Themed collection 2025 Chemical Science Perspective & Review Collection

This Perspective identifies critical materials for Power-to-X electrolyzers and highlights how to integrate environmental and social life cycle assessments with early technology development to assess the impacts of disruptive technologies.

We introduce the current challenges, improvement strategies, and future prospects of lead-free solar cells using silver bismuth halide, which is expected to be a promising candidate for high-efficiency lead-free solar cells.

Enzymatic recycling of plastic waste is attracting considerable attention as a novel strategy to advance a circular plastic economy. While currently limited to polyesters, achieving economically viable biocatalytic processes remains a key challenge.

The interaction of light with polymers can be positive, where light enhances polymerization or performance, but it can also be negative towards the targeted properties. Positive and negative interactions between polymers and light are highlighted.

Glutathione's role in synthesizing functional metal nanomaterials with unique optical properties and nanobiomedical applications.

Developing and benchmarking new, efficient catalysts for the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction is paramount for its application in the global transition toward non-fossil carbon feedstocks and energy sources.

Polyphenol-functionalized nanoarchitectures (cytoPNAs) provide a modular and cell independent strategy to create biohybrids for cell engineering, with improved production for biomanufacturing and enhanced efficacy for cell-based therapies.

A description and general guidelines of how strategies for synthesis of natural product-inspired and -derived compound libraries can be combined for a specific project goal.

This perspective critiques advancements in integrated CO₂ capture and electrochemical conversion, contrasting emerging methods like eRCC via amine or (bi)carbonate pathways and direct ACC with traditional sequential capture and conversion strategies.

25 Years after the discovery of the most influential NHC ligand, we revisit and highlight studies involving IPr that have shaped the field of NHC-transition metal catalysis.

This perspective covers the 99 years of work towards the isolation of a cyclopentadienyl cation, from observation of fleeting compounds to the 2024 X-ray crystal structure of a room temperature stable Cp⁺ cation.

Gaining insights into the origins and roles of the field-effect will facilitate better applications in energy and environmental catalysis.

The development of transition metal-catalyzed [(2+2)+1] and [(2+2)+2] carbocyclization reactions of 1,6-enynes bearing 1,1-disubstituted olefins is discussed, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for expanding this powerful transformation.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has gained significant attention, with over 170 publications in 2023 alone.

Cryo-electron microscopy plays a pivotal role in materials science by revealing nanoscale structures. This Perspective discusses innovations in experimental design that link structural insights to mechanistic understanding in materials science.

This perspective reviews both materials and molecular data resources and establishes seven guiding principles termed QUANTUM to advance molecular databases toward robust, unified platforms for the research community.

To achieve chemical accuracy methods for dissociative chemisorption on metals must use adjustable hybrid density functionals fitted to barriers computed with first principles methods, and dynamics methods accurately describing non-adiabatic effects.

In this perspective we demonstrate the suitability of semiclassical initial value representation methods to investigate the vibrational spectroscopy and kinetics of solvated and condensed phase molecular systems.

This review summarizes recent advances in asymmetric alkenyl C–H bond functionalization reactions, as well as provides an outlook on future opportunities and challenges.

The two major synthetic pathways of 2D MOF nanosheets are reviewed, including the top-down method and bottom-up method, and the applications within the realm of electrocatalysis are discussed.

This review highlights the roll-to-roll dry coating process, a scalable and industrially viable approach, by introducing its underlying mechanisms, latest developments, and applications.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the progress, challenges, and outlook of solid electrolyte membrane reactors (SEMRs) in energy, chemical, and environmental applications.

A comprehensive review of metal-based inducers of immunogenic cell death (ICD), their design strategies, molecular mechanisms to trigger ICD, subsequent protective antitumor immune responses, as well as validation approaches.

Room-temperature synthesis bridges the gap between the chemistry and practical application of COFs. This review provides an overview of the characterization technologies of COF growth mechanisms and recent room-temperature synthetic strategies.

This review systematically summarizes the latest advances in bimetallic effects for the reduction of CO₂ to multi-carbon products, discussing the structure–activity relationships of typical bimetallic catalysts for the reaction.

This article reviews computational tools for the prediction of the regio- and site-selectivity of organic reactions. It spans from quantum chemical procedures to deep learning models and showcases the application of the presented tools.

This review provides an overview of activatable peptide–AIEgen conjugates for tumor imaging, with an emphasis on the most recent breakthroughs in the past three years (from 2022 to late 2024)

The structural design strategies and recent representative examples of 2D c-MOFs applied in electrocatalysis and energy storage systems are introduced.

By evaluating the dynamic structural evolution of metal SAs and clusters during catalytic reactions, this work provides potential solutions for promoting in-depth research and further application of high-performance single-atom and cluster catalysts.

