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A series of novel phenomena such as optical nonlinear enhancement effect, transmission enhancement, orientation effect, high sensitivity to refractive index, negative refraction and dynamic regulation of low threshold can be generated by the control of surface plasmon (SP) with metal micro-nano structure and metal/material composite structure. The application of SP in nano-photonics, super-resolution imaging, energy, sensor detection, life science, and other fields shows an important prospect. Silver nanoparticles are one of the commonly used metal materials for SP because of their high sensitivity to refractive index change, convenient synthesis, and high controllable degree of shape and size. In this review, the basic concept, fabrication, and applications of silver-based surface plasmon sensors are summarized.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs), as conductive materials for flexible stretchable electrodes, do not only have high conductivity but also have a high specific surface area, excellent stretchability, and mechanical stability, showing great potential applications in flexible electronics such as foldable, stretchable electrodes and wearable devices, etc. This work successfully synthesized AgNWs with controllable morphology by an improved dual-alcohol process. The diameter, length, and size uniformity of AgNWs were effectively regulated by studying the reaction temperature, different control agents, and the dropping rate of the AgNO3 solution. The flexible stretchable electrodes were prepared using PDMS, paper, and nonwoven fabrics as substrate materials, and the impregnation method prepared the flexible stretchable electrodes of conductive fabrics. The properties of flexible stretchable electrodes of AgNWs based on different substrates were compared.

With paramount electrical, optical, catalytic, and other physical and chemical properties, van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) have captured increasing attention. vdWHs are two-dimension (2D) heterostructures formed via van der Waals (vdW) force, paving the way for fabricating, understanding, and applications of 2D materials. vdWHs materials of large lattice constant difference can be fabricated together, forming a series of unique 2D materials that cannot form heterostructures earlier. Additionally, vdWHs provide a new platform to study the interlayer interactions between materials, unraveling new physics in the system. Notably, vdWHs embody short-range bonds weaker than covalent and ionic bonds, almost only interactions between nearest particles are considered. Owing to a clear interface, vdW interaction between two different components, devices made by vdWHs can bring amazing physicochemical properties, such as unconventional superconductivity, super capacitance in intercalation 2D structure, etc. Recently, impressive progress has been achieved in the controlled preparation of vdWHs and various applications, which will be summarized in this review. The preparation methods comprise mechanical exfoliation, liquid phase stripping, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The applications sections will focus on photoelectric devices, logic devices, flexible devices, and piezotronics. Finally, some perspectives in the future on the controlled preparation of vdWHs with desired properties for advanced applications will be discussed.

Although most microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) have good absorption ability above 8 GHz, they perform poorly in the low-frequency range (1–8 GHz). Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) derived carbon-based composites have been highly sought after in electromagnetic materials and functional devices, due to their high specific area, high porosity, high thermal stability, low reflection loss, and adjustable composition. In this review, we first introduce the three loss types of MAMs and argue that composite materials are effective ways to achieve broadband absorption. Secondly, the absorbing properties of traditional materials and MOF materials in the literature are compared, followed by a discussion of the promising strategies for designing MAMs with broadband absorption in low frequencies based on the recent progress. Finally, the main problems, fabrication methods, and applications are discussed for their future prospects.

The application of flexible electronics in the field of communication has made the transition from rigid physical form to flexible physical form. Flexible electrode technology is the key to the wide application of flexible electronics. However, flexible electrodes will break when large deformation occurs, failing flexible electronics. It restricts the further development of flexible electronic technology. Flexible stretchable electrodes are a hot research topic to solve the problem that flexible electrodes cannot withstand large deformation. Flexible stretchable electrode materials have excellent electrical conductivity, while retaining excellent mechanical properties in case of large deformation. This paper summarizes the research results of flexible stretchable electrodes from three aspects: material, process, and structure, as well as the prospects for future development.

The phase behaviors of an ABA star polymer and nanoparticles confined in a sphere with soft inner surface, which is grafted with homopolymer brushes have been studied by the self-consistent field theory (SCFT). The morphologies of mixture in the center slice of sphere were focused. Two cases are considered: one is that the nanoparticles interact with the B blocks and the other is that the nanoparticles preferentially wet the B blocks. Under the two conditions, through changing the block ratio of the ABA star polymer, the concentration and radius of the nanoparticles, the phase behaviors of the mixtures confined the soft sphere are studied systematically. With increasing the concentration of nanoparticles, the entropy and the steric repulsive interaction of nanoparticles, and the nanoparticle density distributions along the perpendicular line through the center of sphere are plotted. The phase diagram is also constructed to analyze the effects of the nanoparticle volume fraction and radius on morphologies of ABA star polymers, and to study the effect of confinement on the phase behaviors. The results in this work provide a useful reference for controlling the ordered structures in experiment, which is an effective way to fabricate the newly multifunctional materials.