http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/rss/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1521-4095

Single Molecules

Ho”Pui Ho, Wu Yuan, and co”workers have developed a nanopore”in”a”tube (NIAT) device that precisely regulates molecule translocation in a funnel”shaped nanopore by controlling the inertial angle and centrifugation speed in a centrifuge. This ensures stable signal readout with a high signal”to”noise ratio, enabling nanoscale sensing of single molecules. More details can be found in article number 2400018.

The review offers a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the realm of topological spin structures in a variety of magnetic materials. It delves into the fundamental magnetic properties of these spin textures, experimental observations in various materials, and their potential applications, highlighting the significant influence these advancements may have on future technological innovations.

In the face of escalating modern data storage demands and the constraints of Moore's Law, exploring spintronic solutions, particularly the devices based on magnetic skyrmions, has emerged as a promising frontier in scientific research. Since the first experimental observation of skyrmions, topological spin textures have been extensively studied for their great potential as efficient information carriers in spintronic devices. However, significant challenges have emerged alongside this progress. This review aims to synthesize recent advances in skyrmion research while addressing the major issues encountered in the field. Additionally, current research on promising topological spin structures in addition to skyrmions is summarized. Beyond 2D structures, exploration also extends to 1D magnetic solitons and 3D spin textures. In addition, a diverse array of emerging magnetic materials is introduced, including antiferromagnets and 2D van der Waals magnets, broadening the scope of potential materials hosting topological spin textures. Through a systematic examination of magnetic principles, topological categorization, and the dynamics of spin textures, a comprehensive overview of experimental and theoretical advances in the research of topological magnetism is provided. Finally, both conventional and unconventional applications are summarized based on spin textures proposed thus far. This review provides an outlook on future development in applied spintronics.

Swarm behaviors observed in nature have inspired the development of synthetic swarms. This review covers key aspects of synthetic swarms, including features of individual agents, external stimuli, swarm behaviors, and applications, examines underlying mechanisms of swarm generation and the emergence of machine intelligence, and envisions the realization of swarm autonomy.

Swarm behaviors are common in nature, where individual organisms collaborate via perception, communication, and adaptation. Emulating these dynamics, large groups of active agents can self-organize through localized interactions, giving rise to complex swarm behaviors, which exhibit potential for applications across various domains. This review presents a comprehensive summary and perspective of synthetic swarms, to bridge the gap between the microscale individual agents and potential applications of synthetic swarms. It is begun by examining active agents, the fundamental units of synthetic swarms, to understand the origins of their motility and functionality in the presence of external stimuli. Then inter-agent communications and agent-environment communications that contribute to the swarm generation are summarized. Furthermore, the swarm behaviors reported to date and the emergence of machine intelligence within these behaviors are reviewed. Eventually, the applications enabled by distinct synthetic swarms are summarized. By discussing the emergent machine intelligence in swarm behaviors, insights are offered into the design and deployment of autonomous synthetic swarms for real-world applications.

Nucleic acid nanostructures have been intracellular drug carriers for nanomedicine applications for two decades, but their interaction with cells in vivo has gained clarity only recently. This review features their cellular-level distribution in various organs and the cellular responses induced in rodents, large animals, and humans. It concludes with directions for probing cell-nanoparticle interactions and regulatory updates for clinical translation.

Nucleic acid nanostructures, derived from the assembly of nucleic acid building blocks (e.g., plasmids and oligonucleotides), are important intracellular carriers of therapeutic cargoes widely utilized in preclinical nanomedicine applications, yet their clinical translation remains scarce. In the era of “translational nucleic acid nanotechnology”, a deeper mechanistic understanding of the interactions of nucleic acid nanostructures with cells in vivo will guide the development of more efficacious nanomedicines. This review showcases the recent progress in dissecting the in vivo interactions of four key types of nucleic acid nanostructures (i.e., tile-based, origami, spherical nucleic acid, and nucleic acid nanogel) with cells in rodents over the past five years. Emphasis lies on the cellular-level distribution of nucleic acid nanostructures in various organs and tissues and the cellular responses induced by their cellular entry. Next, in the spirit of preclinical translation, this review features the latest interactions of nucleic acid nanostructures with cells in large animals and humans. Finally, the review offers directions for studying the interactions of nucleic acid nanostructures with cells from both materials and biology perspectives and concludes with some regulatory updates.

Liquid crystal polymers have garnered substantial interest in the pursuit of intelligent robots, thanks to their capacity for reversible shape transformation and the vast potential for manifesting physical intelligence. In this review, a focused summary of the stimulation methodologies employed from various perspectives is provided and discusses current research trends in robotics to imbue physical intelligence into LC polymer systems.

