Themed collection 2021 Highlight article collection

This review highlights recent advancement in functional modified (FM) MOFs as superior adsorbents for the removal of dyes, classifying them by various modification strategies. The adsorption interactions affected by the FM approach are summarized.

The recent progress in high T_C bismuth-based piezo-/ferroelectric single crystals is reviewed in terms of materials design, crystal growth, physical properties, crystal chemistry, and complex domain structures, and the future perspectives are discussed.

In this highlight, we describe the construction of supramolecular single/double/triple-helical assemblies from small di/tri/tetrapeptides and their applications.

This review summarizes recent advances in the controllable CVD growth of 2D TMDC vertical heterostructures under four different strategies.

Organic semiconductors are being pursued with vigor for the development of efficient and smart electronics. As a brief tutorial account, we traverse the fundamentals and advancements in the area and provide a crystal engineering perspective.

Nanocrystal engineering has evolved into a dynamic research area over the past few decades but is not properly defined. Here, we present select examples to highlight the diverse aspects of crystal engineering applied on inorganic nanomaterials.

This highlight illustrates the latest crystalline materials engineered via SCSC transformations, with emphasis on the onset and progress of spin crossover in a crystal control.

Adjusting the colloidal chemistry synthetic parameters for pnictogen nanostructures leads to a fine control of their physical properties and the resulting performance in applications. Image adapted from Slidesgo.com.

TMSs as cathode materials used in MIBs.

This short review was designed to summarize the advances in synthesis methods of silver nanoclusters.

This highlight presents an overview of pharmaceutical cocrystal production and its potential in reviving problematic properties of drugs in different dosage forms. The challenges and future outlook of its translational development are discussed.

The heavier chalcogen atoms S, Se, and Te can each participate in a range of different noncovalent interactions. They can serve as both proton donor and acceptor in H-bonds. Each atom can also act as electron acceptor in a chalcogen bond.

Recent works of epitaxial nanotwinned metals and alloys with different stacking fault energies are reviewed to elaborate the relationship among synthesis conditions, intrinsic factors, twin structure and various properties.

This Highlight article shows the importance of the in situ monitoring of bulk crystalline compounds for a thorough understanding of heterogeneous catalysts at the intersection of catalysis, materials science, crystallography and inorganic chemistry.

In this highlight article, the recent progress on the preparation and application of multimetallic alloy nanocrystals with 2D nanostructures is systematically reviewed, as well as perspectives on future challenges and opportunities.

Well-controlled incorporation of heteroatoms in frameworks of zeolites and zeotype materials has been achieved by a variety of new synthetic approaches, generating outstanding catalysts compared to uncontrolled materials.

Sublimation is an effective and ‘green’ method to prepare and identify new polymorphs, cocrystals, ionic cocrystals and molecular salts.

The DFT-predicted mechanical properties of crystalline materials are crucial knowledge for their screening, design, and exploitation.

Dynamic macroscopic behaviour of single crystals of coordination polymers when subjected to light, heat, and mechanical force.

A newly developed methodology allows for the determination of the mechanisms of deformation in flexible crystals with atomic precision. With broader applications, mapping experiments have wide reaching potential within the field of materials science.

Flexible molecular crystals have attracted much attention to unique optoelectronic applications and stimuli-responsive chemistry, resulting in various functional molecular crystals for controlling photons, phonons, electrons, and magnons.

Crystal adaptronics has undergone tremendous developments that have been utilized to rationalize dynamics in crystals. This highlight discusses about the role of intermolecular interactions in rationalizing mechanical responses in crystals.

Pentazole is a good nitrogen-donor ligand to prepare intriguing structures. Herein, the synthesis and crystal structures of all reported metal pentazolate salts were summarized and the future prospects in this field were also discussed.

Lithium as critical resource prompted interest for non-lithium-based batteries. This highlight review discusses vanadium oxide bronzes as one of the material families being considered as cathode for non-lithium-based batteries.

Research progress on cobalt-based metal–organic frameworks as functional materials for battery applications has been presented.

The use of deep eutectic solvents (DES) as media for the preparation of metal- and covalent organic frameworks (MOFs and COFs) and their post-synthetic modification towards composites is reviewed.

Stoichiometric variation in organic cocrystals, their synthesis, structure elucidation and properties are discussed. Accountable reasons for the occurrence of such cocrystals are emphasised.

Electrochemically induced nucleation refers to a method where an applied potential triggers an electrochemical reaction which changes the conditions in the melt so that nucleation can occur where it was previously not significantly possible.

Coordination polymers with molecular recognition sites are assembled using cyclotriveratrylene ligands. Many show differential guest-spaces with host and lattice sites available, however common host–guest and self-inclusion motifs can block sites.

Substitutional change and controlling intra and intermolecular interactions of ESIPT molecules resulted in realizing multifunctional fluorescence properties.

Highly emissive halide perovskite nanocrystals with tunable emission spectra covering the entire visible spectra.

Quasi-2D square planar nickelates exhibit key ingredients of high-T_c superconducting cuprates. Whether bulk samples are superconducting remains an open question, single crystals are ideal platforms for addressing such fundamental questions.

This highlight evidences the existence and importance of spodium bonds (SpB) in solid state structures involving five-coordinated square-pyramidal Zn(II) spodium atom.

This highlight presents an overview of the current advances in the preparation of halogen bonded metal–organic multi-component solids, including salts and cocrystals comprising neutral and ionic constituents.

Metal–organic frameworks host many types of compositional and structural disorder. In this Highlight article we explore cases where this disorder is correlated, rather than random.

A technological advance in shaped μ-PD crystal growth provided us with high-quality single crystalline fibres of rare-earth garnets with the good longitudinal transparency and light attenuation length of up to 1 m.

A recent update on how solid state NMR has aided the interpretation and understanding of host–guest interactions in the field of supramolecular assemblies is provided.

This highlight summarises the previously reported MOF-on-MOF systems, with a focus on the presented crystallographic information and classification of the systems according to lattice parameter matching.

The application of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to diverse chemical sectors is aided by their crystallinity, which permits the use of X-ray crystallography to characterise their pore chemistry and provides invaluable insight into their properties.

A comprehensive account of the F⁻/OH⁻-induced atmospheric CO₂ fixation as carbonate/bicarbonate anion(s) within the self-assemblies of artificial receptors are demonstrated in the highlight.

We discuss the identification of experimentally realisable crystalline phases of water to outline and contextualise some of the diverse building blocks of a computational materials design process.