Themed collection Recent Review Articles

This minireview summarizes the recent advances in stimuli-responsive nucleic acid nanostructures for efficient drug delivery in response to endogenous and exogenous stimuli (redox gradient, pH, nuclease, biomacromolecule, and light).

Here, we present the recent progress in the synthesis, property–performance correlation, and novel work on graphene-based nanomaterials (GBnMs) in water treatment technologies, specifically nanofiltration and solar desalination applications.

Due to their unique properties and versatile chemistry, both boron and phosphorous derivatives are lead candidates to access tuneable molecular and nano platforms to fight cancer.

This review analyzes recent developments in the emerging field of printed flexible mechanical sensors. While the field has recently boomed with well performing sensors, systematic ways to print these devices with desired properties are still unclear.

This article reviews the strategies and applications of transfer printing techniques for soft electronics, including their working mechanisms and demonstrations in nanomaterial assembly, curvy electronics, bioelectronics and 3D integrated electronics.

The new era of organic transformations in aqueous media is shifting toward sustainability with the help of various advances in nanoparticles.

This minireview summarizes the latest developments in laser-assisted vacuum processes (LAVPs) and examines their prospective application in next-generation manufacturing processing equipment.

Recent advances in printing and patterning self-assembled peptide nanostructures are highlighted. Ice lithography, which thus far has not been applied to biological macromolecules, is promising for functionalizing and patterning peptides.

We review how crystal facets, structural reconstructions and disorder impact the performance of electrodes for energy conversion.

This article reviews the strategies of maximizing CO₂ photoreduction rates in distinguished ZnS-based photocatalytic systems by continuously optimizing the reaction medium and photocatalysts.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) based on graphene derivatives are an emerging and growing class of materials functioning as two-dimensional (2D) metal-coordination scaffolds with intriguing properties.

Janus nanoparticles, with unique structure and properties, exhibit great advantages in bioimaging field, such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography imaging, etc., which was timely and concisely discussed in this paper.

Hemostatic nanocomposites (e.g., nanofibers, nano-sponges, nanoparticles) aggregate and trap red blood cells and platelets in the wound site, thereby, enhancing and accelerating the blood clotting process.

This review summarizes the processing techniques and optoelectronic design of the perovskite thick-junctions and X-ray detectors, and also points out the key challenges and opportunities, which are promising to explore.

In this review, the latest researches of bismuth-based nanomaterials (Bi-based NPs) as radio-sensitizers are thoroughly elucidated including both advantages to strengthen and disadvantages to improve, providing a useful guidance for the future clinical application.

Both unary Bi and binary BiSn catalysts exhibit high faradaic efficiencies toward the production of formic acid via electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction approach. The electrocatalytic abilities are directly related to the structures and morphologies of the metal-based catalysts.

This Minireview focuses on recent advances in detailed structure–property correlations and light-induced morphological changes of individual metal nanostructures through correlated optical spectroscopy and electron microscopy.

Based on decades of optical application research, the NIR-I and NIR-II window can be expected to involve biomedical applications. The outlook of nano-phosphors composed of transition elements in the fourth period has been described in this review.

This review overviews the fundamentals of radiation detection and summarizes the recent progress on halide perovskite detectors for particle radiation.

The in vitro to in vivo extrapolation models (IVIVE) can support the development of the Next Generation Risk Assessment through integration the AOP-anchored strategy for in vitro assays selection with the PBPK models.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering of living cells can be used to study molecule–nanostructure interactions and biochemical processes in vivo.

This minireview highlights the interests, high potential, applications and perspectives of the emerging low-molecular weight nucleopeptide-based hydrogels.

We review the recent progress in nanotechnology-mediated delivery of therapeutic RNAs that have been employed to evoke tumor suppressing responses for cancer therapy.

This mini review summarizes the recent advances for practical enantioselective sensing platforms with regard to chiral metamaterials and their optical sensing methods.

This review summarizes current development of M/MOF catalysts, and especially focuses on the support effects of MOFs.

p-Type metal oxide semiconductors and their heterojunctions with n-type counterparts provide advanced gas sensing performances powered by their nanostructure design and assembly.

The traditional synthesis of ammonia is an industrial process with high energy consumption that is not environmentally friendly; thus, it is urgent to develop cost-effective approaches to synthesize ammonia under ambient conditions.

This minireview highlights the recent progress in the construction of self-supported MOF-based nanostructures including pristine MOFs, MOF composites and MOF derivative arrays, and their application in SCs.

This mini review summarizes recent progress in polydiacetylene (PDA) mechanochromism, with a special focus on the quantitative and nanoscopic data that have emerged in recent years.

The fossil-fuel shortage and severe environmental issues have posed ever-increasing demands on clean and renewable energy sources, for which the exploration of electrocatalysts has been a big challenge toward energy transfer and storage.

Nanotechnology has provided a platform for producing new photocatalytic materials, where the reduction in length scales has been used to amplify the efficiency of these light active materials.

This review focuses on the wearability of chemical sensors and analyzes pros and cons relating to practical wearable applications. We also discuss the current challenges and outlook relating to flexible and wearable chemical sensors.

An overview of generation, regulation and amplification of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in porous crystalline nanomaterials by direct synthesis, chirality induction or adaption, and symmetry breaking pathways.

