To celebrate some of the excellent articles published in Nanoscale Advances this year, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail.

Check out the infographic below which summarises the key message from Everaert et al.’s work entitled ‘Monitoring magnetic nanoparticle clustering and immobilization with thermal noise magnetometry using optically pumped magnetometers‘.

Discover the key message from this article

Want to find out more? Read the full article here!

Monitoring magnetic nanoparticle clustering and immobilization with thermal noise magnetometry using optically pumped magnetometers

Katrijn Everaert, Tilmann Sander, Rainer Körber, Norbert Löwa, Bartel Van Waeyenberge, Jonathan Leliaert and Frank Wiekhorst

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 2341-2351, DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00016H

To celebrate some of the excellent work that has recently been published in Nanoscale Advances, we asked some of our authors to discuss their work in more detail. In this post, we hear from Daria Miliaieva and her co-authors about their recently published article entitled “Absolute energy levels in nanodiamonds of different origins and surface chemistries“.

Discover the key message from this article

Meet the authors

Daria Miliaieva obtained her PhD in Materials and electrotechnology from the Czech Technical University in Prague in 2019 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Czech Academy of Sciences from 2020 to 2023. In 2023 she started her Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at Taltech in Estonia, working on novel chalcogenide materials for photovoltaics. Most of her interest is drawn to analyzing energetic bands in materials by a combination of techniques like UPS/XPS, Kelvin probe, electrochemical spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

Bohuslav Rezek graduated from Physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague in 1996. In 2001 he obtained PhD at the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) in the study of charge transport in silicon thin films for photovoltaics by using scanning probe techniques. After his PhD, he was doing research on diamond devices and interfaces in Germany, Switzerland and Japan. In 2006 he became a research team leader and Purkyne Fellow at the Institute of Physics CAS. In 2015 he became the head of the Physics department at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. In 2019 he became a full professor there. His research is focused on correlative microscopic and micro-spectroscopic analyses of semiconductor and organic materials towards opto-electronic and bio-electronic applications.

Jan Čermák obtained his PhD in optics and optoelectronics in 2010 at Charles University, Prague. He works at the Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences within the Department of Semiconductors. His scientific research is focused on the optoelectronic properties of carbon-based materials (polymers, diamond) related to photovoltaics. His approach to that is mainly via advanced electronic modes of atomic force microscopy under controlled illumination.

Jaroslav Kuliček obtained a PhD in macromolecular chemistry from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2017 and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Polymer Institute from 2017 to 2018. In 2018 he started his Postdoctoral Fellowship at Czech Technical University in Prague, focused on optoelectronic characterization of photoactive materials using micro-spectroscopic methods such as Confocal Raman and Photoluminescence, AFM/photo-KPFM, Kelvin Probe and Air Photoemission Spectroscopy.

An interview with the authors

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am focusing on the investigation of optoelectronic properties of the materials that can be useful in photovoltaics. The most exciting is the speed of photovoltaic field development at all levels from the fundamental research with the novel materials predictions and discoveries and the new mechanism of charge generation and transport to the applications of PV materials in the new areas like agrivoltaics. It is exciting and at the same time challenging to keep up with the pace of the photovoltaic field development.

How do you feel about Nanoscale Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?

My current research is on the determination of the electronic structure of the nanoparticles and establishing the practical consequences of it. Nanoscale Advances covering nanoparticles and nanoelectronics is an appropriate journal to publish research on nanoparticle electronic properties.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other, early career scientists?

Move on when frustrated about the research, sometimes understanding things comes with time and persistence leads to success and perfection. Make use of all possible research stays and conferences to develop your skills and increase your chances of meeting the right people (for you) for making a good science together!

