The cover picture shows the synthesis of carboxylatopillar[5]arene-modified reduced graphene nanosheets (RGO-CP5) capable of molecular recognition. They exhibited much better water-dispersibility and enhanced fluorescence-quenching property as compared with native RGO, which can be used to detect analytes. More details are discussed in the article by Yang et al. on page 125–130.

Nano-hybrid liquid crystals were designed and synthesized through attaching cationic surfactants on the surface of anionic polyoxometalate nano-clusters via ionic self-assembly strategy. We demonstrate the primary relationship between the nature of components and the liquid crystalline property. Emphases will be placed on the phase transition temperature and the self-assembly structures.

Assembly structures of amyloid peptides at liquid-solid interface can be visualized by scanning tunneling microscopy with site-specific resolution. The STM analysis can provide valuable information on the folding mechanism of amyloid peptides. This review highlights the application of STM on site-specific analysis of amyloid peptides.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an emerging whole-body imaging modality offering high spatial resolution, deep penetration and high contrast in vivo. Signals for PAI are generated from contrast agents, where the pulsed laser-generated optical energy is transferred to acoustic emissions and detected by an ultrasound transducer. A great deal of research over the past ten years has shown that near-infrared absorption nanomaterials such as organic dye-based nanoparticles, semiconducting polymers, carbon-based nanomaterials, metallic nanomaterials and PA-enhanced hybrid nanocomposites are promising PA contrast agents, which can increase imaging resolution, contrast and even depth of detection.

In this article, 2D metal-ligand coordination at liquid/solid interfaces was studied by STM, which includes molecular recognitions, valinomycin switches, two-step coordinations and supramolecular springs.

The application of smart supramolecular nanosystems in biomedicine increases rapidly and offers promising prospects for disease diagnostics and therapeutics. Supramolecular nanosystems such as liposomes, micelles, organic nanoaggregates and metallic nanostructures etc. have been widely explored as diagnostic/therapeutic tools. Here, we review the recent advances in supramolecular nanosystems with different built-in reporters, e.g., fluorescent, magnetic and photoacoustic signals for bioimaging. In addition, the substantial progress of supramolecular nanosystems as drug delivery carriers for cancer therapy, including chemotherapy, photothermal and photodynamic therapies is also summarized.

The synthesis and application of saddle-shaped cyclooctaterathiophenes (COThs) and their derivatives were reviewed.

The energy difference of systems in which molecules are coaxially arranged is small, leading to the phenomenon of the helical morphology of sugar-substituted perylene diimide being easily affected by the polarity of the solutions.

A BINOL-based fluorescent probe for glucose was presented, which could distinct D-glucose from other monosaccharides.

Various novel types of supramolecular nanostructures formed by nonamphiphilic azobenzene derivatives, G1 or G2 have been successful fabricated, where G2 is structurally similar with G1 but an extra phenoxy group is connected with the azobenzene motif. Micellar structures can be obtained from the self-assembly of G1, which further transformed to large-sized spindle structures; while nanorods can be initially formed by G2, which will gradually aggregate to form layered structures with much larger size. Moreover, it is found that upon addition of WP6, which can form inclusion-complex with G1 or G2, separately, the nonamphiphilic G1 and G2 thus converse to supramolecular amphiphiles WP6⊃G1 and WP6⊃G2, respectively. Consequently, both of the above WP6⊃G1 and WP6⊃G2 complexes can further assemble to form supramolecular binary vesicles, which will gradually transform to nanotubes (WP6⊃G1) or well-ordered nanosheets (WP6⊃G2).

The composite of Cu₂O/TiO₂ hollow nanospheres exhibit higher efficiency in photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into CH₄ under visible-light irradiation than Cu₂O because of the heterojunction formation in the composite and the improved catalyst stability.

Graphene oxide (GO)-wrapped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) hybrid materials are constructed via one-pot sonochemical synthesis and self-assembly, using ethylene glycol as the reducing agent. The obtained materials possess enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation, owing to the synergistic effect of the two components in the hybrid materials.

Carboxylated pillar[5]arene (CP5) macrocycles were modified onto the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via covalent bonds to form new pillarene-functionalized RGO nanosheets, i.e., RGO-CP5, showing great potentials in the sensing and detection of analytes in aqueous solutions.

A series of benzimidazole-linked porous polymers are obtained in one-pot synthesis without employing any catalyst or template. The polymers possess Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area value over 600 m²·g⁻¹, showing hydrogen storage (up to 1.6 wt%, at 77 K and 1×10⁵ Pa) and carbon dioxide capture (up to 12.6 wt%, at 273 K and 1×10⁵ Pa) properties.

The gelator molecules could self-assemble into nanofibers. Compared with the solution, the gel showed significantly enhanced fluorescence emission.

Coordination-driven phosphine-Pd(II) gels have been prepared from rigid bridging terpyridyl phosphines and Pd(II), which show high activity in the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling under ambient conditions.

Silver nanowires with high aspect ratio and high purity were prepared via a rapid, simple and cost-effective polyol method. The aspect ratios of the silver nanowires were as high as ca. 1000 (average length 40 µm and some even as long as 80 µm, diameter 50–100 nm) via optimizing the reaction conditions. Transparent electrodes with superior optoelectronic performances (optical transmittance of 90%, sheet resistance of 23.2 Ω/□ and optical transmittance of 87%, sheet resistance of 19.7 Ω/□) comparable to commercial ITO were fabricated via spin coating the resulting silver nanowires onto the glass substrates. The high optoelectronic performances and the all-solution process of the as-prepared transparent electrodes render them rather promising for applications in cost-effective large-area optoelectronic devices.

A chiral [M₃L₃]⁶⁺-type metallo-nanobowl was constructed from cis-protected mono-palladium complexes as chiral corners and 4,7-phenanthroline ligand (L) as linkers by metal-directed self-assembly in aqueous media.