The integration of recognition elements with nanomaterials provides a synergystic strategy for sensing of bacteria.

Current food production faces a tremendous challenge due to the growing human population. The global population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050 with 70% more food being required. Safe food is an important dimension of food security, and food traceability across the supply chain is a key component of this. However, current food traceability systems are challenged by frequent occurrences of food safety incidents and food recalls that have damaged consumer confidence, caused huge economic loss, and put pressure on food safety agencies. This review focuses on smart food traceability that has the potential to significantly improve food safety in global food supply chains. The basic concepts and critical perspectives for various detection strategies for food safety are summarized, including portable detection devices, smart indicators and sensors integrated on food packages, and data-assisted whole-genome sequencing. In addition, new digital technologies, such as Internet-of-things (IoTs) and cloud computing, are discussed with the aim of providing readers with an overview of the exciting opportunities in smart food traceability systems.

Ultrathin transition metal carbides with high capacity, high surface area, and high conductivity are a promising family of materials for applications from energy storage to catalysis. However, large-scale, cost-effective, and precursor-free methods to prepare ultrathin carbides are lacking. Here, we demonstrate a direct pattern method to manufacture ultrathin carbides (MoC_x, WC_x, and CoC_x) on versatile substrates using a CO₂ laser. The laser-sculptured polycrystalline carbides (macroporous, ~10–20 nm wall thickness, ~10 nm crystallinity) show high energy storage capability, hierarchical porous structure, and higher thermal resilience than MXenes and other laser-ablated carbon materials. A flexible supercapacitor made of MoC_x demonstrates a wide temperature range (−50 to 300 °C). Furthermore, the sculptured microstructures endow the carbide network with enhanced visible light absorption, providing high solar energy harvesting efficiency (~72 %) for steam generation. The laser-based, scalable, resilient, and low-cost manufacturing process presents an approach for construction of carbides and their subsequent applications.