Themed collection 2025 Reviews in RSC Advances

The article summarizes synthesis strategies and preparation schemes of phthalocyanine-based covalent organic materials, their application in electrocatalytic and photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, existing challenges and future development prospects.

Nanotechnology has become a fast-growing field, and to prepare metallic nanoparticles for clinics or chemical establishments, it is mandatory that a cost-effective, eco-friendly technique be developed, using all nontoxic and renewable resources.

This article focuses on the most recent synthetic advances of PGFs and summarizes structural characterization methods, emergent behavior, and application horizons.

This review surveys surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for plant health and crop quality, relating plasmonic substrate design, sampling strategies and data analysis to sensitive, selective detection of plant stress markers and residues.

Reserach advances in photocatalytic urea synthesis highlight fundamentals, innovative photocatalysts, mechanisms, and efficiency breakthroughs, paving significant guidance for sustainable energy conversion and energy-saving fertilizer production.

Pharmaceutical contaminants, particularly antidepressants, have emerged as a critical environmental concern due to their persistence in aquatic ecosystems and potential toxicological effects.

This is the first comprehensive review that systematically analyzes gas sensing technologies based on PQDs, with a particular emphasis on their relevance to environmental monitoring and pollution control.

Alkyl polyglycosides (APGs), synthesized from sugars and fatty alcohols, exhibit low surface tension, good foam, and biodegradability. This review systematically covers their structure–property relationships, synthetic methodologies and applications.

Biothiols (GSH, Cys, Hcy) are vital biomarkers, and metal-ion complexation-based fluorescent sensors provide an effective way to detect them.

Pathways to introduce amino groups into lignin-derived monomers and technical lignin are reviewed.

Overview of the recent synthetic developments and modern approaches toward triazole-containing molecules.

A critical review of the recent advances pertinent to the thermochemical conversion of biomass, including the process characteristics and the utilized reactor configurations, emphasising on the products upgrading with AI applications.

Propane oxidative dehydrogenation with O₂ is efficient and coke-resistant but prone to overoxidation. The entry highlights strategies to balance selectivity and conversion for higher propylene yield.

Target and diversity-oriented synthesis represents a versatile and efficient strategy for constructing structurally complex and privileged scaffolds from readily or commercially accessible starting materials.

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant, renewable feedstock for the sustainable production of fuels and high-value chemicals.

Researchers endeavor to collect odor information to prepare for the exploration of odor prediction.

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Recent progress on forming in-fiber nanostructures via filamentation instability during the thermal drawing process is reviewed. This review could motivate future work towards multifunctional fibers with multilayer and multimaterial nanostructures.

MXenes, a rapidly expanding family of 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, have emerged as a ground-breaking class of materials thanks to their specifications as customizable surface chemistry, and electrical conductivity.

Fluorinated compounds, including poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are characterized by complex behavior, environmental persistence, and resistance to degradation.

Overview of perovskite materials as scintillators.

This review examines recent advances in hydroformylation with formaldehyde, formic acid, and CO₂ as carbonyl surrogates, focusing on mechanisms, catalysts, substrates, limitations, and future opportunities.

Hydrochar, a carbonaceous material produced from biomass via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), has emerged as a sustainable adsorbent for mitigating pharmaceutical pollution in wastewater.

Hydrophobic phenolic/silica aerogel composites (PSACs) with low thermal conductivity, high strength, and superior fire safety were synthesized using a facile, self-catalyzed sol–gel process for building insulation.

Imide-based covalent organic frameworks (Imide-COFs) have emerged as a chemically robust subclass of COFs, distinguished by their π-conjugated backbones, high crystallinity, and structural tunability.

Bi₂MoO₆ is a promising visible-light photocatalyst due to its advantageous properties and performance in environmental and energy applications.

POMs provide a versatile route to boost PENG and TENG performance via their unique, tunable structures, enhancing energy harvesting efficiency and enabling multifunctional features for next-generation sustainable devices.

Pyrimidine C–H activation can be efficiently achieved through three complementary strategies: metal-catalyzed, metal-free, and photochemical approaches enabling direct functionalization and structural diversification of heteroaromatic frameworks.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄, LFP) is widely recognized as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its excellent high temperature stability, environmental compatibility and impressive cycle retention.

This review provides a structured overview of ionic liquids in the green synthesis of thiazoles, emphasizing their roles, comparing them with other sustainable media, and highlighting future directions for eco-friendly heterocyclic chemistry.

Pesticides are toxic organic compounds extensively used in agriculture to control undesirable pests, enhance crop yields and extend shelf life of food crops.

An overview of the potential and limitations of the role of noble metals and rare earth elements as bioactive metals in medical applications and regenerative therapies – from antimicrobial treatments to drug delivery systems.

The escalating challenge of plastic waste necessitates innovative strategies that surpass conventional mechanical recycling.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown excellent performance in the photovoltaic field, with the highest power conversion efficiency (η) reaching 27%.

