This cover was designed by Jianhua & Jie for an article published in Small (2011, 7, 3308-3316). It shows an on-chip approach to the rapid screening of experimental conditions pivotal to the production of nanostructures with different morphologies. By taking advantages of microfluidics, this approach uses an array of reactors containing solutions with a 1D or 2D gradient in reagent concentration, pH value, or reaction temperature.

This cover was designed by Xiaohu for an article published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (2011, 50, 12542). It shows silver nanocrystals enclosed by concave surfaces and thus high-index facets. Controlling the growth habit of silver cubic seeds leads to concave silver nanocrystals that act as surface-enhanced Raman-scattering substrates with stronger signal enhancements than conventional silver nanocrystals of a similar size but enclosed by flat faces.

This cover was designed by Jie for an article published in Chem. Eur. J. (2010, 16, 12559-12563). It shows the color changes associated with colloidal suspensions of silver nanoplates upon exposure to air at a specific temperature. The intrinsic structural instability and striking color changes associated with the nanoplates make them particularly useful as a reliable recorder of environmental factors. Such nanomaterials can serve as indicators of time and temperature for various commercial needs.

This cover was designed by Jie for an special issue of Adv. Mater. (Volume 22, Issue 17. May 4, 2010). It shows a gold medal presented by the editors to the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) for outstanding achievements in producing a cadre of well-trained, independent investigators who can proficiently spearhead cutting-edge research in advanced materials and nanotechnology.