Themed collection New Talent: Asia Pacific

Takashi Uemura, Jitendra K. Bera, Sally Brooker and Li-Min Zheng introduce the Dalton Transactions themed issue “New Talent: Asia-Pacific (2023)”.

Electrochemical measurements can elucidate the electronic structures of metal nanoclusters and give deep insight into the electronic structure between the molecule and the metal.

This review describes the coordination chemistry of a copper trafficking system and the toxicity mechanisms arising from impaired copper homeostasis.

Metal–organic framework-based mixed-matrix membranes design strategies have been discussed with a focus on the challanges related to membrane fabrication, interface design, and gas diffusion pathways.

This review outlines stepwise synthesis strategies for multi-component metal–organic frameworks, emphasizing their distinct advantages for gas adsorption, water remediation, heterogeneous catalysis, luminescence, and chemical sensing.

Schematic diagram of the diagnosis and treatment of NIR-II emissive SCCs.

Photocatalytic organic conversion is considered an efficient, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving strategy for organic synthesis. Porous molecular cages exhibit significant potential in the realm of photocatalytic organic conversion.

In this review, we discuss key aspects of enzyme-based catalytic biomedicine. We also highlighted the field's challenges and provided a prospect for the rational design and application of the enzyme-based nanocomposites.

In this review, we highlight the design principles, synthesis strategies, and impactful applications of olefin-linked covalent organic frameworks. Besides, the challenges and perspectives in this research field have been provided.

Gaining an in-depth understanding of the self-assembly mechanism of giant polyoxomolybdates is the key for the designable clusters synthesis. This will in turn promote related supramolecular self-assembly and application research.

Three-dimensional cages are promising platforms for chiral CD due to their stereochemical flexibility and cavity. In this minireview, we discuss recent advances, future challenges, and opportunities in the quantitative sensing of small molecules.

A chemical bottom-up approach for single-atomic-layered materials like graphene is attractive due to the possibility of introducing or tuning functions. This article focuses on the synthesis and properties of the inorganic layers.

The presence of Na⁺ is found to accelerate Bn−Cl bond cleavage by PPh₃via a kinetic frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) pathway.

Exfoliated C₃N₄ sheets were employed to wrap the CoPc nanotubes (NTs) to synthesize the electrocatalyst; the CoPc–C₃N₄ system showed excellent nitrogen reduction to ammonia with a yield rate of 423.8 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat⁻¹ and a FE of 33% at −0.2 V vs. RHE.

A traditional fluorescence–scattering intensity based ratiometric sensing system utilizes both inherent scattering and fluorescence intensity and has drawn extensive attention owing to its simplicity and self-calibration properties.

The redox chemistry of a bulky BODIPY compound has been investigated with products from formal one- and two-electron reduction processes isolated and characterised in the solid state.

Li-intercalated-CeO₂ catalyst exhibits outstanding activity for ammonia synthesis with reduced activation energy and lower operating temperatures.

The developed bifunctional NNN–Ru complex features a high catalytic efficiency for the selective production of hydrogen and glycolic acid from ethylene glycol under mild reaction conditions and high TON was achieved.

An alkyl MOF with a molecular sieving effect exhibits great C₂H₂ adsorption capability and C₂H₂/C₂H₄ separation performance.

An efficient water-based purification strategy for metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) using commercially available centrifugal ultrafiltration membranes was developed.

The dinuclear Dy(III)-metallocene, weakly coupled via a K₂Cl₄ bridge, displays slow relaxation of magnetization below 17 K under zero applied dc field via KD3 energy levels with an energy barrier of 136.9/133.7 cm⁻¹ on the Dy sites.

The  dicopper site in a metal–azolate framework result in an enhanced electroreduction selectivity and current density of CO for yielding acetate.

A Mg²⁺-conductive MOF was created with small-sized three-dimensional pores. The sample showed superionic conductivity at room temperature under guest vapors.

Original acridine-based copper(I) PNP pincer complexes were prepared and their catalytic viability in alkyne hydroboration and the borylation of aryl iodides was examined.

A bench stable iron(II) complex with the pincer ligand backbone was synthesized and characterized. The well-defined iron complex was successfully utilized for the dehydrogenation of DMAB and subsequent transfer semi-hydrogenation of terminal alkynes.

In situ reduction provides a potentially generalisable route to bimetallic 1,8-naphthyridine complexes, as demonstrated by the synthesis of otherwise inaccessible dimanganese complexes.

An NHC-aryloxide hybrid ligand-bound aluminum complex and its zwitterionic imidazolium precursor catalyze the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone through two different mechanistic pathways with and without benzyl alcohol as a cocatalyst.

This paper provides the synthesis, structure, and bonding analysis of three halo-phosphinidenes and a bis-phosphinidene stabilized by a bicyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (BICAAC).

Deep blue emissive (λ_PL ∼ 400 nm) Ir(III) N-heterocyclic complexes were synthesized and the effect of heavy atoms in reducing the non-radiative vibrational deactivation modes was studied.