Responsive materials possess the inherent capacity to autonomously sense and respond to various external stimuli, demonstrating physical intelligence. Among the diverse array of responsive materials, liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) stand out for their remarkable reversible stimuli-responsive shape-morphing properties and their potential for creating soft robots. While numerous reviews have extensively detailed the progress in developing LCP-based actuators and robots, there exists a need for comprehensive summaries that elucidate the underlying principles governing actuation and how physical intelligence is embedded within these systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in developing actuators and robots endowed with physical intelligence using LCPs. This review is structured around the stimulus conditions and categorizes the studies involving responsive LCPs based on the fundamental control and stimulation logic and approach. Specifically, three main categories are examined: systems that respond to changing stimuli, those operating under constant stimuli, and those equip with learning and logic control capabilities. Furthermore, the persisting challenges that need to be addressed are outlined and discuss the future avenues of research in this dynamic field.

Current mechanistic understanding of safety issues and discussions on state-of-the-art nonflammable liquid electrolytes design for Li-ion batteries is summarized based on the level of molecule, solvation, and battery compatibility. Typical methods for safety tests are presented to evaluate fire risk of battery. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of developing nonflammability for Li-ion electrolyte are discussed.

Li-ion batteries are essential technologies for electronic products in the daily life. However, serious fire safety concerns that are closely associated with the flammable liquid electrolyte remains a key challenge. Tremendous effort has been devoted to designing nonflammable liquid electrolytes. It is critical to gain comprehensive insights into nonflammability design and inspire more efficient approaches for building safer Li-ion batteries. This review presents current mechanistic understanding of safety issues and discusses state-of-the-art nonflammable liquid electrolytes design for Li-ion batteries based on molecule, solvation, and battery compatibility level. Various safety test methods are discussed for reliable safety risk evaluation. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of the nonflammability design for Li-ion electrolytes are summarized.

This review summarizes the latest advancements in new carbon material-based multifunctional soft electronics across a range of performance aspects, emphasizing the effects of microstructural design, fabrication method, and the incorporation of various materials to construct different composites on the physical sensing, EMI shielding, and thermal management. Furthermore, the device integration strategies and corresponding intriguing multifunctional applications are highlighted.

Soft electronics are garnering significant attention due to their wide-ranging applications in artificial skin, health monitoring, human–machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Various soft physical sensors such as mechanical sensors, temperature sensors, and humidity sensors are the fundamental building blocks for soft electronics. While the fast growth and widespread utilization of electronic devices have elevated life quality, the consequential electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radiation pose potential threats to device precision and human health. Another substantial concern pertains to overheating issues that occur during prolonged operation. Therefore, the design of multifunctional soft electronics exhibiting excellent capabilities in sensing, EMI shielding, and thermal management is of paramount importance. Because of the prominent advantages in chemical stability, electrical and thermal conductivity, and easy functionalization, new carbon materials including carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives, graphdiyne, and sustainable natural-biomass-derived carbon are particularly promising candidates for multifunctional soft electronics. This review summarizes the latest advancements in multifunctional soft electronics based on new carbon materials across a range of performance aspects, mainly focusing on the structure or composite design, and fabrication method on the physical signals monitoring, EMI shielding, and thermal management. Furthermore, the device integration strategies and corresponding intriguing applications are highlighted. Finally, this review presents prospects aimed at overcoming current barriers and advancing the development of state-of-the-art multifunctional soft electronics.

The article comprehensively reviews recent advances in fracture-resistant stretchable materials and highlights their applications across various fields.

Stretchable materials, such as gels and elastomers, are attractive materials in diverse applications. Their versatile fabrication platforms enable the creation of materials with various physiochemical properties and geometries. However, the mechanical performance of traditional stretchable materials is often hindered by the deficiencies in their energy dissipation system, leading to lower fracture resistance and impeding their broader range of applications. Therefore, the synthesis of fracture-resistant stretchable materials has attracted great interest. This review comprehensively summarizes key design considerations for constructing fracture-resistant stretchable materials, examines their synthesis strategies to achieve elevated fracture energy, and highlights recent advancements in their potential applications.

This review examines advancements in integrated photonic neuromorphic systems, focusing on materials and device engineering breakthroughs needed to advance the field. We analyze various technologies in neuromorphic photonic AI accelerators, evaluating energy efficiency and compute density. Highlighting components like PCSEL lasers and optical interconnects, we discuss recent breakthroughs and recognize obstacles to achieving peta-level performance. Potential innovations in devices, materials, and integration are explored to overcome these challenges and transform AI and scientific computing in the near future.

