An effective design strategy for thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters with aggregation-induced emission to enable sky-blue OLEDs that achieve an EQE of nearly 30.

Pure organic thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials hold great promise for efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), yet developing high-performance blue TADF materials that integrate short delayed lifetime with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties remains a significant challenge. In this study, we developed three highly-efficient blue TADF emitters (32clCBP, 32clCXT and 32PclCXT) featuring AIE character by integrating rigid π-extended donors with different acceptors. Notably, the doped 32PclCXT film achieved an exceptionally high photoluminescence quantum efficiency of up to 99% and a short delayed lifetime of 1.

[A new benzopyran glycoside from Gentiana macrophylla].

Thirteen compounds were isolated and identified from 70% ethanol extract of the roots of Gentiana macrophylla by multi-chromatographic methods, including microporous resin, silica gel, and C_(18) reversed-phase column chromatography, as well as HPLC as follows: macrophylloside G(1), macrophylloside D(2), 5-formyl-2,3-dihydroisocoumarin(3),(+)-medicarpin(4),(+)-syringaresinol(5), liquiritigenin(6),(3R)-sativanone(7),(3R)-3'-O-methylviolanone(8), 4,2',4'-trihydroxychalcone(9), latifolin(10), gentioxepine(11), 6α-hydroxycyclonerolidol(12), and ethyl linoleate(13). Compound 1 was a new benzopyran glycoside. Compounds 4, 6-10, 12, and 13 were isolated for the first time from Gentiana plants.

Facile aqueous synthesis and comparative evaluation of TiO-semiconductor and TiO-metal nanohybrid photocatalysts in antibiotics degradation under visible light.

Advanced oxidation processes using TiO-based nanomaterials are sustainable technologies that hold great promise for the degradation of many types of pollutants including pharmaceutical residues. A wide variety of heterostructures coupling TiO with visible-light active nanomaterials have been explored to shift its photocatalytic properties to harness sun irradiation but a systematic comparison between them is lacking in the current literature. Furthermore, the high number of proposed nanostructures with different size, morphology, and surface area, and the often complex synthesis processes hamper the transition of these materials into commercial and effective solutions for environmental remediation.

Boosting the capacity and stability of a MoO cathode valence regulation and polypyrrole coating for a rechargeable Zn ion battery.

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO) is emerging as a hugely competitive cathode material for aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) for its high theoretical capacity and electrochemical activity. Nevertheless, owing to its undesirable electronic transport capability and poor structural stability, the practical capacity and cycling performance of MoO are yet unsatisfactory, which greatly blocks its commercial use. In this work, we report an effective approach to first synthesise nanosized MoO materials to provide more active specific surface areas, while improving the capacity and cycle life of MoO by introducing low valence Mo and coated polypyrrole (PPy).

Facile fabrication of hierarchical ultrathin Rh-based nanosheets for efficient hydrogen evolution.

Rational design of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted wide attention. Noble metal-based electrocatalysts with ultrathin structures and highly exposed active surfaces are essential to boost the HER performance, while the simple synthetic strategies remain challenging. Herein, we reported a facile urea-mediated method to synthesize hierarchical ultrathin Rh nanosheets (Rh NSs) without using toxic reducing agents and structure directing agents in the reaction.

A facile approach to obtain super-hydrophobicity for cotton fiber fabrics.

It is a challenging task to directly apply emulsified silicone oil to the surface of cotton fabric to obtain superhydrophobic properties. In this work, a temperature-responsive microgel was first synthesized and the particle size and distribution of the microgel, thermo-responsiveness, and hydrophobicity of the microgel membrane were investigated. Then, through an emulsifying PMHS/water system with microgels as a Pickering emulsifier, a series of Pickering emulsions were obtained.

InI-catalyzed polyene cyclization of allenes and its application in the total synthesis of seven abietane-type diterpenoids.

A novel polyene cyclization using the allene group as the initiator has been successfully developed. This methodology provides an efficient strategy for the construction of an abietane-type tricyclic skeleton with a functionalizable C2-C3 double bond and features a wide substrate scope and excellent stereoselectivities. Potential utility of this approach has been well demonstrated by the collective total synthesis of seven abietane-type diterpenoids.

Synthesis and mechanism of biological action of morpholinyl-bearing arylsquaramides as small-molecule lysosomal pH modulators.

