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The novel NiMoO4/NiFe LDH pre-catalyst can completely reconstruct into well-defined MoFe-Ni(oxy)hydroxide. The dopant of Mo and Fe can effectively strengthen the adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates and enhance the OER activity.

A new solvothermal reconstruction method recovers the original morphology of the catalyst and the product presents extraordinary stability.

Fe–NC with Fe–N4–O1 active sites exhibits splendid catalytic activity toward the selective oxidation of amines. A possible mechanism combining the oxidative pathway and ROS pathway in the presence of Fe–NC is proposed.

A structure of layered MXene derived nanoporous VOx sandwiched with graphene nanosheets (rGO–VOx) is constructed as a cathode for ZIBs with shortened diffusion pathways and increased electrical conductivity.

We propose a facile boron-assisted strategy to prepare NiFe LDHs with rich grain boundaries, which originate from imperfect oriented attachment between primary LDH particles. The grain-boundary-rich NiFe LDHs exhibit excellent OER activity.

Nitrogen-doped hollow mesoporous carbon spheres present excellent conversion and selectivity in the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene at 50 °C.

The introduction of atomically dispersed Fe atoms can modulate the PMS activation pathway; that is, the radical-mediated process of PMS activation accelerated by graphitic N is attenuated, in turn boosting electron-transfer-mediated nonradical processes.

The obtained NiFe LDH/V–Co4N@NF shows strong electronic interaction at the heterointerface, which remarkably boosts its OER performance.

The microwave-induced local energy confinement effect makes black phosphorus nanosheets react with Ni2+ confined on/around the 2D surface and tend to topochemical conversion to thermodynamically unstable two-dimensional Ni2P.

Peroxydisulfate (PDS) can be activated by graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) under irradiation, and the generated oxygen reactive species (ROSs) can degrade organic pollutants effectively. However, the photocatalytic activity of pristine g-C3N4 is limited due to its narrow light absorption range and rapid electron–hole recombination. Herein, cobalt and phosphorus co-doped g-C3N4 (Co, P-CN) was synthesized by a facile one-pot pyrolysis method. Co and P co-doping enhances the light absorption and charge separation, thus greatly promoting the photocatalytic activation of PDS. Additionally, the presence of doped Co2+ can chemically activate PDS, with Co2+ transforming into Co3+ simultaneously. Recycling tests reveal that Co2+ in Co, P-CN can maintain a high level attributing to the fast Co3+/Co2+ transformation rate under light irradiation. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the Co–Nx species formed by chemical coordination between Co and g-C3N4 in Co, P-CN could effectively activate PDS. The synergistic effect of photo-catalytic and chemical-catalytic driven PDS activation and a faster Co3+/Co2+ redox cycle result in the enhanced bisphenol A (BPA) degradation with a reaction rate constant (k) of 0.375 min−1, which is 7 times larger than that of pristine g-C3N4. This work provides an effective method for the in situ regeneration of active low-valent transition metal ions, and reveals the mechanism of synergistic activation of PDS by photo-catalysis and chemical-catalysis for pollutant degradation.

Persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes are promising technologies to solve water pollution. In this work, single iron atoms are anchored on three-dimensional N-doped carbon nanosheets by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method with ferrocene-loaded CaO as the hard template. The high surface density of Fe–N4 sites and abundant interconnected meso–macro pores are highly favorable for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to produce superoxide radicals (O2˙−), giving rise to ultrahigh activity and excellent stability for pollutant degradation. Experiment and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that Fe–N4 is the main active site, on which electrons transfer from C to Fe via the C–N–Fe bond to secure the low-valence state of Fe species for the redox process. This work proposes a new strategy for developing highly active single-atom materials by CVD and reveals mechanisms of PMS activation on single-atom activators.

MXenes are a family of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides and carbonitrides that are supposed to be promising materials for high pseudocapacitive energy storage. It has been proven that Ti3C2Tx (Tx refers to –F, O, –Cl and –OH) MXenes with more O-termination could exhibit better performance in pseudocapacitors. However, direct oxidation modification would result in the serious oxidation of Ti3C2Tx into titanium dioxide. Here we report the controllable oxidation of Ti3C2Tx by readily adjusting the loading of ammonium persulfate, in order to turn the –F terminal groups to –O terminal groups on the Ti3C2Tx MXene. The partially oxidized Ti3C2Tx achieved a high capacitance of 303 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1, and 96.6% capacity can remain even after 9000 cycles. Hence, the controllable oxidation modification of Ti3C2Tx could be a promising strategy for surface modification of MXenes.

