Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-05-01DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202502215
Yi Sun, Yaqi Jiang, Changcheng An, Yaping Lyu, Yukui Rui, Peng Zhang
{"title":"Tiny Yet Mighty: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture Through Nanobubble Technology.","authors":"Yi Sun, Yaqi Jiang, Changcheng An, Yaping Lyu, Yukui Rui, Peng Zhang","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202502215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202502215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The low utilization efficiency and significant environmental losses associated with agrochemicals, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and plant growth regulators, have become persistent challenges in agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Conventional agrochemical applications frequently result in active ingredients (AIs) wastage, environmental contamination, and human health risks. Although agrochemical delivery systems (ADSs) based on nanomaterials and nanotechnologies have demonstrated potential in improving efficacy, their practical application remains limited by complex synthesis processes, high nanomaterial costs, and sometimes reliance on organic solvents. Recently, nanobubble (NB) technology, defined by bubbles with nanoscale dimensions (< 1 µm), high stability, unique interfacial properties, and high internal pressure, has attracted considerable interest for applications in environmental and agricultural fields. NB technology offers significant promise for ADSs. First, its straightforward application method may substantially simplify existing preparation processes for nano-agrochemical delivery systems (Nano-ADSs). Second, the unique structure of NB, combined with its tunable gas composition, shows considerable promise in enhancing the stability and bioavailability of AIs. The application of NB technology in ADSs not only improves preparation efficiency but also reduces potential ecological and human health risks by optimizing delivery efficacy. Thus, NB technology presents an innovative approach for developing agrochemical solutions that combine superior performance with environmental sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e02215"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147809241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-30DOI: 10.1002/smtd.70675
Wei Zheng, Mutian Zhang, Junjiang Fan, Xiang Liu, Miaoxi Guo, Li Yang, Peigen Zhang, Guobing Ying, ZhengMing Sun
{"title":"MXene-Derived LiV<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub> Nanorods for High-Performance Aqueous Ammonium-Ion Batteries.","authors":"Wei Zheng, Mutian Zhang, Junjiang Fan, Xiang Liu, Miaoxi Guo, Li Yang, Peigen Zhang, Guobing Ying, ZhengMing Sun","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70675","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70675","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aqueous ammonium-ion batteries offer safe and low-cost energy storage but are limited by the lack of electrode materials combining high capacity, fast kinetics, and long-term stability. Herein, MXene-derived LiV<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub> nanorods are synthesized via an in situ thermal conversion strategy as high-performance anodes. The open 1D architecture enables efficient ion transport, delivering a high capacity of 185 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>, excellent rate capability of 93 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 10 A g<sup>-1</sup>, and outstanding cycling durability. A dynamic storage mechanism involving reversible H<sup>+</sup>/NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> co-intercalation and ion-exchange-driven phase transition to NH<sub>4</sub>V<sub>3</sub>O<sub>8</sub>·H<sub>2</sub>O is revealed, inducing a self-adaptive nanorod-to-nanowire structural evolution that continuously enhances ion transport and active surface area. Density functional theory calculations further reveal ultralow ammonium-ion diffusion barriers along the V-O chain direction and strong adsorption stabilized by hydrogen-bond interactions, providing atomic-level insight into the fast kinetics. Full cells with δ-MnO<sub>2</sub> cathodes exhibit high voltage output and long-term stability, demonstrating practical feasibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70675"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-29DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202600011
Muhammad Hassan Shaikh, Alexander Hutchinson, Collin Maurtua, Sashi Nepal, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Luke N Holtzman, Katayun Barmak, James Hone, John Q Xiao, Chitraleema Chakraborty