In the dynamic landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), two notable phenomena are becoming predominant: the exponential growth of large AI model sizes and the explosion of massive amount of data. Meanwhile, scientific research such as quantum computing and protein synthesis increasingly demand higher computing capacities. As the Moore's Law approaches its terminus, there is an urgent need for alternative computing paradigms that satisfy this growing computing demand and break through the barrier of the von Neumann model. Neuromorphic computing, inspired by the mechanism and functionality of human brains, uses physical artificial neurons to do computations and is drawing widespread attention. This review studies the expansion of optoelectronic devices on photonic integration platforms that has led to significant growth in photonic computing, where photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have enabled ultrafast artificial neural networks (ANN) with sub-nanosecond latencies, low heat dissipation, and high parallelism. In particular, various technologies and devices employed in neuromorphic photonic AI accelerators, spanning from traditional optics to PCSEL lasers are examined. Lastly, it is recognized that existing neuromorphic technologies encounter obstacles in meeting the peta-level computing speed and energy efficiency threshold, and potential approaches in new devices, fabrication, materials, and integration to drive innovation are also explored. As the current challenges and barriers in cost, scalability, footprint, and computing capacity are resolved one-by-one, photonic neuromorphic systems are bound to co-exist with, if not replace, conventional electronic computers and transform the landscape of AI and scientific computing in the foreseeable future.

In this review, various regenerative strategies based on bioactive glass (BG) (e.g. application of BG dissolution products, surface functionalization of BG, loading of biochemical factor/gene in BG particles/nanoparticles, composite polymer-BG scaffold, and BG-induced production of extracellular vesicles) targeting different tissues/organs (e.g. muscle, cartilage, skin, oral tissue, gastrointestinal tissue) are introduced.

Bioactive glass (BG) is a class of biocompatible, biodegradable, multifunctional inorganic glass materials, which is successfully used for orthopedic and dental applications, with several products already approved for clinical use. Apart from exhibiting osteogenic properties, BG is also known to be angiogenic and antibacterial. Recently, BG's role in immunomodulation has been gradually revealed. While the therapeutic effect of BG is mostly reported in the context of bone and skin-related regeneration, its application in regenerating other tissues/organs, such as muscle, cartilage, and gastrointestinal tissue, has also been explored recently. The strategies of applying BG have also expanded from powder or cement form to more advanced strategies such as fabrication of composite polymer-BG scaffold, 3D printing of BG-loaded scaffold, and BG-induced extracellular vesicle production. This review presents a concise overview of the recent applications of BG in regenerative medicine. Various regenerative strategies of BG will be first introduced. Next, the applications of BG in regenerating various tissues/organs, such as bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, skin, and gastrointestinal tissue, will be discussed. Finally, clinical applications of BG for tissue regeneration will be summarized, and future challenges and directions for the clinical translation of BG will be outlined.

Light-driven droplet manipulation strategies, featured in contactless interaction, high-spatiotemporal resolution, and biocompatibility, are considered promising, particularly for biochemical applications. Special attention is paid to the underlying mechanisms, recent advancements of light-responsive materials, and the most notable applications of light-driven droplet manipulation in this review.

Miniaturized droplets, characterized by well-controlled microenvironments and capability for parallel processing, have significantly advanced the studies on enzymatic evolution, molecular diagnostics, and single-cell analysis. However, manipulation of small-sized droplets, including moving, merging, and trapping of the targeted droplets for complex biochemical assays and subsequent analysis, is not trivial and remains technically demanding. Among various techniques, light-driven methods stand out as a promising candidate for droplet manipulation in a facile and flexible manner, given the features of contactless interaction, high spatiotemporal resolution, and biocompatibility. This review therefore compiles an in-depth discussion of the governing mechanisms underpinning light-driven droplet manipulation. Besides, light-responsive materials, representing the core of light–matter interaction and the key character converting light into different forms of energy, are particularly assessed in this review. Recent advancements in light-responsive materials and the most notable applications are comprehensively archived and evaluated. Continuous innovations and rational engineering of light-responsive materials are expected to propel the development of light-driven droplet manipulation, equip droplets with enhanced functionality, and broaden the applications of droplets for biochemical studies and routine biochemical investigations.