Lysosomal pH is an important modulator for many cellular processes. An agent that is capable of regulating lysosomal pH may find a wide range of potential applications in the field of biomedicine. In this study, we describe the synthesis of a family of morpholinyl-bearing arylsquaramides as small-molecule lysosomal pH modulators.

Cu(ii)/SPDO complex catalyzed asymmetric Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of 2-arylcyclobutanones and its application for the total synthesis of eupomatilones 5 and 6.

A novel classical kinetic resolution of 2-aryl-substituted or 2,3-disubstituted cyclobutanones of Baeyer-Villiger oxidation catalyzed by a Cu(ii)/SPDO complex is reported for the first time, producing normal lactones in excellent enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee) and regioselectivities (up to >20/1), along with unreacted ketones in excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). The current transformation features a wide substrate scope. Moreover, catalytic asymmetric total syntheses of natural eupomatilones 5 and 6 are achieved in nine steps from commercially available 3-methylcyclobutan-1-one.

Correction: Natural bamboo leaves as dielectric layers for flexible capacitive pressure sensors with adjustable sensitivity and a broad detection range.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1RA03207K.].

Natural bamboo leaves as dielectric layers for flexible capacitive pressure sensors with adjustable sensitivity and a broad detection range.

Developing a high-performance capacitive sensor for diverse application scenarios has posed requirements for the sensor to have high sensitivity, broad detection range, and cost-effectiveness. In this experiment, a flexible pressure sensor with a high sensitivity of 2.08 kPa at pressure lower than 1 kPa, as well as a wide working range of 0-600 kPa and remarkable stability (for at least 4000 cycles), was designed.

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of cobaltosic sulfide nanorods for high performance supercapacitors.

With high reactivity, electrical conductivity, theoretical specific capacitance and well redox reversibility, transition metal sulfides are considered as a promising anode material for supercapacitors. Hence, we designed a simple two-step hydrothermal process to grow CoS nanorod arrays on flexible carbon cloth substrates. Benefited from the larger specific surface area of nanoarrays, the binder-free CoS electrode demonstrates a higher specific capacity of 1.

[A new phenylethanol glycoside from Baphicacanthis Cusiae Rhizoma et Radix].

The 95% ethanol extract of Baphicacanthis Cusiae Rhizoma et Radix was purified by multi-chromatographic methods including microporous resin, silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and C_(18) reversed-phase column chromatography. Fourteen compounds were isolated and structurally identified, including five phenylethanoid glycosides, five phenylpropanoids, one lupinane triterpene, two alkaloids, and one flavonoid, listed as follows: 2-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-3-oxo-1-propanol B(1), threo-2,3-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzene)-3-methoxypropanol(2), 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-ethanol-1-O-[3,4-O-di-acetyl-(1→3)-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside(3), verbascoside(4), 2″,3″-di-O-acetyl martynoside(5),(+)-pinore-sinol(6), diospyrosin(7), daidzein(8), wiedemannioside B(9), buddlenol A(10), 2″-O-acetyl martyonside(11), lupeol(12), indirubin(13), and tryptanthrin(14). Compound 3 was a new phenylethanoid glycoside, and the other 10 compounds were isolated for the first time from Baphicacanthis Cusiae Rhizoma et Radix except compounds 12, 13, and 14.

Coordinative-to-covalent transformation, isomerization dynamics, and logic gate application of dithienylethene based photochromic cages.

Photochromic coordinative cages containing dynamic C[double bond, length as m-dash]N imine bonds are assembled from a dithienylethene-based aldehyde and tris-amine precursors metallo-component self-assembly. The resulting metal-templated cages are then reduced and demetalated into pure covalent-organic cages (COCs), which are otherwise difficult to prepare organic synthesis. Both the obtained coordinative and covalent cages can be readily interconverted between the ring-open (-isomer) and one-lateral ring-closed (-isomer) forms by UV/vis light irradiation, demonstrating distinct absorption, luminescence and photoisomerization dynamics.

Synthesis and biological activity of squaramido-tethered bisbenzimidazoles as synthetic anion transporters.

