Themed collection 2025 Emerging Investigators

This profile article showcases researchers who have contributed an article to the 2025 Emerging Investigators collection.

This review highlights recent advances in solar-enhanced lithium extraction (SEIE) systems enabled by photothermal materials (PMs), offering insights into the development of efficient PMs for sustainable lithium recovery from low-grade brines.

This review summarizes recent advances in presodiation strategies for hard carbon anodes in sodium-ion batteries, including physical, short-circuit, electrochemical, and chemical methods, and finally highlights their challenges and future directions.

This article highlights the recent advancements and future challenges in regulating the thermopower of thermocells via electrolyte engineering.

This review systematically summarizes recent advances in NH₄⁺ storage mechanisms and materials design principles, with particular emphasis on structure–performance relationships. It highlights current challenges and future prospects in the field.

Engineering microorganisms holds promise for augmenting cancer therapies through chemotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), radiotherapy (RDT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), and immunotherapy.

This review summarises and highlights recent advances (year > 2015) in the medicinal chemistry applications of bridged polycyclic 3D bioisosteres of ortho-phenyl rings.

Phase separation induced by responsive deep eutectic solvents upon temperature, CO₂ or pH stimulus, allowing analyte recovery and solvent recycling and reuse.

This review highlights advances in MOF-based ion adsorbents that enable highly selective adsorption of toxic and valuable divalent ions, clarifying adsorption mechanisms and addressing challenges toward ion recovery applications.

This review summarizes methods for converting commodity polymers into value-added carbon materials and outlines future opportunities for scaling plastic waste upcycling.

Real-space Kohn–Sham density functional theory (real-space KS-DFT) enables large-scale electronic structure simulations that is particularly well-suited for the modern high-performance computing (HPC) architectures.

Reduced surface charge facilitates carbon particle aggregation into large cluster-like structures, enhancing charge transport and improving the desalination performance of flow electrode capacitive deionization.

An unbridged Mn–Mn dimer was stabilized in calcium nitridomanganate(IV) oxide, Ca₆[Mn₂N₆]O, via hot isostatic pressing.

A dual-strategy methodology integrating La/Ni co-doping with Co-ZIF-derived CNF enables excellent charge transfer, thereby endowing La,Ni-Co@CNF with outstanding electrocatalytic performance toward biomass upgrading.

Catechol, a multifunctional electrolyte additive leveraging p–π conjugation, enables highly reversible Sn anode with ultrahigh utilization by regulate Sn²⁺ solvation and facilitate transport.

The rearrangement of hydrogen bonds induces the anomalous increase in viscosity observed in ionic liquid–water mixed systems.

A stable pillared metal triazolate framework with sulfate as the gate for highly efficient dehydration of bioethanol.

Low, glass-like thermal conductivity was observed in the newly developed perovskite solid electrolyte Li_3/8Sr_7/16Hf_1/4Ta_3/4O₃.

Photoswitchable spiropyran (SP) in an amphiphilic peptide backbone enables light-controlled self-assembly switching. Darkness stabilizes protonated merocyanine (MCH) for fibrous assembly, while light triggers ring closure to twisted SP, favoring micelle formation.

We investigate how Co migration from LiCoO₂ into the solid electrolyte LATP impacts Li-ion transport using fine-tuned machine learning interatomic potentials.

A carbazole-functionalized pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole (Cbz-DHPP) was synthesized resulting in a chromophore with high-contrast electrochromism, strong blue fluorescence, halochromism, and polymorph phase behavior.

The as-synthesized TiO₂(R) nanorod clusters from low-cost CaTiO₃ deliver pseudocapacitive behavior for high-rate sodium-ion storage.

A hydrophilic cross-linked proton exchange membrane was constructed in Nafion matrix using click chemistry reaction. The methanol permeability of the cross-linked membrane is 1.86 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹, which is ∼88% lower than that of the Nafion membrane.

Herein, a fluoroalkyl side chain modified A–DA′D–A small molecule acceptor, Y18-F9, was developed to optimize the bulk heterojunction morphology in organic solar cells.

We synthesized dopant-free hole transport material iNT through fused-ring isomerization. The CsPbI₃ device using iNT achieved an efficiency of 18.09%.

Induced nanostructured MnO₂ on self-supporting carbon cloth by a nanomicellar-induced method to enhance the Na-ion storage ability and structure stability for advanced supercapacitors.

One-step electrochemical phosphorylation of aliphatic and benzylic alcohols has been developed to synthesize phosphate monoester under ambient conditions using affordable phosphorous acid under a catalytic amount of tetrabutylammonium iodide.

The cluster-plus-glue-atom model was innovatively employed to design Ru–Sn oxide catalysts, investigating the role of Sn as glue atoms in modifying OER performance.

Soft/hard carbon nanofibers (SHC) with a unique heterogeneous interface prepared via an electrospinning method exhibit a gradient interlayer spacing conducive to sodium storage and superior electrical conductivity.

We present a cheminformatics model for predicting the glass transition temperature (T_g) of conjugated polymers using four interpretable molecular descriptors.

Synthesizing PdS-modified ZnCdS nanorods enables highly efficient and selective photocatalytic anaerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) with concurrent H₂ evolution.

A polyphosphamide comprising redox-active –{P^V(O)NH}– linkage is demonstrated for the first time as a heterogeneous catalyst for the Wittig olefination reaction with E-selective products and a highest TON of 1176.

An imidazole-based binder effectively suppresses polyiodide shuttling and facilitates electrolyte permeation, enabling high-performance aqueous Zn–I₂ batteries.

