A new synthetic strategy was designed and implemented by Wu and co-workers, enabling the first solution-phase synthesis of circumcoronene derivatives, and providing the first direct evidence to the structure of the debated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

Photocatalysis has recently evolved to a powerful tool to convert plastics directly into value-added organic molecules. Researchers developed distinct light-driven depolymerization strategies for various polymers, ranging from hydroxylated (bio)polymers to real-life polystyrene. These methods operate under mild conditions, show high efficiency, and thus constitute a promising alternative to traditional recycling methods.

Photoactivation of electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes is a sustainable, selective and versatile strategy for the generation of radicals. Sulfonium salt acceptors promise to dramatically expand the range of radicals that can be generated and exploited using EDA chemistry; the use of readily installed “sulfonium tags” relaxes the electronic constraints typically imposed on the parent substrate by an EDA complexation approach.

This review article discusses the role of carbon species deposited from various feedstock molecules or formed over time during a catalytic process, including ways to mitigate the effects of these carbon species by catalyst design, regeneration or rejuvenation. This is done for various industrially relevant systems, including the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process. New tools for the direct observation of the 3D-distribution of carbon species within the catalyst pore network are also described.

Just as flowers blooming in response to the sun attract bees to continue their natural life cycle, molecules which respond to external stimuli can be used to control catalytic cycles. Development of stimuli-responsive molecular and extended catalytic platforms is a pathway for precise tuning of reaction yield, rate, or enantioselectivity that could pave the way for the next era of sustainable chemistry.

Chalcogen bonding can play a significant role in designing complex bioinspired structures. Here, two different types of this interaction were employed to construct single and double helices from planar benzotellurazole amides.

The systematic high-throughput investigation of the system AlCl₃/CH₃COOH/NaOH/H₂O led to the discovery of a series of porous salts from readily available starting materials in high yields. In situ crystallisation studies confirm the rapid formation of the highly crystalline compounds within minutes under mild conditions.

Silylated [Ge₉] clusters form a novel type of chromophore system. Protonation of a covalently cluster-bound imine moiety results in an intense color change from red to green. Transient absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations on the protonated form reveal ultrafast dynamics upon photoexcitation leading to a charge-transfer between the cluster and the imine moiety, thus giving the proof of principle for a cluster-imine dyad.

Detailed investigation of the inter-species chemical communication between the human pathogens P. aeruginosa and S. aureus revealed that S. aureus converts pyochelin, an important siderophore secreted by P. aeruginosa, to its less potent pyochelin methyl ester (PME). In addition, PME is sensed by P. aeruginosa and affects metabolite expression, indicating a potential role as signaling molecule for both species.

Two cyanide-bridged [Fe₄Co₄] cubes were prepared via a mixed-ligand approach. The molecular origins of their distinct (incomplete vs. complete) metal-to-metal electron transfer (MMET) properties were identified as the presence and absence of the inter-cluster alkynyl-alkynyl and CH/π interactions. These compete with the cluster-anion interactions, resulting in the underlying elastic frustration and stopping the complete spin transition in 1.

In this work, we investigate the impact of vacancies on the thermoelectric properties of the EuCuSb-EuZn_0.5Sb solid solution. Vacancies in the planar honeycomb lattice cause a decrease in sound velocity and a sharp increase in point defect scattering, which combine to yield an 80 % decrease in lattice thermal conductivity. Ultimately, the maximum zT increases from 0.09 to 0.7 as the composition changes from EuCuSb to EuZn_0.5Sb.

A cooperative strategy for toughening thermoplastic elastomers without toughness–strength trade-off limitations is developed by leveraging the interplays between rigid and flexible supramolecular segments, resulting in the toughest (toughness 1.2 GJ m⁻³) thermoplastic elastomer thus far. This work presents a general design principle for toughening polymer materials by mismatched supramolecular interactions.

