Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS₂, TiS₂, TaS₂, WS₂, MoSe₂, WSe₂, etc., are emerging as a class of key materials in chemistry and electronics due to their intriguing chemical and electronic properties. The ability to prepare these TMD nanosheets in high yield and large scale via various methods has led to increasing studies on their hybridization with other materials to create novel functional composites, aiming to engineer their chemical, physical and electronic properties and thus achieve good performance for some specific applications. In this critical review, we will introduce the recent progress in hybrid nanoarchitectures based on 2D TMD nanosheets. Their synthetic strategies, properties and applications are systematically summarized and discussed, with emphasis on those new appealing structures, properties and functions. In addition, we will also give some perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in this promising research area.

A Ni₃S₂ nanorods/Ni foam composite electrode is prepared as a high-performance catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which exhibits excellent OER activity with a small overpotential of ∼157 mV based on the onset of catalytic current.

In this review, the recent progress on the preparation of hybrid micro-/nano-structures derived from metal–organic frameworks and their applications in energy storage and conversion is systematically summarized.

The increasing demand of clinical biomedicine and fast development of nanobiotechnology has substantially promoted the generation of a variety of organic/inorganic nanosystems for biomedical applications. Biocompatible two-dimensional (2D) graphene analogues (e.g., nanosheets of transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal oxides, g-C₃N₄, Bi₂Se₃, BN, etc.), which are referred to as 2D-GAs, have emerged as a new unique family of nanomaterials that show unprecedented advantages and superior performances in biomedicine due to their unique compositional, structural and physicochemical features. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art progress of this dynamically developed material family with a particular focus on biomedical applications. After the introduction, the second section of the article summarizes a range of synthetic methods for new types of 2D-GAs as well as their surface functionalization. The subsequent section provides a snapshot on the use of these biocompatible 2D-GAs for a broad spectrum of biomedical applications, including therapeutic (photothermal/photodynamic therapy, chemotherapy and synergistic therapy), diagnostic (fluorescent/magnetic resonance/computed tomography/photoacoustic imaging) and theranostic (concurrent diagnostic imaging and therapy) applications, especially on oncology. In addition, we briefly present the biosensing applications of these 2D-GAs for the detection of biomacromolecules and their in vitro/in vivo biosafety evaluations. The last section summarizes some critical unresolved issues, possible challenges/obstacles and also proposes future perspectives related to the rational design and construction of 2D-GAs for biomedical engineering, which are believed to promote their clinical translations for benefiting the personalized medicine and human health.