Themed collection Editor’s Choice: Vincent Artero

Chemistry, the science of transformation of matter, is fundamental to achieving sustainability through ensuring biogeochemical flows do not transgress planetary boundaries. This requires urgent changes in chemistry education, research and industry.

This perspective briefly reviews recently developed water splitting electrocatalyst materials and discusses their utilization as cocatalysts for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting systems.

The progress over the last decade in the applications of first row d-block metal, especially iron, cobalt, copper and zinc, coordination compounds in redox shuttles and sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells is reviewed.

IoT devices powered by copper electrolyte-based dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells as ambient light harvesters achieve 38% power conversion efficiency and incorporate a dynamic intelligent on-device energy management system.

Herein, we report the development of a MOF-semiconductor composite film active for water oxidation at a thermodynamic underpotential.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the sensory [FeFe] hydrogenase from Thermotoga maritima reveals new insight into how the protein environment tunes the active site properties for its sensory role.

Binding of exogenous cyanide to the active site H-cluster in [FeFe] hydrogenase stabilizes new active-site states with an overoxidized diiron cofactor showing how σ-donor/π-acceptor interactions influence the electronic structure of metallocofactors.

Light hydrocarbons are produced from CO₂ using an earth-abundant electrocatalyst.

Activity-stability relations of multinary oxide photoanodes for solar water splitting were measured using an automated flow cell coupled to an ICP-MS and successively visualized with the help of data science tools like principal component analysis.

Electrification of the Milstein catalyst enabled successful molecular electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol to the four-electron products acetate and ethyl acetate.

Coupling the tunability of molecular catalysts and copper nanocatalysts opens up new possibilities towards the development of Cu-based catalysts with enhanced selectivity for multi-carbon product generation at low overpotential.

Holistic pathway for the sustainable electrochemical hydrogenation of alkynols – from robust metal sulphides to scalable zero-gap electrolysers.

Two MOF molecular catalyst hybrids with differing topologies show mass and light transport governed photocatalysis. MOF-specific, irradiation wavelength-dependent product control is unlocked by switching between two energy/electron transfer channels.

Cyanide to carbonyl exchange in semi-synthetic [FeFe] hydrogenases: exploring the role of the strong field ligands of the active site and their interaction with the protein matrix via spectroscopy and electrochemistry.

Electrochemical generation of a novel organocopper(II) complex offers a new way to carry out atom transfer radical addition to alkenes under mild conditions with high yields and low catalyst loadings.

An artificial special pair was connected with a Re 2,2-bipyridine tricarbonyl complex. The special pair derivative acted as a good photosensitizer in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, giving CO with high selectivity and durability.

Stable and high photocurrent for water oxidation was achieved by an organic dye-sensitized photoanode with a pyridine N-oxide derivative as an efficient electron relay between the chromophore and molecular water oxidation catalyst.

Histidine coordination of the distal [4Fe–4S] cluster in [FeFe]-hydrogenase was demonstrated to tune the cluster spin-states, spin-pairing and surrounding molecular orbitals to enable more facile electron transfer compared to cysteine coordination.

Rhenium–PNP complexes split N₂ to nitrides, but the nitrides do not give ammonia. Here, the thermodynamics of the hypothetical N–H bond forming steps are evaluated through the reverse reaction, showing that the first H addition is the bottleneck.

In photosynthetic systems employing multiple transition metal centers, the properties of charge-transfer states are tuned by the coupling between metal centers.

Artificial metalloenzyme visible light photocatalysts possess enhanced optical properties and are competent towards single electron and energy transfer organic transformations.

How do efficient hydrogen-oxidation molecular electrocatalysts connect onto their carbon nanotube conductive support? A coupled neutron scattering SANS and STEM electron microscopy study to observe soft active matter organizing on 3D nanosurfaces.

Nanostructured conjugated polymers of diphenylbutadiyne (nano-PDPB) can perform photocatalytic water oxidation under visible light excitation. Charge recovery delayed in time was exemplified by the reduction of quinone acting as a hydrogen reservoir.