An infographic depicting a new model for investigating the properties of hot charge carriers at semiconductor surfaces

A self-consistent model to link surface electronic band structure to the voltage dependence of hot electron induced molecular nanoprobe experiments

Peter A. Sloan and Kristina R. Rusimova

Nanoscale Adv., 2022,4, 4880-4885, DOI: 10.1039/D2NA00644H

Meet the authors

Dr Kristina R. Rusimova obtained her PhD in atomic manipulation with the scanning tunnelling microscope from the University of Bath in 2016. Following a short postdoctoral position in photonics, she joined the Department of Physics at the University of Bath as an independent Prize Fellow in 2018 and as a tenured Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in 2021. In 2022 she was part of the team awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Faraday Division Horizon Prize for the discovery of chiroptical harmonic scattering. Her research interests include single molecule manipulation, quantum optics, advanced materials, and speciality optical fibres.

Dr Peter A. Sloan received an undergraduate Masters degree in Chemical Physics from the University of Edinburgh in 1999 and a PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2004. He was a Royal Society (International Outgoing) Fellow 2004-2005 in the group of Nobel Laureate Prof John C. Polanyi at the University of Toronto. He gained an independent Lectureship (Assistant Professor) position at the University of Bath in 2010 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in 2016. Peter’s research has focused on using atomic manipulation with an STM to measure and uncover the physics of hot-electrons at semi-conductor surfaces. He is also a founder and the overall Director of the Bath Physics Observatory.

What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

• Dr Peter Sloan: Our work has the chance to show that state-of-the-art atomic manipulation can be used to help real-world problems. The most challenging aspect is learning how to make true measurement of what we’re after, rather than say having the influence of the arbitrary experimental parameters or limitations of the apparatus muddy the waters.
• Dr Kristina Rusimova: Experimental automation has been the backbone for most of our recent scientific breakthroughs. I am excited about the prospect of opening up our automation protocols to the scanning probe microscopy community worldwide through open source software and combining them with machine learning algorithms, which could push surface science to an entirely new level.

How do you feel about Nanoscale Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?

• Dr Peter Sloan: Nanoscale Advances is a fantastic place to publish. It is highly regarded, fast reviewing and we had some of the best, most fair, and rigorous reports we’ve had.
• Dr Kristina Rusimova: The submission and review process have been smooth, efficient, and rigorous. Nanoscale Advances has a well-established portfolio of scanning probe microscopy research, and our paper sits nicely within it.

Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

• Dr Peter Sloan: Work with good people. Have a work-life balance rather than think you have a work-life balance.
• Dr Kristina Rusimova: Don’t be scared of rejection and learn how (and when) to say “no”. Have fun with your science.

An infographic highlighting gelatin-based nanoprobes that can detect cancerous cells during image-guided surgery

Protease-activated indocyanine green nanoprobes for intraoperative NIR fluorescence imaging of primary tumors
Kyekyoon (Kevin) Kim, Viktor Gruev, Hyungsoo Choi et al.
Nanoscale Adv., 2022,4, 4041-4050, DOI: 10.1039/d2na00276k

Meet the authors

This article reports the collaborative efforts of two research laboratories: Thin Film and Charged Particles (TFCP) Research Lab (PIs. Kyekyoon (Kevin) Kim and Hyungsoo Choi) and Biosensors Lab (PI. Viktor Gruev) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. TFCP Lab consists of multidisciplinary biomedical researchers formulating versatile biomaterial-based micro/nanoparticles incorporating drugs, fluorophores, and live-cells for various biomedical applications including the treatment of type-1 diabetes, ischemic stroke, and cancer. The scientists in Biosensors Lab are developing novel bio-inspired imaging technologies, highly sensitive and capable of differentiating multiple tumor-specific fluorophores, to provide surgeons with enhanced intraoperative imaging experiences during cancer surgery.

(a) What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

The exciting part is having opportunities to collaborate with many experts from different fields of science and engineering. The harmonious teamwork and support allow us to explore new ideas and conduct innovative research. The challenging part is finding the balance between innovation and clinical translation. Novelty in research offers new insights, but that wouldn’t necessarily lead to it being clinically acceptable. To ensure that we are doing translational research, we have to consider its relevance and applicability to patient-oriented healthcare.

(b) How do you feel about Nanoscale Advances as a place to publish research on this topic?