This work reviews the recent progress of 2D ferroelectric devices for in-sensing and in-memory neuromorphic computing. Experimental and theoretical progresses on 2D ferroelectric devices, including passive ferroelectrics-integrated 2D devices and active ferroelectrics-integrated 2D devices are reviewed followed by the integration of perception, memory, and computing application. Notably, the 2D ferroelectric devices have been used to simulate synaptic weights, neuronal model functions, and neural networks for image processing.

The quantity of sensor nodes within current computing systems is rapidly increasing in tandem with the sensing data. The presence of a bottleneck in data transmission between the sensors, computing, and memory units obstructs the system's efficiency and speed. To minimize the latency of data transmission between units, novel in-memory and in-sensor computing architectures are proposed as alternatives to the conventional von Neumann architecture, aiming for data-intensive sensing and computing applications. The integration of 2D materials and 2D ferroelectric materials has been expected to build these novel sensing and computing architectures due to the dangling-bond-free surface, ultra-fast polarization flipping, and ultra-low power consumption of the 2D ferroelectrics. Here, the recent progress of 2D ferroelectric devices for in-sensing and in-memory neuromorphic computing is reviewed. Experimental and theoretical progresses on 2D ferroelectric devices, including passive ferroelectrics-integrated 2D devices and active ferroelectrics-integrated 2D devices, are reviewed followed by the integration of perception, memory, and computing application. Notably, 2D ferroelectric devices have been used to simulate synaptic weights, neuronal model functions, and neural networks for image processing. As an emerging device configuration, 2D ferroelectric devices have the potential to expand into the sensor-memory and computing integration application field, leading to new possibilities for modern electronics.

Radiative cooling (RC) is a carbon-neutral technology that harnesses the coldness of the outer space to lower the temperature of objects. This review introduces the working principles, designs, and fabrications of state-of-the-art RC materials, categorized as static-homogeneous, static-composite, dynamic, and multifunctional. Through outlining future trends and solutions, this review will serve as a roadmap for the development of RC materials.

Radiative cooling (RC) is a carbon-neutral cooling technology that utilizes thermal radiation to dissipate heat from the Earth's surface to the cold outer space. Research in the field of RC has garnered increasing interest from both academia and industry due to its potential to drive sustainable economic and environmental benefits to human society by reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from conventional cooling systems. Materials innovation is the key to fully exploit the potential of RC. This review aims to elucidate the materials development with a focus on the design strategy including their intrinsic properties, structural formations, and performance improvement. The main types of RC materials, i.e., static-homogeneous, static-composite, dynamic, and multifunctional materials, are systematically overviewed. Future trends, possible challenges, and potential solutions are presented with perspectives in the concluding part, aiming to provide a roadmap for the future development of advanced RC materials.

This review highlights recent advances in musculoskeletal organs-on-chips (OoCs) and discusses the integration of nanotechnology in musculoskeletal OoCs for precise control of the nanoscale environment and facilitated functional evaluation. The role of musculoskeletal OoCs in improving the precision, safety, and efficacy of nanomedicine is then addressed. Finally, the challenges and potential of nanotechnology in OoCs are envisioned.

Nanotechnology-based approaches are promising for the treatment of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, which present significant clinical burdens and challenges, but their clinical translation requires a deep understanding of the complex interplay between nanotechnology and MSK biology. Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems have emerged as an innovative and versatile microphysiological platform to replicate the dynamics of tissue microenvironment for studying nanotechnology–biology interactions. This review first covers recent advances and applications of MSK OoCs and their ability to mimic the biophysical and biochemical stimuli encountered by MSK tissues. Next, by integrating nanotechnology into MSK OoCs, cellular responses and tissue behaviors may be investigated by precisely controlling and manipulating the nanoscale environment. Analysis of MSK disease mechanisms, particularly bone, joint, and muscle tissue degeneration, and drug screening and development of personalized medicine may be greatly facilitated using MSK OoCs. Finally, future challenges and directions are outlined for the field, including advanced sensing technologies, integration of immune-active components, and enhancement of biomimetic functionality. By highlighting the emerging applications of MSK OoCs, this review aims to advance the understanding of the intricate nanotechnology–MSK biology interface and its significance in MSK disease management, and the development of innovative and personalized therapeutic and interventional strategies.

This review explores recent progress in photothermal CO2 conversion, focusing on catalyst design, mechanism analysis, reactor engineering, and techno-economic aspects. It emphasizes the need to address rising atmospheric CO2 levels by converting CO2 into valuable chemicals using renewable solar energy, offering insights and future research directions in managing the anthropogenic carbon cycle.

