Themed collection Editors’ Choice Collection

Cr(III) and Cr(0) complexes are earth-abundant alternatives to photosensitizers that are commonly made from precious metals.

Syntheses, properties and applications of fully conjugated ladder polymers are reviewed, together with an outlook to future opportunities and challenges.

In this perspective, we survey recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of block copolymers, discuss several key materials opportunities enabled by block copolymers, and highlight some of the challenges that currently limit further realization of block copolymers in promising nanoscale applications.

Strong and stable under tension?

U-shaped bisporphyrin molecules are clipped around SWCNTs using ring-closing metathesis yielding rotaxane-type derivatives, in which porphyrins and SWCNTs are connected through mechanical links.

By controlling the stability of dynamic covalent crosslinks with adjacent photoswitches, the stiffness of an adaptable hydrogel is tuned reversibly.

White-light emission from a single molecule was realized and tuned via multistimuli including excitation, solvent polarity, temperature and host–guest interactions.

We demonstrate a novel hydrogel material to facilitate direct bioelectrochemistry of a wide range of redox proteins and enable ATP-independent electroenzymatic reduction of N₂ by nitrogenase.

We report novel structure–activity relationships and explore the chemical state and structure of catalytically active sites under operando conditions during the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) catalyzed by a series of porous iron–nitrogen–carbon (FeNC) catalysts.

The phase-segregated NiP_x@FeP_yO_z core@shell NPs act as a colloidally stable, ready-to-use, and excellent OER active transition metal phosphide-based catalyst.

Self-assembled orthoester cryptands offer appealing properties for applications in ion sensing and transport, such as convenient post-functionalization and tunable biodegradation.

Upon irradiation with visible light, the Ni^II complex 1 is converted to the reduced form 2 in the presence of NEt₃. The Ni-based photosensitizer catalyzes the cyclization of a bromoalkyl-substituted indole.

A robust precious metal-free photocatalyst system comprised of ligand-free ZnSe quantum dots and a phosphonic acid-functionalised Ni(cyclam) catalyst achieves efficient reduction of aqueous CO₂ to CO.

Electronic effects provide a general mechanistic scenario for rationalizing photocatalytic water reduction activity with aminopyridine cobalt complexes.

Ni₂P@FePO_x has been synthesized via extraction and selective phosphorization of nickel in NiFe-LDH, and then conversed to a new heterostructure of Ni₂P@NiFe hydroxide (P-NiFe) during water splitting. P-NiFe can act as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

A double-hierarchical sulfur host has been synthesized in which hierarchical carbon spheres, constructed from building blocks of hollow carbon nanobubbles used for loading sulfur, are sealed by a polar MoS₂ coating that is composed of ultrathin nanosheets (MoS₂@HCS composite).

Mesoporous NiO is used as p-type material in photoelectrochemical energy conversion devices. The presence of two kinds of hole traps can affect device performance. Here, after band-gap excitation, the relaxation of the hole into two different traps was observed and characterized.

Moderate variations in the fuel structure cause large changes in the rate of the back and forth motions experienced by a chemically fuelled catenane-based switch.

Understanding the relationship between the structure of light-harvesting systems and their excitation energy transfer properties is of fundamental importance in many applications including the development of next generation photovoltaics.

The internal free volume of porous materials diminishes upon mechanical compression, and such volume collapse can have chemical consequences.

We report a new strategy for the synthesis of robust hierarchical micro- and mesoporous MOFs from water stable MOFs via a selective acid etching process.

Identifying the metal ions that optimize charge transport and charge density in metal–organic frameworks is critical for systematic improvements in the electrical conductivity in these materials.

Stable-cycling Li metal anode is realized with a MOF layer regulating Li-ion transport and Li deposition via chemical interactions.

Dynamic and flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) that respond to external stimuli, such as stress, light, heat, and the presence of guest molecules, hold promise for applications in chemical sensing, drug delivery, gas separations, and catalysis.

A mitochondrion-specific AIEgen is a theranostic molecule, with the function of lighting up and killing cancer cells rather than normal cells.

We report a DNA nanotechnology-enabled approach for the rational design of an allosteric deoxyribozyme by precisely and dynamically controlling the nanometer-scale interactions of two catalytic centers within a well-defined tetrahedral DNA scaffold.

Introduction of a biotinylated monophosphine palladium complex within streptavidin affords an enantioselective artificial Suzukiase. Site-directed mutagenesis allowed the optimization of the activity and the enantioselectivity of this artificial metalloenzyme. A variety of atropisomeric biaryls were produced in good yields and up to 90% ee.

A next-generation disulfide stapling reagent, incorporating both reducing and re-bridging functions, is shown to be successful across various proteins.

Investigation of cylindrocyclophane biosynthesis reveals a C-terminal thioesterase domain involved in PKS assembly line editing, not termination.

Polymerization-induced thermal self-assembly (PITSA) was conducted using thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to result in micelle, worm, and vesicle polymeric morphologies.