Themed collection 2020 Materials Chemistry Frontiers HOT articles
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Poly[N-(2-acetamidoethyl)acrylamide] supramolecular hydrogels with multiple H-bond crosslinking enable mouse brain embedding and expansion microscopy
Poly[N-(2-acetamidoethyl)acrylamide] supramolecular hydrogels with multiple H-bond crosslinking were synthesized and used for embedding the mouse brain slices and expansion microscopy with enhanced optical resolution and preserved structure integrity.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 1795-1805
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00733A
Supramolecular nanoparticles constructed from pillar[5]arene-based host–guest complexation with enhanced aggregation-induced emission for imaging-guided drug delivery
Supramolecular nanoparticles with enhanced aggregation-induced emission are prepared by taking advantage of pillar[5]arene-based host–guest complexation, and are sophisticated nanocarriers for imaging-guided drug delivery.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 1418-1427
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00974A
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Mayenite-based electride C12A7e−: an innovative synthetic method via plasma arc melting
The plasma arc melting of mixtures of oxygen-mayenite and solid-reductants (aluminum and graphite) enables the scalable synthesis of mayenite-based electrides with treatment times below one minute.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 1301-1314
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00688B
Novel enantiomorphic Pb-coordination polymers dictated by the corresponding chiral ligands, [Pb((R,R)-TBA)(H2O)]·1.7H2O and [Pb((S,S)-TBA)(H2O)]·1.7H2O [TBA = 1,3,5-triazin-2(1H)-one-4,6-bis(alanyl)]
Two enantiomorphic Pb-coordination polymers dictated by the corresponding chiral ligands reveal high chemical stability and a selective uptake of Congo red dye through the hydrogen bonds.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 1330-1340
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00629G
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Dual-template approach to hierarchically porous polymer membranes
A dual-template approach is used to embed multilevel porosity into poly(ethersulfone) membranes prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation, leading to a 95% increase in permeability.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 783-791
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00610F
Bis-chalcone derivatives derived from natural products as near-UV/visible light sensitive photoinitiators for 3D/4D printing
Four series of novel bis-chalcone compounds with excellent performances have been synthesized and examined for the first time as photoinitiators in combination with an amine and an iodonium salt for the FRP of acrylates and the CP of EPOX.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 901-916
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00755B
A conversion-type electrochemical artificial synapse for plasticity modulation and dendritic application
A conversion-type electrochemical artificial synapse exhibits potential applications for memory enhancement and dendritic integration; ultra-high sensitivity (3 mV) and extremely low-power consumption (32 fW) could be achieved.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 775-782
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00371A
Directional crystallization of C8-BTBT-C8 thin films in a temperature gradient
A directional crystallization of C8-BTBT-C8 in a temperature gradient reduces film roughness and improves in-plane alignment.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 249-258
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00472C
Pyrazoloanthrone-functionalized fluorescent copolymer for the detection and rapid analysis of nitroaromatics
Pyrazoloanthrone functionalized copolymer exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity towards TNP in aqueous medium in presence of other competitive explosive analytes.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 238-248
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00563K
Sendai virus acts as a nano-booster to excite dendritic cells for enhancing the efficacy of CD47-directed immune checkpoint inhibitors against breast carcinoma
Dendritic cells (DCs) are vital hubs for exciting systemic adaptive immune responses.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 223-237
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00393J
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Mitochondria-anchoring and AIE-active photosensitizer for self-monitored cholangiocarcinoma therapy
An AIE-active photosensitizer, TTVPHE, can fast penetrate into cancer cells and efficiently trigger mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway with self-monitoring ability.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 3201-3208
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00503G
Morphology, structure and cytotoxicity of dye-loaded lipid nanoparticles based on monoamine pillar[5]arenes
New synthesized pillar[5]arenes form solid lipid nanoparticles with fluorescent dyes that have a distinctive morphology and low toxicity to A549 cells.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2962-2970
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00547A
Hollow multishelled structural NiO as a “shelter” for high-performance Li–S batteries
The physical and chemical confinement of polysulfides are realized with interlayers combining non-polar acetylene black and polar NiO HoMSs, resulting in a high sulfur utilization, high specific capacity and good cycling stability for Li–S batteries.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2971-2975
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00492H
Recyclable CPL switch regulated by using an applied DC electric field from chiral nematic liquid crystals (N*-LCs)
Recyclable CPL response in N*-LCs could be observed by using the applied DC electric field with EPT effect through texture change. This kind of “on–off–on” system based on DC electric field can adjust gem value and direction of CPL in N*-LCs.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2954-2961
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00507J
Engineering the crystal orientation of Na3V2(PO4)2F3@rGO microcuboids for advanced sodium-ion batteries
Na3V2(PO4)2F3@rGO can expose different crystal facets and exhibit excellent electrochemical performance via guiding the crystal growth orientation.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2932-2942
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00364F
Protein-assisted synthesis of nanoscale covalent organic frameworks for phototherapy of cancer
