This Review aims to spur developments in next-generation functional materials by highlighting design rules to interconnect length and timescales.

The Review discusses epitaxial quantum dot devices emitting in the telecom bands for quantum network devices.

This Review analyses the mechanisms of light extraction from perovskite light-emitting diodes and suggests new approaches towards ultrahigh electroluminescence efficiencies.

This Review discusses the latest theoretical progress related to exceptional points in non-Hermitian physics and the associated implications for emerging technologies in nanophotonics.

An atomically thin indium tin oxide film in the form of a quantum well exhibits a χ² of ~1,800 pm V^–1. Theoretical calculations point to an asymmetric electronic interband transition resonance as the reason for this large χ² value.

Insulin injections are not ideal and have an increased risk of hypoglycaemia. A preferable oral formulation based on silver sulfide quantum dots coated with a chitosan/glucose polymer is discussed, which has controlled insulin release and reduced risk of hypoglycaemia, and demonstrates applications in rodent and non-human primate models.

Nanoparticle clearance is critical for safety and therapeutic applicability. Here the authors report the modulatory role of microglial extracellular vesicles on the brain clearance of organic and inorganic nanoparticles and provide a strategy to control their intracerebral fate.

Fluorinated elastomers as photoresists in the fabrication of soft neural probes are used to enhance the spatiotemporal recording capability at single-neuron resolution within the central nervous system of rodents.

Using hydrogel nanovials to capture single mesenchymal stromal cells and their growth factor secretions, the authors link cell secretion to the transcriptome for thousands of cells, SEC-seq, enabling the study of secretion-associated cell states and mechanisms in therapeutic cell types.

The interference between two frequency-degenerate upconversion processes enables a metasurface-based, all-optical routing by controlling the phase delay between pump beams.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognizes a milestone for the entire nanotechnology field.

Professor Louis Brus of Columbia University tells Nature Nanotechnology about his first encounter with the world of colloidal quantum dots, the beginning of a journey that has earned him this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry (together with Aleksey Yekimov and Moungi Bawendi). He also offers insightful advice to young scientists along the way.

Adopting a nanoscale approach to developing materials and designing experiments benefits research on batteries, supercapacitors and hybrid devices at all technology readiness levels.

As researchers, developers, policymakers and others grapple with navigating socially beneficial advanced technology transitions — especially those associated with artificial intelligence, DNA-based technologies, and quantum technologies — there are valuable lessons to be drawn from nanotechnology. These lessons underscore an urgent need to foster collaboration, engagement and partnerships across disciplines and sectors, together with bringing together people, communities, and organizations with diverse expertise, as they work together to realize the long-term benefits of transformative technologies.

The largest nanoscience and nanotechnology conference in the world took place again after a four-year hiatus.

Reducing cancer-related deaths can only happen with a better understanding of cancer biology and the development of improved, new therapeutics and delivery mechanisms. Nearly all cancer research is dependent upon the models being used, the model’s accuracy, and appropriate validation and benchmarking. Here the need for such considerations is discussed in line with the goal of the Cancer Moonshot.