Themed collection Chemical Communications HOT articles 2025

Traditional gas sensing integrated with AI for AI-driven gas sensing.

In situ Raman spectroscopy used for monitoring the electrocatalytic process reveals the hydrogen evolution reaction mechanism, providing theoretical guidance for fabricating efficient catalysts.

Edible batteries integrate exceptional energy efficiency with a safe energy supply, advancing the intersection of sustainable energy and biomedical engineering.

In recent years, small molecular fluorescent probes have significantly advanced biosensing and cancer therapy, enabling applications such as target detection, cellular imaging, fluorescence-guided surgery, and phototherapy.

1,2-N/O heterocycles hold great promise for exhibiting diverse pharmacological activities. This review summarizes an overview of recent methods (up to 2024) for the synthesis of these heterocycles starting from alkynyl hydroxylamines.

This review article discusses the limitations and potential of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for cathodes applications and introduces key molecular and structural engineering strategies to enhance the performance of COF cathodes in batteries.

The sacrificial cathode additive (SCA) method holds great promise for industrial application. This review explores recent progress in SCA presodiation technology, with a focus on optimizing strategies to develop near-ideal SCAs.

This review explores the TE properties of graphene and strategies to enhance its performance. Nanostructuring and hybridization approaches are introduced to overcome its limitations, highlighting the potential for high-efficiency TE applications.

This Highlight presents an emerging strategy for methane photocatalytic oxidation using chlorine species, emphasizing their advantages and outlining future challenges.

The development and generation of affordable and highly efficient energy, particularly hydrogen, are one of the best approaches to address the challenges posed by the depletion of non-renewable energy sources.

Hybrid water electrolysis (HWE) has emerged as a promising electrochemical strategy for sustainable hydrogen production by coupling thermodynamically favorable small molecule oxidation reactions with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

This feature article focuses on exceptionally intense ROA of amyloid fibrils, discussed in the broader context of ROA signal enhancement.

Real-space Kohn–Sham density functional theory (real-space KS-DFT) enables large-scale electronic structure simulations that is particularly well-suited for the modern high-performance computing (HPC) architectures.

The inherent characteristics, enhancement mechanisms, and spectroscopic performance of metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials as SERS substrates are systematically summarized.

Multiple orthogonal recognition mechanisms enable cavitand-based optical sensing arrays to discriminate a wide range of biorelevant targets with high selectivity.

This review summarizes recent advances in Y-series small molecule acceptors with emphasis on how molecular structure influences material and device performance. Strategies for developing higher-efficiency polymer solar cells are also proposed.

Herein, a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art techniques for identifying RNA modifications is presented, including high-throughput sequencing technologies and locus-specific approaches.

Metal–organic materials (MOMs), including both discrete metal–organic cages (MOCs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), are emerging as promising materials for peptide and protein immobilisation.

This feature article highlights cutting-edge fluorescent probes for monitoring dynamic microenvironments and exploring heterogeneity in lysosomes, mitochondria, and lipid droplets.

Promoting hematite by water oxidation reaction on the surface, charge separation and transport in the bulk, and parallel multi-stacked design.

Ultrasmall coinage metal nanoclusters (MNCs, <3 nm) are promising broad-spectrum antibacterials with tunable core–shell structures. This review discusses their design, mechanisms, applications, and challenges for future antimicrobial development.

This account highlights the recent developments of catalytic enantioselective transformations of AMA towards the construction of valuable chiral molecules and heterocycles.

This article covers the developments and outlook in auxiliary assisted C–H functionalization with vinylcyclopropanes and cyclopropanols utilizing transition-metal-catalysis.

In this review, we highlight recent advancements in the application of metal–organic frameworks for radionuclide detection, focusing on sensing techniques such as fluorescence, scintillation, colorimetric, and electrochemical methods, among others.

The benefits of a systematic nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE) approach to addressing fouling in membrane filtration are explored, with examples leveraging advances in mechanistic insights, functional materials chemistry, and manufacturing.

The present review primarily focuses on highlighting recent developments in the synthesis of H₂S-donating organic polysulfanes and their potential pharmacological implications for cancer.

This review introduces functional DNA applications in point-of-care diagnostics, highlighting its potential to revolutionize diagnostics, and explores synergies with emerging technologies like nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

Cavity-type zeolites or molecular sieves exhibit significant advantages in shape-selective catalysis, following the cavity-controlled catalytic principles, including molecular adsorption, diffusion, reaction, and deactivation processes.

This feature article presents cyclophane-based host–guest complexes for which electronic interactions between the host and guest molecules can modulate excited-state properties in an advanced way involving both singlet and triplet excited states.

A review of the state-of-the-art advances for upgrading ethanol to n-butanol via the Guerbet reaction catalyzed by molecular homogeneous complexes is provided here. Key advancements in catalyst design based on mechanistic understanding is discussed.

Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells suffer from severe V_OC loss. The reported studies on reducing the V_OC deficit in terms of interface modification, charge transport layer engineering, and additive engineering are systematically reviewed.

Cationic tetraphenylethylene-based amphiphiles were developed as AIE-active membrane antennas for balanced ultraviolet to blue light conversion to enhance algal photosynthesis.

A novel switchable approach for the synthesis of benzimidazole/quinoxaline C-glycosides is presented. This versatile catalytic system enables the reaction utilizing [OsCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ and AgSbF₆ as catalysts respectively.

An Ag_14−xCu_x series (Ag₁₄, (AgCu)₁₄-1, (AgCu)₁₄-2), was synthesized. Moderate Cu doping in (AgCu)₁₄-1 leads to stronger Ag–Cu synergy and higher Cu valence states, which promote *CO adsorption and thereby improve CO₂-to-CH₄ selectivity.

