Themed collection SBQ-RSC: Celebrating UK-Brazil collaborations

Recent developments to achieve further physicochemical control in metallic nanomaterials by galvanic replacement are discussed towards applications in catalysis.

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are gaining interest as central players in liquid biopsies, with potential applications in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic guidance in most pathological conditions.

This tutorial review covers recent advances in the design, synthesis and application of quinone-based fluorescent agents for visualizing specific processes in multiple biological systems, from cells to tissues and complex organisms in vivo.

Synthetic protocols that provide access on multigram scale to unknown heteroaromatic ring systems of potential value for medicinal chemistry.

Highly efficient DNA labelling using an enzymatically-directed, strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition.

Rh-catalyzed C-5 selective C–H iodination of naphthoquinones provides a gateway to previously inaccessible A-ring analogues. C-2 selective processes can be achieved under related conditions.

Van der Waals epitaxially grown WS₂ monolayers and laser effects on their optical properties are reported.

Environmental stability is a common challenge for the commercialisation of low cost, encapsulation-free organic opto-electronic devices.

Surface-clean Au nanoparticles (NPs) confined in films of ionic liquids (ILs) can be easily fabricated by sputtering deposition.

A method for the electrosynthesis of aldehydes is presented.

Unsymmetric porphyrins containing both pentafluorophenyl (PFP = A) and 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl (DMP = B) substituents at the meso positions were prepared using Lindsey's methodology.

The application of nanoscale capacitance as a transduction of molecular recognition relevant to molecular diagnostics is demonstrated, wherein the energy-related signal relates directly to the electron occupation of quantized states.

A series of 3-methylidene-1H-indol-2(3H)-ones substituted with a 5- or 6-pentafluorosulfanyl group has been synthesized by a Knoevenagel condensation reaction of SF₅-substituted oxindoles with a range of aldehydes.

The cocrystal of nitrofurantoin with urea (C₈H₆N₄O₅)·(CH₄N₂O), a non-ionic supramolecular complex, has been studied.

Cellulose films as well as chitosan-modified cellulose films of approximately 5 μm thickness, reconstituted from ionic liquid media onto a poly(ethylene-terephthalate) (PET, 6 μm thickness) film with a 5, 10, 20, or 40 μm diameter laser-drilled microhole, show significant current rectification in aqueous NaCl.

Alcoholic chemical reactions at similar conditions as the interstellar medium can be heavily hampered by the presence of C₆₀.

Tree structure for the biosynthesis of 3-O-sulfated glucosamine.

State of the art high energy X-ray diffraction experiments and simulation models (employing a description of charge transfer) are applied to pure molten alkali nitrates and nitrites and uncover significant emerging structure.

The surfactant (sodium cholate) when used in the liquid exfoliation of 2D-MoS₂ has a detrimental effect upon its electrocatalytic activity compared to pristine 2D-MoS₂ (produced without a surfactant).

Synthesis, crystal structures, spectroscopy and magnetic properties of three new bpcam-containing complexes are presented here.

Stress tests form an important part of drug development, and of subsequent accreditation.

Fluorine free ionic liquids with low density and high ionic conductivity for high energy electrochemical double-layer capacitors.

Molecular dynamics simulations support a self-assembled monolayer specific energy barrier to solution-phase ions that once surmounted, the entrapped ions support a film embedded ionic capacitance and non-faradaic relaxation (mapping through electrochemical capacitance measurements). The associated capacitance can be assigned as a particular case of general electrochemical capacitance.

Choice of molecular probe for determining porosity, surface area, or binding in never-dried cellulose hydrogels is critical to discern differences in structure.

Solvothermal synthesis yields four Yb coordination polymers depending on solvent and time.

TiO₂ nanotube (TiO₂NT) surfaces can achieve a high area surface and enhanced electrocatalytic properties.

Exciplex formation, and delayed fluorescence and phosphorescence interplay interactions were investigated in phenazine derivative solutions at room temperature.

Novel helical luminescent benzoimidazophenanthrolines were prepared using a Cu(II) catalyzed C–H amination reaction.

Self-assembly of a proline-capped lipopeptide in water provides unprecedented enhancement of catalytic activity in aldol reactions.

(MnFe)₂O₃@Ta₂O₅–IL core–shell materials showed better photocatalytic H₂ production compared to individual core MF and shell Ta₂O₅.

Cell survival after treatment with dimethylsulphate in the presence of polyoxovanadates.

Photodynamic treatment induces fluence-dependent protein damage and modifies C. albicans proteome.

