Enhancing the capacity of Mn-rich cathodes by kinetics control for lithium-ion batteries.

High energy density cathodes have been widely explored in recent years in the area of lithium-ion batteries, which suffer from sluggish kinetics and structural degradation. Herein, the kinetics of the charge transfer process on the cathode material was accelerated synergistic lanthurizing and Li/Mn optimization method, thereby delivering layered-spinel biphase and improved electrochemical performance. The available capacity was greatly enhanced from 57.

An interactive dual energy storage mechanism boosts high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Organic materials are promising cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and tunable structures. However, the energy density of AZIBs remains limited by the inherently low capacity and output voltage of organic cathode materials. To address this challenge, we develop a Mn ion-doped polyaniline (PAM) by harnessing the joint merits of the highly reversible doping process of the conjugated backbone and the unique dissolution-deposition behavior of Mn in ZnSO electrolyte.

Bipolar electrochemiluminescence at the water/organic interface.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has emerged as a valuable tool for understanding multiphasic and compartmentalized systems, which have crucial wide-ranging applications across diverse fields. However, ECL reactions are limited to the vicinity of the electrode surface due to spatial constraints of electron transfer and the short lifetime of radical species, making ECL emission in bulk multiphasic solution challenging. To address this limitation, we propose a novel bipolar electrochemistry (BPE) approach for wireless dual-color ECL emission at the water/organic (w/o) interface.

Synthesis of highly soluble zirconium organic cages by iodine substitution toward a CO/N separation membrane.

Metal organic cages (MOCs) show promise as fillers in mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) for gas separation; highly soluble MOCs are desirable for fabrication of high-compatibility membranes. Herein, we report an iodine substitution strategy to substantially increase the MOC solubility. The synthesized MOC of ZrT-NH-I possesses over 10-fold higher solubility than the parent ZrT-NH in organic solvents whilst retaining the original molecular structure and permanent porosity.

A cobalt-modified covalent organic framework enables highly efficient degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in high concentrations through peroxymonosulfate activation.

The development of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) which can rapidly degrade high concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenol is of great significance for its practical application. In this work, we report a cobalt-doped two-dimensional (2D) COF (JLNU-307-Co) for the ultra-efficient degradation of high concentration 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The JLNU-307-Co/PMS system takes only 3 min to degrade 100% of 50 mg L 2,4-DCP and shows excellent catalytic stability in real water.

Blue light emission enhancement and robust pressure resistance of gallium oxide nanocrystals.

Exploration of pressure-resistant materials largely facilitates their operation under extreme conditions where a stable structure and properties are highly desirable. However, under extreme conditions, such as a high pressure over 30.0 GPa, fluorescence quenching generally occurs in most materials.

A tricycloquinazoline based 2D conjugated metal-organic framework for robust sodium-ion batteries with co-storage of both cations and anions.

There is growing interest in 2D conjugated metal-organic frameworks (2D -MOFs) for batteries due to their reversible redox chemistry. Nevertheless, currently reported 2D -MOFs based on n-type ligands are mostly focused on the storage of cations for batteries. Herein, we successfully synthesize nitrogen-rich and electron-deficient p-type ligand-based Ni(HATQ) assembled from 2,3,7,8,12,13-hexaaminotricycloquinazoline (HATQ), and the ion co-storage feature of cations and anions in sodium ion batteries (SIBs) is demonstrated for 2D -MOFs for the first time.

Introduction to nanoclusters: from theory to application.

Yi Gao, Daojian Cheng and Zhigang Wang introduce the themed collection on Nanoclusters: from theory to application.

One-pot asymmetric living copolymerization-induced chiral self-assemblies and circularly polarized luminescence.

Controlled synthesis of conjugated block polymers enables the optimization of their self-assembly and may lead to distinct optical properties and functionalities. Herein, we report a direct chain extension of one-handed helical poly(acyl methane) with 1-ethynyl-4-iodo-2,5-bis(octyloxy)benzene, affording well-defined π-conjugated poly(acyl methane)--poly(phenylene ethynylene) copolymers. Although the distinct monomers are polymerized different mechanisms, the one-pot copolymerization follows a living polymerization manner, giving the desired optically active block copolymers with controllable molar mass and low distribution.

Nitrogen-doped carbon material NCM- heterogeneously catalyzed liquid-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline.

As an important chemical intermediate, aniline is primarily produced industrially through catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. Herein, a series of nitrogen-doped carbon materials (referred to as NCM-, with denoting the roasting temperature (°C)) were prepared through high-temperature roasting of sucrose and melamine for the heterogeneous catalytic liquid-phase hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline. A preliminary study of the involved reaction mechanism was performed by combining the results of material characterisation and catalyst evaluation.

Realizing long range π-conjugation in phenanthrene and phenanthrene-based molecular crystals for anomalous piezoluminescence.

Unlike the known aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) that the enhancement of π-π interactions in rigid organic molecules usually decreases the luminescent emission, here we show that an intermolecular "head-to-head" π-π interaction in the phenanthrene crystal, forming the so-called "transannular effect", could result in a higher degree of electron delocalization and thus photoluminescent emission enhancement. Such a transannular effect is molecular configuration and stacking dependent, which is absent in the isomers of phenanthrene but can be realized again in the designed phenanthrene-based cocrystals. The transannular effect becomes more significant upon compression and causes anomalous piezoluminescent enhancement in the crystals.