This paper provides a comparative evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of each process step for the preparation of pitch-based carbon fibers, discusses strategies for process optimization, highlights critical operational considerations, and examines improvements in experimental equipment.

This review compares adsorption and advanced oxidation pathways for removing venlafaxine from water, highlighting mechanisms, catalyst design, and sustainability in modern wastewater treatment.

The review highlights the latest developments in nanotechnology enabled sensors in healthcare applications with a focus on the potential of nanomaterials harnessed in their fabrication.

Based on the 3C (Clean–Cycle–Control) strategy, this study reviews progress in source reduction, process recycling, and end-of-pipe treatment of aluminum electrolysis carbon dross, offering a paradigm for its low-carbon, high-value, and safe management.

The growing popularity of portable electronic devices has led to a high demand for advanced energy storage technology, driven by advancements in power generation, electrification, and transportation.

C₁₉-diterpenoid alkaloids (DAs) constitute the most representative and largest class of DAs and have long been a popular focus of natural product research.

Pioneering review connecting covalent adaptable networks to high-performance recyclable epoxy vitrimer-based thermally conductive composites.

A review of the luminescence mechanisms and main synthesis strategies of photoluminescent materials and their applications in cultural relics protection.

Comparative analysis of resistance models for MMMs.

This review highlights the advances in Au(NHC)-catalyzed enyne cycloisomerization, including 1,n-enyne and oxidative pathways, emphasizing mechanistic insights and the role of NHC ligands in enhancing reactivity, selectivity, and stability.

Polymers enable flexible, lightweight solar cells with >18% efficiency. Encapsulants boost UV and moisture resistance. Self-cleaning coatings retain 95% output, and stretchable polymers allow wearable modules with up to 50% strain.

The review study on heavy metal pollution in aquatic environments and removal using highly efficient bimetallic metal–organic framework adsorbents addresses one of the most pressing environmental challenges.

This report presents a perspective on four types of lithium-ion battery electric vehicles currently under research and production, along with the issue of recycling spent lithium-ion batteries.

This review highlights the non-conventional synthetic approaches for synthesizing various biologically active nitrogen-containing heterocycles, which represents rapid, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional techniques.

The development of novel materials with excellent wear resistance and anti-friction properties has become a prominent focus of research.

The advent of Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) has introduced transformative possibilities in forensic science, addressing longstanding challenges in the detection, analysis, and preservation of trace evidence.

This review explores the biomedical applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), focusing on their potential in bone regeneration.

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) and sulfides (TMSs) are key electrode materials. These materials are promising for supercapacitors (SCs). They can improve SCs' performance.

Griesbaum co-ozonolysis enables the synthesis of tetrasubstituted ozonides through the reaction of O-methyl oximes with carbonyl compounds under ozone-mediated conditions.

The urgent need for safe, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy storage has placed rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) at the centre of next-generation research.

Tropones and its derivatives are highly valuable and readily available seven-membered ring compounds that undergo both cycloaddition and functionalization reactions, yielding diverse products. This review highlights these reactions.

Microalgae and seaweed biomass for sustainable biofuel production.

Addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals necessitates robust and accessible diagnostic tools for effective healthcare management and combating global health threats.

Electrochemical immunosensors have significantly advanced point-of-care diagnostics and environmental monitoring, owing to their high specificity, portability, and compatibility with miniaturized systems.

Recent advances in ullazine derivatives have enabled precise electronic tuning, yielding highly conjugated materials with enhanced light-harvesting and charging transport properties for use in organic photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells.

Modern industrial innovation demands smart materials capable of fulfilling multifaceted objectives.

SR-CNF and composite films have excellent ultraviolet shielding effect.

The colorimetric identification of emerging pollutants using gold nanoparticles (AuNP) is depicted in the graphical abstract. The simplicity, efficacy, and selectivity of AuNP-based sensing for quick environmental monitoring are summed up.

One of the most difficult illnesses that people today must deal with is cancer.

The work is focussed on the use of all advanced functionalized biopolymer nanocomposites for real-time biosurveillance and defense against antimicrobial resistance and viral threats, which present an ever-increasing challenge to health globally.

Mechanism of polymeric nanoparticles in targeting infection and cancer sites.

A comprehensive review highlighting advances in the synthesis of N-acyl sulfonamides, including classical acylation techniques, transition-metal catalysis, and C–H functionalisation.

Isatin (1H-indole-2,3-dione) is a privileged nitrogen-containing heterocyclic framework that has received considerable attention in anticancer drug discovery owing to its diverse biological behavior and structural modifications.

Microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa, significantly impact human health by causing infections that can lead to serious health issues, including mortality and morbidity.

This review highlights the synthesis of pharmaceutically important indolo/benzimidazo-isoquinoline derivatives via photo-, and electro-mediated functionalization/cyclization reactions of N-methacryloyl 2-aryl indoles/benzimidazoles.

This review explores PTSA's based DES diverse applications and highlights its potential.