Themed collection Functional materials for sustainable future - Vision from Korean scientists

This review summarizes and provides perspectives on the recent efforts towards the greener synthesis and biomedical delivery applications of various nanoparticles with respect to sustainability.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

In this review, recent research activities devoted to nanostructured MnO₂-based electrocatalyst/electrode materials are systematically surveyed along with versatile synthetic methods and chemical strategies for optimizing their functionalities.

Lithium-based batteries are as promising energy storage systems. With the demands such as large-scale system and high-energy-density for the electrification, all components in the battery have been recently developed.

A hematite photoanode with dual-modification by Sn doping and H₂ treatment exhibits outstanding photoelectrochemical water splitting performance with improved charge transport and separation because of the synchronous presence of Sn⁴⁺ and V_o.

The 2D framework with guest molecules in the solvent pores shows reversible framework expansion and contraction, whereas the 2D framework without guest molecules does not show framework expansion under the same conditions.

The reduction of intrinsic defects, including vacancies and grain boundaries, remains one of the greatest challenges to produce high-performance transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) electronic systems.

Insertion of protons (H⁺) into the LCO surface caused distortion of the local LCO structure and reduced lithiation efficiency in aqueous lithium-ion batteries.

Yolk–shell and core–shell hybrid metal oxide double layers with varied metal compositions are rationally constructed via simple calcination of silica-templated coordination polymer double layers.

One pot synthesis of vertical MoS₂/WS₂ heterostructures on reduced graphene oxide sheets (MoS₂/WS₂/rGO) showing high catalytic activity for HER.

Two enantiomorphic Pb-coordination polymers dictated by the corresponding chiral ligands reveal high chemical stability and a selective uptake of Congo red dye through the hydrogen bonds.