Themed collection 2024 Reviews in RSC Advances

Vitamins are crucial micronutrients found in limited quantities in food, living organisms, and soil.

This review examines the escalating issue of plastic pollution, specifically highlighting the detrimental effects on the environment and human health caused by microplastics and nanoplastics.

Cobalt is an essential metal to maintain several functions in the human body and is present in functional materials for numerous applications.

The new classification of APAP combinations (prodrugs, codrugs, and hybrids) was proposed. It makes a better understanding of the SAR studies for new pain relievers research and the design development for the analgesic APAP-based compounds.

DDAH1 inhibitors with diverse chemical structures are needed for the development of new therapeutics in NO related disorders.

Carcinoembryonic antigens (CEAs) are prominent cancer biomarkers that enable the early detection of numerous cancers.

This manuscript summarizes the preparations and potential applications of MXene-associated technology and provides a comprehensive review of the recent development of high-performance flexible pressure sensors based on MXenes materials.

Focus on the progress of electrode materials for supercapacitors using composite materials based on CPs, metal oxide NPs, and CNTs. Both electrolyte-based and electrolyte-free supercapacitors are also discussed in detail.

Adsorptive property of microgels is reported briefly in this review. Morphology and synthetic methods of adsorbent (microgels) are described. Various adsorption isotherms and kinetic models of adsorption are also discussed.

The growing apprehension surrounding heavy metal pollution in both environmental and industrial contexts has spurred extensive research into adsorption materials aimed at efficient remediation.

The transition from conventional polyurethane (PU) to non isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) is driven mainly by safety concerns, environmental considerations, and sustainability issues associated with the current PU technology.

In this review, we intend to summarize the most important discoveries in the deborylative (thio-/seleno-) cyanation of aryl boronic acids from 2006 to the end of 2023.

When a plant shows deficiency syndromes, sometimes it becomes too late for the farmer to apply fertilizer, as most rely on checking plant leaves to assess their nutrition level. Electrochemical sensors can bring revolution here. Other pollutants (NPK) can also be determined using these sensors.

Among the diverse natural catalysts, caffeine has emerged as a green, expedient, non-toxic, and biodegradable catalyst. The main objective of this review is to present the existing knowledge pertaining to the exploitation of caffeine in various organic transformations.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) represent simple devices that harness the metabolic activities of microorganisms to produce electrical energy from diverse sources such as organic waste and sustainable biomass.

The waste management industry uses an increasing number of mathematical prediction models to accurately forecast the behavior of organic pollutants during catalytic degradation.

Applications of chemosensors of phase I metabolizing enzymes.

L-Proline is widely used in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. Azomethine ylide derived from decarboxylative condensation of L-proline and 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds can directly react with various dipolarophiles through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.

The classification, synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of yolk–shell smart microgels and their hybrids have been critically reviewed for further advancement in the area.

Vinpocetine and Vincamine were extensively employed in the treatment of ischemic stroke, serving as effective cerebrovascular vasodilators.

This review investigated the breakthroughs in porous photoactive materials such as metal oxides, metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, graphitic carbon nitride, and MXene for the PEC detection of environmental contaminants.

Gas sensors based on nanostructured semiconductor metal oxide (SMO) materials poses many advantages. This review focuses on the detection of NO and NO₂ gases.

Catalytic performances, structure-activity relationships of metal oxide-based and zeolite-based all-inorganic solid base catalytic materials and their major applications in non-refinery and refinery fields.

Polymeric biomaterials are a widely used class of materials due to their versatile properties.

The fundamentals of bio-orthogonal click chemistry are investigated, while exploring mechanistic intricacies, demonstrating the adaptability and promise of this methodology.

Research progress and analysis of composite bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells – nanofillers: carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene. Structural optimization: distribution, conductive path and interface modification.

In this review, we discussed the unique features of carbon nanomaterial-integrated nanocomposites for application in the biomedical field, including for biosensors, drug delivery, and tissue engineering.

In this review, works on the on-site detection of illegal drugs in recent years are summarised and discussed, most of which were published within the past five years.

Depression is one of the most mutilating conditions in the world today.

The development of non-noble metal based and cost-effective electrocatalysts for water splitting has attracted significant attention due to their potential in production of clean and green hydrogen fuel.

Production, storage and transportation are the three key areas of development for hydrogen as a sustainable energy source.

Perovskite-based X-ray detection and imaging have reached new milestones due to rapid advancements in evolution of materials, cost-effective fabrication techniques, and architectural modifications in device design.

Glycyrrhetinic acid, a triterpenoid compound primarily sourced from licorice root, as well as its derivatives produced through structural modification, exhibit noteworthy biological attributes, including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant effects.

Dual carbon fiber battery, where both the cathode and anode are made of carbon fiber, overthrows the traditional configuration. Fiber-shaped batteries and structural batteries will be significantly reformed due to the emerging of dual carbon fiber batteries.