Carbon dioxide (CO2), a member of greenhouse gases, contributes significantly to maintaining a tolerable environment for all living species. However, with the development of modern society and the utilization of fossil fuels, the concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased to 400 ppm, resulting in a serious greenhouse effect. Thus, converting CO2 into valuable chemicals is highly desired, especially with renewable solar energy, which shows great potential with the manner of photothermal catalysis. In this review, recent advancements in photothermal CO2 conversion are discussed, including the design of catalysts, analysis of mechanisms, engineering of reactors, and the corresponding techno-economic analysis. A guideline for future investigation and the anthropogenic carbon cycle are provided.

In this review, the research status and synthetic challenges in correlated single-atom catalysts (SACs) are showcased. Existing strategies, such as the regulation of nucleation kinetics, nanoscale confinement, defect-assisted metal trapping, precise control via ligand chemistry, and stepwise deposition, are highlighted. A complementary perspective on emerging methods is provided for high throughput screening and upscaling toward the next-stage catalyst production.

People have been looking for an energy-efficient and sustainable method to produce future chemicals for decades. Heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) with atomic dispersion of robust, well-characterized active centers are highly desirable. In particular, correlated SACs with cooperative interaction between adjacent single atoms allow the switching of the single-site pathway to the dual or multisite pathway, thus promoting bimolecular or more complex reactions for the synthesis of fine chemicals. Herein, the structural uniqueness of correlated SACs, including the intermetal distance and electronic interaction in homo/heteronuclear metal sites is featured. Recent advances in the production methods of correlated SACs, showcasing the research status and challenges in traditional methods (such as pyrolysis, wet impregnation, and confined synthesis) for building a comprehensive multimetallic SAC library, are summarized. Emerging strategies such as process automation and continuous-flow synthesis are highlighted, minimizing the inconsistency in laboratory batch production and allowing high throughput screening and upscaling toward the next-stage chemical production by correlated SACs.

Conducting CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) in acidic electrolytes offers a promising solution to address the “carbonate issue”—the undesired reaction between CO2 and electrolyte OH−, aiming to provide a high carbon utilization. This review encompasses recent developments of acidic CO2RR, including mechanism elucidation, catalyst design, and device-level engineering. Challenges and future directions are highlighted to shed light on its further development.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) powered by renewable energy provides a promising route to CO2 conversion and utilization. However, the widely used neutral/alkaline electrolyte consumes a large amount of CO2 to produce (bi)carbonate byproducts, leading to significant challenges at the device level, thereby impeding the further deployment of this reaction. Conducting CO2RR in acidic electrolytes offers a promising solution to address the “carbonate issue”; however, it presents inherent difficulties due to the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, necessitating concerted efforts toward advanced catalyst and electrode designs to achieve high selectivity and activity. This review encompasses recent developments of acidic CO2RR, from mechanism elucidation to catalyst design and device engineering. This review begins by discussing the mechanistic understanding of the reaction pathway, laying the foundation for catalyst design in acidic CO2RR. Subsequently, an in-depth analysis of recent advancements in acidic CO2RR catalysts is provided, highlighting heterogeneous catalysts, surface immobilized molecular catalysts, and catalyst surface enhancement. Furthermore, the progress made in device-level applications is summarized, aiming to develop high-performance acidic CO2RR systems. Finally, the existing challenges and future directions in the design of acidic CO2RR catalysts are outlined, emphasizing the need for improved selectivity, activity, stability, and scalability.

An active-mode hydrodynamic metamaterial is developed with flow-dipoles, enabling active control of the flow field with various functionalities. By adjusting the flow-dipole moment, invisibility, flow shielding, and flow enhancing are achieved. Furthermore, it is environmentally adaptive and maintains proper functions in different environments. Thus, this design can significantly enhance tunability and adaptability of hydrodynamic metamaterials in complex and ever-changing environments.

As hydrodynamic metamaterials continue to develop, the inherent limitations of passive-mode metamaterials become increasingly apparent. First, passive devices are typically designed for specific environments and lack the adaptability to environmental changes. Second, their unique functions often rely on intricate structures, or challenging material properties, or a combination of both. These limitations considerably hinder the potential applications of hydrodynamic metamaterials. In this study, an active-mode hydrodynamic metamaterial is theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated by incorporating source-and-sink flow-dipoles into the system, enabling active manipulation of the flow field with various functionalities. By adjusting the magnitude and direction of the flow-dipole moment, this device can easily achieve invisibility, flow shielding, and flow enhancing. Furthermore, it is environmentally adaptive and can maintain proper functions in different environments. It is anticipated that this design will significantly enhance tunability and adaptability of hydrodynamic metamaterials in complex and ever-changing environments.