Nanoscale Advances is one of the fastest-growing journals, encompassing a wide scope of topics in nanotechnology. With that being said, we are excited to be able to showcase our work on such a platform.

Photoinduced Charge Transfer in a Bi₂O₂Se/CsPbBr₃ Heterostructure

An infographic highlighting photodetectors exploiting interfacial charge transfer in nanocrystal heterostructures

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by P. K. Giri et al. on understanding the efficient charge transfer in few-layer Bi₂O₂Se/CsPbBr₃ nanocrystal heterostructures! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Understanding the interfacial charge transfer in the CVD grown Bi₂O₂Se/CsPbBr₃ nanocrystal heterostructure and its exploitation in superior photodetection: experiment vs. theory
Md Tarik Hossain, Mandira Das, Joydip Ghosh, Subhradip Ghosh and P. K. Giri
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1NR04470B

Meet the authors

Md Tarik Hossain Md Tarik Hossain is presently a PhD research scholar at the department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam. He obtained his Master degree in Physics from University of Hyderabad and joined the PhD programme at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati in 2018. His research interests are CVD growth and multifunctional applications of non-van der Walls 2D materials, including photophysics and optoelectronics.

Pravat K. Giri Prof. P. K. Giri earned his PhD in Physics from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 1998 followed by postdoctoral research in CNR IMM, Italy. In 1999, he joined IGCAR, Kalpakkam as a Scientist and later (2001) he moved to IIT Guwahati as a Faculty member in Physics. Presently he is a full Professor of Physics and Nanotechnology at IIT Guwahati. For his outstanding research contributions, he received several awards/ fellowships including ICTP TRIL fellowship (1998), DAE Young Scientist Award (2000), DAAD Exchange visit Fellowship (2010), JSPS Invitation Fellowship for log-term research in Japan (2012), Visiting research fellowship, University of Birmingham, UK (2018), MRSI medal (2020). He is a fellow of Institute of Physics, UK. He has published more 160 journal articles including 8 review articles in high profile international journals and holds one patent to his credit. Currently, his H-index is 41. He is one among the world’s top 2% scientists in Applied Physics and Nanoscience area (database published by Stanford University, USA). His research areas of interests are semiconductor nanostructures, 2D materials, nanobiosensors, optoelectronics, nanophotonics etc.

Generation of Chiroptically Active CsPbBr₃ Nanoparticles

An infographic highlighting the post-synthetic ligand modification of perovskites to generate chiral nanoparticles

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by David H. Waldeck et al. on a facile post-synthetic ligand modification strategy for making CsPbBr₃ nanoparticles from achiral counterparts at room temperature! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Using post-synthetic ligand modification to imprint chirality onto the electronic states of cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr₃) perovskite nanoparticles
Gouranga H. Debnath, Zheni N. Georgieva, Brian P. Bloom, Susheng Tan and David H. Waldeck
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1NR04274B

Meet the authors

Gouranga H. Debnat Gouranga H. Debnath received his Ph.D. in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from the Centre for Research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CRNN) University of Calcutta in 2020, where he worked on the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of lanthanide doped semiconductor nanomaterials. He is currently a postdoctoral associate in Prof. David H. Waldeck’s group at the Department of Chemistry University of Pittsburgh, where he studies perovskite nanomaterials and the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect.

David H. Waldeck David H. Waldeck obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1983 and was an IBM Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley from 1983 to 1985. In 1985 he began his independent career as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, where he now serves as Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Petersen Institute of NanoScience and Engineering. David’s research program uses methods of spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and microscopy to investigate primary processes in the condensed phase and in nanoscale assemblies. His research program uses experiment and theory in a synergistic manner to quantify the interesting phenomenology that is displayed by molecules and their assemblies. Currently they are working to elucidate the nature of long-range electron transfer and the chiral induced spin selectivity effect.