We propose a *H-intermediate-mediating strategy for ethanol electroproduction from CO₂RR. The findings reveal that the in situ generated CuAl₂O₄ in Cu-based catalyst could accelerate water dissociation and tailor *H intermediate coverage, which favors hydrogenation of the *HCCOH to ethanol. This study directs a feasible avenue for mediating *H intermediate coverage and tailoring *H-involved reduction reaction pathways on an efficient and durable Cu-based oxide catalyst.

Strategic loading of dual-functioning zwitterionic sulfamic acid in MOFs leads to proton conductivity of the order of 10⁻¹ S cm⁻¹. This high conductivity is the result of higher loading of sulfamic acid, which can act as both a proton source due to its acidity and a conducting medium due to its extensive hydrogen-bonding ability and zwitterion effect.

Benzothiophenes are key structures in materials and medicines and methods for their selective C−H functionalization are highly prized. Activation of benzothiophenes bearing electron-withdrawing groups at C3 as their S-oxides enables formal C−H/C−H coupling with phenols to access C4 arylated benzothiophenes. Computational studies suggest the intermediacy of a π-complex between the benzothiophene and a phenoxonium cation.

A kinetically-stabilized nitrogen-doped triangulene cation derivative has been synthesized and isolated. It is highly stable even in solution under air and has a triplet ground state with a large singlet-triplet energy gap. In contrast to the triangulene derivative, the nitrogen-doped triangulene cation derivative exhibits near-infrared absorption and emission because the alternancy symmetry of triangulene is broken by the nitrogen cation.

We report an artificial synapse where non-relevant biomolecules (urea, lactic acid (LA) and fructose (Fru)) cannot modulate its plasticity, while only relevant biomolecules (glucose) can selectively activate the device and induce long-term modulation and memory effect. The device works properly in blood serum and shows enhanced synaptic behaviors at high glucose concentrations, suggesting its potential application as artificial neurons in vivo.

Unlocking the metalation potential of Zn(TMP)₂ the addition of KOtBu enables the activation of its amide groups to promote the regioselective zincation of a range of fluoroarenes forming higher order potassium zincates. This methodology can even be extended to non-activated arenes toluene and benzene under mild reaction conditions.

A strategy for constructing organic nanotubes with defined lengths was developed by designing and synthesizing macrocycles with a β-alanine linker. Oligomeric hexakis(m-phenylene ethynylene) macrocycles with four macrocyclic units as molecular nanotubes can form potassium and proton channels across lipid bilayers, with the channels being open continuously for over 60 s.

Helix inversion of chiral poly[(allenylethynylenephenylene)acetylenes was induced by a dynamic axial-to-helical communication mechanism. It was produced by on/off supramolecular interactions between conformationally rigid chiral pendants and bulky molecules.

By systematically introducing multiple assembly strategies into the construction of customizable supraparticles based on catechol-terminated molecular building blocks, conventional supraparticles were endowed with structural and functional customization. This strategy paves a way for building multiscale super-assembled materials with high degrees of structural complexity and functional diversity.

A 2D-to-2D structural transformation with a significant change in the coordination environment within the 2D layer was achieved in a copper-based coordination polymer in water at room temperature. The transformation led to large changes in the physical properties of the coordination polymers, such as proton conductivity and magnetism.

The strong interfacial electric field in WS₂-WO₃ can enhance the adsorption of intermediates by elevating the d-band center of W, resulting in an accelerated electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) kinetics.

In this work, we report a novel architecture with FeP nanodots fully embedded in nitrogen doped carbon microplates skeleton (FeP@CMS) via the spatial confinement of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) . Such a structure allows the stress transfer between FeP nanodots and self-adaptive carbon matrix in sodium storage, which overcomes the intrinsic chemo-mechanical degradation of metal phosphides during long-term cycling.

