Indranath Chakraborty

Surface plasmon-enhanced photoelectrochemical (PE–PEC) processes have garnered growing interest due to their high sensitivity and reduced energy consumption. In this work, a semiconductor-free PE–PEC platform is developed by integrating plasmonic gold nanorods (Au NRs) with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs). The system is constructed by depositing a monolayer of Au NRs with a thin SiO2 spacer layer onto an Au NC-modified gold electrode. Experimental results supported by theoretical simulations demonstrate that near-field enhancement arising from plasmonic coupling between adjacent Au NRs significantly improves charge carrier excitation and photocurrent generation in the Au NCs. The PE–PEC platform was evaluated for the detection of biologically relevant model analytes, namely, hydrogen peroxide and catechol. Compared to electrodes modified with Au NCs alone, the PE–PEC system exhibits markedly enhanced sensitivity for both analytes. These results highlight the potential of rationally designed plasmon-enhanced architectures for improving photoelectrochemical performance and advancing multifunctional PEC-based bioanalysis.

Indranath Chakraborty, Angshuman Nag, Klaus Boldt and Jannika Lauth introduce the Nanoscale themed collection on advanced semiconductor nanocrystals.

This minireview summarizes recent progress in atomically precise metal nanoclusters for photocatalytic CO ₂ reduction to value-added products, focusing on reaction products and selectivity to address the growing environmental and energy crises.

Multimodal imaging and mass spectrometry together provide quantitative, single-cell insight into nanoparticle uptake and intracellular fate.

The strategic engineering of heterostructure interfaces offers a promising route to surmount the activation energy barriers in water‐splitting processes, thereby enhancing overall gas evolution efficiency. In this work, a nanoheterostructure comprising nickel nanoclusters (NCs) anchored on NiO nanosheets (NS) is synthesized, and electrochemical properties are evaluated. Incorporation of Ni NCs markedly augments the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction activities of NiO NS, primarily due to the facilitation of charge transfer across the nanocluster/oxide interface. Under alkaline conditions, optimal water‐splitting performance is observed at NCs loadings upto 20 wt%, beyond which efficiency declined. Density functional theory calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses reveal that the enhanced catalytic activity stems from electronic interactions between Ni NCs and NiO NS, which favor the desorption of oxygen molecules. However, excessive nanocluster deposition impedes the accessibility of the nanocluster/oxide interface. Additionally, surplus NCs increase the hydrophobicity of the heterostructure, thereby hindering essential charge transfer processes. Unlike conventional metal/oxide systems dominated by polydisperse nanoparticles, this study exploits atomically precise Ni nanoclusters, enabling well‐defined interfacial sites that facilitate charge transfer and optimize *H/*OH adsorption. This atomic‐level control establishes clear structure–property correlations, offering mechanistic insight into interfacial catalysis and facilitating the deliberate development of efficient water‐splitting electrocatalysts.

Interfacing artificial devices with the human brain is the central goal of neurotechnology. Yet, our imaginations are often limited by currently available paradigms and technologies. Suggestions for brain–machine interfaces have changed over time, along with the available technology. Mechanical levers and cable winches were used to move parts of the brain during the mechanical age. Sophisticated electronic wiring and remote control have arisen during the electronic age, ultimately leading to plug-and-play computer interfaces. Nonetheless, our brains are so complex that these visions, until recently, largely remained unreachable dreams. The general problem, thus far, is that most of our technology is mechanically and/or electrically engineered, whereas the brain is a living, dynamic entity. As a result, these worlds are difficult to interface with one another. Nanotechnology, which encompasses engineered solid-state objects and integrated circuits, excels at small length scales of single to a few hundred nanometers and, thus, matches the sizes of biomolecules, biomolecular assemblies, and parts of cells. Consequently, we envision nanomaterials and nanotools as opportunities to interface with the brain in alternative ways. Here, we review the existing literature on the use of nanotechnology in brain–machine interfaces and look forward in discussing perspectives and limitations based on the authors’ expertise across a range of complementary disciplinesfrom neuroscience, engineering, physics, and chemistry to biology and medicine, computer science and mathematics, and social science and jurisprudence. We focus on nanotechnology but also include information from related fields when useful and complementary.

Understanding self‐assembly of atomically precise nanoclusters is of paramount interest in designing various aggregated super‐structures. Here pH‐mediated self‐assembly is reported of atomically precise Ag ₄₄ (MNBA) ₃₀ (MNBA = 5‐mercapto‐2‐nitrobenzoic acid) nanoclusters in aqueous solution. These nanoclusters formed hexagonal close‐packed (hcp) structures when the pH of the solution is reduced from basic to neutral. High‐resolution transmission microscopy result confirms bilayer and multilayer assembly at neutral pH. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation delineate ligand‐mediated inter‐cluster interactions such as ligand to metal core coordination, H─bonding and π–π interactions playing a crucial role in the formation of the hexagonal close‐packed self‐assembled structure.