A protein-assisted synthesis method has been proposed for preparing stable covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with both photothermal and photodynamic activity under the excitation of a laser at a single wavelength.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2346-2356
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00274G
Highly selective removal of heterocyclic impurities from toluene by nonporous adaptive crystals of perethylated pillar[6]arene
We use nonporous adaptive crystals of perethylated pillar[6]arene to adsorb heterocyclic compounds from a mixture of toluene and heterocyclic compounds with high selectivity, ultimately improving the purity of toluene from 96.78% to 99.00%.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2325-2329
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00334D
Simple and universal synthesis of sulfonated porous organic polymers with high proton conductivity
By using a simple and universal process, we successfully synthesized various sulfonated porous organic polymers with high proton conductivity, and therefore this strategy could evolve structural designs for high proton-conductive materials.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2339-2345
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00276C
Structural evolution of BCN systems from graphene oxide towards electrocatalytically active atomic layers
Microstructure evolution of BCN systems from graphene oxide is studied using ReaxFF assisted molecular dynamics. The resultant theoretical structures are experimentally verified, and HER activity is studied for different microstructure variations.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2330-2338
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00220H
Oxygen vacancy induced superior visible-light-driven photo-catalytic performance in the BiOCl homojunction
The black BiOCl homojunction with oxygen vacancies has a wide absorption range and results in effective separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs, which contribute to its superior visible-light-driven photo-catalytic degradation and disinfection ability.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2314-2324
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00187B
Rapid, ultrasensitive and highly specific biosensor for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical blood samples
IgG–IgM immunochromatographic strip for rapid screening of SARS-CoV-2 infection including confirmed patients, suspect and asymptomatic carriers in 15 min.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 2000-2005
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00294A
Mn dopant induced high-valence Ni3+ sites and oxygen vacancies for enhanced water oxidation
Mn is demostrated as a superior dopant for oxide nanosheets, showing significantly enhanced OER activity.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1993-1999
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00300J
Highly-selective synthesis of trimetallic PtRuCu nanoframes as robust catalysts for the methanol oxidation reaction
PtRuCu NFs/C exhibited much higher mass activity and specific activity than commercial Pt/C and PtRuCu NPs/C towards the MOR due to the frame nanostructures and the synergistic effect of the trimetallics.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1985-1992
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00033G
Efficient red luminogen with aggregation-induced emission for in vivo three-photon brain vascular imaging
DCPE-TPA exhibits three morphologies with high quantum yields and nanoparticles of DCPE-TPA are utilized for in vivo 3PF imaging, achieving a penetration depth of 300 μm with a high resolution of 1.8 μm and a high signal-to-background ratio of 14.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1634-1642
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00284D
Multicationic AIEgens for unimolecular photodynamic theranostics and two-photon fluorescence bioimaging
This work reports multicationic AIEgens for unimolecular photodynamic theranostics, and an investigation of the relationship between their structures and activities, including PDT performance, 2-photon bioimaging, and self-reporting characteristics.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1623-1633
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00119H
Ligand exchange on noble metal nanocrystals assisted by coating and etching of cuprous oxide
We report an oxide-assisted coating-etching process to remove bio-incompatible capping ligands from the surface of noble metal nanocrystals.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1614-1622
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00092B
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Intervaginal space injection of a liquid metal can prevent breast cancer invasion and better-sustain concomitant resistance
CW invasion by the primary tumor was inhibited by ISI of an LM. DCs were activated by the LM to sustain CR.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1397-1403
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9QM00753A
Dual-doping of ruthenium and nickel into Co3O4 for improving the oxygen evolution activity
Ru and Ni co-doped Co3O4 with improved OER activity were synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method. Ru doping increases the intrinsic activity, while Ni doping creates more oxygen vacancies and exposes more active sites.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1390-1396
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00079E
Modulation of ligand conjugation for efficient FAPbBr3 based green light-emitting diodes
We put forward a new strategy for efficient PeLEDs by understanding the effect of ligand conjugation on device performance.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1383-1389
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9QM00768G
MOF derived high-density atomic platinum heterogeneous catalyst for C–H bond activation
A MOF-derived hollow nanobox with high-density under-coordinated atomic Pt sites exhibits excellent performance in direct C–H bond borylation.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 1158-1163
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0QM00040J
In situ formed methyl-co-(bis-R) silsesquioxane based polymer networks with solvent controlled pore size distributions and high surface areas
Specific pore size distributions of synthesized methylsilsesquioxane-based network materials stem from a combination of the solvation of monomers and growing oligomers, as well as miscibility of water in tested solvents; enabling specific analyte uptake materials.
Mater. Chem. Front., 2020,4, 851-861
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9QM00748B