A comprehensively understanding on the improving mechanisms of different modulations is reviewed to guide the rational design of catalyst.

Recent progress on the enrichment of high-purity large-diameter semiconducting SWNTs and their application in optoelectronic devices are summarized.

Plasmonic materials are promising for applications in enhanced sensing, energy, and advanced optical communications.

We summarize the current progress of amplifying inorganic chirality using liquid crystals. Chiral interactions between inorganic components and liquid crystals, representative applications, and the perspectives of this field are presented.

Mucosal vaccines can elicit both systemic and mucosal immunity to treat/prevent local mucosal or distant or systemic immune diseases and infection.

This work reviews the state-of-the-art physical reservoir computing systems based on dynamic memristors integrating with unique nonlinear dynamics and short-term memory behavior. The key characteristics, challenges and perspectives are also discussed.

A minireview covering the design principles, recent progress and perspective of conductive MOF/COF based electrocatalysts is made.

The common preparation processes of low-dimensional transition metal sulfide materials and the promotion of their electrocatalytic performance are summarized, and our unique opinions for the development of them are put forward.

Hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles can be promising tools for gene delivery in in vivo reprogramming CAR T cells, as well-designed carriers are needed for targeting and transducing circulating T cells.

This review highlights the design, synthesis, and contrasting mechanisms of magnetic nanoprobes for high-performance ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance imaging.

We reviewed the recent progress of TERS and TEPL in the applications of transition metal dichalcogenides and their heterojunctions.

Schematic illustration of four types of polariton in 2D materials.

Transition metal phosphides are a new class of materials that have attracted enormous attention as a potential electrode for supercapacitors (SCs).

Cavity optomechanics investigates the interaction between electromagnetic waves and mechanical motion enhanced by the resonant cavity. In cavity-less exciton optomechanics, the resonant cavity is replaced by excitonic resonance.

Atomic precision in nanomaterials is required to decipher fundamental aspects of matter at the nanoscale. Here we review separation techniques that can be used to obtain atomically precise nanomaterials.

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (ECRR) is a promising method to reduce excessive CO₂ emissions and achieve a sustainable carbon cycle.

In this review, the possibilities for the characterization and tuning of STEs through multiple degrees of freedom are summarized.

The applications of ruthenium antitumor drugs and delivery systems are developing from single chemotherapy to combination therapy.

This review focuses on the research progress in 1D nanostructured catalysts applied in photo(electro)catalytic CO₂ RR.

This review summarizes the development of copper inks in printing electronics, including classification of inks, printing and sintering methods, antioxidant strategies, and applications for flexible electronics.

Nanoarchitectonics, like architectonics, allows the design and building of structures, but at the nanoscale.

Since its inception nearly 40 years ago [Kallenbach, et al., Nature, 1983, 305, 829; N. C. Seeman, J. Theoretical Biology, 1982, 99, 237], Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology (NAN) has matured and is beginning to find commercial applications.

Alloying is efficient for tuning product selectivity of copper in electrochemical reduction of CO₂. Different alloying strategies and their impacts on product formation paths, the key challenges and future directions of the field have been reviewed.

This review summarizes the current advanced high-crystalline conjugated organic polymeric materials for photocatalytic CO₂ conversion.

This article reviews the fundamentals of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and nanomaterials that have been used to design SERS biosensors for the analysis of surface biomarkers on cells and extracellular vesicles.

This review covers the critical aspects of the applications, fluid mechanics, and colloidal science issues associated with the printable carbon-nanotube-based inks.

Emerging nanotechnology leads to success in synthesizing and applying nanoparticles (NPs) using the green-chemistry approach.

The recent advances in the modulation of interfacial H⁺/Zn²⁺ transport and related redox kinetics to effectively improve the electrochemical responses are systematically summarized.

This review brings together the state-of-the-art theoretical, experimental, and computational knowledge on reversible assembly of nanoparticles to provide comprehensive guidance for addressing nanoparticle assembly and application challenges.

The recent progress in the use of molecular state theory for explanation of the structure–property relationship in carbon dots is summarized.

This review summarizes the research progress of non-precious transition metal single-atom catalysts (NPT-SACs) for the cathode of metal–air batteries and fuel cells, and discusses how to improve the ORR performance of NPT-SACs.

Inverse opal (IO) macroporous semiconductor materials with unique physicochemical advantages have been widely used in solar-related environmental areas.

This review aims at providing a survey of the various designs of nanoparticles containing dye-photosensitized lanthanide ions and their use as luminescent probes, from seminal work to the most recent evolutions.

Single-halide perovskite nanocrystals have attracted attention for PeLEDs with the CIE coordinates achieving Rec. 2020 standard because they could significantly reduce phase separation in mixed-halide perovskites.

Biosynthesized MONPs promote plant growth via improved photosynthesis, antioxidant defense activation and gene upregulation. Hence they can be used as nanofertilizers and further can be applied as nanopesticides/antimicrobial agents/nanobiosensors.

This review outlines how nanoparticle structure and surface coating can be tailored to generate images with high signal and spatial resolution in vivo, which is crucial for developing magnetic particle imaging tracers for biomedical applications.

Novel single-atom catalysts (SACs) have become the frontier materials in the field of environmental remediation, especially wastewater purification because of their nearly 100% ultra-high atomic utilization and excellent properties.