Advanced Science

A micro-Raman spectroscopy-based bioassay enables fast and noninvasive discrimination of plant pathogens, and accurate culture-free single-bacterium detection in plant tissue lesions with an identification ratio comparable to those of genetic molecular approaches.

Self-supported nanoelectrodes possess significant superiorities as binder- and conductive additive-free electrodes for constructing supercapacitors with high energy storage capability. This review summarizes the recent advances in designing and fabricating self-supported homogeneous and heterogeneous nanoelectrodes via either template-free or template-assisted methods, and highlights their advantages for supercapacitor applications. Challenges and future prospects in this field are discussed.

Clean and nondefective surfaces are constructed on Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ particles through a facile sodium sulfide (Na₂S) assisted hydrothermal treatment. By improving the surface quality, a higher first cycle Coulombic efficiency (≈95%), a significantly enhanced cycling performance, and rate capability are realized, which highlight the newly discovered surface reconstruction mechanism and the surface–property relationship.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles directly injected to contused spinal cord of rats at optimal doses (250–1000 µg mL⁻¹) significantly improve the functional recovery by downregulating inflammatory and apoptotic signals and the upregulation of neuronal regeneration.

Asymmetric, nonequilibrium polyhedral single crystalline gold nano and microparticles are plastically deformed with a sharp atomic force microscope tip. The deformed particles recover their original shape upon annealing. This shape memory effect is caused by self-diffusion of gold atoms along the ledges formed as a result of dislocations egress to the side surfaces of the particle.