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.