New Highly Active Carbon-Black-Supported Platinum Nanocluster Catalysts

An infographic highlighting a simple size-selective method for the synthesis of Pt nanocluster catalysts

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by Yuichi Negishi et al. on a simple method for the size-selective synthesis of a series of ligand-protected platinum nanoclusters with superior oxygen reduction reactivity! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Simple and high-yield preparation of carbon-black-supported ∼1 nm platinum nanoclusters and their oxygen reduction reactivity
Tokuhisa Kawawaki, Nobuyuki Shimizu, Kanako Funai, Yusuke Mitomi, Sakiat Hossain, Soichi Kikkawa, D. J. Osborn, Seiji Yamazoe, Gregory F. Metha and Yuichi Negishi
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1NR04202E

Meet the authors

Yuichi Negishi Yuichi Negishi is a Professor in the Department of Applied Chemistry at Tokyo University of Science. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemistry in 2001 under the supervision of Prof. Atsushi Nakajima at Keio University. Before joining Tokyo University of Science in 2008, he was employed as an assistant professor at Keio University (with Associate Prof. Atsushi Nakajima) and at the Institute for Molecular Science (with Associate Prof. Tatsuya Tsukuda). As senior researcher, he has more than 190 publications to his credit (total citations are over 12,000 times) and is the head of his research laboratory at the university. His areas of research include physical chemistry, cluster chemistry, and nanomaterial chemistry. His notable achievements include The Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemists (Japan Chemical Society, 2008), the Japan Society for Molecular Science Award for Young Scientists (Japan Society for Molecular Science, 2012), Yagami Prize (Keio University, 2017), Distinguished Award 2018 for Novel Materials and Their Synthesis (IUPAC etc., 2018) and International Investigator Awards of the Japan Society for Molecular Science (Japan Society for Molecular Science, 2020).

Nanomedicine Unlocks Novel Cancer Vaccine with a Dual Immunogenic Effect

An infographic highlighting nanoprodrug-based in situ cancer vaccines

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by Ping’an Ma, Jun Lin et al. on a strategy to develop in situ cancer vaccines via dual immunogenic cell death induced by amorphous iron oxide-packaged oxaliplatin nanoprodrugs! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Tumor microenvironment-triggered in situ cancer vaccines inducing dual immunogenic cell death for elevated antitumor and antimetastatic therapy
Binbin Ding, Pan Zheng, Dong Li, Meifang Wang, Fan Jiang, Zhanfeng Wang, Ping’an Ma and Jun Lin
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1NR02018H

Meet the authors

	Binbin Ding (丁彬彬) Binbin Ding (丁彬彬) was born in Anhui, China, in 1991. He received his B.S. degree (2015) in Pharmaceutical Engineering from Hefei University of Technology, and his Ph.D. degree (2020) in Inorganic Chemistry under the guidance of Prof. Jun Lin at Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. After graduation, he became an Assistant Professor in Prof. Jun Lin’s group. Now as the first author, he has published over 10 of papers in Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Nano Lett., Chem. Mater., Nanoscale, etc. His current research focuses on the synthesis and bioapplications of nanoadjuvants.
	Ping’an Ma (马平安) Ping’an Ma (马平安) was born in Jilin, China, in 1982. He received his B.S. degree in Biology in 2005 at Northeast Normal University, and his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry in 2010 at Northeast Normal University. After graduation, he became an Assistant Professor in Prof. Jun Lin’s group and was promoted to Professor in 2020. Now he as the first author or corresponding author has published over 40 of papers in Adv. Mater., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Mater. Today, Nano Lett., Adv. Sci., Biomaterials, Chem. Mater., Small, Nanoscale, etc. His research focuses on the synthesis and application of multifunctional inorganic nanoparticles for bioapplication, particularly the design and mechanism of platinum-based anticancer drugs.
	Jun Lin (林君) Jun Lin (林君) was born in Changchun, China, in 1966. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Jilin University, and a Ph.D. degree in Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (1995). His postdoctoral studies were performed at the City University of Hong Kong (1996), Institute of New Materials (Germany, 1997), Virginia Commonwealth University (USA, 1998), and University of New Orleans (USA, 1999). He has been working as a Professor at CIAC since 2000. His research interests include bulk- and nanostructured luminescent materials and multifunctional composite materials, together with their applications in display, lighting, and biomedical fields. So far he has published more than 700 peer-reviewed journal articles, such as Chem. Rev., Chem. Soc. Rev., Mater. Today, Nano Today, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Nat. Commun., Coord. Chem. Rev., Adv. Funct. Mater., ACS Nano, Biomaterials, Chem. Mater., Small, Nanoscale etc. (over 100 papers with IF > 10), and these articles have totally been cited over 55000 times by others with a personal H index of 124 (Google Scholar).

