It is hard to believe that a year has passed already since the first issue of ACS Nanoscience Au was published in December of 2021. In the six issues in Volume 2, which constitute the first full year, ACS Nanoscience Au has published 44 contributions, including 3 Editorials, 1 Perspective, 11 Reviews, and 29 Articles/Letters. In total, all of the content published thus far in ACS Nanoscience Au has been viewed more than 88,000 times! This large number of views is a testament to the journal’s outstanding content, as well as its visibility and reach, which are maximized by its open access status. The published papers have been authored and accessed by researchers from around the world, highlighting the global impact and visibility of ACS Nanoscience Au. These papers also span the breadth of topics that define the field of nanoscience. To highlight the topical diversity and impact of the first year of ACS Nanoscience Au, the papers highlighted below are among the most accessed and cited so far. They represent a collection of Reviews and Perspectives in nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, active matter, environmental remediation, 1-D and 2-D materials, and energy, as well as Articles and Letters in nanoclusters, nanomedicine, nanoagriculture, nanowires, halide perovskites, SERS imaging, nanophotonics, DNA nanotechnology, and MXenes.
Luciferase-Based Biosensors in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic (ACS Nanosci. Au2021, 1, 15–37). Our very first published Review, by Taha Azad, Carolina Ilkow, John Bell, and co-workers, holds the current record for the highest number of article views in the journal. Viruses and proteins are inherently nanoscopic systems, and this Review highlights the development and use of biosensors to study virus biology, including SARS-CoV-2.
Design of Over-1000 nm Near-Infrared Fluorescent Polymeric Micellar Nanoparticles by Matching the Solubility Parameter of the Core Polymer and Dye (ACS Nanosci. Au2021, 1, 61–68). This Article by Masakazu Umezawa, Kohei Soga, and co-workers demonstrated a strategy for designing polymeric nanoparticles for biological imaging. They showed how near-infrared fluorescent probes could be accessed by matching the solubility parameters of a core polymer and a dye molecule.
Gold Nanoparticle Smartphone Platform for Diagnosing Urinary Tract Infections (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 324–332). The diagnosis of urinary tract infections is important in medicine. In this Article, Warren Chan and co-workers used a gold nanoparticle colorimetric approach to detect clinically relevant bacteria concentrations, finding it both inexpensive and fast. They then used this to develop a smartphone platform for detecting urinary tract infections.
Ligand Ratio Plays a Critical Role in the Design of Optimal Multifunctional Gold Nanoclusters for Targeted Gastric Cancer Therapy (ACS Nanosci. Au2021, 1, 47–60). This Article by María Francisca Matus, Sami Malola, and Hannu Häkkinen was the first to be accepted for publication in ACS Nanoscience Au. It shows how gold nanoclusters can be computationally designed to be functionalized with molecules that are relevant to gastric cancer therapy and how various aspects of the ligand shell, including ligand ratio, may impact properties.
Topogami: Topologically Linked DNA Origami (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 57–63). DNA nanotechnology uses DNA to make nanostructures, including 2-D and 3-D shapes, that can be used in many applications. In this Article, Jonathan Heddle and co-workers demonstrate a general method for designing and producing DNA origami with linked (catenated) DNA strands. Such topologically linked DNA origami structures were previously challenging to make.
Development of a Preemergent Nanoherbicide: From Efficiency Evaluation to the Assessment of Environmental Fate and Risks to Soil Microorganisms (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 307–323). The development of nanotechnology solutions for agriculture applications is expanding. In this Article, Vanessa Takeshita, Leonardo Fernandes Fraceto, and co-workers studied the stability and properties of a herbicide encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles. The authors concluded that this nanoherbicide system offered increased weed control with low environmental risk.
Micromachines for Microplastics Treatment (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 225–232). Active matter is a rapidly growing field, including both fundamental development/understanding and applications. This Review, by Soňa Hermanová and Martin Pumera, highlights one of these applications–the use of self-propelled micromachines (with nanoscopic components and features) for an important aspect of modern environmental remediation.
Metal-Oxide Nanomaterials Synthesis and Applications in Flexible and Wearable Sensors (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 64–92). This Review by Daeho Lee, Seung Swan Ko, and co-workers has been gaining excellent traction in the community. Here, the authors review key factors for improving metal oxide nanomaterials for environmental and health sensing applications, as well as analyzing forward-looking challenges and perspectives.
