The controlled synthesis of nanohybrids composed of noble metals and metal oxides have received considerable attention for applications in photocatalysis, solar cells, drug delivery, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and many other important areas.

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Concerns over air quality reduction and energy crisis resulting from rapid consumption of limited fossil fuels have driven the development of clean and renewable energy sources.

Plasmonics has remained a prominent and growing field over the past several decades. The coupling of various chemical and photo phenomenon has sparked considerable interest in plasmon‐mediated photocatalysis. Given plasmonic photocatalysis has only been developed for a relatively short period, considerable progress has been made in improving the absorption across the full solar spectrum and the efficiency of photo‐generated charge carrier separation. With recent advances in fundamental (i.e., mechanisms) and experimental studies (i.e., the influence of size, geometry, surrounding dielectric field, etc.) on plasmon‐mediated photocatalysis, the rational design and synthesis of metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructure photocatalysts has been realized. This review seeks to highlight the recent impressive developments in plasmon‐mediated photocatalytic mechanisms (i.e., Schottky junction, direct electron transfer, enhanced local electric field, plasmon resonant energy transfer, and scattering and heating effects), summarize a set of factors (i.e., size, geometry, dielectric environment, loading amount and composition of plasmonic metal, and nanostructure and properties of semiconductors) that largely affect plasmonic photocatalysis, and finally conclude with a perspective on future directions within this rich field of research.

The successful production of nanostructured BaTiO3 enables theoretical and experimental investigation into the intriguing yet complex dielectric properties of individual BaTiO3 nanocrystals. By combining BaTiO3 nanocrystals and certain polymers, the resulting BaTiO3/polymer nanocomposites possess many advantages from both components.

The development of efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants and production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an attractive two‐in‐one strategy to address environmental remediation concerns and chemical resource demands. Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) possesses unique electronic and optical properties. However, bulk g‐C3N4 suffers from inefficient sunlight absorption and low carrier mobility. Once exfoliated, ultrathin nanosheets of g‐C3N4 attain much intriguing photocatalytic activity. Herein, a mussel‐inspired strategy is developed to yield silver‐decorated ultrathin g‐C3N4 nanosheets (Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS). The optimum Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS photocatalyst exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties and excellent performance for the degradation of organic pollutants. Due to the photoformed valence band holes and selective two‐electron reduction of O2 by the conduction band electrons, it also renders an efficient, economic, and green route to light‐driven H2O2 production with an initial rate of 0.75 × 10−6 m min−1. The improved photocatalytic performance is primarily attributed to the large specific surface area of the U‐g‐C3N4‐NS layer, the surface plasmon resonance effect induced by Ag nanoparticles, and the cooperative electronic capture properties between Ag and U‐g‐C3N4‐NS. Consequently, this unique photocatalyst possesses the extended absorption region, which effectively suppresses the recombination of electron–hole pairs and facilitates the transfer of electrons to participate in photocatalytic reactions.

Inorganic nanoparticles have become a research focus in numerous fields because of their unique properties that distinguish them from their bulk counterparts. Controlling the size and shape of nanoparticles is an essential aspect of nanoparticle synthesis. Preparing inorganic nanoparticles by using block copolymer templates is one of the most reliable routes for tuning the size and shape of nanoparticles with a high degree of precision. In this Review, we discuss recent progress in the design of block copolymer templates for crafting spherical inorganic nanoparticles including compact, hollow, and core-shell varieties. The templates are divided into two categories: micelles self-assembled from linear block copolymers and unimolecular star-shaped block copolymers. The precise control over the size and morphology of nanoparticles is highlighted as well as the useful properties and applications of such inorganic nanoparticles.

Graphene‐containing nanomaterials have emerged as important candidates for electrode materials in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to their unique physical properties. In this review, a brief introduction to recent developments in graphene‐containing nanocomposite electrodes and their derivatives is provided. Subsequently, synthetic routes to nanoparticle/graphene composites and their electrochemical performance in LIBs are highlighted, and the current state‐of‐the‐art and most recent advances in the area of graphene‐containing nanocomposite electrode materials are summarized. The limitations of graphene‐containing materials for energy storage applications are also discussed, with an emphasis on anode and cathode materials. Potential research directions for the future development of graphene‐containing nanocomposites are also presented, with an emphasis placed on practicality and scale‐up considerations for taking such materials from benchtop curiosities to commercial products.