In this study, the binary transition metal sulfide NiCo 2 S 4 with a novel hollow hexagonal nanoplate (HHNs) structure has been synthesized through a sacrificial template method based on the Kirkendall effect. The hollow nanoplates have an average diameter of about 200 nm, thickness of about 50 nm, and shell thickness of about 10 nm. The resulting samples were characterized by means of XRD, XPS, EDX, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM. The electrochemical characterization results demonstrate that NiCo 2 S 4 hollow hexagonal nanoplates exhibit a high specific capacitance of 437 F g −1 in a 3 M KOH aqueous electrolyte at a current rate of 1 A g −1 , along with a superior rate capability and Coulombic efficiency stability, indicating their potential application as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

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Gold and silver nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution were grown in situ on the surfaces of Cu2O nanocubes through a wet‐chemical reduction route. The Cu2O nanocubes serve as both the substrate and reducing agent. The as‐prepared Cu2OAu and Cu2OAg nanocomposites still retain the cubic morphology of the original Cu2O nanocubes. The Cu2OAu and Cu2OAg nanocomposites can serve as effective surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Rhodamine 6G as a Raman probe was applied to determine the effects of the SERS substrates; the results show that Cu2OAg nanocomposites have higher sensitivity and good reproducibility. Furthermore, the Cu2OAg substrate was also applied to detect plasticizers, such as dimethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, and shows potential applications in the area of food safety screening.

Invited for this month’s cover is the group of Prof. Zhenghua Wang from Anhui Normal University, China. The cover picture shows the synthesis of Cu2O/noble metal nanocomposites. The as‐obtained nanocomposites are applied as SERS substrates with high sensitivity and good reproducibility, which can be used for the detection of food contaminants. Read the full text of the article at

The cover picture shows the growth mechanism of Cu2O/noble‐metal nanocomposites and the application of these nanocomposites as surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates, as reported by Z. Wang and co‐workers in their Full Paper on They aim to synthesize SERS substrates with high sensitivity and good reproducibility for the detection of food contaminants.