Modification techniques to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for direct seawater electrolysis (DSWE) to mitigate chloride corrosion from seawater.

This review summarises the progress in aurone synthetic transformations, focusing on diverse cycloaddition ([3 + 2], [4 + 2], [4 + 3], [10 + 2]) and annulation reactions.

A variety of bioactive compounds can be synthesized via C–C and C–X (X = O/S/N/Se/Cl/Br) bond formation using an efficient catalytic system I₂/DMSO. This review highlights the progress and identifies potential paths for future research in this field.

VEGF, an important category of tyrosine kinases, and its receptors (VEGFR) are hyper-activated in different cancers. The recently reported indolyl analogs with potential antineoplastic and VEGFR inhibitory properties are highlighted.

Spiro heterocycle frameworks are a class of organic compounds that possesses unique structural features making them highly sought-after targets in drug discovery due to their diverse biological and pharmacological activities.

Antimicrobial thin films are types of protective coatings that are applied to surfaces such as medical devices, food packaging materials, water treatment membranes, water-resistant coatings, and other systems.

This review provides an overview of the progress & developments of PSCs, beginning with introduction to their fundamental properties & significance. It discusses the various types of PSCs, highlighting their unique attributes & performance metrics.

This review provides comprehensive developments on all-inorganic lead-halide perovskites in photocatalysis, including synthesis methods, improvement of stability and activity, and finally summarizes their applications in photocatalysis.

In this review, we discussed about clay based heterogeneous catalysts used for carbon–nitrogen bond formation.

Despite the advancements in cancer therapies during the past few years, chemo/photo resistance, severe toxic effects, recurrence of metastatic tumors, and non-selective targeting remain incomprehensible.

Single-atom alloys (SAAs) are a different type of alloy where a guest metal, usually a noble metal (e.g., Pt, Pd, and Ru), is atomically dispersed on a relatively more inert (e.g., Ag and Cu) host metal.

Imidazopyridazines are fused heterocycles, like purines, with a pyridazine ring replacing the pyrimidine ring in purines.

This review mainly summarizes the application prospects of ADN as a novel oxidant and overviews the current research status on the thermal and catalytic decomposition of ADN.

Different synthesis methods (emulsion, pyrolysis, combustion, and sonochemical) of calcium phosphates and exploration of biogenic sources.

Electrostatic spinning as a technique for producing nanoscale fibers has recently attracted increasing attention due to its simplicity, versatility, and loadability.

Metal–organic frameworks have advanced adsorption, photocatalysis and sensing of water contaminants.

This review summarizes the synthesis of boron nitride nanocomposites and their diverse applications in water remediation and water splitting.

Laminarin, a complicated polysaccharide originating from brown algae, has emerged as a compelling candidate in the domain of biomedical research.

Beta-galactosidase (β-galactosidase), a lysosomal hydrolytic enzyme, plays a critical role in the catalytic hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds, leading to the conversion of lactose into galactose.

The carbazole ring construction has been achieved via annulation, C–H activation, carboamination, hydroarylation and cycloaddition reactions. The synthesized scaffolds exhibit various biological activities and participate in drug development.

Water scarcity will worsen due to population growth, urbanization, and climate change.

Sunscreen formulations have undergone significant advancements in recent years, with a focus on improving UV radiation protection, photostability, and environmental sustainability.

Photocatalysis has proven to be an effective approach for the production of reactive intermediates under moderate reaction conditions.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) crosslinked network hydrophilic polymers that have structures similar to that of biological protein tissue and can quickly absorb a large amount of water.

Microplastics (5 μm) are a developing threat that contaminate every environmental compartment.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology improves energy efficiency in biorefineries.

Multicomponent polymerization (MCP) is an innovative field related to polymer-based chemistry that offers numerous advantages derived from multicomponent reactions (MCRs). One of the key advantages of MCP is its ability to achieve high efficiency.

Fused pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have emerged as compelling molecules with remarkably potent cytotoxic activity and topoisomerase inhibitors.

This review summarizes recent developments in SiO₂-coated lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (LHP NCs), and the preparation methods and applications of SiO₂-coated LHP NCs are discussed.

Graphene, the most fascinating 2D form of carbon with closely packed carbon atoms arranged in a layer, needs more attention in various fields.

The reactions and mechanisms of alkynes that are involved in multi-component reactions through C–C and C–H positions are investigated.

Thiazolines and their derivatives hold significant importance in the field of medicinal chemistry due to their promising potential as pharmaceutical agents.

This paper reviews synthesis kinetics and formation mechanism of geopolymers. The literature studies provided new information, and development of advanced techniques is required to study synthesis kinetics and formation mechanisms further.

(1) The synthesis technologies, characteristics, and advantages of TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysts are introduced. (2) Strategies to enhance the activity of TiO₂–biochar-based photocatalysts are proposed from three systematic aspects.