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The paper briefly describes the scientific and pedagogical achievements of the Head of the Department of Nanoengineering of Samara National Research University, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Vladimir Sergeevich Pavelyev.

Precision medicine has put forward the proposition of \"precision targeting\" for modern drug delivery systems. Inspired by techniques from biology, pharmaceutical sciences, and nanoengineering, numerous targeted drug delivery systems have been developed in recent decades. But the large-scale applications of these systems are limited due to unsatisfactory targeting efficiency, cytotoxicity, easy removability, and instability. As such, the natural endogenous cargo delivery vehicle—extracellular vesicles (EVs)—have sparked significant interest for its unique inherent targeting properties, biocompatibility, transmembrane ability, and circulatory stability. The membranes of EVs are enriched for receptors or ligands that interact with target cells, which endows them with inherent targeting mission. However, most of the natural therapeutic EVs face the fate of being cleared by macrophages, resulting in off-target. Therefore, the specificity of natural EVs delivery systems urgently needs to be further improved. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the inherent homing mechanisms of EVs and the effects of the donor cell source and administration route on targeting specificity. We then go over nanoengineering techniques that modify EVs for improving specific targeting, such as source cell alteration and modification of EVs surface. We also highlight the auxiliary strategies to enhance specificity by changing the external environment, such as magnetic and photothermal. Furthermore, contemporary issues such as the lack of a gold standard for assessing targeting efficiency are discussed. This review will provide new insights into the development of precision medicine delivery systems. Graphical Abstract Highlights Tracing the full range of factors affecting EVs targeting mission in terms of EV components, cell sources, and delivery methods. Strategies for EVs surface display and post-isolation methods facilitate the targeted delivery efficiency of the loading therapeutic cargo. EVs complemented by non-invasive strategies such as magnetic fields, ultrasound, and photothermal further enhance targeting efficacy.

Living matter should inspire the design of future nanosystems. For some decades now, nanotechnology has been touted as the 'next big thing' with potential impact comparable to the steam, electricity or Internet revolutions — but has it lived up to these expectations? While advances in top-down nanolithography, now reaching 10-nm resolution, have resulted in devices that are rapidly approaching mass production, attempts to produce nanoscale devices using bottom-up approaches have met with only limited success. We have been inundated with nanoparticles of almost any shape, material and composition, but their societal impact has been far from revolutionary, with growing concerns over their toxicity. Despite nebulous hopes that making hierarchical nanomaterials will lead to new, emergent properties, no breakthrough applications seem imminent. In this Perspective, we argue that the time is ripe to look beyond individual nano-objects and their static assemblies, and instead focus on systems comprising different types of 'nanoparts' interacting and/or communicating with one another to perform desired functions. Such systems are interesting for a variety of reasons: they can act autonomously without external electrical or optical connections, can be dynamic and reconfigurable, and can act as 'nanomachines' by directing the flow of mass, energy or information . In thinking how this systems nanoscience approach could be implemented to design useful — as opposed to toy-model — nanosystems, our choice of applications and our nanoengineering should be inspired by living matter.

Nanoporous gold (np-Au) has attracted significant attention for biomedical and electrochemical applications due to its high surface area, tunable morphology, and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, polycrystalline gold surfaces were modified by anodization in 0.3–0.9 M oxalic acid to produce np-Au layers. The influence of anodization conditions on surface morphology, chemical composition, electronic properties, and corrosion resistance in artificial saliva was systematically investigated. Surface morphology and porosity were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy combined with image analysis, revealing a transition from fine and uniform porosity to highly developed but structurally heterogeneous nanoporous structures with increasing oxalic acid concentration. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy confirmed surface oxidation and adsorption of oxygen- and carbon-containing species after anodization, while gold remained the dominant component. Scanning Kelvin probe measurements demonstrated significant modifications of surface electronic properties, including changes in contact potential difference, governed by nanostructure geometry and surface chemistry. Electrochemical tests in artificial saliva showed that increasing nanoporousness led to reduced thermodynamic stability, with the sample anodized in 0.3 M oxalic acid providing the most favorable balance between corrosion resistance and surface activity. These results demonstrate that oxalic acid anodization is a simple and effective approach for tailoring gold surfaces for biomedical applications, particularly in dentistry.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are power-generating devices with high efficiencies and considered as promising alternatives to mitigate energy and environmental issues associated with fossil fuel technologies. Nanoengineering of electrodes utilized for SOFCs has emerged as a versatile tool for significantly enhancing the electrochemical performance but needs to overcome issues for integration into practical cells suitable for widespread application. Here, we report an innovative concept for high-performance thin-film cathodes comprising nanoporous La 0.6 Sr 0.4 CoO 3 − δ cathodes in conjunction with highly ordered, self-assembled nanocomposite La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 − δ (lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite) and Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 2 − δ (gadolinia-doped ceria) cathode layers prepared using pulsed laser deposition. Integration of the nanoengineered cathode layers into conventional anode-supported cells enabled the achievement of high current densities at 0.7 V reaching ~2.2 and ~4.7 A/cm 2 at 650 °C and 700 °C, respectively. This result demonstrates that tuning material properties through an effective nanoengineering approach could significantly boost the electrochemical performance of cathodes for development of next-generation SOFCs with high power output. High-performance cathode materials are crucial for the development of solid oxide fuel cells. Here, the authors present a nanoengineering approach to boost cathode performance in conventional anode-supported cells, demonstrating a viable route to attaining higher power output.

