Themed collection Celebrating 110th Anniversary of Chemistry at Peking University

Guest editor Yan Li introduces this themed collection in celebration of 110 years of chemistry at Peking University.

A combination of rich phthalocyanine chemistry such as peripheral substitution and the unique properties of lanthanides to enhance organic radical-f interaction is expected to afford new SIMs with a higher working temperature.

The combination of PXRD and ED is applied to determine modulated structures which resist solution by more conventional methods.

Rare-earth-elements-based oxide ion conductors with various structures and their structure-property relationships were systematically presented and summarized, which can provide new insight and guidance for the development of new oxide ion conductors.

Recent advances on preparing single-crystal metals and their crucial roles in controlled growth of high-quality 2D materials are reviewed.

In this review, we summarize the nanostructural engineering and applications of rare earth oxide-based nanomaterials with well-defined compositions, crystal phases and shapes for efficiently catalyzing C1 chemical reactions.

The recent developments and prospects of near-infrared molecular probes based on luminescent lanthanide coordination complexes in bioimaging are described, which is important to emphasise the importance of lanthanide chemical biology.

This review highlights recent advances in shaping protocols and structure-activity relationships of noble-metal-based catalysts with well-defined nanostructures in electrochemical reactions.

Chromisms related to noble metal nanostructures are classified and discussed.

Recent progress in the solution based shape controlled synthesis of several typical mixed valent oxides which have been used as highly efficient catalytic nanomaterials in some heterogeneous and photocatalytic reactions has been reviewed.

A crystallographically independent Dy(III) SIM with two relaxation processes due to the disorder of ligands beyond the first coordination sphere.

The surface structure of supporting materials has great effect on the catalytic performance of supported catalysts.

Hydrazinium metal–formate frameworks of [NH₂NH₃][M(HCOO)₃] are new potential molecule-based multiferroics and negative thermal expansion materials.

The coercivity enhancement mechanism of Nd₂Fe₁₄B-based nanostructures with Nd-rich phase is revealed by first-order-reversal-curve diagram, which is that increased Nd-rich phase content leads to optimized magnetic interactions and microstructure.

Graphene oxide-supported uniform cobalt tungstate nanoparticles (CoWO₄/GO) were prepared, which can be used as catalyst precursors for the diameter-controlled growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs).

The conformational isomers of Salen molecules and their self-assembled structures on coinage metal surfaces.

The routes for the optimization of the magnetic properties of rare earth permanent magnetic nanostructures are discussed, i.e. the control of microstructure, such as size and shape as well as the exchange-coupling interactions.

Deep potential molecular dynamics is used to study Na⁺ transport in Na₃OBr.

Synthesis and characterization of two new lanthanide Eu(III) complexes based on tridentate isoquinoline ligands with high luminescence efficiency, extended excitation wavelength and good thermal stability.

A monolithic sponge catalyst for onsite H₂ generation from the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ for fuel cells, featuring a quasi-solid state, unrestricted reactor orientation and easy catalyst recycling.

Eu(II) complexes with high air stability and tunable emission colors were synthesized and characterized.

γ-CsPbI₃ nanowires crystallized inside channels of mesoporous SBA-15 template, exhibit improved phase stability from the Pb and O anchoring.

Electrochemical synthesis of hollow and solid carbon nano onions from simple aromatic compounds in acetonitrile on a platinum plate electrode by a multi-potential steps method.

Hierarchical Au/PdAg heterostructures consisting of PdAg nanosheets epitaxially grown on Au nanorods are synthesized in the presence of mixed surfactants and exhibit remarkable plasmon-enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution.

Coordinating hydrogels may act as a thermo-gene to endow heat-melting conventional hydrogels with superior thermal stability at temperatures over 80 °C.

Utilizing the S = 7/2 4f spin and the D₄ symmetry of a Gd(III) complex, we propose and demonstrate an eight-leveled rare-earth molecular qudit, which can be coherently manipulated between adjacent energy levels with precompiled pulse durations.

The synthesis of Ba(Bi_0.25Pb_0.75)_1−xIn_xO_3−δ superconductors provides an example with indium located in the B site with a decreasing T^zero_c due to hole overdoping.

Lanthanide complexes are firstly applied for in vivo NIR-II high resolution whole body bioimaging.

The magnetic properties of T-shaped N-heterocyclic carbene-supported Fe(I) complexes were studied. Both of them exhibited multi-pathway magnetic relaxation behaviors.

A series of manganese(II) complexes supported by cyclopentadienyl-phosphine ligands have been synthesized and characterized. [LMn(μ-Cl)]₂ served as a precursor to organomanganese(II) derivatives.

CdS/In₂O₃ hierarchical nanotubes with intimate and extensive contact between CdS and In₂O₃ were synthesized from a MOF and showed huge improvement of visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production.

We described the first application of lanthanide porphyrinoids, exemplified by lutetium, as efficient photosensitizers in photon upconversion based on TTA.

Co@CoP_x core–shell nanochains were prepared via a direct-current arc-discharge method and subsequent phosphorization at 350 °C.

A phase-segregation based protocol enables the fabrication of a series of scandium fluoride–lanthanide fluoride Janus particles.

The significantly improvement of single-molecule magnetic performance was achieved by removing or replacing the lattice solvents in dinuclear Dy₂ SMMs.

Thin-walled hollow Au–Cu nanostructures were synthesized via galvanic replacement and the Kirkendall effect between copper and gold, and they showed high efficiency for electro-reduction of CO₂ to CO.

Chitosan-coated ceria nanocubes accelerate cutaneous wound healing by curtailing persistent inflammation with powerful anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation properties.

By electron-beam irradiation of TEM, GdF₃ (020) was epitaxially grown on the interface of NaGdF₄ (111).

We describe the synthesis of β-fluorinated porpholactones by oxidation of the fluorinated CC bond of the pyrrolic subunit in porphyrin using the “RuCl₃ + Oxone®” protocol.

Ultrathin RE₂O₃ nanoplates are synthesized by a hot-injection method via the in situ formed REO(CH₃COO) template.

Fine-tuning of the ligand field of a series of four-coordinate Co(II) SIMs, yielding the first tellurium-coordinated SIM.

Myoglobin with three distal histidines stabilizes KHSO₅, facilitates the O–O bond heterocleavage, and firstly catalyzes epoxidation with the MnPPIX cofactor.

Low-temperature high capacity dehydrogenation is found in MBH₄-IL (M = Na, Li) systems.

Photocatalytic hydrodefluorination of a series of perfluoroarenes by rhodium porphyrin complexes was described. The key intermediate (por)Rh-C₆F₄R underwent fast photo-cleavage of Rh–C bonds to produce hydrodefluorination products.

(Boratabenzene)(cyclooctatetraenyl) lanthanide complexes were synthesized, and the erbium ones showed single-ion magnet behaviours. One complex exhibited hysteresis up to 8 K, and another one featured energy barrier of 300 cm⁻¹.

PtSn/SnO₂ crosslinked nanowires with forming Pt–Sn alloy were highly chemoselective for hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol in good recyclability and stability under ambient conditions.

A β-oxazolone moiety on porpholactone plays an important role in stabilizing such hydroporphyrin structures through tuning energy gaps between the frontier π-molecular orbitals, which is verified by MCD studies combined with TD-DFT calculations.

Facet-dependent photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was carried out using hexagonal and cylindrical hematite nanoplates.

A threshold electrolyte concentration may cause a dramatic alteration in the uranyl species adsorption relative to lower electrolyte concentrations.

Heterocycle construction strategy: intramolecular oxidative cyclization of alkenes was realized by rhodium(III)/cobalt(III) porphyrins in water.