A concerted strategy involving enzyme-instructed self-assembly to target overexpressed alkaline phosphatases in cancer cells and bioorthogonal reactions for controllable extracellular and intracellular activation of Ru^II-based imaging probes and photosensitizers is presented. The emission enhancement, lifetime extension, and (photo)cytotoxicity of the resulting Ru^II supramolecular assemblies were explored extracellularly and intracellularly.

Three different types of formates were observed at the surface of a Cu/ZrO₂ catalyst during the hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol. A Cu-bound formate representing only about 7 % of formates exhibited a high reactivity and was the only formate that could account for the production of methanol. The two other surface formates were located on the ZrO₂ surface and exhibited significantly lower decomposition rates.

Supramolecularly engineered chemiluminescence reporters (PCCS), consisting of L-serine-modified PLGA-encapsulated peroxyoxalate, chlorin e6 and superoxide dismutase, are reported. The PCCS reporters were applied for the simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of acute kidney injury.

Use of tert-leucine as a chiral transient directing group enables the enantioselective reductive-Heck-type hydroalkenylation and hydroalkenylation of alkenyl benzaldehydes under palladium catalysis. The dual catalytic reaction proceeds under mild conditions and offers high enantioselectivity.

A gold(I)-catalyzed iodo-alkynylation of benzyne involving the merging of challenging migratory insertion and an oxidative addition process in the Au^I/Au^III catalytic cycle has been reported. It represents important progress within the field of gold redox couple chemistry and in particular in the migratory insertion topic.

An innovative pair-electrosynthesis system for the coproduction of H₂O₂ and formate was constructed with the bifunctional electrocatalyst Zn/SnO₂ nanodots, achieving high selectivities and excellent productivities at large current densities. The role of the Zn dopant was revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and (quasi)-in situ characterizations.

A diastereoselective double thiol-ene addition onto a bis enol ether macrocycle provides chiral disulfide bispyrene macrocycles able to exhibit excimer aggregation-induced emission predominantly. Upon increasing the water content, ECD and CPL monitoring evidence multistate chiroptical properties, rationalized by TDDFT calculations. Langmuir–Blodgett films and AFM studies help decipher the organization of the luminophores at the interface of water.

We report a conceptually new, highly efficient radical route for the benzimidazole synthesis via radical-induced cross-coupling of alcohols and o-arylenediamines concomitantly with hydrogen (H₂) production over Pd modified ultrathin ZnO NSs (Pd/ZnO) under mild conditions.

We introduce a novel chemical gradient strategy to fabricate a crystal-deposited HOF on an in situ grown polymer film. The fabricated film showed versatility in chemical bonding along its thickness from covalent to hydrogen-bonded network and showed improved proton conductivity compared to its polymeric analog.

A covalent organic framework (COF) prepared via the multicomponent Povarov reaction shows a high and long-term stable activity for photocatalytic H₂O₂ production and size-selective photocatalytic oxidation. The COF can be further used as photocatalyst for a range of important aerobic oxidation reactions including the conversion of alcohols to aldehydes, amines to imines and sulfides to sulfoxides.

A novel spiro-type hole transport material (HTM) was developed by extending the π-conjugated system (DP). The new HTM features a stabilized HOMO level, a higher glass transition temperature, and improved morphology on the perovskite layer compared to spiro-OMeTAD. When incorporated into an n-i-p device, the DP-based HTM achieved a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 25.24 % for small-area devices and 21.86 % for modules.

Investigating the influence of sidechain regiochemistry on a series of thiophene-based mixed ionic-electronic conducting polymers, the degree of conformational disorder is found to be a crucial indicator of performance. Maximising non-covalent planarising interactions and polaronic charge delocalisation during molecular design must consequently be carefully weighed against considerations around conformational restrictions.

Hybrid cell membranes (HMs) consisting of brain metastatic breast cancer cell membranes and glioma cell membranes were prepared and coated onto drug-loaded nanoparticles. The obtained HMGINPs inherited good blood-brain-barrier penetration and homologous glioma targeting ability from the two types of source cells, and exhibited superior therapeutic efficacy against early-stage glioma.