Designing antimicrobials with high efficiency and long-term antibacterial activity is an imperative issue. We found that the antimicrobial effect of Ti3C2Tx and Ag/Ti3C2Tx could be significantly strengthened upon near-infrared light exposure. The synergistic antibacterial mode of the photothermal bactericidal effect and intrinsic bacterial activity have been revealed, which confirms that the Ti3C2Tx MXene is an excellent near-infrared light-mediated nanoplatform for antibacterial applications. To further test the antibacterial effect in practical applications, Ag/Ti3C2Tx embedded hydrogels were used as wound dressings in a wound model experiment. They exhibit outstanding bacterial inhibition and wound healing performance with near-infrared light exposure. This work inspires us to explore the MXene-based photothermal platform in terms of antibacterial application.

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is key for the cathodic reaction of electrochemical water splitting, but it suffers sluggish kinetics due to the slow water dissociation process. Here, we present a simple strategy to enhance the HER activity in alkaline media by engineering Co-doped MoS2 coupled with Mo2CTx MXene. The improved HER activity might be ascribed to the synergistic regulation of water dissociation sites and electronic conductivity. Co doping could effectively regulate the electronic structure of MoS2 and further improve the intrinsic activity of the catalyst. Mo2CTx MXene served as both the active and conductive substrate to facilitate electron transfer. As a result, the Co-MoS2/Mo2CTx nanohybrids showed dramatically enhanced HER performance with a low overpotential of 112 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and exhibited excellent long-term stability in alkaline media.

Constructing two dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures is a promising strategy to overcome the shortcomings of individual 2D materials without losing their intrinsic advantages. This review first summarizes the different synthetic strategies for 2D heterostructures. The significant role of 2D heterointerfaces for energy storage and conversion is then discussed, involving charge transfer and redistribution, the 2D space-confined effect and the tunable 2D channel. The recent progress of 2D vdW heterostructures for energy-related electrochemical applications is reviewed, including electrocatalysts (e.g., hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction and overall water splitting), Li+/Na+ ion batteries and supercapacitors. Advanced studies that highlight the impressive interfacial synergistic effect for improved performance are systematically introduced. Finally, current challenges and prospective solutions of this field for energy-related applications are proposed.

Herein, ultra-small molybdenum carbide nanodots encapsulated in nitrogen-doped porous carbon (Mo2C/N-PC) were synthesized by a facile one-pot method. Ammonium molybdate and low-cost starch were used as precursors of Mo2C and C. Ammonium nitrate was selected as a nitrogen dopant, which played multiple roles in the reduction of MoC to Mo2C, nitrogen doping of carbon, and formation of a porous structure with abundant structural defects, thus avoiding the high-temperature reduction by H2/Ar. The optimized Mo2C/N-PC hybrid has a remarkable catalytic activity towards the HER over a wide pH range (0–14). Especially, under alkaline conditions, an overpotential as small as −100 mV vs. RHE could be achieved at 10 mA cm−2, comparable to that of the best Mo2C-based materials. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that a decreased Gibbs free energy for H* adsorption (ΔGH*) could be obtained by combining Mo2C with N-PC, proving the synergistic enhancement mechanism of nitrogen doping and structural defects. This material contains no noble metals and can be easily synthesized on a large scale; thus, it should have significant potential in hydrogen production.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a core reaction in energy conversion and storage devices. Herein, nitrogen-doped hierarchical micro/mesoporous carbon ORR catalysts derived from covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) were prepared based on a rational bottom-up strategy. Benefiting from its high specific surface area (1925 m2 g−1), hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure (0–12 nm), three-dimensional conductive network and high pyridinic N and graphitic N content, the optimal CTF-Super P-10 composite catalyst exhibits an onset potential of 0.981 V and a half-wave potential of 0.883 V, with a high limiting current density of around 5.31 mA cm−2 under alkaline conditions. It shows a dominant four-electron pathway, strong stability, and better methanol tolerance than commercial Pt/C in both alkaline conditions and acidic conditions, highlighting a promising strategy for designing high performance metal-free ORR catalysts.

