The selective functionalization of sp3 C–H bonds is a versatile tool for the diversification of organic compounds. Combining attractive features of homogeneous and enzymatic catalysts, artificial metalloenzymes offer an ideal means to selectively modify these inert motifs. Herein, we report on a copper(I) heteroscorpionate complex embedded within streptavidin that catalyzes the intramolecular insertion

The development of photopolymers that can be depolymerized and subsequently re-cured using the same light stimulus presents a significant technical challenge. A bio-sourced terpenoid structure, l-carvone, inspired the creation of a re-curable photopolymer in which the orthogonal reactivity of an irreversible thioether and a dynamic thiol-Michael bond enables both photopolymerization and thermally driven

Photosynthetic water oxidation is catalyzed by a manganese–calcium oxide cluster, which experiences five “S-states” during a light-driven reaction cycle. The unique “distorted chair”-like geometry of the Mn4CaO5(6) cluster shows structural flexibility that has been frequently proposed to involve “open” and “closed”-cubane forms from the S1 to S3 states. The isomers are interconvertible in the S1 and

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is an intrinsically disordered protein which self-assembles into highly organized β-sheet structures that accumulate in plaques in brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. Oxidative stress influences α-Syn structure and self-assembly; however, the basis for this remains unclear. Here we characterize the chemical and physical effects of mild oxidation on monomeric α-Syn and its aggregation

A dual catalytic manifold that enables site-selective functionalization of unactivated sp3 C–O bonds in cyclic acetals with aryl and alkyl halides is reported. The reaction is triggered by an appropriate σ*–p orbital overlap prior to sp3 C–O cleavage, thus highlighting the importance of conformational flexibility in both reactivity and site selectivity. The protocol is characterized by its excellent

The well-known limitation of alkaline fuel cells is the slack kinetics of the cathodic half-cell reaction, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Platinum, being the most active ORR catalyst, is still facing challenges due to its corrosive nature and sluggish kinetics. Many novel approaches for substituting Pt have been reported, which suffer from stability issues even after mighty modifications. Designing

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays an important role in various signal transduction pathways and regulates important cellular processes. However, monitoring and quantitatively assessing the distribution of H2O2 molecules inside living cells requires a nanoscale sensor with molecular-level sensitivity. Herein, we show the first demonstration of sub-10 nm-sized fluorescent nanodiamonds (NDs) as catalysts

Recent years have witnessed promising artificial intelligence (AI) applications in many disciplines, including optics, engineering, medicine, economics, and education. In particular, the synergy of AI and meta-optics has greatly benefited both fields. Meta-optics are advanced flat optics with novel functions and light-manipulation abilities. The optical properties can be engineered with a unique design

[Zn(3-tba)2], 1, a 1-D coordination polymer synthesised as 1·DMA, 1α, transformed to a nonporous form, 1β upon activation. 1β underwent further transformation to the dimeric complex [Zn(3-tba)2(H2O)2], 2, above 40% RH. The reverse transformations, 2 to 1β and 1β to 1α, were accomplished by heating and exposure to DMA, respectively, and were single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase changes. Single crystal

Solar cells are conventionally used to harvest energy in outer space, but they are ineffective in dark locations. Here, we show that superconducting materials – which work best in cold environments, such as those found in outer space—provide a mechanism to harvest energy that does not require light. A superconducting maglev (magnetic levitation) magnetoelectric generator (SMMG) can convert mechanical

Turbostratic layers in 2D materials have an interlayer misalignment. The lack of alignment expands the intrinsic interlayer distances and weakens the optical and electronic interactions between adjacent layers. This introduces properties distinct from those structures with well-aligned lattices and strong coupling interactions. However, direct, and rapid synthesis of turbostratic materials remains

Developing advanced electrocatalysts with exceptional two electron (2e–) selectivity, activity and stability are crucial for driving oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Herein, a composition engineering strategy has been adapted to flexibly regulate the intrinsic activity of amorphous nickel boride nanoarchitectures for efficient 2e– ORR by oriented reduction of Ni2+

Reaction of [TiCp*Cl3] (Cp* = η5-C5Me5) with one equivalent of magnesium in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature affords the paramagnetic trinuclear complex [{TiCp*(μ-Cl)}3(μ3-Cl)], which reacts with dinitrogen under ambient conditions to give the diamagnetic derivative [{TiCp*(μ-Cl)}3(μ3-η1:η2:η2-N2)] and the titanium(III) dimer [{TiCp*Cl(μ-Cl)}2]. The structure of the trinuclear mixed-valence complexes

Vinylbenziodoxolones have recently been identified as efficient hypervalent iodine(III) reagents for electrophilic vinylations under transition metal-free conditions. Their unique reactivity allows synthesis of either internal or terminal alkenes, depending on the nucleophile class. This paper constitutes the first mechanistic investigation of VBX vinylations, and makes use of NMR studies, deuterium

Ammonia synthesis via the high-temperature and -pressure Haber-Bosch (HB) process at large centralized facilities has a significant contribution to the global CO2 emission. Radically new catalysts should be discovered to enable sustainable ammonia synthesis processes that can operate at much lower temperatures to relax the demand for the high pressure in the current HB process. In this manner, the

The promising future of storing and processing quantized information at the molecular level has been attracting the study of Single-Molecule Magnets (SMMs) for almost three decades. Although some recent breakthroughs are mainly about the SMMs containing only one lanthanide ion, we believe SMMs can tell much deeper story than the single-ion anisotropy. Here in this Perspective, we will try to draw a