Phase transition of ultrathin TiO₂(B) nanosheets to anatase TiO₂ is much easier in water phase than in air, due to a surficial hydrolysis reaction.

Coordination polymers (CPs) have been widely proven as sacrificial electrode materials for energy storage application because of their high porosity, specific surface area, better recylability and tunable structural topology.

Unravelling the electrostatics and 4f-ligand covalency in fine-tuning the magnetic anisotropy of organometallic sandwiched Dy(III)-based single molecule magnets using first principles calculations.

A series of coinage metal complexes bearing rarely explored ortho-silylated phosphine is reported.

Upon blue ∼445 nm excitation, two-photon absorption upconversion occurs in Ho³⁺/Gd³⁺ co-doping for UVB emission. The UVB-emitting levels of Gd^{3+ 6}P_j are sensitive to temperature, and can work as fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry.

Ag(I) supramolecular organo-aqueous gel stabilized by extensive hydrogen bonding employing an amine-rich triazole ligand as gelator, catalyzed a three component coupling reaction for propargylamine synthesis with remarkable functional group tolerance.

An efficient artificial light-harvesting system was constructed by encapsulating the hydrophobic fluorescent dye Nile Red into trigonal luminescent metallacages to achieve Förster resonance energy transfer.

The cross channels in layered CoSeO₃ provide space for easy surface reconstruction. The superior activity of CoSeO₃ is because of a larger ion diffusion coefficient, more surface contacting OH⁻ anions and faster charge transfer kinetics.

This work reports a new lead bromide hybrid featuring capped octahedral units. Comparative studies reveal the role of lone pair activity in governing local coordination geometry of the lead atom and broadband emission in 2D lead bromide perovskites.

The study of ORR performance of ZIF-67 in different facets obtained from the anisotropic crystal growth process. Three phases of ZIF-67 (bulk, cubic, and rhombic) were synthesized to study the impact of crystal facets on ORR activity.

We report a ferromagnetically coupled [Fe^III₂Ni^II] single-chain magnet that exhibits a coercive field of 0.42 T, which is the largest value reported to date among cyano-bridged 3d transition-metal-based single-chain magnets at 1.8 K.

We report Sr₂SiO₄:Ce³⁺/Eu²⁺/K⁺ as a bimodal optical temperature sensor with excellent thermometric sensitivity that can easily determine temperature by fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) and chromaticity coordinate (CIE) techniques.

New Magnus’ green salt (MGS) analogues with hydroxy-functionalised ligand were obtained as unprecedented hexagonal plate crystals. An unusual trigonal grade separation of chain complexes has been revealed by the structural analysis.

A pair of new deep-red emissive ionic iridium(III) complexes showing high photoluminescence quantum yields are designed by incorporating bulky tetraarylborate anions for efficient solution-processed electroluminescence.

A simplified and facile preparation procedure for C12A7:e⁻ from C12A7:O²⁻ CA and CaH₂.

We have aspired to design GSH resistant phototoxic Ru(II)/Ir(III)/Re(I) based 2-(pyren-1-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline complexes to selectively avert the triple-negative breast cancer.

Pillar-layered MOFs, Ni (BDC)(DABCO)_0.5 (DMOF-X), modified by halogen atoms (F, Cl, Br), were investigated for CH₄/C₂H₆/C₃H₈ separation performance. DMOF-Cl demonstrated great potential as an adsorbent for the efficient separation of C₃H₈ and C₂H₆ from CH₄.

A series of heterobimetallic clusters containing magnesium and coinage metals were stabilized using a dianionic double layer nitrogen–phosphorus ligand.

Peroxido-bridged homochiral double-decker dysprosium macrocycles were designed, synthesized and magnetically studied.

A credible non-enzymatic glucose sensor based on Co-MOF-74/mesoporous carbon nanocomposite was prepared with high selectivity and sensitivity for clinical monitoring of glucose concentration and preventing the threat of diabetes to human health.

Electrochromic polymer film preparation methods such as spin coating, spray coating, and electrochemical polymerization, are commonly used.

A new quaternary polytelluride crystallizing in its own structure type has been synthesized, and its properties have been studied in detail.

Solid compounds A_3−xGaO₄H_1−y (A = Sr, Ba; x ∼0.15, and y ∼0.3) have been successfully synthesized. This is a new family of anti-perovskite type compounds with p-metalcentered tetrahedral polyanions.

A tetranuclear Mn₄(II,III,III,II) diamond core complex was synthesised through dioxygen activation, which efficiently mimics both catechol oxidase and phenoxazinone synthase enzymes.

This work describes the synthesis, spectroscopy, time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) studies and electrocatalytic activity towards the CO₂ reduction of 4′-substituted terpyridine ligand-coordinated Re(I) complexes.

A metal–organic framework supported single-site pyridylimine–cobalt species acts as a chemoselective and reusable catalyst for N-formylation of amines using CO₂.