Themed collection 2026 Highlight article collection

Waxes in the leaf cuticle act as a barrier to water loss as well as to agrochemicals. The structural origins in the varied but remarkably consistent (dis)ordering of long-chain hydrocarbons holds the key to refining mechanisms to control properties.

The formation of a crystal structure from molecules that self-assemble in solution until the final crystal formation constitutes the construction of a supramolecular structure.

Halogen bonding (R–X⋯Y) is well studied in biology and materials, but its role in metal-mediated transformations has been rarely investigated. This perspective highlights recent advances in XB-driven metal–halogen bond activation.

Rare earth element (REE) carbonate and phosphate minerals form through multi-step crystallization and replacement processes controlled by REE chemistry, temperature, and redox conditions.

This article reviews the transition from static crystal structure prediction (CSP) to dynamic multiscale frameworks that delineate self-assembly, nucleation, and growth. A unified strategy for the prediction of polymorphs and morphology is outlined.

Recent advances in the design and engineering of Pt-based electrocatalysts to promote the direct dehydrogenation pathway for formic acid oxidation are comprehensively reviewed.

This review summarizes photocatalytic U(VI) reduction, focusing on material design, mechanisms, and applications. It also discusses challenges in developing highly efficient photocatalysts and future prospects.

Molecular Crystal Engineering has been used at the University of Bologna for the preparation of metal complexes, to be used to tackle (i) antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and (ii) environmental pollution caused by urea degradation by soil enzimes.

This highlight article offers a comprehensive overview of two primary synthesis approaches for MFI zeolite nanosheets—namely, top-down and bottom-up methods—and explores their diverse applications in separation, catalysis, and redox flow batteries.

This review presents a detailed analysis of recent advances in metal phosphonate frameworks (MPFs) as heterogeneous catalysts, highlighting key studies that demonstrate their potential and performance in CO₂ cycloaddition with epoxides.

This highlight review article shows how modern imaging and far-from-equilibrium experiments deepen our understanding of the kinetics of crystal growth.

Digital holography and crystallography, regarded as separate fields, are converging to tackle a challenge in materials science: capturing the dynamics of crystal growth, transformation, and defect evolution in-real-time without disturbing the system.

High pressure studies are no more a specialized niche, offering precious tools for the study of intermolecular interactions in molecular crystals. Examples are reported regarding three important classes of 1D and 2D organic molecular materials.

This work highlights the latest advances in the fast growth of high-quality perovskite single crystals in solutions and sets forth the relative methodologies, mechanisms, challenges and perspectives.

KDP crystals are a frequency-doubling material with excellent optical properties, but the large number of intrinsic defects and metal impurities in KDP crystals are the main reasons restricting their wide application.

Recent advances in MOF crystal engineering demonstrate the power of structural design in achieving tunable architectures and enhanced functionality for diverse applications.

Halogen substitution modulates intramolecular charge transfer and crystal packing of chalcones through synergistic electronic and steric effects, enabling optimized molecular ordering and enhanced nonlinear optical performance.

Several preparation processes and applications of nanoporous gallium nitride materials are introduced.

Additive-mediated regulation of calcium phosphate phase transitions is critical for synthesizing bone-like mineral structures in vitro.

We debate the role of liquid additives in liquid-assisted mechanochemistry, highlighting how minuscule amounts of liquid profoundly and mostly inexplicably affect the mechanism and outcomes of mechanochemical reactions.