From design to synthesis, functionalization strategies and advanced characterizations

Guest Edited by Professor Chiara Battocchio (Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy), Professor Ilaria Fratoddi (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) and Professor Barbara Capone (Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy).

Submit before 15 July 2023

In the last decades, a considerable effort has been focused on nanostructured materials (NMs), trying to find the correlation between structure and unexpected characteristics, which otherwise would not be possible at longer scales. NMs possess unique and widely tunable physicochemical properties, enabling unconventional applications to be achieved, ranging from nanomedicine, environmental science, catalysis to optoelectronics and energy conversion.

The design, synthesis and functionalization methods of NMs are oriented to a smart tailoring of the morpho-structural properties with the aim of improving their processability and applicability. However, the “perfect” material suitable for each application, requires precise control on the molecular and electronic structure as well as of the morphology of the nanomaterial.

Novel functionalised NMs require innovative design techniques, that foresee the creation of new paths where theoretical approaches walk side by side with modern synthetic methodologies and characterizations. The last decades saw the rise of theoretical and computational as a powerful tool to either predict on a mesoscopic scale (coarse graining, multiscale) the main features that would optimise the functionalisation of the designed materials, or to focus on very specific (atomistic) mechanisms unveiling the origins of specific properties in the materials.

Among others, the wet synthesis methods of nanomaterials possess a unique versatility to obtain different shapes, sizes and external functionalizing layers, which in turn prove to be an easy path for the customization of their properties.

Recently, the possibility to conjugate spectroscopic techniques with microscopy at nanometric level, as for example by combining X-ray spectroscopy with electron microscopy (SPELEEM), elicits a huge interest. Another issue that is having a very big development is the possibility to carry on X-ray photoemission experiments in non-UHV conditions, as in near ambient photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP), using a cell or an electrospray beam of nanoparticles in solution.

This collection focuses on the design, synthesis and advanced characterizations of functional NMs, e.g. metal, metal oxides, and hybrid nanoparticles by means of state-of-the-art spectroscopic and imaging techniques.

You are welcome to submit an original research article within the scope.

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office by email.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that article processing charges apply to all articles submitted to Nanoscale Advances if, following peer-review, they are accepted for publication. Details of the APC and discounted rates can be found here.

Guest Editors: Run Zhang (The University of Queensland, Australia), Songjun Zeng (Hunan University, China), Rona Chandrawati (University of New South Wales, Australia)

To address challenges in the management of gases (including noxious gas and therapeutic gas), a series of nanoscale materials with fascinating structural, physical, and chemical characteristics have been developed for gas sensing and delivery in recent years. This themed collection in Nanoscale Advances aims to provide a forum for recent trends in the rapidly evolving field of nanomaterials for gas sensing and delivery. We welcome articles on the following topics:

• synthetic strategies
• theoretical understanding
• regulation of nanomaterials with gas sensing properties
• nanosensors for the detection and identification of gaseous molecules (e.g. gasotransmitters, noxious gases, gaseous pollutants, etc.)
• theranostic nanotechnology for drug-like gases delivery for the treatment of various diseases (e.g. cancer, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular disorders, etc.)
• nanomaterial engineered devices and scaffolds for gas detection and therapies
• other gas-related sensing technology and treatment procedures

You are welcome to submit an original research article within the scope.

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office by email.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that article processing charges apply to all articles submitted to Nanoscale Advances if, following peer-review, they are accepted for publication. Details of the APC and discounted rates can be found here.

Guest Editors: Catarina Pinto Reis (University of Lisbon, Portugal), Maria Manuela Gaspar (University of Lisbon, Portugal), Carlos A García-González (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

In this collection we welcome articles on the following topics:

• drug carriers
• drug delivery
• biopolymers
• nanomaterials
• local and systemic delivery
• in situ delivery
• passive drug delivery
• targeted drug delivery
• nanoscale dosage forms
• nanomedicine
• supramolecular structures
• polymer conjugated
• pre-clinical studies
• in vitro models
• medical devices
• regulatory affairs

You are welcome to submit an original research article within the scope.

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office by email.

Manuscripts should be submitted via the Royal Society of Chemistry’s online submission service and the Editorial Office informed by email. Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Please note that article processing charges apply to all articles submitted to Nanoscale Advances if, following peer-review, they are accepted for publication. Details of the APC and discounted rates can be found here.

Guest Editors: Jin Zou, University of Queensland, Australia

To obtain nanomaterials with desired properties, various advanced fabrication techniques have been widely developed and frequently employed. Among them, as a key discipline of the bottom-up approach, epitaxial growth allows the grown nanostructures to have well defied orientation relationships, crystallographic directions/planes, crystal structures/phases, and facets/interfaces with their underlying substrates. Such unique features are often essential for securing their unique and high-efficient applications. In the recent decades, epitaxial growth has been widely employed to grow various advanced nanostructures, including semiconductor nanostructures (such as quantum dots, semiconductor nanowires and quantum wells), 2D nanostructures (including ultra-thin nanosheets), and hierarchical nanostructured metal-organic frameworks (MOF-on-MOF). In this theme, we intend to collect a set of manuscripts on the development of these three groups of epitaxial nanostructures, in which their outstanding properties are obtained due to the epitaxy.

We are delighted to consider original research articles within the scope.

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office by email.

Please note that article processing charges apply to all articles submitted to Nanoscale Advances if, following peer-review, they are accepted for publication. Details of the APC and discounted rates can be found here. Corresponding authors who are not already members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are entitled to one year’s Affiliate membership as part of their APC. Find out more about our member benefits.

The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances.

Guest Editors: Zhaojun Han, Ruopian (Sophie) Fang, Dewei Chu, Da-Wei Wang (all affiliated with University of New South Wales)

Advisory Guest Editor: Kostya Ostrikov

Supercapacitors are important electrochemical energy storage devices that can deliver high power, fast charge/discharge rate, long lifespan and safe operation. The last few decades have witnessed significant progress in supercapacitors for clean and sustainable energy applications. Depending on charge storage process, supercapacitors can be classified as electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) or pseudocapacitor. This themed collection will focus on all aspects of supercapacitors, including electrochemistry, electrode materials, electrolytes, performance evaluation, device design and fabrication, and applications. It will also cover the integration of supercapacitors with other energy harvesting or storage systems for broader energy applications. The scope includes:

• New electrode materials for EDLC and pseudocapacitor
• Charge storage mechanism investigation, theory, modelling and simulations
• Electrolyte development
• Performance evaluation such as energy density, power density, safety and cyclability
• Applications of supercapacitors in areas such as electronics, transport, aerospace and stationary power stations
• Integrated energy systems consisting of supercapacitors
• Multifunctional energy storage devices
• Other emerging properties or applications of supercapacitors.

You are welcome to submit either an original research article or a review-type article within the scope.

If you are interested in contributing to this collection please get in touch with the Editorial Office by email.

Please add a “note to the editor” in the submission form when you submit your manuscript to say that this is a submission for the themed collection. The Editorial Office and Guest Editors reserve the right to check suitability of submissions in relation to the scope of the collection and inclusion of accepted articles in the collection is not guaranteed. All manuscripts will be subject to the journal’s usual peer review process. Accepted manuscripts will be added to the online collection as soon as they are online, and they will be published in a regular issue of Nanoscale Advances. Article Processing Charges (APCs) apply to all accepted articles in Nanoscale Advances and more information about APCs and waivers can be found here.