A composite anode of metallic zinc (Zn) with ion and electron-conducting interphase was prepared for Zn-ion batteries. This novel structure suppresses the side reactions and regulates the Zn deposition due to the fast ionic/electronic transport and high Young's modulus, thus achieving long-cycling aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

We reported a new series of 2D perovskites featuring thickness-dependent hydrogen and halogen bonding interactions. The strength of non-covalent interaction has a direct impact on the structure symmetry and optoelectronic properties. Stronger halogen interaction leads to centrosymmetry, whereas weaker halogen bonds give rise to non-centrosymmetric structures, Rashba splitting, suppressed radiative recombination, and bulk photovoltaic effect.

A potentially general autofluorescence method that does not rely on traditional fluorogenic functional groups enables real-time/in-line spectroscopic monitoring of polymerization progress. Fluorescence lifetime recovery after photobleaching (FLRAP) is developed and demonstrated. Changes in (auto)fluorescence lifetime recovery after photobleaching correlate linearly with polymer degree of cure.

Tailoring axial coordination of Fe sites for charge redistribution realizes efficient and selective catalytic O₂ activation to generate specific active intermediates. Highly active hydroxyl radicals produced by axial N-involved systems enable direct cathodic electrochemiluminescence, while C-decorated catalysts preferentially form superoxide anion radicals and only present anodic luminescence.

A series of heteroatomic- and heptagons- doped multiple helicenes were successfully synthesized and confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. They exhibit distinguished circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and circular dichroism (CD) signals, with high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) and narrow full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) values.

Based on the excellent organic flexible π-conjugated [C₃H(CH₃)O₄]²⁻ unit, through reasonable nonlinear optical (NLO)-favourable layered design, a deep-ultraviolet ionic organic nonlinear optical crystal, NH₄[LiC₃H(CH₃)O₄], with an ultrawide band gap and moderate birefringence was successfully obtained.

This study proposes a new optical microscopy technique to measure the synergistic effect of metal hydroxide coatings on the hydrogen evolution reaction at the individual particle level in neutral media. The technique involves using hydroxide halo formation as a footprint of the reaction, and can provide real-time operando quantification of catalytic activity.

On-demand CO₂ release under ambient conditions using light instead of heat is achieved for simulated and amino acid-based direct air capture systems by regulating solution pHs via a photoinduced proton transfer of a reversible metastable-state photoacid, leading to energetically sustainable and economically feasible climate change mitigation solutions using solar energy.

Here we report a synthetic procedure for the efficient ex situ generation of thiazyl trifluoride gas (N≡SF₃) as a new Sulfur(VI)-Fluoride Exchange hub. In typical SuFEx fashion, this triple-bonded azasulfur(VI) fluoride reagent and its mono-substituted derivatives react highly effectively with various nucleophiles to deliver a library of unreported thiazynes.

Stochastic simulation of the formation process of hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) based on the reversible deactivation radical polymerization using a branch-inducing monomer, evolmer, has been carried out. The results suggest that the observed dispersities (Đ=1.5–2) originated from the distribution of branch numbers and that the branch structures are well controlled. Furthermore, the majority of HBPs have structures close to the ideal one.

Through solvothermal combination of uranyl and a redox-active linker, we reduced the U−O bonds and subsequently formed a metal-organic framework built from a uranium paddlewheel node. This paddlewheel node, where two uranium atoms are connected by four hexahydroxytriphenylene species and capped with water moieties, is unprecedented.

We have implemented a set of strategies to precisely control the phase evolution of host perovskite without compromising exsolution. Using carbon dioxide electrolysis as an example, we demonstrated how regulating phase structure can enhance the activity and stability of exsolved perovskites, emphasizing the importance of phase evolution control in catalytic chemistry occurring on perovskites with exsolution.

