Development of Enantioselective Lithium-Isothiourea-Boronate-Catalyzed Matteson Homologations.

Our group's discovery of lithium-isothiourea-boronate-catalyzed Matteson homologations is chronicled. Chiral thiourea dual-hydrogen bond donors were initially found to promote enantioselective dichloromethyl boronate rearrangements, albeit with poor reproducibility. Systematic investigations of the fate of the thiourea led to the discovery that lithium-isothiourea-boronate derivatives were being generated in situ as highly enantioselective catalytically active species.

Signaling in microbial communities with open boundaries.

Microbial communities such as swarms or biofilms often form at the interfaces of solid substrates and open fluid flows. At the same time, in laboratory environments these communities are commonly studied using microfluidic devices with media flows and open boundaries. Extracellular signaling within these communities is therefore subject to different constraints than signaling within classic, closed-boundary systems such as developing embryos or tissues, yet is understudied by comparison.

Signaling in microbial communities with open boundaries.

Microbial communities such as swarms or biofilms often form at the interfaces of solid substrates and open fluid flows. At the same time, in laboratory environments these communities are commonly studied using microfluidic devices with media flows and open boundaries. Extracellular signaling within these communities is therefore subject to different constraints than signaling within classic, closed-boundary systems such as developing embryos or tissues, yet is understudied by comparison.

Light-activated interlayer contraction in two-dimensional perovskites for high-efficiency solar cells.

Understanding and tailoring the physical behaviour of halide perovskites under practical environments is critical for designing efficient and durable optoelectronic devices. Here, we report that continuous light illumination leads to >1% contraction in the out-of-plane direction in two-dimensional hybrid perovskites, which is reversible and strongly dependent on the specific superlattice packing. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that constant light illumination results in the accumulation of positive charges in the terminal iodine atoms, thereby enhancing the bonding character of inter-slab I-I interactions across the organic barrier and activating out-of-plane contraction.