Perovskite materials, with their tunable band gaps, high optical absorption, and excellent carrier mobility, are key candidates for lasers, LEDs, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Chemical looping technologies offer a promising pathway for clean energy production, addressing the urgent need for decarbonization in light of escalating global energy demands and climate change concerns.

The review aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the advancements made in harnessing BCDs for electrochemical energy storage applications.

In situ Raman spectroscopy study of the CO₂ electroreduction reaction.

Solar-driven photothermal CO₂ reduction converts CO₂ into valuable C₂₊ chemicals and fuels. This review highlights key catalytic strategies, reaction pathways, and recent advances, offering insights for future research and industrial applications.

This review highlights the mechanisms underlying the unique fluorogenic properties of tetrazine-functionalized labels and proposes new strategies to enhance fluorogenicity in the near-infrared region.

For carbon dots, careful purification and electronic structure calculations facilitate learning about the origin of optical properties.

Oxygen evolution catalysts are critical components of proton exchange membrane water electrolysers (PEMWEs), playing a decisive role in determining both the performance and cost of these devices.

The review focuses on recent developments in methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production, highlighting innovative reactor designs and catalyst advances and applications in fuel cells, as well as the environmental and economic implications.

This review provides an overview of predictive tools in asymmetric synthesis. The evolution of methods from simple qualitative pictures to complicated quantitative approaches is connected with the increased complexity of stereoselective synthesis.

The hydrogenation efficiency by spillover in catalysts affected by oxygen vacancy through hydrogen dissociation, hydrogen spillover, and hydrogenation processes is presented. This review summarize insights for developing high efficiency catalysts.

Fabrication techniques for polymer–metal composite films in energy and electronic applications: a comprehensive review.

In this review, we summarize and overview the development of studies of natural biomolecules that have been used in cell-biointerface engineering. The current prospects and challenges in this area are also presented, along with potential solutions.

Review covering the formation, properties and applications of Magnéli phase titanium suboxides (Ti_nO_2n−1, 4 ≤ n ≤ 9) in energy storage and environmental remediation.

This review examines the roles of large language models (LLMs) and autonomous agents in chemistry, exploring advancements in molecule design, property prediction, and synthesis automation.

This review delves into the application of phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) in underwater optical communication and marine fishery, exploring the development strategies of phosphors tailored for the marine environment.

This review highlights the potential of multi-target-directed strategies that address amyloid-β aggregation, metal ion dyshomeostasis, and enzyme dysfunction, offering a comprehensive and effective approach to treating Alzheimer's disease.

This review summarizes the recent advances in synthetic applications of silylboronates as silyl radical precursors, discusses the advantages and limitations of each method, and illustrates the synthetic chances still open for further exploration.

In this review, the preparation methods of LFMHPs are analyzed and discussed. The strategies for improving the performance of white LEDs based on LFMHPs are also demonstrated. Finally, their future challenges and perspectives are explored.

The crystal structure, chemical bonding characteristics, band structure, and phonon dynamics of GeTe are revealed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that contribute to its exceptional performance.

This review provides an overview of the advances in high entropy spinel oxides in diverse catalytic reactions and highlights the intrinsic structure–property–performance relationships.

Focusing on the efficient electronic structures in MoS₂. This review critically examines the origins of unsaturated electronic structures, strategies for their construction, and future directions for advancing this promising field.

50 years after Th. Förster, 5 years after D. Huppert and M. Eigen: proton transfer as one of the best studied chemical reactions is still under debate and paves the way for new developments in physical and theoretical chemistry.

Recent progress of valorization systems based on NO_x⁻ conversion, including waste treatment systems, novel electrolytic systems, and energy conversion and storage systems, is reviewed, and the challenges and future prospects are outlined.

This review critically discusses recent in situ and operando studies on Fe-based catalysts in CO₂ hydrogenation, in particular focusing on the effect of composition, promoters, support and particle size.

Nickel model complexes inspired by CODH active sites offer crucial insights into CO₂/CO interconversion mechanisms, guiding the development of efficient and selective synthetic catalysts for CO₂ conversion.

The direct functionalization of C–H bonds has revolutionized the field of synthetic organic chemistry by enabling efficient and atom-economical modification of arenes by avoiding prefunctionalization.

In this work, the critical challenges, strategies and advances towards high-performance anode-free metal batteries, including Na, K and Zn batteries, are reviewed, and the prospects for this field are also provided.

Methyl groups are abundant in pharmaceuticals, and their installation has garnered significant attention. This review summarises advancements in the use of methyl-containing peroxides as reagents for a variety of methylation reactions.

The development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is a must for the decarbonization of the aviation industry.