Recently, rechargeable aqueous batteries have been regarded as a potential candidate for large-scale energy storage due to their intrinsic low cost, high operational safety, and environmental benignancy. Herein, we report an effective in situ hybridization method to prepare spindle-like vanadium disulfide (VS2) nanocrystals on a nitrogen doped carbon (N-doped carbon) layer (VS2@N–C) and systematically explore its electrochemical property as the cathode material for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion (Zn-ion) batteries. Benefiting from the strong interfacial interaction between VS2 and N-doped carbon, the resulting cathode shows an outstanding specific capacity of 203 mA h g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and displays impressive long-term cycling stability with a capacity retention of 97% after 600 cycles at 1000 mA g−1. The mechanisms involved were clarified by ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. This study provides a new prospect for developing better cathodes for aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) is broadly applicable in many fields due to its temperature-induced phase transition property. Herein, a facile method to incorporate exfoliated Ti2C3Tx nanosheets in the PNIPAM network is reported. Due to compatibility, stability and photothermal properties of the incorporated Ti2C3Tx nanosheets, the obtained MXene/PNIPAM composite hydrogel shows excellent photothermal properties, expanding the pure thermal-responsive property of the PNIPAM hydrogel. Based on the smart composite hydrogel, remote light-control of the microfluidic pipeline is also demonstrated.

Metal-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted great interest, but the rapid preparation of doped CQDs with tunable optical properties is still an urgent task. Herein, we report that covalent organic frameworks (covalent triazine-based frameworks, CTF-1) with layered structures can be rapidly exfoliated and cut into N-doped CQDs. The cutting mechanism involves triazine hydrolysis and breaking the bonds between the triazines and benzene rings. Experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the fluorescence of the obtained CQDs mainly originates from the intrinsic state emission induced by localized π–π* transitions, despite the contribution of the defect state emission. Due to their unique chemical structure, the CQDs could be further utilized as an efficient PL probe for detecting Hg2+. This study may open up new avenues for developing new kinds of CQDs using covalent organic frameworks as the starting materials.

Recycling anode graphite remains a significant barrier to the recovery of used Li-ion batteries. In this study, we show that anode graphite in used lithium-ion batteries is a cheap and ideal candidate for the high yield production of high-quality graphene. Attributed to the reduced interlayer force after repeated charge–discharge cycles, the sonication assisted exfoliation efficiency of the used anode graphite can be 3 to 11 times that of natural graphite, with a highest mass yield of the dispersed graphene sheets of ∼40 wt%. Importantly, the layer numbers of most of the exfoliated graphene sheets are 1–4 , and their lateral sizes are over 1 μm. Their conductivity after annealing at moderate temperature (500 °C) is up to 9100 S m−1, and their potential application in conductive ink was also demonstrated.

A three-dimensional (3D) flower-like MoS2/TiO2 nanohybrid was synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal method. It is found that the MoS2/TiO2 nanohybrid is assembled with MoS2 nanosheets and TiO2 nanoparticles. The TiO2 nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed on the MoS2 nanosheets. Moreover, the MoS2/TiO2 nanohybrid displays excellent electrochemical performance with a high reversible capacity of 801 mA h g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1 after 50 cycles. It also demonstrates outstanding rate behavior with a reversible discharge capacity of 660 mA h g−1 at a current density of 1000 mA g−1 and retains a capacity of about 760 mA h g−1 as the current density is returned back to 100 mA g−1. Compared with MoS2, the MoS2/TiO2 nanohybrid displays enhanced cycling stability and superior rate capability. The excellent electrochemical performance may be attributed to the favorable synergistic effect between MoS2 and TiO2. The TiO2 particles may enhance the structure stability and shorten the transport distance of ions across the surface.

Conversion of solar energy to hydrogen requires efficient, low-cost and earth-abundant H-producing photocatalysts. Herein, a novel noble metal-free photocatalyst 1T–MoS2/CdS NRs was prepared via a simple method. The 1T–MoS2/CdS NRs hybrid showed the highest photocatalytic activity when the optimized weight ratio of metallic 1T–MoS2 to CdS NRs is 10 wt% in a lactic acid solution under visible light. A 794.93 μmol h−1 H2 evolution rate of the 1T–MoS2/CdS NRs hybrid reached not only 35 times improvement than pure CdS NRs but also 4.5 times enhancement than the 2H–MoS2/CdS NRs hybrid. The relative mechanism has been investigated. 1T–MoS2/CdS NRs interfaces could form ohmic contact with very low contact resistances to promote photoexcited electron transfer, which was different from the p/n junction on the 2H–MoS2/CdS NRs hybrid.

In this study, we synthesized a novel composite material (Au–TiO2–RGO) consisting of tiny gold nanoparticles (∼4.5 nm) grown on a layered titania (TiO2) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) hybrid. After treatment with microwave and sulfuric acid, solid acid (SO42−/TiO2) was in situ formed on the surface of TiO2, and the resulting Au–SO42−/TiO2–RGO was determined as an enhanced catalyst for hydration reaction. The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Au and TiO2 and the cooperative effect between Au and SO42−/TiO2 solid acid collectively account for the excellent performance. Moreover, due to the versatile RGO substrate, the catalyst could also be recycled and reused at least 5 times without obvious deactivation.