New Ceria Nanoparticles to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

An infographic highlighting ceria-based nanoparticles as intracellular antibacterial agents

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by Inge K. Herrmann et al. on ceria/bioglass nanohybrids that significantly reduce bacterial survival inside human cells without harming the human cells, overcoming the major shortcomings of conventional antibiotics! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Inorganic nanohybrids combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria hiding within human macrophages
Martin T. Matter, Meagan Doppegieter, Alexander Gogos, Kerda Keevend, Qun Ren and Inge K. Herrmann
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D0NR08285F

Meet the authors

	Martin T. Matter Dr Martin T. Matter completed his BSc and MSc studies in Nanosciences at the University of Basel and pursued his doctoral studies in nanostructured surgical materials at ETH Zurich and Empa St. Gallen. Since 2020, he is working on translating a nanoparticle-based wound care platform technology from the lab to clinics. He has been awarded the ETH medal and MaP award for his outstanding doctoral thesis, the Empa Innovation Award, and the Swiss Nanotech Startup Award.
	Inge K. Herrmann Inge K. Herrmann is a chemical engineer with additional training in (pre)clinical research. After graduating with a PhD from ETH Zurich, she underwent further training at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ), the University of Illinois (US) and the Imperial College London (UK). Since 2015, she is heading a research group at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) specialized on nanoscale materials and devices for healthcare. In 2019, she joined the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering as an assistant professor at ETH Zurich where she is heading the Nanoparticle Systems Engineering Lab. She has spearheaded several translational nanomedicine projects, and serves as a scientific advisor of the spin-offs hemotune, anavo and veltist commercializing technologies emerging from her lab. Inge has won various prestigious awards, including the Bayer Healthcare Award and the Johnson & Johnson Award, the Swiss National Science Foundation Eccellenza Fellowship, the Empa Innovation Award 2020 and the ETH Zurich Dandelion Award 2021 for interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship.

Microchip-Based Toolkit to Complement Protein Analysis Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy

An infographic highlighting the structure determination of proteins including the first antibody binding site on the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein

We would like to share an infographic highlighting the excellent work by Deborah F. Kelly et al. on a microchip-based toolkit that performs complementary structural and biochemical analysis on low-molecular weight proteins alongside cryo-EM! Check out the infographic below to learn more or get the full story from their Nanoscale article.

Microchip-based structure determination of low-molecular weight proteins using cryo-electron microscopy
Michael A. Casasanta, G. M. Jonaid, Liam Kaylor, William Y. Luqiu, Maria J. Solares, Mariah L. Schroen, William J. Dearnaley, Jarad Wilson, Madeline J. Dukes and Deborah F. Kelly
Nanoscale, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1NR00388G

Meet the authors

	Michael Casasanta Dr Michael Casasanta completed his PhD in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech and his post-doctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at Penn State University. Dr. Casasanta is currently a Senior Scientific Consultant working in the Boston area.
	Deb Kelly Dr Deb Kelly is a professor of Biomedical Engineering at Penn State University and the president-elect of the Microscopy Society of America. She directs the Center for Structural Oncology at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences where she holds the Lloyd and Dottie Foehr Huck Chair in Molecular Biophysics. Dr. Kelly co-leads the Next-Generation Therapies research program at the Penn State Cancer Institute and also holds an appointment in the Materials Research Institute.