Themed collection 2021 Materials Chemistry Frontiers Review-type Articles

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has achieved maturity as an analytical technique in the materials community, however as made apparent by recent reviews highlighting it's misuse, it is a practice which is often misunderstood.

With unique sp-, sp²-hybridized carbon atoms, natural band gap, highly conjugated π electrons and uniform pore structure, graphdiyne (GDY) has been receiving increased attention and is predicted to have good application prospects in many fields.

Indacenodithiophene (IDT) is widely employed in photoactive materials for OSC devices with the highest efficiency of 12%. IDT-based molecules show excellent light harvesting efficiency, charge transportation ability and molecular packing.

Photochromic materials have been widely used in optoelectronic area due to their distinct photo-reversible characteristics. This review summarizes the recent development of photochromic materials and their applications in photocontrollable devices.

Accumulation of photoprotective compounds is a mechanism used by organisms to minimize the effects of UV radiation from the Sun. If extracted in pure form, these compounds can be used in the production of eco-friendly alternatives to existing agents.

This review summarized the different strategies of enhancing the perovskite mechanical stability, and we mainly describe from three aspects: mechanical stability of perovskite layer, interface engineering and engineering on other functional layers.

This review overviews the recent advances in novel electrode materials of ASIBs/APIBs, the operation mechanism of representative materials, and new findings based on the preparation and modification approaches.

MnMoO₄ with various micro/nanoscale structures to improve the electronic conductivity and enhance the electrochemical performances for supercapacitors are summarized in this mini-review.

Functional hydrogel-based electrodes and electrolytes for multifunctional supercapacitors for wearable bioelectronic devices.

This review summarizes recent advances on engineered nanostructures possessing enzyme-like activities for applications in environmental monitoring and remediation.

The atmospheric instability of solid state electrolytes (SSEs) was classified and introduced based on the principles and corresponding solutions, which is believed to trigger new research ideas in this area.

This review has comprehensively reviewed the graphdiyne-based catalysts for broad applications in electrochemical processes and energy storage devices, which will supply significant references for future research in this field.

A critical survey on current trends, status, and possibilities of MXenes based materials have been represented for various applications.

Structural development of porphyrin-based small molecules as electron donors and electron acceptors leads to optimal photovoltaic performances, with PCEs of over 12% and 9.6%, respectively, in bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells.

A systematic introduction to the developments in heterocyclic high energy density materials (HEDMs) with various explosive units in the form of tricyclic-based oxadiazole.

Mineralized collagen is an organic–inorganic composite material, which is the building unit of bones and teeth. This review aims to provide an in-depth study of the collagen biomineralization and applications relating to hard tissue regeneration.

Cs₃Cu₂I₅ and CsCu₂I₃ with a low-dimensional electronic structure and strong electron–phonon coupling exhibit broad spectrum emission and high PLQY, which may originate from self-trapped exciton or excited-state structure reorganization.

Nanostructure electrocatalysts are demonstrated for nitrate reduction reaction to ammonia production. Based on the understanding of material parameters and reaction intermediates, origins of the enhanced activity and perspectives are provided.

The recent advances in the fabrication and application of MOF-based long afterglow materials.

Cooperative catalysis highlights the synergistic electronic and geometric effects between active sites and their local environments in the dynamic OER/ORR electrocatalysis.

This review summarizes the progress in bone-targeting ligands, bone-targeting nanoparticles and their potential biomedical applications.

This review summarizes recent progress in CTE studies focusing on understanding the mechanisms and general characteristics. Additionally, some interdisciplinary and distinctive studies are discussed.

Tremendous efforts in material chemistry and processing techniques have enabled organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) for various functional circuits and systems.

Imogolite is an aluminosilicate of empirical formula (OH)₃Al₂O₃–SiOH and hollow nanotube structure. It can be obtained from natural volcanic ash or via chemical synthesis. The inner and outer surfaces can be modified by various strategies.

Hyperthermia is becoming one of the most promising treatments for cancer therapy.

Adjustable microstructures and components of MOF architectures for high-efficiency electromagnetic functions.

Graphdiyne features a high π-conjugation degree and an intrinsic natural bandgap, which guarantee a large optical refractive index and broadband absorption, and thus promises a wide range of application prospects in nonlinear optics.

Two-dimensional materials (2D materials) have been the focal point of recent advanced research owing to their new properties and probability for enlightening fascinating novel phenomena.

A review and the prospect of lithiophilic materials to highlight their versatility among the various forms of lithium metal-based batteries.

Theoretical exploration accelerates the design of robust and efficient graphyne-based advanced energy and electronic devices for real applications.

Recent advances in dynamic emissivity regulating materials and systems are reviewed in terms of the working principle, stimulation source, and application. Perspectives in dynamic control of emissivity are discussed.

This minireview summarizes and highlights the recent advances and investigations on the defect engineering of molybdenum disulfide, with a special focus on applications in lithium-, sodium- and potassium-ion batteries.

This review provides a comprehensive summary of the research progress of metal–organic frameworks in the application of capture and abatement of toxic gases and vapors.

In this review, a wide range of advanced strategies are discussed and summarized for the development of high performance electrodes for rechargeable batteries.

The electrocatalytic N₂ reduction reaction (NRR) under mild conditions is a promising candidate for NH₃ synthesis. Nevertheless, competition between the H₂ evolution reaction and the NRR results in a low NH₃ yield rate and poor faradaic efficiency.