Au–Pd bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) with core–shell structures have been successfully anchored on chemical exfoliated MoS2 (Au–Pd/MoS2) through a facile co-reduction method at room temperature. The Au–Pd/MoS2 hybrids were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The pristine MoS2 nanosheets exhibit some peroxidase-like activity for the oxidation of 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), and their catalytic activity is significantly enhanced by the deposition of Au–Pd NPs. A systematic study revealed that Au–Pd NPs with a mass ratio of 1 : 2 on MoS2 (Au1.0Pd2.0/MoS2) showed the highest catalytic activity compared with other counterparts. This excellent performance of the Au1.0Pd2.0/MoS2 hybrids should be ascribed to not only the intrinsic catalytic activity of MoS2, but also the complicated metal–metal and metal–support interactions.

In this study, we develop a facile strategy to combine an organic amine with a palladium complex on graphene oxide (GO) as a cooperative catalyst for Tsuji–Trost allylation. A tertiary amine and palladium–diamine complex are simultaneously immobilized on a GO support through silylation and further in situ coordination processes. PdCl2 is employed as the palladium precursor, with no necessity for extra coordination ligands. Various characterizations confirm the successful preparation of the cooperative supported catalyst (GO–NEt2–2N–Pd). Systematic investigation reveals the immobilized palladium–diamine complex (GO–2N–Pd) with very low Pd loading is effective for Tsuji–Trost allylation, and incorporation of the tertiary amine shows a significant promoting effect towards the catalytic activity. GO–NEt2–2N–Pd can be readily recovered and recycled several times without reduction of its efficiency. Its excellent performance should be ascribed to synergistic catalysis effect, excellent support properties, and robust immobilization interaction.

In this study, a bifunctional graphene oxide material (GO–AEP–UDP) with a general acid, the ureidopropyl (UDP) group, and a general base, the 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino]-propyl (AEP) group, was synthesized by silylanization of graphene oxide (GO) with organoalkoxysilane precursors. Characterization of the obtained GO–AEP–UDP was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and zeta potential measurements. Systematic studies demonstrated that GO–AEP–UDP has superior catalytic performance in the classic Henry reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde with nitromethane. It was found that the relative concentration and spatial arrangement of cooperative functional groups were very important factors in the synergistic catalysis.

Rhodium complexes can be homogeneously immobilized on functionalized graphene oxide through coordination interaction. The obtained catalyst can be readily recycled and shows enhanced activity in the catalytic hydrogenation of cyclohexene.

Acid catalysts are essential for various chemical reactions in the industrial hydrocarbon chemistry. Sulfonated carbon has shown promising application as a new, cheap and environmentally friendly solid acid catalyst. In this study, we prepared the sulfonated graphene acid catalyst, and it was characterized by electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, solid state 13C MAS NMR, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Catalytic hydrolysis of ethyl acetate shows that the sulfonated graphene has highly catalytic activity and can be repetitively used as a water-tolerant solid acid catalyst.

We demonstrated a facile borane hydrogenation route to hydrogenate reduced graphene oxide (RGO). This strategy is simple and might be scaleable for mass production of partially hydrogenated RGO with a band gap of ∼1.8 eV.

Correction for ‘Ti2C3Tx nanosheets as photothermal agents for near-infrared responsive hydrogels’ by Changyu Yang et al., Nanoscale, 2018, 10, 15387–15392.

In this study, primary and tertiary amine bifunctional graphene oxide (GO-NH2-NEt2) was prepared by silylanization of graphene oxide (GO) with amine-terminal silanes. The obtained GO-NH2-NEt2 was characterized by infrared spectrum (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Systematic studies demonstrated the GO-NH2-NEt2 had excellent catalytic activities and 100% selectivity in the classic trans-β-nitrostyrene forming reaction.

Acid–base bifunctional catalysts are of particularly interest, but also present great challenges in synthesis and applications. In this study, acid–base bifunctional graphene oxide hybrids were obtained by the modification of graphene oxide (GO) through a silylation reaction and radical addition. The obtained bifunctional hybrids displayed high acid and base catalytic activities towards a typical one-pot acid–base reaction sequence called deacetalization–nitroaldol reaction.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising support for anchoring homogeneous metal complexes because of its two-dimensional structure, huge surface area and diversity for chemical functionalizations. In this study, a ruthenium supported catalyst has been synthesized by covalently bonding a ruthenium complex (RuCl2(PPh3)3) onto the GO surface through coordination interaction with aminosilane ligand spacers. The supported catalyst showed enhanced catalytic performance towards hydrogenation of olefins and ketones compared with the homogeneous analogue, and it could be readily recycled and reused several times without discernible loss of its activity.

