Themed collection ChemComm Milestones – First Independent Articles

Solid-state batteries are configured by deliberation of technology and energy, with material chemistries and processing parameters necessary to target the requirements of the roadmap of future energy-dense and safe batteries.

This feature article summarizes the recent advances in organelle-targeted PTT agents over the past ten years.

We review the current understanding of charge carrier dynamics in carbon nitride heterojunctions and highlight open questions in the field.

This article presents the latest research on electrosynthesis routes to organic carbonates. Different methods are discussed in an effort to understand the underlying processes and challenges.

Understanding directed evolution rules for biocatalyst generation through the lens of a computational microscope.

Fully soft organic electrochemical transistors and a skin-mountable electrophysiological signal amplifier were developed by all soft components based on, particularly stretchable PEDOT:PSS enabled by crosslinking between PEG and DVS.

A new cyclic diborylamide ligand has been developed and successfully employed to synthesize low-coordinate iron(II) complexes.

The ultrathin (~1 nm) emissive layer of a TADF emitter shows 2.6 times higher EQE with high brightness than conventional (30 nm) non-doped OLED devices.

A mono-mercapto-functionalized pillar[5]arene and its dimer, capable of being reversibly interconverted, were successfully synthesized.

The ligand binding to the telomeric G-quadruplex enhanced susceptibility to S1 nuclease through the base flipping.

Charge decoration provides a new synthetic strategy to integrate discrete coordination cages into an extended permanently porous material.

A novel miniaturized and sustainable platform exploiting two merged paper-based substrates has been applied for the programmable pre-concentration of analytes of interest and electrochemical detection of mercury traces in drinking water using printable sensor strips.

We present here the first example of the direct synthesis of polyureas from the dehydrogenative coupling of diamines and methanol.

The parent organometallic complex, methyllithium, is synthesized and characterised in its monomeric form for the first time. This is enabled by a bespoke multidentate neutral amine ligand, namely DETAN.

A series of rare-earth based UiO-66 analogues is synthesised through different approaches with the aid of two different solvents.

A series of crystalline porous materials was prepared by self-assembly of cationic metal–organic polyhedra with polyoxometalates.

Tetraphenylethylene-substituted fused-ring electron acceptors present enhanced emission with reduced nonradiative energy loss, improving open circuit voltages in solar cells.

Within one hour at room temperature, 2D lead iodide perovskites (R-NH₃)₂PbI₄ with semiconductivity were transformed into colloidal liquid crystalline phases exhibiting optical anisotropy and photoluminescence.

N-Atom is delivered to an amine to synthesize α-diazo compounds through triazene fragmentation.

A rapid, low cost sensor for Covid-19 was developed using a perfluorodecanthiol layer and ACE2.

Highly enantioselective binding of amino-acid esters in water by a small molecule receptor based on a glucose scaffold.

Collapse of peptoid–gold nanoparticle composite layers at the liquid–liquid interface produces a new class of 2D plasmonic arrays that freely float in water.

Pathogenic E. coli pose a significant threat to public health by causing both foodborne illness and urinary tract infections. A sensitive electrochemical method to detect these pathogens can be used for surveillance and to prevent illness.

The canonical CuAAC–ligand TBTA was capped with a bowl-shaped unit yielding the cage Hm-TBTA. The shielded structure does not suffer from product inhibition effect and is remarkably tolerant to the biological CuAAC-inhibitor Glutathione.

A carbon-nanotube/nanofiber–polysulfide cathode achieves long-term cycle stability and explores the failure mechanism of a lithium–sulfur cell with high sulfur loading/content at a lean electrolyte condition.

Amyloid β (Aβ) monomers sample a random-coil type of conformation in water with a tendency to adopt compact structures with fibril-like features.

We report two low-spin diphosphametallocenates [K(2.2.2-crypt)][M(PC₄Me₄)₂] (M = Cr, Fe) and propose structural features that allow spin-control in 3d metallocenates.

A one-pot protocol to directly prepare atomically-thin nanosheets of brookite-phase TiO₂ is developed by hydrolyzing TiCl₃ in formamide.

A novel turn-off fluorescent probe for Cs⁺ detection based on the disaggregation of a sumanene-containing molecule is reported.

A furan-based double [7]heterohelicene and its radical cation were achieved with fascinating chiroptical response for the neutral compound.

A new type of nanothermometer for biomedical applications is developed based on Ho³⁺-to-Yb³⁺ energy transfer in β-NaGdF₄ nanoparticles.

As proof-of-concept, we show that the non-selective anion sensor lucigenin can be converted to a selective iodide sensor by encapsulation into liposomes and the addition of transmembrane transporters.

Herein, we investigate the electrochemical properties of a class of Supramolecular Self-associated Amphiphilic salts (SSAs).

The copper(II)-catalyzed (4+1) cyclizations and copper(I)-catalyzed (3+2) cycloadditions of iodonium ylides and alkynes have been successfully developed. The corresponding highly functionalized heterocyclic products were prepared conveniently.

The ground state of tetraradicaloid s-indaceno[2,1-c:6,5-c′]difluorene with a small HOMO–LUMO energy gap was studied alongside an alternative synthetic approach for indeno[2,1-c]fluorene.

Two-dimensional transition metal carbide (Ti₃C₂T_x MXene) film as a novel electrode material for electrogenerated chemiluminescence of tris(2,2′-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) and peroxydisulfate.

A fluorinated Sn(IV) complex not only significantly enhances the emission efficiency, but also exhibits blue-shifted aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) properties.

We report the synthesis, characterization and comparison of a series of electronically perturbed, cyclic N,S-acetals.

G-quadruplexes are nucleic-acids secondary structures that are highly abundant in the human genome. In this work,we identified a short-peptide that displays selectivity for the G-quadruplex formed in the promoter region of the oncogene c-MYC.

A facile synthesis of decatosylate pillar[5]arene is reported in excellent yield (>70%). The pendant tosylate arms function as an effective template in the synthesis and supramolecular polymer formation.

3,5-Bis(Bpin)phthalonitrile is a divergent intermediate of regioregular C_4h 1,3,8,10,15,17,22,24-octaarylphthalocyanines that can be synthesised by Ir-catalysed C–H bis-borylation of phthalonitrile.

A facile photogeneration of a stable radical species from a 4-substituted pyridine derivative under ambient conditions is achieved. The radical generation reaction accompanies visible colour change into green and is repeatable multiple times.

Reactions involving isothiocyanates and RB(C₆F₅)₂ (R = H, C₆F₅) are described, leading to novel types of B,N,C,S-containing compounds and heterocycles.

A supramolecular strategy as efficient as temperature that enabled facile control over collagen fibrillogenesis under physiological conditions was reported.

Hypercrosslinked polymers were produced via the self-condensation of benzyl ether compounds, providing a one-component route to highly porous networks and significant reductions in catalyst waste compared to conventional routes.

This TFA-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of organic azides with α-fluoronitroalkenes, used as synthetic surrogates of α-fluoroalkynes, provides a new route to multi-substituted fluorotriazoles with broader substrate scopes and high regioselectivity.

A simple, mild and efficient approach to access fluorinated dibenz[b,e]azepines via visible-light photoredox catalysis is presented.

A noncanonical amino acid-based relay system spanning the biosynthesis, incorporation, and bioconjugation of p-aminophenylalanine was developed for site-specific protein labeling.

A DNA kinetics competition strategy of HCR for recognizing input combinations and input sequences has been proposed.

Supercritical carbon dioxide is used to generate macroporosity in an inverse vulcanised polymer, which shows excellent promise for enhanced mercury capture and filtration from water.