Sustainable bio-derived materials solve the critical issues of low ionic and electrical conductivity, large volume variation, lithium dendrite formation, and the shuttle effect of the sulfur cathode in lithium-ion batteries.

Droplet-based biosensors have attracted much attention and their performances are closely related to the evaporation of sessile droplets. Herein, an up-to-date review of the evaporation of sessile droplets towards sensitive biosensing.

This mini review summarises the progress in the field of MOFs and their use in biomedical applications, from their early discovery and conception, to more recent achievements including promising in vivo applications.

Various nonfullerene electron acceptors with electron-deficient units containing cyano groups are summarized in this review. The systematic elaboration of structure–property relationships will provide a clearer idea for future molecule design.

Investigation on the thermal transport of heat carriers in TIMs will aid in promoting the advancement of TIMs with high performance.

This review summarizes the development and utilization of marine polysaccharides in wound dressings. The commonly used marine polysaccharides are classified, and the types of marine polysaccharide-based wound dressings are described in detail.

Research progress of boron-containing crosslinked polymers with different structures and functions is summarized, and the crosslinking structure, pyrolysis mechanism and exchange mechanism of cross-linked polymers based on B–O bonds are highlighted.

This review summarizes and discusses recent efforts paid to the design and synthesis of electrocatalysts for nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions.

In this paper, the photothermal conversion principles and the latest application strategies in photothermal therapy of nanomaterials are generalized. Finally, the suggestions for further development of them in anti-cancer therapy are given.

Based on the coffee ring effect, we have reviewed the recent progress in controllable patterning of nanoparticles using solution transfer approaches, as well as the mechanism involved and the applications in various fields.

In order to better understand the structure and function of biological cell membranes, various artificial systems have been developed.

A comprehensive review of the latest advancements of functional gel polymer electrolytes, focused on the thermal response behavior, metallic lithium anode and cathode in lithium–metal batteries.

The progress of artificial SEI established by precursors with distinguished chemical compositions are summarized, and outlooks are proposed for the lithium-metal anode investigations regarding comprehensive SEI chemistry identifications.

(Scanning) transmission electron microscopy–electron energy loss spectroscopy is used as an advanced nano-scale characterization method to clarify the ion diffusion, charge transfer and structure change occurring in lithium-ion batteries.

This review article introduces MOF-74 type variants and their CO₂ capture properties in terms of the open metal site and the functional groups on the ligand and open metal sites.

The preparation of multifunctional injectable hydrogels, as well as the classification of injectable hydrogels according to different functions, most summarize the applications of injectable hydrogels in different biomedical fields.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have gained extensive attention due to their improved safety and high specific energy density compared with conventional liquid lithium-ion batteries.

We summarize the structures, synthesis and properties of copper-based ternary metal halides, and their applications in optoelectronics, along with a perspective and suggestions for the future directions for this class of copper compounds.

The morphology optimization strategies and great potentials in constructing stable and large-area organic solar cells via sequential deposition are discussed.

Recent advances in laser-induced graphene (LIG) for environmental applications are comprehensively reviewed. Challenges and opportunities in solving environmental issues using LIG are discussed.

Flexible perovskite-based tandem solar cells could be the game-changer for next-generation flexible photovoltaics.

Chiral nematic liquid crystals exhibit excellent performance in obtaining high luminescence dissymmetry factor of circularly polarized luminescence.

This review focuses on the covalent functionalization of GO and presents various strategies to control its dispersibility, conductivity, and catalytic activity toward potential applications.

In this review, the authors highlighted the recent progress on the noble metal-based multimetallic electrocatalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction under acidic condition.

This review presents critical advances of perovskite-based tandem solar cells (TSCs). Electrode engineering, interface engineering, bandgap engineering, and processing techniques are discussed, as well as the future directions and challenges.

In this overview, the recent achievements of metal chalcogenides (MCs), their carbon-based hybrids, and the effects of nanostructured MCs on the future of PIBs technologies are discussed in detail by studying their inherent diverse attributes.

Colloidal quantum dots provide a powerful platform to achieve numerous classes of solution-processed photonic devices. This review summarizes the recent progress in CQD-based passive and active nanophotonic devices as well as nanophotonic circuits.

In this review, we summarized and discussed the recent advances and future prospects of H₂O₂-involving therapeutic methods for anticancer applications.

In this paper, various self-healing hydrogels are discussed including their healing mechanisms and details of their current biomedical applications.

Catalytic nanoreactors involving chemocatalysts with diverse range of size and composition, biocatalysts, and photocatalysts within solid as well as mesoporous MOF are extremely useful for selective, efficient and stable catalytic applications.

This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental theories and strategies for MOF-based H₂ separation and purification, including hydrogen isotope separation with representative examples.

Surface-active nanocatalysts induced from various etching strategies improve electrocatalytic performances.

We summarized the recent reported strategies for overcoming the challenges for lead-free tin halide perovskite solar cells (THPSCs), expecting to give a perspective outlining the possible future direction for THPSCs.

This review focuses on the biomimetic, improved, and intelligent gating behaviours of artificial ion channels based on physical and chemical stimuli.

This review overviews recent progress in activity descriptor identification and strategies for designing advanced nanocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction.