Themed collection Chemical Communications HOT articles 2025

1,2-N/O heterocycles hold great promise for exhibiting diverse pharmacological activities. This review summarizes an overview of recent methods (up to 2024) for the synthesis of these heterocycles starting from alkynyl hydroxylamines.

This review article discusses the limitations and potential of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for cathodes applications and introduces key molecular and structural engineering strategies to enhance the performance of COF cathodes in batteries.

The sacrificial cathode additive (SCA) method holds great promise for industrial application. This review explores recent progress in SCA presodiation technology, with a focus on optimizing strategies to develop near-ideal SCAs.

This review explores the TE properties of graphene and strategies to enhance its performance. Nanostructuring and hybridization approaches are introduced to overcome its limitations, highlighting the potential for high-efficiency TE applications.

This Highlight presents an emerging strategy for methane photocatalytic oxidation using chlorine species, emphasizing their advantages and outlining future challenges.

The development and generation of affordable and highly efficient energy, particularly hydrogen, are one of the best approaches to address the challenges posed by the depletion of non-renewable energy sources.

Ultrasmall coinage metal nanoclusters (MNCs, <3 nm) are promising broad-spectrum antibacterials with tunable core–shell structures. This review discusses their design, mechanisms, applications, and challenges for future antimicrobial development.

This article covers the developments and outlook in auxiliary assisted C–H functionalization with vinylcyclopropanes and cyclopropanols utilizing transition-metal-catalysis.

This account highlights the recent developments of catalytic enantioselective transformations of AMA towards the construction of valuable chiral molecules and heterocycles.

In this review, we highlight recent advancements in the application of metal–organic frameworks for radionuclide detection, focusing on sensing techniques such as fluorescence, scintillation, colorimetric, and electrochemical methods, among others.

The benefits of a systematic nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE) approach to addressing fouling in membrane filtration are explored, with examples leveraging advances in mechanistic insights, functional materials chemistry, and manufacturing.

The present review primarily focuses on highlighting recent developments in the synthesis of H₂S-donating organic polysulfanes and their potential pharmacological implications for cancer.

This review introduces functional DNA applications in point-of-care diagnostics, highlighting its potential to revolutionize diagnostics, and explores synergies with emerging technologies like nanotechnology and artificial intelligence.

Cavity-type zeolites or molecular sieves exhibit significant advantages in shape-selective catalysis, following the cavity-controlled catalytic principles, including molecular adsorption, diffusion, reaction, and deactivation processes.

This feature article presents cyclophane-based host–guest complexes for which electronic interactions between the host and guest molecules can modulate excited-state properties in an advanced way involving both singlet and triplet excited states.

A review of the state-of-the-art advances for upgrading ethanol to n-butanol via the Guerbet reaction catalyzed by molecular homogeneous complexes is provided here. Key advancements in catalyst design based on mechanistic understanding is discussed.

Wide-bandgap perovskite solar cells suffer from severe V_OC loss. The reported studies on reducing the V_OC deficit in terms of interface modification, charge transport layer engineering, and additive engineering are systematically reviewed.

CsMgGa₅S₉ features a diamond-like framework with uniformly stacked mixed tetrahedral units and embedded Cs⁺ ions.

We demonstrate the ability of a non-heme iron containing L-lysine dioxygenase to perform sequential oxidation on its native substrate and computationally explore structural elements that promote this reactivity.

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.

Halide-mediated Ag–Zn batteries with excellent cycling performance by suppressing the shuttle effect and cathode dissolution.

The solvent interface controls CsPbX₃ nanocrystal growth kinetics, enabling ultra-wide tunable photoluminescence emission.

A lithium zincate-based one-pot strategy enables divergent and regioselective dual C–C bond formation in thiophenes by tuning the zinc composition.

In this study, sodium cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate(II) (NaCoHCF) nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated into electrospun nanofibers to enhance their ammonium adsorption capacity.

CuO/In₂O₃ heterojunction with tunable built-in field enables efficient CO₂-to-syngas electroreduction. Voltage-controlled CO/H₂ ratio achieves 10 h stability. DFT shows interfacial e⁻ transfer optimizes intermediates, suppressing HER.

This study demonstrates that O₂ critically accelerates the photodegradation of CdS-MPA QDs by acting as an electron acceptor to generate ⋅O₂⁻, with rapid structural collapse in oxygen-rich conditions versus stable retention in nitrogen atmospheres.

We present a new non-destructive approach to detect CRISPR-Cas biomolecules and distinguish active from inactive forms using Raman optical activity (ROA) and sensitive Eu(III)-probes inducing circularly polarized luminescence (CPL).

Trimetallic NiFeHf layered double hydroxide (LDH) catalysts were successfully synthesized, demonstrating excellent electrocatalytic performance and stability for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

This study explores defect-healing via heat/steam treatments to enhance FAU's thermal stability.