Electron Transfer at Quantum Dot–Metal Oxide Interfaces for Solar Energy Conversion (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 367–395). Electron transfer across nanoscale interfaces is foundational to achieving high efficiencies in solar cell and solar fuel platforms. This Review by Marco Ballabio and Enrique Cánovas highlights important and fundamental aspects of this field, including detailing how electron transfer dynamics relate to device efficiency.
Co-Doping of Cerium and Bismuth into Lead-Free Double Perovskite Cs2AgInCl6Nanocrystals Results in Improved Photoluminescence Efficiency (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 93–101). Halide perovskite nanocrystals are among the most highly studied modern materials for applications in solar energy conversion. Andrey Rogach and co-workers show in this Article how the introduction of two dopants into an emerging class of double perovskite halide nanocrystals improves the photoluminescence quantum yield.
Graphene and Beyond: Recent Advances in Two-Dimensional Materials Synthesis, Properties, and Devices (ACS Nanosci. Au 2022, 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.2c00017). One of the newest Reviews, this contribution by Joshua Robinson, Mauricio Terrones, and other participants at the 2021 “Graphene and Beyond” workshop held at Penn State University, highlights recent advances in the field of 2-D materials and was selected as an ACS Editors’ Choice paper. The authors discuss theory-guided synthesis and defect engineering, as well as moiré engineering, strain engineering, and artificial intelligence.
One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures: A Perspective (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 3–11). van der Waals Heterostructures that combine multiple materials in stacks are of growing importance in many fields, but most involve 2-D materials. This Perspective by Shigeo Maruyama, Yan Li, and co-workers focuses on emerging 1-D van der Waals heterostructures, which are complementary to 2-D systems and have unique features, properties, and applications.
Termination-Property Coupling via Reversible Oxygen Functionalization of MXenes (ACS Nanosci. Au 2022, 2, 5, 433–439). MXenes, which are nanosheets of metal carbides and nitrides, have become highly studied 2-D materials for a wide range of applications. Mitra Taheri and co-workers show in this Article how an annealing protocol can modify the surface functionalization of MXenes. By increasing the oxygen content of the MXene surface, the electrical resistance increases. The process is reversible, allowing cycling between different properties.
Spectrally Resolved Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Imaging Reveals Plasmon-Mediated Chemical Transformations (ACS Nanosci. Au2021, 1, 38–46). This Letter by Zachary Schultz and co-workers shows how to simultaneously image and collect surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra from molecules that are adsorbed on individual nanoparticles. This spectrally resolved imaging method provides a super-resolution map indicating where the localized electromagnetic field is most intense on the nanoparticles.
Direct Observations of Twin Formation Dynamics in Binary Semiconductors (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 49–56). Semiconductor nanowires are key components of nanoelectronic devices, and vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) growth strategies are often used to synthesize them. In this Article by Marcus Tornberg and co-workers, in situ transmission electron microscopy is used to directly visualize, with atomic resolution, how twin defects form in VLS-grown GaAs nanowires.
Assembling Atomically Precise Noble Metal Nanoclusters Using Supramolecular Interactions (ACS Nanosci. Au2022, 2, 160–178). Atomically precise noble metal nanoclusters, which have a core containing a fixed number of metal atoms that is capped by ligands, are intermediate between molecules and nanoparticles and therefore have unique properties and applications. This Review by Abhijit Nag and Thalappil Pradeep focuses on the assembly of these nanoclusters using noncovalent interactions, including the challenges and opportunities in the field.
As was mentioned in our earlier Editorial (ACS Nanosci. Au2021, 1, 1–2), one characteristic of the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology is its topical diversity, and the contributions above showcase this diversity wonderfully. In the years ahead, we look forward to maintaining and expanding this diversity, while continuing to further expand the impact and visibility of the research featured in ACS Nanoscience Au! The articles in the current (December 2022) issue exemplify this, as they cover topics including plasmonic photothermal therapy, compositionally complex semiconductor nanowires and metal phosphide nanoparticles, optical characterization of nanoparticles, high-yield nanocluster synthesis, and transparent conducting oxide nanostructures.
We thank the authors who contributed to these early publications in ACS Nanoscience Au, the referees for their contributions to the manuscripts, and you, the reader, for your interest! We look forward to your continued support in 2023 and beyond.
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.