This work demonstrates an efficient selective crystallization strategy for separating Th(IV) from Ln(III), yielding a photothermally active thorium–oxo cluster.

The regio- and stereoselective C–H alkenylation of pyridines with silyl-substituted internal alkynes has been achieved by using a half-sandwich scandium catalyst, affording a wide range of silyl-functionalized alkenyl pyridines.

This study helps identify the most appropriate device hardware and methodology for screening formic acid producing CO₂R catalysts in different device configurations: aqueous H-cell, gas diffusion electrode half-cell, and full-cell electrolyzer.

A Ca^I synthon is key to access low-coordinate Ca (per)oxide complexes of which especially the oxide complex is highly reactive and unstable.

Two orange-red planar chiral thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters exhibit aggregation-induced emission. Their organic light-emitting diodes and circularly polarized devices show low efficiency roll-offs and high dissymmetry factors.

Boron adsorption on the Fe₃O₄ surface proceeds through nucleophilic attack of oxygen in Fe–O–H towards the vacant orbital of boron. A good correlation was found between the change of oxygen binding energy and the boron adsorption capacity of M@Fe₃O₄.

Cellulose I, cellulose II, and cellulose III are the three most common polymorphs of cellulose, and their derived hard carbons exhibit distinct structures and electrochemical performances.

Fac-[(CO)₃Mo(P^tBu₂N^Ph₂)(NH₃)] catalyzed NH₃ oxidation to N₂ using phenoxyl radicals as H atom acceptors generating up to 88 equiv. N₂ per Mo centre.

The terphenylthiolate ligands that stabilize the U(II) complex U(SAr^iPr6)₂ with U-arene interactions move out of the way in forming the U(VI) bis(imido) species U(SAr^iPr6)₂(NPh)₂(THF)₂ or encapsulate a K⁺ ion in the reduced complex KU(μ-SAr^iPr6)₂.

An Sn₄P₃-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet synergistically boosts polysulfide conversion and suppresses diffusion.

We report the first sequential near-infrared enzyme-specific chemiluminescent probe by minimizing steric hindrance at the recognition site to deliver robust in situ chemiluminescence.

Slow cooling produced prolate liposomes containing linear doxorubicin fiber-bundles, whereas rapid cooling gave liposomes containing curved fiber-bundles.

A Fe-thiolate MOF is capable of accommodating K⁺ ions electrochemically, achieving low polarization, high capacity utilization and stable cycling performance thanks to Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ reversible redox processes and polyphasic transformations.

Co₃O₄–CuO/CF was synthesized for urea synthesis via electrocatalytic C–N coupling of nitrate and CO₂, showing high faradaic efficiency and urea yield due to the formation of a heterostructure and rich oxygen vacancies.

An eco-friendly oxidative N-functionalization of sulfonamides with aldehydes using a sodium iodide–sodium percarbonate system achieves high selectivity and yields, enabling drug modification and derivatization for pharmaceutical optimization.

A benzene-based annihilator and a high triplet energy sensitizer were combined in an upconversion scheme, emitting photons with unprecedented energy.

An ionic porous organic cage (OFT-RCC3⁶⁺6Br⁻) served as a metal-free catalyst for the solvent-free conversion of CO₂ into cyclic carbonates, achieving high catalytic turnover.

Boramidine, a small organic fluorophore, is protonated in water and highly protic media and behaves as a photoacid upon optical excitation.

LEDs based on nanocubic CsPb(I_xBr_1−x)₃ achieved a maximum EQE of 10.75%, the highest reported for perovskite superlattice bright red LEDs.

We report two carbazole-functionalized Chichibabin diradicaloids that in comparison to the parent compound exhibit red-shifted absorption and 2–3-fold brighter emission.

We present a series of low-cost polymer donors based on a simple-structured 4-ester-substituted thiazole derivative, proposed as promising candidates for high-performance organic solar cells.

Photoresponsive colloidal rings are synthesized, which facilitate controlled self-assembly of open crystallites and also enable hybrid-assembly with passive colloids.

Rational computational design yields push–pull 4,5-substituted 1,2-azaborinines as molecular solar thermals with improved light harvesting.

Silicon-tethered benzyne–ene reactions efficiently convert allylic alcohols to aryl-substituted homoallylic alcohols, offering excellent regio- and diastereoselectivity with a broad substrate scope.

Restructuring of mortise-and-tenon frameworks at the molecular level has never been achieved. Here, in this work, the inaugural instance of such restructuring within molecular mortise-and-tenon joints has been reported.

Synthesis of vinyl-containing COFs using an efficient and rapid mechanochemical method.

Treatment of two equivalents of Trip₂GaCl (Trip = 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) with pyrazine and 4,4′-bipyridine affords adducts 1 and 2 in high yields.

The arrayed MoS₂ nanosheets are planted on specific substrates by a dynamic magnetic field at a rate of more than 1.5 μm min⁻¹.

Au⋯Au interaction from a bisphosphine Au(I) complex without a bridging ligand.

A family of Pd₃L₄, Pd₄L₄, and Pd₅L₄-type cages possessing two, three and four cavities, capable of encapsulating up to two, three and four units of pyrazine-N,N'-dioxide (PZDO), respectively.

CsMgGa₅S₉ features a diamond-like framework with uniformly stacked mixed tetrahedral units and embedded Cs⁺ ions.

We report an innovative APDG approach to control the matrix thickness in PbS quantum dot films, significantly enhancing photovoltaic performance.

We present a self-anchored nickel on nitrogen-doped carbon dots co-catalyst on carbon nitride nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic H₂ production.

Halide-mediated Ag–Zn batteries with excellent cycling performance by suppressing the shuttle effect and cathode dissolution.