A functional unit combination strategy for enhancing red room-temperature phosphorescence.

Red room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials based on non-metallic organic compounds are less reported compared to the commonly found green RTP materials. Here, we propose a novel approach to obtain red RTP materials by integrating and combining two functional units, resembling a jigsaw puzzle. In this approach, benzo[][2,1,3]thiadiazole (BZT) serves as the red RTP unit, while a folding unit containing sulphur/oxygen is responsible for enhancing spin-orbit coupling (SOC) to accelerate the intersystem crossing (ISC) process.

Light-controlled artificial transmembrane signal transduction for 'ON/OFF'-switchable transphosphorylation of an RNA model substrate.

Inspired by nature, it is of significant importance to design and construct biomimetic signaling systems to mimic natural signal transduction. Herein, we report an azobenzene/α-cyclodextrin (α-CD)-based signal transduction system with three functional modules: a light-responsive headgroup, lipid-anchored group, pro-catalyst tailgroup. The transducer can be inserted into the vesicular membrane to trigger the transmembrane translocation of molecules under the activation of light, forming a ribonuclease-like effector site and leading to the transphosphorylation of the RNA model substrate inside the vesicles.

Pressure-induced room-temperature phosphorescence enhancement based on purely organic molecules with a folded geometry.

The pressure-dependent luminescence behavior of purely organic compounds is an important topic in the field of stimulus-responsive smart materials. However, the relevant studies are mainly limited to the investigation of fluorescence properties, while room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of purely organic compounds has not been investigated. Here, we filled in this gap regarding pressure-dependent RTP by using a model molecule selenanthrene (SeAN) with a folded geometry.

Tailoring the high-brightness "warm" white light emission of two-dimensional perovskite crystals a pressure-inhibited nonradiative transition.

Efficient warm white light emission is an ideal characteristic of single-component materials for light-emitting applications. Although two-dimensional hybrid perovskites are promising candidates for light-emitting diodes, as they possess broadband self-trapped emission and outstanding stability, they rarely achieve a high photoluminescence quantum yield of warm white light emissions. Here, an unusual pressure-induced warm white emission enhancement phenomenon from 2.

A biocompatible and fully erodible conducting polymer enables implanted rechargeable Zn batteries.

Implanted rechargeable batteries that can provide energy over a sufficient lifetime and ultimately degrade into non-toxic byproducts are highly desirable. However, their advancement is significantly impeded by the limited toolbox of electrode materials with a known biodegradation profile and high cycling stability. Here we report biocompatible, erodible poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) grafted with hydrolyzable carboxylic acid pendants.

Two-photon absorption behavior of conjugated oligomers suitable for low colour temperature LEDs.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) with low colour temperatures (CTs) have been proved to be physiologically-friendly light sources. However, there are few reports on the photophysical properties of luminescent materials with CTs lower than candlelight. Herein, one- and two-photon optical properties of four fluorenone-based conjugated oligomers have been systemically investigated.

Impact of a polymer modifier on directing the non-classical crystallization pathway of TS-1 zeolite: accelerating nucleation and enriching active sites.

The crystallization process directly affects the physicochemical properties and active centers of zeolites; however, controllable tuning of the zeolite crystallization process remains a challenge. Herein, we utilized a polymer (polyacrylamide, PAM) to control the precursor structure evolution of TS-1 zeolite through a two-step crystallization process, so that the crystallization path was switched from a classical to a non-classical mechanism, which greatly accelerated nucleation and enriched active Ti sites. The TS-1 crystallization process was investigated by means of various advanced characterization techniques.

Facile synthesis of Cu N-lauroyl sarcosinate nanozymes with laccase-mimicking activity and identification of toxicity effects for .

Nanozyme is a material with enzyme-like catalytic activity, which has been widely used in environmental, antibacterial, and other fields of research. However, there are few reports on the toxicity of nanozymes. In this work, nanozymes co-assembled from sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate (Ls) and Cu ions possess a Cu(i)-Cu(ii) electron transfer system similar to that of natural laccases.

Highly effective identification of drug targets at the proteome level by pH-dependent protein precipitation.

Fully understanding the target spaces of drugs is essential for investigating the mechanism of drug action and side effects, as well as for drug discovery and repurposing. In this study, we present an energetics-based approach, termed pH-dependent protein precipitation (pHDPP), to probe the ligand-induced protein stability shift for proteome-wide drug target identification. We demonstrate that pHDPP works for a diverse array of ligands, including a folate derivative, an ATP analog, a CDK inhibitor and an immunosuppressant, enabling highly specific identification of target proteins from total cell lysates.

3D-printed bioactive ceramic scaffolds with MoSe nanocrystals as photothermal agents for bone tumor therapy.

Large scale bone defects after bone tumor resection are difficult to reconstruct and repair, and there is also the possibility of tumor recurrence. Photothermal therapy (PTT) has the function of inhibiting tumor cells, but the risk of damage to normal cells is the main factor limiting the clinical application of PTT drugs, and most of them have a weak effect on regeneration for bone defects. Therefore, specific biomaterials that simultaneously eliminate bone tumors, have low toxicity, and promote osteogenesis have attracted considerable attention.