Outside Front Cover: Volume 7 Issue 2

Outside front cover image: The controlled synthesis of mesoporous metal oxides with active interfacial sites represents a primary strategy for advancing gas sensing technologies. Here, monodisperse mesoporous ZnO (mZnO) nanospheres are synthesized via a surfactant-directed strategy, where sodium salicylate modulates the assembly kinetics to overcome the rapid hydrolysis of Zn2+. These mZnO architectures serve as an ideal host for loading ultrasmall Pt nanoclusters, creating abundant metal-metal oxide interfaces. In situ spectroscopic characterization reveals that the sensing process involves the catalytic oxidation of acetone via intermediate carboxylates. The highly interconnected mesoporous network facilitates rapid gas diffusion, while the synergism between the Pt clusters and the mZnO matrix enables exceptional sensitivity and selectivity for acetone vapor detection. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/smm2.70070)