We design a multifunctional protective layer for rapid Zn²⁺ ion diffusion and anion repulsion toward ultra-long cycling of Zn–I₂ batteries.

An efficient metal-free carbon catalyst boosting carbon oxidation integrated with hydrogen production below the 1.23 V water electrolytic boundary.

An ansa-aminoborane exhibited pronounced water tolerance, resulting in strong nuclear spin hyperpolarization being observed upon metal-free activation of parahydrogen in water-containing solvents.

Nanosizing boosts antimony's electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries by lowering phase transition energy barrier and entropy changes.

Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) was coated with silver (Ag) nanoparticles using a bio-inspired surface coating method.

Herein we developed a NNO–Mn complex having a relatively low-congestion metal–ligand cooperative environment, one enabling the alkylation of bulky α-branched ketones with bulky alcohols via a chelation-asisted aldol process.

Owing to the strong chemical adsorbing and catalytic effect of HEO on polysulfide transformation, the HEO@S electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance.

We report a strategy to modulate the optical properties of xanthene-based fluorophores by manipulating their ring strain, which influences the rigidity and planarity of the conjugated structure, thereby impacting their optical characteristics.

A platform of glass electrospray coupled with mass spectrometry is developed to rapidly detect living cells cultured on glass slides.

Identification of U(IV), U(V) and U(VI) oxidation states in rocks can be achieved with HERFD-XRF imaging at the uranium M₄ edge.

Using hyperpolarized NMR with signal enhancements over 30 000, elusive pathways in furfural upgrading are clarified, revealing initial Baeyer–Villiger oxidation and subsequent epoxidation steps.

We report a novel guanidine quinolinyl entatic state model system with an electron transfer rate on the order of 10⁵ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and remarkably little internal reorganization.

The positively charged sites resulting from electronic redistribution in the metal phosphate heterostructures lead to reduced energy barriers, demonstrating an effective strategy for OER catalysts with low overpotentials and remarkable stability.

Herein, a sulfonated ionomer with intrinsic microporosity was designed as a catalyst binder in a low-Pt-loaded fuel cell to achieve an obvious 57% reduction of local oxygen-transport resistance and a notable 47% improvement in power output.

Pd/S cooperative activation and catalytic transfer of Et3GeH.

Incorporating crown ether into Cu-based MOFs tailors the microenvironment at the electrolyte–catalyst interface, enhancing the Faradaic efficiency of the electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction to ethylene (C₂H₄).

A novel terephthalate-based ionic liquid catalyst is promotes highly efficient neutral hydrolysis of PET without attendant catalyst inactivation or product contamination.

This work shows that perfluoro octane iodine can effectively inhibit iodide migration in Sn–Pb perovskite through halogen bonding, thus effectively improving the performance and stability of the devices.

An isostructural series of four annulated actinocene complexes, M(hdcCOT)₂ (M = Th, U, Np, Pu), are reported.

The first instance of an ammelide based metal organic framework has been successfully synthesized, exhibiting remarkable structural stability.

BaIrO₃ has unusual negative linear thermal expansion along IrO₆ trimers and effective zero volume expansion below 100 K. High-resolution neutron diffraction indicates that this is driven by rigid unit modes controlled by the trimer valence state.

CH₃SO₃ radicals represent the key intermediate for the formation of methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and SO₃ from the addition channel of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) oxidation in the atmosphere. HO₂ radicals are not a main H-atom donor for MSA production.

The chemoselective synthesis of trisubstituted alkenyl halides (Cl, Br, F, I) starting from ketones and aldehydes and lithium halocarbenoids is reported.

A high-coordination unsaturated ZnO catalyst in air treatment shows 42.6% ethanol dehydrogenation conversion, emphasizing the role of surface lattice oxygen.

Herein, we disclose the nickel-catalyzed reductive cyanation of alkenyl tosylates and triflates.

Water sorption isotherms of [Zn(tmz)₂]_n (MAF-7) were measured across a broad temperature range to evaluate its water sorption performance based on water uptake, sorption kinetics, recyclability, and regeneration temperature.

CaO captures CO₂ from pyrolysis, forming CaCO₃ that activates biochar via decomposition.

Three near-infrared red type I PSs (named TP1, TP2, and TP3) were synthesized by adjusting their electron acceptors. TP3 can achieve efficient PDT-based synergistic therapy in cells via glutathione depletion.

In situ, quantitative, selective, and sub-millisecond dynamic detection of the four primary ROS/RNS (ONOO⁻, H₂O₂, NO, and NO₂⁻) in individual phagolysosomes during sterilization of RAW 264.7 macrophages was achieved by SiC@Pt nanowire electrodes.