Substituent engineering of dihydrodibenzo[a,c]phenazine-based fluorophores was demonstrated to access broadband triple fluorescent emissions from ≈350 to ≈850 nm. Mechanistic studies revealed that the steric effect modulates the excited-state potential energy surface, enabling the molecule to undergo multistep transformation along the sequence of bent, planar, and twisted structures.

We report an operationally simple and safe method for the synthesis of N-monosubstituted sulfondiimines starting from stable sulfiliminium salts. This metal-free procedure employs a combination of iodine(III) reagents with iodine and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-en (DBU), providing particularly, S,S-dialkyl-substituted sulfondiimines in up to 85 % yield. Mechanistically, electrophilic nitrene cations are suggested as the reactive intermediates.

An optical imaging agent and radiosensitized pharmaceutical containing diselenide and metronidazole was developed to realize the radiosensitizing effect and report the ROS levels through ratiometric NIR-II fluorescence imaging. This molecule exhibited synergetic radiosensitization and could monitor the radiotherapy response for both hypoxic tumors and orthotopic glioma.

A chiral Rh₂(II)-catalyzed double cyclopropanation of CF₂H-substituted enyne with alkenes is reported. The bicyclopropanes with 4–5 vicinal stereocenters and 2–3 all-carbon quaternary centers were constructed with excellent stereoselectivity in one step. The method was extended to the cyclopropanation/cyclopropenation. In these processes, the functional alkyne is used as a dicarbene equivalent and 3 new rings are formed.

Photoactivated versatile polymer nanoplatforms with asymmetric geometry enable on-demand integration of various functionalities via tetrazole linkages. In response to UV or visible light, tetrazoles as light-triggered fuels simultaneously perform photocatalytic N₂ release and photothermal conversion within the polymer nanoplatforms for powering the multimode synergistic propulsion, thus showing potential in bio-applications.

Oxygen vacancy-rich mesoporous Co₃O₄ (mCo₃O₄) was synthesized by a simple ligand-assisted self-assembly method. Benefitting from abundant oxygen vacancies and the mesoporous structure of mCo₃O₄, a unique catalytic path was presented with direct oxidation of aromatic alkanes to aromatic ketones rather than the conventional stepwise oxidation to alcohols and then to ketones.

A new method for the synthesis of polyethyleneimines is reported based on manganese catalysed coupling of ethylene glycol and ethylene diamine. This avoids the use of the highly toxic feedstock, namely aziridine, that is currently used for the production of this polymer.

Optically active, hyperbranched poly(fluorenevinylene) derivatives have been shown to include aromatic small molecules in their interior space. These small molecules form liquid-crystal-like intermolecular arrangements and exhibit clear circular dichroism and efficient circularly polarized luminescence with remarkably amplified anisotropy.

Naphthalene-based cyclotetrabenzil octaketone is an excellent cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. It reversibly accepts eight electrons per molecule, has a specific capacity of 279 mAh g⁻¹, and shows stable cycling performance with ≈65 % retention after 135 cycles. Its shape-persistent, symmetric structure rigidifies during an eight-electron reduction, ensuring that this macrocycle remains insoluble in various redox states.

Chalcogen powder is pre-melted and resolidified to give a stable chalcogen precursor for the chemical vapor deposition growth of transition metal dichalcogenides. The obtained monolayer tungsten disulfide is uniform and shows high optical and structural quality.

We present the application of the genetic code expansion technique to achieve the site-specific modification of the sensing region of a nanopore. The rationally designed conformation of unnatural amino acid (UAA) residues provides a favorable geometric orientation for the interactions of peptides and pore. The chemical environment of the sensing region facilitates the direct discrimination of the mixtures of peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids.

A low-temperature hydrogen-free process was developed for upcycling polyethylene into aliphatic dicarboxylic acid using a heterogeneous catalyst Ru/TiO₂. The LDPE conversion can reach 95 % in 24 h under 1.5 MPa air at 160 °C with 85 % of the liquid product yield, which is mainly low-molecular-weight aliphatic dicarboxylic acid.