Enhancement in boiling heat transfer performance is significant for addressing thermal management bottlenecks of advanced electronic systems. Reduced graphene oxides (rGO) are regarded as promising candidates for thermal management due to their excellent thermal properties, chemical stability and adjustable wettability. In this study, rGO coatings with micron pores and controllable oxygen contents are prepared on Al substrate via cathodic electrophoretic deposition and subsequent thermal annealing, leading to enhanced pool boiling performance. The heat transfer coefficient for Al/rGO 450 is 37.2 kW m −2 K −1 , which is increased by 112.6% compared with bare Al, also outperformed previously reported Al based substrates. It is assumed that the hydrophilic and aerophobic rGO coatings effectively promote the liquid infiltration and bubble departure during pool boiling process. Importantly, repeatability tests indicate the durable stability of vertically oriented rGO nanosheets. Reverse none-quilibrium molecular dynamics simulation indicates that the interfacial transmission coefficients of Al/rGO increase after thermal annealing, indicative of the enhanced heat transfer performance of heterogeneous interface. Our study opens a new avenue for endowing metal substrates with high pool boiling performance using porous carbon coating nanoengineering strategy with controllable morphology and components.

Exosomes are emerging as ideal drug delivery vehicles due to their biological origin and ability to transfer cargo between cells. However, rapid clearance of exogenous exosomes from the circulation as well as aggregation of exosomes and shedding of surface proteins during storage limit their clinical translation. Here, we demonstrate highly controlled and reversible functionalization of exosome surfaces with well-defined polymers that modulate the exosome’s physiochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Using cholesterol-modified DNA tethers and complementary DNA block copolymers, exosome surfaces were engineered with different biocompatible polymers. Additionally, polymers were directly grafted from the exosome surface using biocompatible photomediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These exosome polymer hybrids (EPHs) exhibited enhanced stability under various storage conditions and in the presence of proteolytic enzymes. Tuning of the polymer length and surface loading allowed precise control over exosome surface interactions, cellular uptake, and preserved bioactivity. EPHs show fourfold higher blood circulation time without altering tissue distribution profiles. Our results highlight the potential of precise nanoengineering of exosomes toward developing advanced drug and therapeutic delivery systems using modern ATRP methods.

High-aspect-ratio mechanical resonators are pivotal in precision sensing, from macroscopic gravitational wave detectors to nanoscale acoustics. However, fabrication challenges and high computational costs have limited the length-to-thickness ratio of these devices, leaving a largely unexplored regime in nano-engineering. We present nanomechanical resonators that extend centimeters in length yet retain nanometer thickness. We explore this expanded design space using an optimization approach which judiciously employs fast millimeter-scale simulations to steer the more computationally intensive centimeter-scale design optimization. By employing delicate nanofabrication techniques, our approach ensures high-yield realization, experimentally confirming room-temperature quality factors close to theoretical predictions. The synergy between nanofabrication, design optimization guided by machine learning, and precision engineering opens a solid-state path to room-temperature quality factors approaching 10 billion at kilohertz mechanical frequencies – comparable to the performance of leading cryogenic resonators and levitated nanospheres, even under significantly less stringent temperature and vacuum conditions. Exploring new mechanics regime, researchers created centimeter-long, nanometer-thin resonators, achieving unmatched room temperature mechanical isolation via cutting edge nanoengineering and machine learning design; rivaling cryogenic counterparts.

The implementation of nano-engineered composite oxides opens up the way towards the development of a novel class of functional materials with enhanced electrochemical properties. Here we report on the realization of vertically aligned nanocomposites of lanthanum strontium manganite and doped ceria with straight applicability as functional layers in high-temperature energy conversion devices. By a detailed analysis using complementary state-of-the-art techniques, which include atom-probe tomography combined with oxygen isotopic exchange, we assess the local structural and electrochemical functionalities and we allow direct observation of local fast oxygen diffusion pathways. The resulting ordered mesostructure, which is characterized by a coherent, dense array of vertical interfaces, shows high electrochemically activity and suppressed dopant segregation. The latter is ascribed to spontaneous cationic intermixing enabling lattice stabilization, according to density functional theory calculations. This work highlights the relevance of local disorder and long-range arrangements for functional oxides nano-engineering and introduces an advanced method for the local analysis of mass transport phenomena. Electrode functional layers for solid oxide cells require a combination of high reactivity and thermal stability. Here, the authors present a self-assembled vertically aligned nanocomposites of lanthanum strontium manganite and doped ceria as functional layers for high temperature applications.

Particle manipulation is often required in many applications such as bioanalysis, disease diagnostics, drug delivery and self-cleaning surfaces. The fast progress in micro- and nano-engineering has contributed to the rapid development of a variety of technologies to manipulate particles including more established methods based on microfluidics, as well as recently proposed innovative methods that still are in the initial phases of development, based on self-driven microbots and artificial cilia. Here, we review these techniques with respect to their operation principles and main applications. We summarize the shortcomings and give perspectives on the future development of particle manipulation techniques. Rather than offering an in-depth, detailed, and complete account of all the methods, this review aims to provide a broad but concise overview that helps to understand the overall progress and current status of the diverse particle manipulation methods. The two novel developments, self-driven microbots and artificial cilia-based manipulation, are highlighted in more detail.