In article number 1802008, Da Xing, Xianglong Hu, and co-workers propose a strategy of polyprodrug antimicrobials. The triclosan polyprodrug antimicrobials with diverse hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance demonstrate remarkable membrane damage and concurrent triclosan release potency, which can efficiently inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a highly pathogenic bacteria associated with high mortality rates. Polyprodrug antimicrobials possess excellent antibacterial selectivity and undetectable antibiotic resistance when compared with commercial antibiotics.

In article number 1802716, Caizhen Zhu and co-workers develop an effective and controllable strategy for preparing a SnS₂ nanosheet coating on nano-hollow cubic CoS₂/C (CoS₂/C@SnS₂). As anodes for sodium-ion batteries, the electrode exhibits an ultra-long cycle life and excellent rate performance. This strategy can pave a way for preparing various metal sulfides with excellent performance in the field of energy storage.

In article number 1802443, Xiao-Dong Zhu, Yi-Tao Liu, and co-workers report unique solvothermal growth of TiO₂ quantum dots (QDs) on ultrathin MXene nanosheets. Through remarkable synergies, the resulting TiO₂ QDs@MXene nanohybrids exhibit significantly improved long-term cyclability and rate capability as a sulfur host, disclosing a new opportunity toward fast and stable Li–S batteries.

Recent progress of photovoltaic materials toward the commercialization of organic solar cells is in focus. High-performance, thickness-insensitive, low-cost, environmentally friendly, and stable photoactive and interface materials are discussed. Meanwhile, several fundamental challenges and future prospects of organic solar cell materials are proposed.

Oxygen-vacant substances represent one type of promising material for electrochemical energy storage. The synthetic strategies, tailored material properties, and various electrochemical performances of oxygen-deficient materials for use in batteries are described. Oxygen-deficient substances are selectively introduced, and comprehensive summaries and evaluations are presented.

TiO₂ quantum dots (QDs) are grown on ultrathin MXene nanosheets by a facile, one-step strategy through cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-assisted solvothermal synthesis, resulting in TiO₂ QDs@MXene nanohybrids that serve as a high-performance sulfur host toward fast and stable Li–S batteries.

In article number 1802717, Zhengzhi Wang, Houbing Huang, Zuoqi Zhang, and co-workers develop functional gradient nanocomposite coatings with hybrid-sized nanoreinforcements gradiently and discretely distributed towards the coating surface. The coatings exhibit simultaneously high surface hardness, stiffness, and wear resistance, as well as superb coating/substrate interfacial integrity that applies perfectly as ultradurable protective coatings. The design strategy and mechanics of functional gradients in biological materials are well replicated in these coating structures.

Functional gradient nanocomposite coatings with hybrid nanoreinforcements gradiently and discretely distributed toward the coating surface are presented. The coatings exhibit simultaneously high surface hardness, stiffness, and wear-resistance, as well as superb coating/substrate interfacial integrity that is applied perfectly as ultradurable protective coating. The design strategy and mechanics of functional gradients in biological materials are well replicated in these coating structures.

Atomic force microscopy-based nanoindentation is in the limelight to understand cancer mechanobiology because of its potential for the assessment of cellular stiffness. Especially, cellular mechanics has served as a crucial indicator of metastatic cancer. This work eventually describes the novel role of membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase as a key regulator of cellular mechanics brought on by the cytoskeletal network.

Multinuclear double water-in-water emulsion droplets spontaneously form into polymer-based mixtures and are further shown to evolve into robust yolk–shell particles that can encapsulate payloads within their core and also the shell.

Electrochemical surface-patterning of silicon is achieved with a step potential to oxidize a metal substrate underneath a lithographic mask. Flexible lithographic masks allow for uniform and large metal oxide patterns with submicron precision. The approach is extended to patterning without the need for a lithographic mask. A lacquer–water emulsion serves as a mask and furnishes well-defined patterns.

Air-stable and self-driven 2D phenylethylamine perovskite-based vertically structured photodiodes are obtained and exhibit a high on/off ratio up to 2 × 10⁴ under white light irradiation (62 mW cm⁻²), which is larger than their 3D counterparts, and swift photoresponse under 600 nm light irradiation (0.9 mW cm⁻²) comparable to those of 2D analogs with lateral configuration.

Polyprodrug antimicrobials with remarkable membrane damage and concurrent drug release are proposed to treat the infection and antibiotic resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), exhibiting low hemolysis toward red blood cells and good antibacterial selectivity. Remarkable membrane damage and further intracellular triclosan release synergistically kill MRSA, possessing undetectable resistance compared with commercial antibiotics. Polyprodrug antimicrobials are promising to treat drug-resistant bacteria in biomedicine.

The CoS₂/C@SnS₂ exhibits ultralong cycle life and high rate capability. The reversible capacity can maintain 854.5 mAh g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹. Even at a high current density of 10 A g⁻¹, the reversible capacity can maintain 400.1 mAh g⁻¹ after 3500 cycles. As for CoS₂/C@SnS₂-Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ full-cells, one full-cell can light up 41 light-emitting diodes bulbs.

Incorporation of titanium atoms into a silicon matrix significantly enhances the cycling performance of the thin film anode for lithium-ion batteries. The optimal Si–Ti thin film electrode exhibits high gravimetric and volumetric capacities as well as excellent long-term cycling stability even in a full-cell configuration with LiFePO₄.

A novel millerite core–nitrogen-doped carbon hollow shell (NiS–NC HS) structure is designed and developed by a simple polydopamine coating, annealing, and hydrothermal synthesis for electrochemical energy storages. The intentionally created void space between the core and the shell accommodates and prevents aggregation of neighboring NiS particles. The NC HS enhances the ion and electron transport and the cycling stability.

A novel strategy is proposed to integrate the merits of the liquid- and gas-phase method for the fabrication of large-scale all-inorganic perovskites nanowire arrays in air, where uniform solution-prepared precursors and an extremely short vertical mode (<10² µm) rather than long-distance horizontal mode in conventional vapor deposition are employed to provide a uniform and stable mass transport environment.

A novel iridium(III) luminophore can track mitochondrial dynamics under structured illumination microscopy up to ≈80 nm resolution. This luminophore can assist researchers in quantifying and understanding the formation and function of the interactive behavior between mitochondria and lysosomes.

The oxygen vacancies are successfully introduced in CoO nanowires by B-doping using a direct pyrolysis approach. The effective incorporation of oxygen vacancies could not only lower the reaction barrier for breaking the CoO bond, but cause the disordering of local structure, thereby achieving the high active oxygen evolution reaction performance.

CoP aerogels assembled by sub-1.5 nm nanosheets (CoP-400) derived from alginate biomass are successfully synthesized through an ice-templating strategy. The CoP-400 with a 3D interconnected network of aerogel and nonlayered 2D ultrathin nanosheets can provide a short electron transfer distance and increase exposed active sites, which exhibits remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction performance at all pH values.

Herein, a biodegradable and fast redox-responsive nanoparticle (NP) platform for systemic small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery and cancer therapy is developed. This new NP platform shows the unique features of i) long circulation, ii) high tumor accumulation, iii) redox-triggered fast intracellular siRNA release, and iv) effective gene silencing, which can be used as an effective tool for RNA interference-based cancer therapy.

Ultrasmall Ru/Cu-doped RuO₂ complex embedded in an amorphous carbon skeleton is synthesized through thermolysis of Ru-modified Cu-BTC. The outstanding oxygen evolution reaction and decent hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic activities endow the complex with impressive overall water splitting performance, superior to that of the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts, which just require 1.47 and 1.67 V to achieve current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm⁻².