Over the past decades, nanotechnology and synthetic chemistry succeeded in on-demand design of nanoscale building blocks such as functional molecules or colloidal nanostructures. Inspired by nature, such building blocks can be used for precise assembly of hierarchical mesostructured materials with novel advanced functionality. Possible applications of this technology cover a broad range of fields, from energy conversion and storage, catalysis, smart surfaces and membranes, to drug delivery systems, supramolecules, etc. The concept of nanoarchitectonics has been put forward to cover the developments in this extensive research field. Nanoarchitectonics is supposed to constrict functional materials from nanounits including atoms and molecules. Considering that all materials are in principle composed of atoms and molecules, it is a universal concept used for all materials. In analogy to the Theory of Everything in physics, it can be called the Method for Everything in material science. Possible targets are not limited to real materials. Nanospaces surrounded nanostructured materials can be created through nanoarchitectonics strategy. For example, the subject of pore-engineered nanoarchitectonics has been also investigated. According to these backgrounds, the special issue of NPG Asia Materials on ‘Higher-order Functional Mesostructures’ focuses on the most recent innovations in hierarchical mesostructured materials based on nanotechnology and nanoarchitectonics.

Over the past decades, nanotechnology and synthetic chemistry succeeded in on-demand design of nanoscale building blocks such as functional molecules or colloidal nanostructures. Inspired by nature, such building blocks can be used for precise assembly of hierarchical mesostructured materials with novel advanced functionality. Possible applications of this technology cover a broad range of fields, from energy conversion and storage, catalysis, smart surfaces and membranes, to drug delivery systems, supramolecules, etc. The concept of nanoarchitectonics has been put forward to cover the developments in this extensive research field. This special issue of NPG Asia Materials on ‘Higher-order Functional Mesostructures’ will focus on the most recent innovations in hierarchical mesostructured materials, and we hereby announce call for papers for review articles as well as original papers, to be submitted by August 31, 2022.

Hydrogels are of great interests from the viewpoints of their diverse applications such as disposal water adsorbent, tissue engineering, drug delivery, etc. New synthetic techniques as well as analytical methods have opened new gates to intelligent and advanced hydrogel-related materials. In combination with the broad term “healing”, the hydrogel-related materials have also been experiencing remarkable innovations. Some of the healing materials are designed for their own repair, others to assist the healing of the damaged bio-organisms. This special issue of NPG Asia Materials is focusing on the recent innovations related to hydrogels and hydrogel-related healing material, and presents state-of-the-art original articles as well as comprehensive reviews in this fast-growing field.

The demand for biomaterials and health-care related materials in various medical applications has been increasing significantly across the globe over the last decade, and has been even more acute these days. This special issue of NPG Asia Materials, “Biomaterials and health-care related materials” is aimed at providing the recent advances in fundamental research on biomaterials, biointeractions, health-care and wearable health-monitoring materials, as well as the forefront of their medical applications. The issue covers original research and comprehensive review articles on topics ranging from biochemistry, biomaterials and biointerfaces to functional bio-devices for advanced research and healthcare systems.

Worldwide demand for energy has put increasing focus on the discovery and realization of new materials for energy conversion. This “Energy-related Materials” Special Issue in NPG Asia Materials features a selection of articles that report on photothermal catalysis, electrocatalysis and contains reviews on recent advances in rechargeable Zn batteries as well as organic photovoltaics. The special issue also highlights materials development, which focus on the rational design and fabrication of nanostructured materials targeted towards high performance, energy-related applications.

NPG Asia Materials is proud to present a collection of articles on innovative nanomaterials for advanced therapy of cancer. The collection features a selection of recent articles that report multimodal nanoplatforms for photothermal therapy, 2D nanomaterials and their composites, cell-membrane nanoparticle camouflaging, surface-engineered nanobubbles, or 3D printed scaffolds, as well as a fundamentally novel approach of cell rupturing.

NPG Asia Materials proudly announces a web focus on organic–inorganic perovskites and photovoltaics. The web focus features a selection of articles on synthesis and applications of novel perovskite materials as well as on technologies related to perovskite solar cells.

NPG Asia Materials is proud to present Review Collection 2015-2016, putting together recent reviews published in the journal. These reviews are written by prominent scientists and cover cutting-edge areas of materials research.

NPG Asia Materials is proud to present a web focus on Magnetic materials for spintronic devices. This web focus features a selection of articles that are related to magnetic materials for potential application in magnetoelectronic and spintronic devices. Such materials include artificial multiferroics, half metallic Heusler alloys, topological insulators, Dirac semimetals, manganites, nanofibers, and spin wave materials, as well as molecular interfaces.

NPG Asia Materialsis proud to present a web focus on materials for advanced energy conversion and storage. This web focus features a selection of articles that are related to the processes of converting and storing energy, including concepts of novel fuel cells, processing and materials for solar cells, as well as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors and ion batteries.

This web focus features a selection of articles on topics that range from biomaterials such as cellulose or silk protein to bio-inspired materials such as polymer nanotubes and topological nanostructures to functional device concepts such as DNA computers or nanowire biosensors.