A series of squaramido-tethered bisbenzimidazoles were synthesized from the reaction of diethyl squarate with substituted 2-aminomethylbenzimidazoles. These conjugates exhibit moderate binding affinity toward chloride anions. They are able to facilitate the transmembrane transport of chloride anions most probably an anion exchange process, and tend to be more active at acidic pH than at physiological pH.

Water-assisted synthesis of highly stable CsPbX perovskite quantum dots embedded in zeolite-Y.

All-inorganic perovskite materials have emerged as highly promising materials for solar cells and photoelectronic applications. However, the poor stability of perovskites in ambient conditions significantly hampers their practical applications. In this work, we report a three-step synthesis of size tunable CsPbX (X = Br, Cl, or I) quantum dots (QDs) embedded in zeolite-Y (CsPbX-Y), which involves efficient chemical transformation of non-luminescent CsPbX to highly luminescent CsPbX by stripping CsX through an interfacial reaction with water.

Facile access to diverse all-carbon quaternary center containing spirobicycles by exploring a tandem Castro-Stephens coupling/acyloxy shift/cyclization/semipinacol rearrangement sequence.

Efficient combination of two or more reactions into a practically useful purification free sequence is of great significance for the achievement of structural complexity and diversity, and an important approach for the development of new synthetic strategies that are industrially step-economic and environmentally friendly. In this work, a facile and efficient method for the construction of highly functionalized spirocyclo[4.5]decane derivatives containing a synthetically challenging quaternary carbon center has been successfully developed through the realization of a tandem Castro-Stephens coupling/1,3-acyloxy shift/cyclization/semipinacol rearrangement sequence.

A simple and efficient approach toward deep-red to near-infrared-emitting iridium(iii) complexes for organic light-emitting diodes with external quantum efficiencies of over 10.

While the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of iridium(iii) (Ir(iii)) phosphor based near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes (NIR OLEDs) has been limited to 5.7% to date, there is no significant EQE improvement for these types of OLEDs due to the lack of efficient Ir(iii) emitters. Here, a convenient approach within three synthetic steps is developed to afford two novel and efficient deep-red to near-infrared (DR-NIR) emitting phosphors ( and ), in which a cyano group is added into a commercial red emitter named to significantly stabilize the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of the newly designed Ir(iii) complexes.

Antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of a thiophenyl substituted pyrimidine derivative.

The issue of multidrug resistant bacteria is a worldwide health threat. To develop new antibacterial agents with new mechanisms of action is thus an urgent request to address this antibiotic resistance crisis. In the present study, a new thiophenyl-pyrimidine derivative was prepared and utilized as an effective antibacterial agent against Gram-positive strains.

High-water-absorbing calcium alginate fibrous scaffold fabricated by microfluidic spinning for use in chronic wound dressings.

More and more water-absorbing wound dressings have been studied since moist wound-healing treatment can effectively promote the healing of wounds. In this work, we introduce a novel method to produce improved wound dressings with high-water-absorbance. A high-water-absorbing calcium alginate (Ca-Alg) fibrous scaffold was fabricated simply by microfluidic spinning and centrifugal reprocessing.

Correction: A study on a telo21 G-quadruplex DNA specific binding ligand: enhancing the molecular recognition ability the amino group interactions.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C8RA03833C.].

A study on a telo21 G-quadruplex DNA specific binding ligand: enhancing the molecular recognition ability the amino group interactions.

A symmetric ligand is synthesized composed of a core -methylpyridinium scaffold and two -substituted benzyl groups through a flexible ethylene bridge to form a novel three-ring-conjugated system. The ligand system was found to have only weak background fluorescent signal in aqueous or physiological conditions and exhibited strong fluorescent signal enhancement targeting at telo21 G-quadruplex structure rather than other types of nucleic acids. The comparison study with two terminal groups (-N(CH) -SCH) indicates that the stimulated signal enhancement of specific binding is probably attributed to the hydrogen-bonding interactions through the amino groups in the G-quartets.

The surface chemical composition effect of a polyacrylic acid/polyvinyl alcohol nanofiber/quartz crystal microbalance sensor on ammonia sensing behavior.

Polyacrylic acid (PAA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) ammonia sensors were fabricated by depositing composite PAA/PVA nanofibrous substrates onto QCM gold electrodes. Morphological analysis of the PAA/PVA substrates revealed a homogenous smooth surface and similar specific surface areas. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated their distinct chemical properties with different carboxyl group contents on the surface.