Think thin! Colloidally stable ultrathin Bi2S3 nanowires (see picture), which display strong excitonic features never before seen in bismuth chalcogenides and extremely high extinction coefficients, have been synthesized on a gram‐scale. Nanostructures such as this are of very high technological potential for thermoelectric applications.

Crack-free, ligand-free, phase-pure nanostructured solids, using colloidal nanocrystals as precursors, are fabricated by a scalable and facile approach. Films produced by this approach have conductivities comparable to those of bulk crystals over more than 1 cm (1.370 S cm for PbS films).

Reversible hydrogen sorption coupled with the MgH2↔Mg phase transformation was achieved in the remarkably low 340 -425 K temperature range using MgH2-TiH2 composite nanoparticles obtained by reactive gas-phase condensation of Mg-Ti vapours under He/H2 atmosphere. The equilibrium pressures determined by in situ measurements at low temperature were slightly above those predicted using enthalpy H and entropy S of bulk magnesium. A single van 't Hoff fit over a range extended up to 550 K yields the thermodynamic parameters H = 68.1±0.9 kJ/molH2 and S = 119±2 J/K•molH2 for hydride decomposition. A desorption rate of 0.18 wt% H2/min was measured at T=423 K and p(H2)≈ 1 mbar, i.e. close to equilibrium, without using a Pd catalysts. The nanoparticles displayed a small absorption-desorption pressure hysteresis even at low temperatures. We critically discuss the influence exerted by nanostructural features such as interface free energy, elastic clamping, and phase mixing at the single nanoparticle level on equilibrium and kinetic properties of hydrogen sorption.

After cellulose, lignin is the most abundant plant-derived polymer in nature. It provides mechanical support to plants, but it has also a defense role against pests and diseases, thanks to antioxidant, bactericidal, and antifungal properties, deriving from its polyphenolic nature. Huge quantities of technical lignins are obtained during several industrial processes and they actually represent a waste of paper pulp and bioethanol industry. Although in the last decades many efforts have been directed to obtain lignin valorization in several fields and for diverse applications, this biobased polymer is still largely underutilized. In particular, very little is known about the possibility to exploit its antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties in the agronomical field. On the other hand, pest control is often achieved by using copper-based pesticides, but environmental and health issues urge for novel solutions implying reduced copper content. We here describe novel hybrid organic–inorganic materials obtained by combining copper­(II) salts with two types of technical lignins. Cu-containing materials (lignin@Cu) have been characterized by different techniques, including X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron spectroscopy analyses, revealing nanocrystals of brochantite (Cu4SO4(OH)6) grown in the lignin matrix. Lignin@Cu was tested for its antifungal and antibacterial profile against a vast panel of pathogens of agronomical interest. Furthermore, preliminary tests on crops in a greenhouse were performed: lignin@Cu had better performances than a commercial pesticide based on copper­(II) hydroxide on tomato plants against Rhizoctonia solani, indicating a great potential of these materials as plant protection products.

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Charge transport in organic semiconductors is notoriously extremely sensitive to the presence of disorder, both internal and external (i.e., related to interactions with the dielectric layer), especially for n‐type materials. Internal dynamic disorder stems from large thermal fluctuations both in intermolecular transfer integrals and (molecular) site energies in weakly interacting van der Waals solids and sources transient localization of the charge carriers. The molecular vibrations that drive transient localization typically operate at low‐frequency (

Despite its high chemical value, most of lignin is nowadays burnt as low value fuel. It is therefore important to find innovative applications for its use. Copper compounds are used as plant protection products for more than 50 different diseases in viticulture, arable crops, hops, and horticulture, and they have been used for more than 100 years. Minimization of copper in agriculture has become a fundamental issue due to its negative environmental impact. Here we present a series of hybrid organic−inorganic materials (lignin@Cu), deriving from the combination of lignin with brochantite, Cu 4 (OH) 6 SO 4 . Optimization of the synthetic procedures has allowed us to isolate lignin-based materials containing different percentages of copper, where the brochantite crystals are featured by different morphologies and dimensions. A more environmentally safe synthesis of lignin@Cu materials by mechanochemistry is also investigated, which reduces the amount of water used and makes easier and faster the isolation of the final materials. Tests on strawberry and tomato plants in a greenhouse have highlighted a significative efficacy of the lignin@Cu materials against different pathogens at a copper content much lower than the one of copperbased commercial pesticides. A crystal morphology−activity correlation is also traced out. The synergic activity of lignin and copper ions can be used to reduce the copper content for efficient pathogen control. Moreover, the mechanochemical approach ensures a greener synthetic approach, in a perspective of a more sustainable agriculture.

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