Introducing S-vacancies into SnS₂ (V_s-SnS₂) can significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity of CO₂RR but leads to exclusive H₂ evolution under static potential electrolysis. Pulsed potential electrolysis results in in situ generation of partially oxidized SnS_2−x in the catalyst, which leads to a switch of the main product from hydrogen to formate during the CO₂RR with the oxide phase selective to formate and the S-vacancy to H₂.

A chemoenzymatic method has been developed to prepare backbone cyclic analogues of the ω-conotoxin MVIIA. The most potent cyclic analogue, cM-7, shows highly improved stability and maintains the activity of the native peptide.

An integrated iontronic nanotool was developed for the study of single-cell epigenetics and programmable gene regulation. With the nanotool, an N6-methyladenine (m⁶A)-modified deoxyribozyme (DNAzyme) was used for profiling a representative m6 A-modifying enzyme, fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), which also released a DNA sequence that could be programmed as an antisense strand against intracellular FTO-mRNA.

Asymmetric total synthesis of cytotrienin A, an ansamycin antibiotic with apoptosis-inducing activity, is described. The strategic use of the redox properties of hydroquinone and the traceless Staudinger reaction enabled the late-stage installation of the C11 side chain, which plays a critical role in its biological activity, onto the macrolactam and opens new opportunities for the structure–activity relationship studies of ansamycin antibiotics.

In the biosynthetic pathway of the first natural brexane-type compound, chlororaphen, farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) is methylated and cyclized by a non-canonical FPP methyltransferase (FPP-MT), furnishing γ-presodorifen pyrophosphate (γ-PSPP). Methylation by the γ-PSPP-MT yields α-prechlororaphen pyrophosphate (α-PCPP), which is converted into the bishomosesquiterpene chlororaphen by the chlororaphen synthase (ChloS).

Combining established two electron nucleophilic catalysis of organophosphines with photoredox organocatalysis has allowed the discovery of a mechanistically unusual Giese coupling reaction. In addition to addressing a limitation in traditional photoredox coupling with electron-poor alkynes these studies demonstrate the viability of reaction designs that merge traditional nucleophilic phosphines organocatalysis and photoredox events.

The largest structurally characterized cluster of clusters [Ag₉₃(PPh₃)₆(C≡CR)₅₀]³⁺ (R=4-CH₃OC₆H₄) is prepared. It is a disc-shaped structure, its Ag₆₉ kernel consists of a bicapped hexagonal prismatic Ag₁₅ wrapped by six Ino decahedral Ag₁₃ units through edge-sharing. The central silver atom has an unprecedented high coordination number of 14. This is the first time that Ino decahedra act as building blocks to assemble a supercluster.

The layered double hydroxides (LDH) intermediate layer facilitates controlled interfacial polymerization between trimesoyl chloride and piperazine, which results in two membranes with good separation performances towards salts and dyes. Due to the low water transport resistance of the LDH layer and the thinner polyamide layer, the composite membrane has a larger flux, which is a breakthrough in the trade-off between permeance and selectivity.

Although main group redox systems are attractive as next-generation energy storage media, achieving high cell voltages via extreme redox couples typically compromises their long-term stabilities. We show that phosphine oxide functionalization can render terthiophenes robust two-electron acceptors at very low potentials, thus opening fundamentally new parameter space in the search for stable main group redox systems with high cell voltages.

The S-glycosyltransferase LmbT is the only known enzyme that catalyzes the incorporation of ergothioneine, 1, into secondary metabolites. The structure and function analysis of LmbT provided a structural basis for the S_N2-like S-glycosylation reaction with ergothioneine. These findings will lead to the mechanistic understanding of key enzyme reactions in the biosynthesis of ergothioneine-containing natural products such as lincomycin A.