{"title":"Bridging Precision and Scalability in Van der Waals Assembly Engineering via Lens-Enhanced Optical Transfer.","authors":"Muhammad Hassan Shaikh, Alexander Hutchinson, Collin Maurtua, Sashi Nepal, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Luke N Holtzman, Katayun Barmak, James Hone, John Q Xiao, Chitraleema Chakraborty","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202600011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202600011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>2D materials hold immense promise for next-generation electronics and quantum technologies. However, their full potential has been hindered by the lack of scalable transfer techniques that can simultaneously enable high-precision, deterministic placement, and enhance imaging quality to ensure accurate transfer by both human and automated methods. Here, we present a room-temperature transfer method integrating an optical-grade N-BK7 hemispherical lens with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp system, resolving the fundamental trade-off between transfer precision and optical resolution. Our technique achieves three key advances while eliminating any thermal processing: (1) <math> <semantics><mrow><mn>34</mn> <mo>%</mo></mrow> <annotation>$34%$</annotation></semantics> </math> improvement in imaging resolution through aberration correction, (2) <math> <semantics><mrow><mo>></mo> <mspace></mspace> <mn>95</mn> <mo>%</mo></mrow> <annotation>$>!95%$</annotation></semantics> </math> transfer success rates, and (3) universal compatibility with diverse architectures, including patterned electrodes, etched substrates, and nanopillar arrays. Our method achieves the placement accuracy as low as <math> <semantics><mrow><mn>10</mn> <mspace></mspace> <mi>μ</mi> <mi>m</mi></mrow> <annotation>$10nobreakspace mu mathrm{m}$</annotation></semantics> </math> and is fully compatible with motorized staging. This enables the selective pickup of target flakes and effectively eliminates non-target material, which can occupy valuable space or lead to electrical shorts in pre-patterned fabricated devices, establishing a transformative platform for scalable production of van der Waals heterostructures. This advance bridges the critical gap between laboratory research and industrial-scale manufacturing of 2D material devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e00011"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gradient Nanostructure, Diffusion Mechanisms, and Performance of Fe-Si (6.5 wt.%) Alloy Powders Prepared Using a Green and Controllable Method.","authors":"Rui Wang, Xinyu Zhao, Xiaoyu Li, Hui Kong, Zengqing Sun, Ailin Xia, Zhaoyang Wu","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70677","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To reduce carbon emissions associated with the traditional preparation of Fe-Si (6.5 wt.%) alloy powder, the main precursor of high-frequency soft magnetic composites, this study developed a green, controllable, and melt-free powder-preparation methodology enabled by defect-architecture engineering. Hydrogen-reduced iron powders are first subjected to surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) and subsequently processed via a dual-stage heat-treatment protocol, comprising low-temperature Si infiltration at 565°C followed by homogenization at 900°C, to achieve rapid alloying and uniform silicon distribution. SMAT generated a gradient nanostructure through high-strain-rate deformation via dislocation multiplication and grain-boundary rearrangement, providing short-circuit diffusion paths that lowered the silicon infiltration temperature to 565°C. After homogenization at 900°C, silicon was evenly distributed throughout the prepared Fe-Si alloy powder. As proof of method, Fe-Si@boron nitride soft magnetic composites prepared from this material exhibited low power loss (201.5 kW/m<sup>3</sup> at 100 kHz and 50 mT), and high permeability retention (>80% under a 7.96 kA/m DC bias), outperforming mainstream commercial counterparts. Overall, this defect-enabled route offers an energy-efficient strategy for scalable low-temperature diffusion alloying of metal powders and for fabricating high-performance soft magnetic composites.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70677"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-27DOI: 10.1002/smtd.70667
Lili Xiao, Ni Fang, Huihui Yuan, Jun Jin, Peng Gao, Yan Lu, Zhaoyin Wen
