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Controlling nanoscale interfaces is key for ensuring stable plasmonic and catalytic function yet remains difficult to achieve under operando conditions. Now it has been shown that transient Au–Cl adlayers function as redox-active Au(I) intermediates, modulating interfacial electrostatics. This modulation stabilizes gold nanogaps and directs ligand rebinding, thereby enabling reproducible regeneration of subnanometre architectures.

Plasmons in sub-nm cavities can enable chemical processes within plasmonic hotspots. Here the authors use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to track hot-electron-induced chemical reduction processes in aromatic molecules, thus enabling observation of redox processes at the single-molecule level.

The extreme light confinement of plasmonic nanocavities is constrained by material limitations. Here, authors show how to lay down precision atomic layers within plasmonic nanocavities that fully reveal the catalytic properties of transition metals while maintaining strong plasmonic properties.

Experiments with colloidal nano- and microparticles and computer simulations show that, unexpectedly, confinement and entropy are sufficient for the formation of icosahedral crystalline clusters of up to about 100,000 particles.

Low frequency vibrations of molecules are collective motions of many atoms, and thus very sensitive to their surroundings. Here, authors use light ultra-confined to the nanoscale, to measure single molecule vibrations below 1 THz. These show tapping and shearing motions, like waves on a string.

Placing a light emitter in an ultra-small optical cavity results in coupling between matter and light, generating new forms of emission that can be exploited in practical or fundamental applications; here, a system is described in which strong light–matter coupling occurs at room temperature and in ambient conditions by aligning single dye molecules in the optical cavities between gold nanoparticles and surfaces.

SERS is a powerful analytical technique, but achieving reproducibility for continuous analysis a challenge. Here, the authors report a SERS substrate recycling method that enables direct analysis of complex samples without substrate contamination.

Here, the authors perform statistical measurements on hundreds of plasmonic nano-cavities embedding WSe₂ monolayers, and show the activation of anti-Stokes photoluminescence in WSe₂ through resonant excitation of a dark exciton at room temperature.

Extreme confinement of light in plasmonic nanocavities strongly enhances the optomechanical coupling of light with molecular vibrations. Here, the authors use a giant optical spring effect to reversibly weaken molecular bonds.

The nature of the molecule-metal interface is crucial for many technological applications. Here, the authors show that the photostability of the material can be sensitive to room light when coated with a single molecular layer, with implications for devices and processes.

Small semiconductor nanocrystals control the assembly of larger plasmonic nanostructures through interfacial self-limiting aggregation, leading to permeable and colloidally stable photoactive hybrids for photocatalysis and tracking of light-induced electron transfer.

Two-dimensional materials offer the prospect of excitonic devices operating at room-temperature. Here, Kleemann et al. demonstrate that by tuning the number of WSe₂ layers in a nanoparticle-on-mirror geometry, room-temperature plasmon strong-coupling can be achieved with large Rabi splittings.

Dynamic restructuring of metal nanoparticle surfaces greatly influences their catalytic, electronic transport, and chemical binding functionalities. Here, the authors show that non-equilibrium atomic-scale lattice defects can be detected in nanoparticles by using nano-optics at the sub-5nm scale.

Tracking single molecule movements is a challenging task, but highly desired for applications and fundamental studies. Here the authors reconstruct the sub-angstrom relative movements of a molecule interacting with a metal adatom, by measuring its vibrational spectrum in a self-assembled monolayer, continuously modified by the adatom in a nanoparticle-on-mirror construct.

A nanoplasmonic technique was used to investigate in operando the switching properties of materials used in redox random access memories, providing insight into the operation and potential breakdown mechanisms of the devices.

The development of molecular electronics at single molecule level calls for new tools beyond electrical characterisation. Kos et al. show an optical probe of molecular junctions in a plasmonic nanocavity geometry, which supports in situ interrogation of molecular configurations.

Colloidal nanoparticles self-assembled under spherical confinement can form a rich variety of structures. Here, the authors study the self-assembly of sharp and rounded nanocubes under such confinement, revealing the influence of particle and face geometry on positional and orientational behavior.

The lymphangiogenic factor PROX1 transcriptionally upregulates CPT1A, a rate-controlling enzyme in fatty acid β-oxidation, and this co-regulates lymphatic endothelial cell differentiation by epigenetic control of lymphatic gene expression, demonstrating a role for metabolism in developmental biology.

Caused by a compromised lymphatic system, lymphoedema leads to fluid retention and tissue swelling, and is treated primarily with physical therapy. Here the authors present a metabolic approach to reduce lymphoedema by providing the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate or by feeding ketogenic diet, which increases lymphangiogenesis and reduces fluid retention in mice.

This study reports a unexpected role in endothelial cells (ECs) for PCK2 in proteostasis, independent of its gluconeogenic activity. Perturbation of this role likely contributed to the angiogenic defects observed in ECs with reduced PCK2 levels.