healing MoS₂/Ag/WC sandwich-like architecture utilizes spontaneous Ag atom diffusion to repair film defects and ensure long-lasting lubrication in extreme environments.

Dual-mode hydrogels with structural and fluorescent colors are made of rigid pDGI and flexible PAAm/PAAc-CDs. Al³⁺ binding shifts the structural color and the fluorescence simultaneously, which can be restored.

A latent crosslinking reaction between the polymer aerogel and organic PCMs was designed, enabling the PCC to form a copolymer monolith with improved charring ability and intrinsic fire safety when overheated, without flame-retardant modification.

To enhance the operational stability of perovskite light emitting diodes (PeLEDs), 1H,1H-perfluorohexylamine was employed to anchor ions and stabilize perovskite phase, yielding ambient stable film and ultra-stable PeLEDs with 37.2-year T₅₀ lifetime.

This work shows a strategy for the preparation of uniform and high stability sp²C-CPP-based aerogels to simultaneously enhance their photothermal and photocatalytic performance.

Through highly oriented arrangement of graphene, ultra-low junction thermal resistance structure, and phase-change microcapsule technology, we developed composites with high thermal conductivity (103 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) and fast phase-change heat absorption.

A new long-term anti-biofouling composite coating combining g-C₃N₄ nanosheets with degradable green poly-Schiff base resins, which integrates the dual functions of enhanced dynamic self-renewal and photocatalytic antibacterial activities.

The structural evolution of CoSe₂ from 2D to 1D is achieved through the precise regulation of sulfur. The obtained S-CoSe₂ NWs can efficiently mobilize nitrate reduction to ammonia in temperate environments.

A novel interface-engineering strategy consisting of the subtle control of the phase transition direction and interface diffusion reaction was proposed, successfully realizing self-organized surfaces and interfaces for use in harsh environments.

Large-scale production of highly oriented BN-based TIMs with high through-plane thermal conductivity and low compression modulus.

Efficient hot exciton emitters are crucial for having a narrow energy gap between the lowest singlet excited (S₁) state and the second triplet excited (T₂) state while also ensuring that the T₂ state is slightly higher than that of the S₁ state.

A laser welding technique that allows for rapidly joining macroscopic 3D graphene materials together under ambient conditions is theoretically proposed and experimentally realized.

Utilizing acylhydrazone-bonded waterborne polyurethane as a dynamic covalent polymer engineering approach, self-repairing perovskite solar cells demonstrate excellent durability with activation occurring at a relatively low temperature of ∼60 ^oC.

Molecular orbital management strategy has enabled the first “hot excitons” polymer materials with multiple excitons transfer channels between T_n and S_m states and the large spin–orbit coupling between the energetically close T_n and S_m states.

Dual-infinite coordination polymer-engineered nanomedicines Fc@Ca–TA NPs for dual-ion interference-mediated oxidative stress-dependent tumor suppression.

A smart spiderweb composed of graphene/carbon sphere hybrid in a self-supported form was rationally designed, which enabled dynamic strain competition to efficiently perceive both an ultralow airflow of 0.0087 m s⁻¹ and high velocity of 23 m s⁻¹.

A fully hydrophobic ionogel sensor possesses excellent underwater sensing performance with high sensitivity, rapid responsiveness and superior durability, showing great potential in underwater communication and marine biological research.