Cover: Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society 07/2025

Focus of the figure: Piezoresponse force microscopy results demonstrate that ZnFe₂O₄-BaTiO₃ magnetoelectric core-shell nanoparticles exhibit a stable core-shell configuration up to 1V, beyond which structural disintegration occurs. The instability of ZFO-BTO ME CSNPs is attributed to non-uniform interfacial strain, low ZnFe₂O₄ core magnetostriction, and a suboptimal core-to-shell thickness ratio. These findings provide valuable insights into the design of novel core-shell nanocomposites with enhanced magnetoelectric coupling and structural stability. More details about this figure will be discussed by Dr. A. Rajesh and his co-workers on pages 775–786 in this issue.