A CuS–TiO₂–Pt showed improved H₂ production (746 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) compared to CuS–TiO₂ (458 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹) under the irradiation of UV-Vis light which is due to charge separation by the addition of Pt.

The liquid-crystalline nature of a lipopeptide scaffold is found to enhance cell uptake in complexes formed between plasmid DNA and arginine-containing peptide amphiphiles.

The polynuclear complex Cu₄I₄py₄ has been largely studied in solution and in the powder form due to its interesting luminescent properties, which are largely dependent on temperature and pressure.

Pd(ITMe)₂(PhCCPh) is a pre-catalyst in the unprecedented homogenous catalyzed diboration of terminal and internal alkynes.

Temperature gradients in liquid NMR samples cause convection, attenuating signals in experiments that use field gradients. Different spectrometers and probes show surprisingly different dependences of convection velocity v_max on temperature T.

While the asphaltene-resin dimer leads to π–π stacking outward from surface, sulphide group favors this nanoaggregate adsorption on calcite that is energetically similar to the asphaltene monomer adsorbed through less steric and dielectric effects.

The first catalytic application of a nanoparticulate niobia solid acid prepared from a high area peroxo niobic acid sol, and its SBA-15 supported analogue, is demonstrated for the heterogeneously catalysed aqueous phase conversion of glucose and fructose to 5-HMF.

Determination of cysteine by adsorptive stripping voltammetry at a bare GCE in an acidic electrolyte medium in the presence of copper(II) ions.

Tannase treatment caused predictable changes in the polyphenol composition of teas that can improve the benefits of a common beverage.

The diffusional PGSE NMR technique allows a detailed characterization of single- and multi-site halogen-bonded systems.

This study describes the identification and quantification of five new arsenolipids present in raw marine fish oil extracted mainly from Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens).

Coating black silicon needles in a uniform layer of conducting boron-doped CVD diamond produces a high-surface-area electrode material that promising for electrochemical applications, as well as acting as a robust bactericidal surface.

Nanocapsule-mediated eugenol release from an interpenetrating polymer network coating reduces bacterial binding on medical devices.

Traces of water in some ionic liquids can be regarded as a guest@host supramolecular structure even when diluted in solvents with high dielectric constants.

Tooth enamel is the hardest, densest and most mineralized tissue in vertebrates.

Inspired by recent reports concerning the utilisation of hand drawn pencil macroelectrodes (PDEs), we report the fabrication, characterisation (physicochemical and electrochemical) and implementation (electrochemical sensing) of various PDEs drawn upon a flexible polyester substrate.

Effect of the thermal treatment temperature on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity of CdSe/TiO₂ nanocomposites.

Disordered fibre networks are ubiquitous in nature and have a wide range of industrial applications as novel biomaterials. Here a numerical methodology for investigating the dynamical, non-affine response of fibre networks is described and applied to a recently-introduced 2D peptide model.

The reaction of BMI·Cl or DMI·Cl with TaCl₅ affords imidazolium tantalate ionic liquids BMI·TaCl₆1 and DMI·TaCl₆2, precursors for the synthesis of Ta₂O₅ nanoparticles.

High sensitive detection of glutathione in presence of copper(II) ions by cyclic voltammetry using a bare glassy carbon electrode is presented.

Commercially important esters are obtained from biomass-based alcohols via green solvent-free catalytic processes under ambient conditions using a simple heterogeneous catalyst.

In this paper the effect of solvent induced chemical surface enhancements upon graphitic screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) are critically benchmarked.

The use of mechanical activation (polishing) as a pre-treatment for screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) is reported and shown to give rise to an improved electroanalytical response.

The synthesis of Y₂O₃/TiO₂ nano-composites via hydrothermal and ionic liquid assisted hydrothermal methods, for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

A facile high temperature low vacuum process is reported for the synthesis of a freestanding 3D graphene nano-ribbon open cell foam electrode and its electrochemical properties are explored.

Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) promoted by a triplet state of the bis-oxoCu₂(III) core generates a new radical rebound mechanism for the hydroxylation of methane catalyzed by the binuclear copper site of a pMMO enzyme.

Schematic of a photoelectrochemical cell using TiO₂/RGO film as the photoanode.

This work describes a novel class of multihierarchical electrodes based on TiNTs and ZnONRs obtained via a simple two-step method, for efficient oxygen evolution via photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Liquid crystals behavior of the 5a–d and 9a–d was dictated by rotational aspects of the flexible spacer.

Spectrochemical discrimination of ovarian cancer.

For the first time MDMA and PMA are simultaneously detected using electrochemical techniques.

The synthesis of a series of selectively fluorinated musk lactones is reported with CF₂ groups at various locations to bias conformation the ring.