Poly(amidoamine) modified graphene oxide was prepared via a grafting-from method and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Evaluation of its adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions demonstrated that the poly(amidoamine) modified graphene oxide had superior adsorption ability towards heavy metal ions such as Cu2+, Zn2+, Fe3+, Pb2+ and Cr3+.

Graphene has attracted increasing attention as a support for heterogeneous catalysis. Although successful preparation and excellent catalytic performance of many graphene based nanocatalysts have been demonstrated, graphene supported nanocatalysts with turnable catalytic behaviors remain unexplored. In this study, we report a strategy to prepare a graphene supported Au nanocatalyst with thermo-sensitive catalytic behaviors. This smart catalytic system was prepared by introducing the temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAAm) and Au nanoparticles to graphene oxide (GO) through reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and direct co-reduction of HAuCl4. The obtained GO–NIPAAm–Au hybrid was systematically characterized and showed interesting thermo-sensitive catalytic activity in the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Partially hydrogenated graphene was readily prepared by an interesting reaction between graphene oxide and phenylboronic acid. This partially hydrogenated graphene was employed to synthesize brominated graphene through subsequent radical hydrogen abstraction.

A universal functionalization platform based on PNIPAAm grafted dextran smart polymers for, but not limited to, carbon and gold nanomaterials, is developed. The dextran based smart polymer contains three indispensable components: 1) dextran – to provide hydrophilicity and stability; 2) PNIPAAm – to provide stimuli-sensitivity; 3) dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio groups (or aminolysis-generated thiols) – to provide feasible functionalization through stable interactions between polymer and nanomaterials. The readily accessible distinctive versions of polymers can provide necessary and efficient interactions with a variety of nanomaterials: the unique dodecyl end groups provide the effective functionalization of SWNT and NGO in a noncovalent manner, while the AuNR can be covalently functionalized through aminolysis-generated thiols. These functionalized nanomaterials are simultaneously endowed with well-retained properties of interest, excellent stability and smart properties: they exhibit superior stability under various conditions and the absorption, fluorescent and aggregation properties can be smartly tuned by temperature and NIR light. The establishment of this general approach is an important step forward for development and wide-application of smart nanomaterials in catalysts, actuators, sensors and biomedicine.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)–graphene oxide (GO) hybrids were successfully prepared. The structural reorganization behavior of GO–PNIPAM is dependent on the water content in the GO–PNIPAM hybrids. Reversible switching of its wettability on exposure to NIR light was also demonstrated.

Graphene sheets decorated with metal/metal oxide nanoparticles are gaining increasing attention. In this study, sulfhydrylated graphene was prepared by reducing the sulfonic acid groups on sulfonated graphene to thiol groups. We evaluated its ability to anchor different metal/metal oxide nanoparticles by simply mixing the sulfhydrylated graphene with the corresponding pre-prepared metal/metal oxide nanoparticles. The sulfhydrylated graphene and its nanohybrids were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We demonstrate that the obtained sulfhydrylated graphene can act as a general platform to anchor different kinds of metal/metal oxide nanoparticles with different shapes, structures or properties through thiol–metal bonds. These novel hybrids will render graphene with additional interesting properties and potential applications.

We have developed a one-step method to prepare robust and smart gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) utilizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm)-grafted dextran (DexPNI) via a “grafting-onto” approach. Using NaBH4 as a reducing agent, and DexPNI as a nucleating and stabilizing agent, the AuNPs can be obtained at ambient temperature within a short reaction time. Different features of AuNPs, such as their morphologies, optical properties and temperature-responsive behaviours are found to be dependent on the dosage of the gold precursor. The DexPNI-stabilized AuNPs not only show excellent stability against heat, high salt concentration and extreme pH, but could also be readily redispersed after freeze-drying. UV measurements and kinetic analysis of the AuNPs-catalyzed reduction of 4-nitrophenol at different temperatures illuminated that the optical properties and catalytic activity of AuNPs are closely related to temperature. Compared with previously reported diffusion-regulated nanoreacters, our AuNPs provide a unique opportunity to control the reaction rate in an inverse temperature-responsive manner at 32–35 °C, and further switch off the reaction at temperatures higher than 35 °C. These temperature-responsive properties could be used to create a smart sensor and catalyst, acting as an optical temperature alarm and recloser when the reaction temperature accidentally goes beyond the limit value. By using monomers and colloidal precursors other than NIPAAm and HAuCl4, it will be straightforward to extend the present route to build a variety of robust and smart nanomaterials with unprecedented properties.