Cover Picture: Diameter‐Controlled Synthesis and Capacitive Performance of Mesoporous Dual‐Layer MnO₂ Nanotubes (ChemNanoMat 3/2015)

Mesoporous dual-layer MnO2 nanotubes with sheetlike subunits were synthesized from electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNF) through a sacrificial-template method. In their Full Paper on page 159, which is featured on the front cover, Tianxi Liu and co-workers discuss the parameters influencing the dimensions of the MnO2 nanotubes including CNF diameter and reaction temperature. The as-prepared MnO2 nanotubes exhibited excellent cycling stability with a high specific capacitance due to the unique mesoporous tubular structure, which facilitates electron transfer and large electrode/electrolyte contact areas. Nanohybrids “Bee”nol on “beehives”: In this collaborative work between the Portuguese Universities of Coimbra and Porto, and the German University of Heidelberg, BINOL [(S)-6-(4-(methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)-1,1′-bis-2-naphthol] derivatives were immobilized on multiwalled carbon nanotubes and used in diethyl zinc and titanium isopropoxide catalyzed alkylation of benzaldehyde. These results open a plethora of applications for this new kind of immobilized hybrid materials. For more information, see the Full Paper on page 178 by Sónia A. C. Carabineiro, Mariette M. Pereira, and co-workers, which is featured on the back cover. Mesoporous Materials Xerogel coatings composed of hybrid silica obtained via a low-energy, clean sol-gel process provide excellent fouling-resistant properties to all sorts of immersed surfaces. In their Focus Review on page 148, Michael R. Detty, Mario Pagliaro, and co-workers tell the story of how the technology was subtly adapted to meet the urgent demand for clean antifouling marine coatings, thereby showing the huge environmental and practical impact of nanochemistry innovation.