Through this Special Issue, the guest editors Younan Xia and Shuhong Yu would like to present a gold medal to the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) for outstanding achievements in producing a cadre of well-trained, independent investigators who can proficiently spearhead cutting-edge research in advanced materials and nanotechnology. Sixteen of them are featured in this Special Issue. The cover was designed by Jie Zeng.

The inside cover shows the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale (HFNL), which was established in 2003 on the USTC campus by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China. It was founded on a multidisciplinary approach, with a focus on both national strategic demands and frontier basic research. Research at HNFL involves physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and information technology in a highly integrated fashion.