{"title":"Enhanced Structure Ductility and Sodium Storage Kinetics of High-Capacity Sulfide Anodes via Medium-Entropy Engineering.","authors":"Lili Xiao, Ni Fang, Huihui Yuan, Jun Jin, Peng Gao, Yan Lu, Zhaoyin Wen","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70667","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70667","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metal sulfide anodes offer high theoretical capacities for sodium-ion batteries but are limited by severe chemo-mechanical degradation from conversion/alloying reactions, poor electronic conductivity, and sluggish ion transport. Here, we present a mechanics-led design strategy, medium-entropy ductility engineering, implemented in a ternary thiospinel, ME-NCUS. Density functional theory shows a high Pugh ratio (2.722), elevated Poisson's ratio (0.336), and a reduced Young's modulus (112.8 GPa), collectively indicating an intrinsically ductile, compliant lattice that accommodates elastic strain and dissipates anisotropic stress. This engineered mechanical response mitigates sodiation/desodiation-induced volume expansion, suppresses crack initiation and propagation, and stabilizes electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Correspondingly, the material exhibits accelerated kinetics, with high Na<sup>+</sup> diffusivity and markedly lower activation barriers. The result is outstanding durability and power performance, retaining 92% capacity (640 mAh g<sup>-1</sup>) after 900 cycles at 5 A g<sup>-1</sup> (7 C) with robust long-term stability. By quantitatively linking elastic constants to ion-transport barriers and failure tolerance, this work elevates ductility as a primary design handle for high-capacity, large volume change anodes. Medium-entropy engineering thus offers a general and scalable route to entropy-stabilized sulfides and other conversion/alloying anodes, enabling mechanically resilient and kinetically fast sodium storage.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70667"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-27DOI: 10.1002/smtd.70657
Lili Shi, Leonardo Viti, Miriam S Vitiello
{"title":"Scalable Room-Temperature Terahertz Graphene Cameras.","authors":"Lili Shi, Leonardo Viti, Miriam S Vitiello","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70657","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Terahertz (THz) imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for non-destructive, label-free analysis across several scientific disciplines, ranging from materials science to biomedical research. By capturing the spatial-dependent information in a broad range of frequencies, this technique enables the identification of chemical composition, structural heterogeneity, and dynamic processes in complex samples. However, the practical deployment of hyperspectral or broadband THz imaging has been limited by the performance, cost, and scalability of conventional detector technologies. In this work, we present two architectures of cameras based on large-area arrays of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs), operating at room temperature, in a broadband configuration, and at terahertz frequencies. The devised GFET-based detectors exploit the photo-thermoelectric effect and are optimized for wideband sensitivity through on-chip broadband antenna design and gate-tunable responsivity. We thoroughly characterize the performance of individual pixel elements and introduce optimized multiplexed readout circuitry tailored for each configuration. Our GFET-based THz cameras exhibit exceptional performance metrics, including a noise equivalent power (NEP) on the order of nanowatts per square root hertz (nW/Hz<sup>1/2</sup>) and maximum responsivities reaching 36 V/W. Additionally, the pixel-to-pixel uniformity in sensitivity and electrical characteristics significantly reduces the complexity of calibration and control, enabling scalable implementations for large-format arrays.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70657"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conductive Microneedles: From Advanced Fabrication to Multifunctional Biomedical Applications.","authors":"Jiaxin Shi, Xin Li, Ziyi Li, Guixia Ling, Peng Zhang","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70660","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70660","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microneedles (MNs) have attracted considerable attention as an innovative physical enhancement technology for transdermal drug delivery. In recent years, the incorporation of functional materials such as metals, carbon-based materials, and intrinsically conductive polymers (ICPs) has endowed MNs with excellent electrical properties. This advancement marks a significant functional evolution, transforming MNs from passive drug carriers into actively controllable and multifunctional biomedical platforms. The primary advantage of conductive MNs lies in their capacity to penetrate the stratum corneum and establish a high-quality electrical interface directly with subcutaneous tissues. This capability not only enhances the signal-to-noise ratio of bioelectrical signal acquisition, thereby improving signal fidelity in applications such as physiological monitoring and neural repair, but also enables actively controlled drug release. This review systematically summarizes key research progress in conductive MNs, with emphasis on the types of conductive materials employed and their respective advantages and limitations, strategies for imparting conductivity, corresponding microfabrication techniques, and cutting-edge applications in drug delivery, electrophysiological monitoring, and electrical stimulation therapy. Finally, the challenges associated with clinical translation and future development prospects are discussed, aiming to provide valuable insights for the design and development of novel conductive MNs systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70660"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-25DOI: 10.1002/smtd.70671
