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Finding curable therapies for neurodegenerative disease (ND) is still a worldwide medical and clinical challenge. Recently, investigations have been made into the development of novel therapeutic techniques, and examples include the remote stimulation of nanocarriers to deliver neuroprotective drugs, genes, growth factors, and antibodies using a magnetic field and/or low-power lights. Among these potential nanocarriers, magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles possess obvious advantages, such as the functional restoration of ND models, due to their unique nanostructure and physiochemical properties. In this review, we provide an overview of the latest advances in magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles, and the associated therapeutic approaches to repair and restore brain tissues. We have reviewed their potential as smart nanocarriers, including their unique responsivity under remote magnetic and light stimulation for the controlled and sustained drug delivery for reversing neurodegenerations, as well as the utilization of brain organoids in studying the interaction between NPs and neuronal tissue. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the current progress, opportunities, and challenges of using these smart nanocarriers for programmable therapeutics to treat ND, and predict the mechanism and future directions. 

It is urgently desired yet challenging to synthesize porous graphitic carbon (PGC) in a bottom-up manner while circumventing the need for high-temperature pyrolysis. Here we present an effective and scalable strategy to synthesize PGC through acid-mediated aldol triple condensation followed by low-temperature graphitization. The deliberate structural design enables its graphitization in situ in solution and at low pyrolysis temperature. The resulting material features ultramicroporosity characterized by a sharp pore size distribution. In addition, the pristine homogeneous composition of the reaction mixture allows for solution-processability of the material for further characterization and applications. Thin films of this PGC exhibit several orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity compared to analogous control materials that are carbonized at the same temperatures. The integration of low-temperature graphitization and solution-processability not only allows for an energy-efficient method for the production and fabrication of PGC, but also paves the way for its wider employment in applications such as electrocatalysis, sensing, and energy storage. 

Functionalization of optical waveguides with submicron coatings of zinc peroxide (ZnO 2 ) and silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles (NPs) is reported that enabled selective concentration of acetone vapors in the vicinity of the waveguide, boosting the sensitivity of a mid infrared (MIR) on-chip detector. Controlled thickness was achieved by introducing precise control of the substrate withdrawal speed to the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition technique.