Actinopyridazinone biosynthesis represents a unique biochemical transformation of an amino acid. It involves Nγ-amination of DABA using alanine as a nitrogen donor. An acetyl hydrazone intermediate undergoes an unprecedented carrier protein mediated heterocyclization to give a dihydropyridazinone. This is a sophisticated biosynthetic strategy in which an acetylation temporarily protects the reactive hydrazone during biosynthesis.

Enantioselective C−H alkylation/cyclization of sulfondiimines with sulfoxonium ylides using a Ru^II catalyst and a newly developed chiral spiro carboxylic acid enables the synthesis of 1,2-benzothiazine 1-imines, thus expanding the accessible chemical space of chiral hexavalent organosulfur scaffolds relevant to biologically active compounds.

The total synthesis of sculponin U, a C20-oxygenated kaurane diterpenoid, was completed. The hexanone-fused bicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleton was strategically established by a photoinduced electron transfer, generating a cationic radical intermediate from a silyl enolate.

Extracellular vesicle to phosphoproteins (EVTOP) as a novel strategy achieves one-pot EV isolation, extraction and digestion of EV proteins, and enrichment of phosphopeptides starting with microliters of biofluids, enabling ultrasensitive EV phosphoproteome analyses of challenging biofluids such as plasma and cerebrospinal fluid with limited volume.

As a powerful complement to existing organic amine catalysis, direct activation of the α-C−H bonds of saturated cyclic ketones is realized for the first time in an amine-free and directing-group-free catalytic mode. The carbonyl group binds to a defect site of the quantum dot (QD) surface, selectively weakening the α-C−H bond, instead of the β-C−H bond, and exclusively generating an α-C radical under visible-light irradiation. This unique activation platform leads to selective activation of the α-C−H bonds of cyclic ketones under redox-neutral conditions.

A molecular probe loading method is developed to measure the surface area of anisotropic polymersomes in the shape of tube, disc, and stomatocyte. This method relies on the loading of an amphiphilic molecular probe onto the PEG corona of polymersomes as a monolayer. The surface area of anisotropic polymersomes is determined by the loading amount of probes.

Trapped ion mobility mass spectrometry, combined with theoretical calculations, is used to resolve the structures of intermediate fragments produced upon dissociation of atomically precise silver clusters in the gas-phase, which has remained challenging using other methodologies.

The first MOF glass composed of metal-carboxylate cluster building units is vitrified by multi-stage transformations: The crystalline MOF is amorphized by vapor hydration and thermal dehydration, goes through a glass transition to enter a super-cooled liquid state, and recrystallizes into the initial structure. These multi-stage transformations are a rare example of high-temperature coordinative recognition and self-assembly.

In columnar order quadrupole perovskites A₂A′A′′B₄O₁₂ hybrid improper ferroelectricity emerges through A-site cation ordering across anti-displaced structural columns. This novel form of polar order couples to an intrinsic proper ferroelectric instability associated with underbonded magnetic A′ Mn²⁺ ions, giving rise to a biased, asymmetric switching response under applied electric field that coexists at low temperature with antiferromagnetism.

Benefiting from the unique architecture of the largest-unit-cell thorium metal–organic framework (MOF), a second actinide, uranyl, with dintinct coordination behaviour was successfully assembled into the framework via a novel reaction-induced preorganization strategy to yield a rare single crystalline heterobimetallic actinide MOF.

Inspired by biological mucus, here, we report multi gram-scale synthesis of dendronized polysulfates as mucin-inspired virus-binding polymer (MIPs). Cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) analysis reveals their single chain fiber morphology. These biocompatible synthesized fibers inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection and inhibitory activities depend on the length of the fibers.

A chiral cyclohexadiene-based dihydrogen surrogate can distinguish between the enantiotopic faces of benzylic carbenium ions (see Scheme). No covalent interactions are required but instead dispersion controls the facial discrimination as verified by computations.