Jiabin Hu, Yunfeng Guo, Yu Zheng, Ting Zhang, Shaoqian Zhou, Yani Chen, Mei Liu, Qian Xiao, Shuning Liu, Xiaobo Liu
{"title":"Structural Engineering of Coaxial Fibers Toward Magnetic-Dielectric-Conductive Synergy for High-Performance EMI Shielding.","authors":"Jiabin Hu, Yunfeng Guo, Yu Zheng, Ting Zhang, Shaoqian Zhou, Yani Chen, Mei Liu, Qian Xiao, Shuning Liu, Xiaobo Liu","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70671","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70671","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid evolution of the electronic information industry has brought both benefits and a significant challenge: electromagnetic interference. Such interference can cause severe disruptions to human health and the operation of precision instruments. However, conventional EMI shielding materials often have excessive weight, limited surface area, and low efficiency, which hinder their practical use. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a composite strategy combining coaxial electrospinning and interfacial functionalization, yielding lightweight, flexible shielding materials with multi-level electromagnetic loss mechanisms. By embedding FePc/Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>@ZIF-67 magnetic composite fillers with a strong coupling effect into the fiber shell layer, constructing a relatively conductive network with carboxylated MWCNT in the fiber core layer, and in situ depositing silver nanoparticles on the surface, a magnetic-dielectric-conductive multi-interface synergistic structure is formed. The resulting composite film achieves an excellent shielding effectiveness of 62.349 dB at a thickness of only 0.197 mm, with a specific shielding efficiency of 12 356.136 dB·g<sup>-1</sup>·cm<sup>2</sup>. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent hydrophobicity and thermal stability of BPAPEN, the membrane exhibits excellent anti-fouling performance and long-term stability, significantly broadening its potential in diverse application scenarios. This work offers new insights into the rational design of flexible EMI shielding materials featuring multi-interface synergy and structural tunability.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70671"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2026-04-24DOI: 10.1002/smtd.70666
Qian Hou, Jinghan Ren, Yuzhen Wu, Peiran Zhao, Shuzhen Yue, Sai Bi
{"title":"Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology-Empowered CRISPR-Cas12a Systems for Biosensing and Bioimaging Applications.","authors":"Qian Hou, Jinghan Ren, Yuzhen Wu, Peiran Zhao, Shuzhen Yue, Sai Bi","doi":"10.1002/smtd.70666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70666","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of highly sensitive and simple bioanalytical platforms is crucial for advancing disease diagnostics and biomedical research. In recent years, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein systems have emerged as the \"next-generation molecular technology\" that profoundly impacts the field of genome editing and molecular diagnosis. In particular, CRISPR-Cas12a, an important CRISPR-Cas family member, has gained prominence as a robust tool in biosensing and bioimaging due to its easy design and high target specificity. Notably, the integration of nucleic acid nanotechnology, including nucleic acid amplification strategies and engineered functional nucleic acids, with CRISPR-Cas12a systems significantly improves detection sensitivity and specificity, enabling the analysis of low-abundance analytes. This review introduces the fundamentals of CRISPR-Cas12a and key nucleic acid-based toolboxes. Next, we systematically summarize the advantages of nucleic acid nanotechnology-empowered CRISPR-Cas12a platforms in detail and highlight recent advances in their applications in biosensing and bioimaging. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives of such nucleic acids-assisted CRISPR-Cas12a systems for disease diagnostics are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e70666"},"PeriodicalIF":9.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}