Themed collection Emerging Investigators Series

Dr Fabienne Dumoulin and Professor Shirley Nakagaki are delighted to introduce the RSC Advances Emerging Investigators Series, which highlights some of the very best work of early career researchers.

RSC Advances is proud to present the 2021 Emerging Investigators series. Guest Edited by Professor James Batteas (Texas A&M University), this series showcases some of the very best work from chemists in the early stages of their independent careers.

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

The crucial roles of aluminium in driving and controlling interzeolite conversion, a useful catalyst synthesis protocol, are put under scrutiny.

The aim of this research was to use supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) drying as a novel approach for generating sorghum protein concentrates/isolates with enhanced functional properties.

A radical change: the first 3-steps total synthesis of caerulomycin K was achieved exploiting Minisci chemistry using cheap starting materials.

This study provides, for the first time, data on the distribution and toxicity of catechol (CAT) and hydroquinone (HQ) in drinking water sources from Africa.

We assess most recent TD-DFT methods on excimers and highlight shortcomings of current strategies to treat dispersion in excited states.

This study heralds an advancement in the synthesis of innovative hybrids with exceptional photophysical and electrochemical properties, promising advances in this area.

There is a great demand to develop an analytical tool capable of simultaneous detection of multi neurotransmitters and other environmental factors to broaden our understanding of the multifactorial complex etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Here we report an optimized sawhorse waveform in fast scan cyclic voltammetry for the sensitive and selective detection of tryptophan (Trp) at carbon fiber microelectrodes and demonstrate the utility of this method in measuring Trp dynamics in different cell lines.

The imidazolic tetradentate ligand bmimapy is used to prepare a new valence tautomeric coordination compound.

The catalytic conversion of unsaturated small molecules such as nitriles into reduced products is of interest for the production of fine chemicals.

Photophysical properties of novel corroles containing lapachol units. DFT calculations and electrochemical analysis were conducted to better understand the corrole molecular structures. Corrole derivatives do not form aggregates in solution and generate ROS species.

We conduct numerical simulations and develop a macrotransport theory to show a diffusiophoresis-based, order-of-magnitude enhancement in the thickness of the colloidal layer produced by unidirectional drying of an electrolyte-colloid suspension.

Clay included alginate-clay composites is the only responsible for benzalkonium chloride adsorption. Adsorption mechanism occurs by cation exchange at low concentrations. The clay encapsulation promotes tail–tail interaction among surfactants.

The nature of the buffer influences the PCET step gating Cr(VI) reduction in water at pH 4.75, as well as the extent of deposition on carbon electrodes. Electrode activity is recovered without polishing, through a simple acid wash step.

Bacterioruberin and proteins were recovered from a marine bacterium by using aqueous solutions of surface-active compounds.

Molecular recognition and binding of PET on cutinase controlled by switching between π–π and cation–π interactions.

We assess recent TD-DFT methods on excimers and highlight shortcomings of current strategies to treat dispersion in excited states.

Colloidal rod systems used as rheological modifiers are characterized over a large composition space with microrheology and bulk rheology. Phase diagrams are built that enable identification of compositions with desired properties eliminating trial-and-error experiments.

Reduction of furfural and HMF in a continuous flow regime mediated by basic zirconium carbonate using 2-propanol as a solvent and reducing agent towards the synthesis of platform chemicals is presented.

Design and synthesis of a catalytically efficient metal-flavin complex toward aerobic sulphoxidation was achieved via judicially positioning the metal ion near the catalytic site thereby assisting the intermediate formation.

Homogeneous conjugation of angiopep-2 to a monoclonal antibody improves binding affinity for brain microvascular endothelial cells and accumulation into brain tissues and tumors across the BBB.

Ipase-catalyzed transesterification of LG under continuous flow conditions.

This is an unprecedented report of hydrogel gratings with an analyte responsive dye immobilised in alternating strips where the patterned dye is its own dispersive element to perform spectroscopic sensing.

Photo-crosslinking using [2 + 2] cycloaddition in thymine grafted low viscosity polymer generates flexorigid domain to result self-healing polymer with increased hydrophobicity for potential use as smart coating material.

Water-soluble pillar[5]arenes with different rim charges have been successfully used to catalyze Kemp elimination reaction of 1,2-phenylisoxazole derivatives.

Profile of the human core sulfatome in urine and plasma samples.

We report a novel acoustofluidic method for detaching adhered cells from microchannel surfaces. This method enables a rapid (i.e., on the order of seconds), cost-effective, and easy-to-operate cell detachment strategy with high cellular viability.

An artificial light-harvesting system based on supramolecular polymers has been successfully constructed in aqueous media, which displays tunable emission with efficient energy transfer and high antenna effect.

Nitrogen heterocycles are key and prevalent motifs in drugs.

Norton et al. report the manufacture of fully solution processed photodetectors based on two-dimensional tin(II) sulfide assembled via the Langmuir–Blodgett method.

Atomically dispersed Cu catalyst was designed for highly efficient hydroxylation of aryl iodides under mild conditions.

Phase-dependent dielectric properties and proton conduction of neopentyl glycol (NPG) are studied systematically over a wide temperature range via broadband dielectric spectroscopy.

A photostable and photodynamic antimicrobial surface was developed. The antimicrobial activity of the material reached outstanding levels of inactivation under different conditions: planktonic suspensions, adhered cells to the surface, and biofilms.

Hypodermic needles coated with polydopamine for the extraction of antidepressants.

The photophysical properties of different structural isomers of naphthalene bridged disilanes are distinct. The presence of the Si–Si bond is key to excimer formation in non-polar solvents.

Cross-linking of the polyketide synthase domain AmbDH3 led to an active aggregate with improved properties for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of chiral oxygen heterocycles, such as recyclability and facile purification.

The impact of micro and nanoplastic debris on our aquatic ecosystem is among the most prominent environmental challenges we face today.

Preparation of biochar from kaolinite and coconut husk (KCB) and further activated with HCl (KCB-A) and KOH (KCB-B) via a microwave technique for the remediation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and tetracycline (TET) from water was carried out.

Targeted HRMS²-GNPS-based metabolomic and genomic analysis of the fungal garden antagonist Pseudoxylaria sp. X187 resulted in the identification of xylacremolide C and D and the identification of their putative PKS-NRPS-based biosynthesis.

In this work, core–shell supramolecular assembly polymeric nano-architectures containing hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments were synthesized via reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.

Despite huge advancements in the process of synthesizing small molecules as part of one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) libraries, progress lags in the ability to rank potential hits from a primary library screen.

Selective green-light triggered release of an anticancer agent under physiological conditions from a supramolecular hydrogel.

Investigation of the immunological effect of light-up carbon-dots on cancer-bearing mice.

This study demonstrates a fast and simple method to fabricate enhanced ePADs using pencil-drawing with a CO₂ laser treatment of the carbon surface deposited on paper. The sensor was applied to the detection of furosemide in a synthetic urine sample.