We present herein a scalable iridium-catalyzed direct asymmetric reductive amination of 2-acylpyridines with anilines with high yields and asymmetric control.

Elusive lithium tetra(n-butyl) manganate shows superior performance in promoting catalytic hydroamination of styrenes at room temperature than its isomorphous magnesiate analog.

Here, we designed an N-doped carbon-based single-atom Cu-based electrocatalyst, which efficiently carried out electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to carbon products with a total Faraday efficiency of 95% (approximately 42% of CO and 53% of ethanol).

Here, Lewis acid doping stabilizes In/In₂O₃ interfaces and oxygen vacancies during CO₂ electroreduction, boosting formate selectivity to >90% across a wide potential window.

We predict that nitrosilanes are unlikely to be stable under ambient conditions, while we prove spectroscopically and structurally that their thermodynamically favoured nitritosilanes isomers do exist.

Nanoporous ZIF-62 exhibits intense luminescence after the glass transition, due to the disordered rearrangement of ligands.

In this communication we report how to assemble a DRIFTS system that can precisely control the pressure in the cell from <10⁻⁶ Torr to atmospheric pressure using easily accessible components.

Electrolytes with larger cations and higher concentrations enhance vertical OECT performance, offering optimization tools for OECTs by adjusting electrolyte contents.

Acylsemicarbazide is used to toughen a dynamic poly(disulfide) network by forming synergistic covalent and noncovalent crosslinkers.

Electric-field-directed self-assembly enables unidirectional monolayer junction formation on a gold substrate via terminal asymmetric Au–S and Au–C contacts, yielding stable rectifiers with defined polarity and diode I–V characteristics.

A sulfonic acid-functionalized conjugated organic polymer named BMS was synthesized to boost H₂O₂ photosynthesis.

A single-step synthesis yields lanthanoid-doped BiVO₄ microswimmers that combine visible-light-driven self-propulsion and near-infrared photon upconversion within a single material.

A transient passivation effect was observed in single-crystal high-nickel cathode materials upon short-term exposure to high temperature and high humidity, followed by rapid performance deterioration upon prolonged storage.

Machine-learning-driven simulations yield insights into the straining and fracture of graphene oxide, highlighting the impact of chemical functionalisation on mechanical properties.

The appropriate introduction of fluorinated groups in residual solvent molecules can facilitate the fast ionic structural diffusion and enhanced cycling stability in PVDF-based electrolytes.

TPAF, an AIE phototherapeutic agent, was constructed based on a fluorination strategy to prolong the triplet-excited state lifetime and maximize PDT/PTT efficiency.

Switching between type I/II photosensitive processes for an unconventional dye was modulated by the tumor microenvironment for inducing immunogenic death.

The aim is to probe the chemical mechanisms underlying the use of multifunctional solvents to simultaneously capture and convert CO₂ into insoluble rare earth element (REE)-carbonates, while forming soluble complexes with nickel for separation.

The merits of minor doping with Ru, and urchin-like nanospheres are collected in W₁₈O₄₉, simultaneously, achieving outstanding performance for the HER.

Pulsed operation for CO₂ electrolysis in a membrane electrode assembly at industrially relevant current densities improves multi-carbon product formation with the use of anion exchange ionomer.

The isolated residual Cu, which affected by the substitutional position of pyridine nitrogen, can modulate the surface structure and electronic configuration of BPy, thereby enhancing its photocatalytic performance on H₂S oxidation.

We investigate the impact of X-ray-induced damage on the evolution of battery cathodes using synchrotron transmission X-ray microscopy.

Zwitterionic polymers are often non-degradable due to their polyolefin backbones. We present an Fe(II)-catalyzed step-growth polymerization that incorporates N-acyliminophosphoranes into the main chain, enabling tailored pH-responsive degradability.

We present a series of low-cost polymer donors based on a simple-structured 4-ester-substituted thiazole derivative, proposed as promising candidates for high-performance organic solar cells.

The cationic effect on δ-MnO₂ nanosheets is investigated via MnO₂ assemblies with different cations (e.g. Li⁺, Cs⁺, DADMA⁺, PDDA⁺) to decouple the intrinsic effect of electrolyte difference for catalytic performance.

First-principles computational investigations into the driving force, accumulation processes, and synergistic evolution mechanisms of Ni/Li disordering are presented.

Mg²⁺ doping is introduced to promote electron occupation of the Mn 3d orbitals, thereby increasing the contribution of Mn, and significantly boost the capacity and cycling stability of MnO.

The results indicate that electron-deficient Fe in Fe₂N@NG favored the adsorption of NO₃⁻ and the utilization of *H radicals to facilitate the hydrogenation of N-containing intermediates, while inhibiting the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

This study explores a conjugated spacer molecule, biphenylethylammonium bromide (bPEA), to enable efficient dimension control in quasi-two-dimensional perovskites for blue light-emitting diodes.

We developed mineralized macroaggregated albumin microspheres with tunable density to mimic the biodistribution of resin and glass microspheres, establishing universal platforms to accurately mimic the biodistribution of therapeutic microspheres.

Electron-deficient Co centers in the lattice of CuO were constructed through an ion-exchange and programmed-heat-treatment strategy.

A synthetically valuable method for the regioselective fluoroalkyl aminoxylation of unactivated and activated olefins has been achieved via organophotoredox-catalysis.

We report an effective method for H/D exchange of silanes using Ru-bpy@γ-Al₂O₃, which is compatible with 16 silanes under mild conditions. Deuterium gas (D₂), generated in situ from the electrolysis of D₂O, served as the deuterium source.