Enzyme-photo-coupled catalysis produces fine chemicals by combining the high selectivity of an enzyme with the green energy input of sunlight. Operating a large-scale system, however, remains challenging because of the significant loss of enzyme activity caused by continuous illumination and the difficulty in utilizing solar energy with high efficiency at large scale. We present a large-scale enzyme-photo-couple

Hydrogen spillover, the migration of dissociated hydrogen atoms from noble metal to their support materials, is a ubiquitous phenomenon and is widely utilized in heterogeneous catalysis and hydrogen storage materials. However, in-depth understanding of the migration of spilled hydrogen over different types of supports is still lacking. Herein, hydrogen spillover in typical reducible metal oxides, such

The L-threonine aldolase from Leishmania major was engineered to improve diastereoselectivity by a CAST/ISM strategy, providing insights into the relationship between physico -chemical properties of substrate access path and diastereoselectivity. The steric hindrance, hydrophobic interaction and π-π interaction cooperated to improve diastereoselectivity of the enzyme, with a diastereomeric excess (de)

A major challenge hindering the further development of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) employing polymerized small-molecule acceptors is the relatively low fill factor (FF) due to the difficulty in controlling active layer morphology. The issues typically arise from oversized phase separation resulting from the thermodynamically unfavorable mixing between two macromolecular species, and disordered

Reducing particle size in supported metal catalyst to single atom level isolates the active metal sites and maximizes the atomic utilization efficiency. However, the large inter-atom distance, particularly in low-loading single atom catalyst (SAC), is not favourable for a complex reaction where two (or more) reactants have to be activated. A key question is how to control the inter-atom distances to

Polarization-resolved photodetection in a compact footprint is of great interests for ultra-miniaturized polarimeter to be used in a wide range of applications. However, states of polarization (SOP) probing in natural anisotropy materials are usually weak, limited by material's natural dichroism or diattenuation. Here, we report a twisted unipolar-barrier van der Waals heterostructure (vdWH) to construct

The shape-controlled synthesis of nanocrystals remains a hot research topic in nanotechnology. Particularly, the fabrication of one-dimensional (1D) structures such as wires, rods, belts, and tubes has been an interesting and important subject within nanoscience in the last few decades. 1D necklace-like micro/nano-structures are a sophisticated geometry that has attracted increasing attention due to

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an intractable malignancy with high recurrence and mortality. Temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin (CDDP) based combinational therapy shows promising potential for GBM therapy in clinical trials. However, significant challenges include limited blood-brain-barrier (BBB) penetration, poor targeting of GBM tissue/cells and systemic side effect which hinder its efficacy in GBM therapy

Metal oxides possessing distinctive physical/chemical properties due to different crystal structures and stoichiometries play a pivotal role in numerous current technologies, especially heterogeneous catalysis for production/conversion of high-valued chemicals and energy. To date, many researchers have investigated the effect of the structure and composition of these materials on their reactivity to

Multifunctional interfacial engineering on Zn anode to conquer the dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution and sluggish kinetics associated with Zn deposition is highly desirable for boosting the commercialization of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Herein, a spontaneous construction of carbonyl-containing layer on Zn anode (Zn@ZCO) is rationally designed as an ion redistributor and functional protective interphase

It is still very urgent and challenging to simultaneously develop high-rate and long-cycle oxide cathodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of its sluggish kinetics and complex multiphase evolution during cycling. Here, we report the concept of accurately manipulating structural evolution and formulating high-performance heterostructured biphasic layered oxide cathodes by local chemistry and

The variation of vertical component distribution can significantly influence photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells (OSCs), mainly due to its impact on the exciton dissociation, and the charge carrier transport and recombination. Herein, the binary devices are fabricated via sequential deposition (SD) of D18 and L8-BO materials in a two-step process. Upon independently regulating the spin-coating

Ammonia oxidation catalyzed by molecular compounds is of current interest as a carbon free source of dihydrogen. Activation of N-H bonds through coordination to transition metal centers is a key reaction in this process. We report the substantial activation of ammonia via reaction with low valent molybdenum complexes of a diborate pentadentate ligand system. Spontaneous loss of hydrogen atoms from

Hybrid CO 2 electroreduction in which carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is coupled with a thermodynamically more favorable anodic oxidation reaction is recognized as a very important strategy to improve the total value of redox products and energy conversion efficiency. In this work, a coordination catalyst model system for hybrid electrocatalytic full reaction, including Ni 8 -TET with active

We report here fast A-site cation cross-exchange between APbX 3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) made of different A-cations (Cs (Cesium), FA (formamidinium), and MA (methylammonium)) at room temperature. Surprisingly, the A-cation cross-exchange proceeds as fast as the halide (X=Cl, Br, or I) exchange with the help of free A-oleate complexes present in the freshly prepared colloidal perovskite NC solutions

A series of platinum(II) calix[4]arene-based molecular tweezers was synthesized. The studies of the host-guest association with a charge-neutral cyclometalated platinum(II) complex showed a drastic color change and the turning on of near-infrared emission resulting from Pt⋯Pt and π−π interactions. Control of the host-guest assembly process by varying the solvent composition can lead to a change from

Recently the fruitful merger of organoboron chemistry and photocatalysis has come to the forefront of organic synthesis resulting in the development of new technologies to access complex (non)borylated frameworks. Central to the success of this combination is control of boron hybridisation. Contingent on the photoactivation mode, boron as its neutral planar form or tetrahedral boronate can be used

Supramolecular polymers (SPs) of d 8 transition metal complexes have received considerable attention by virtue of their rich photophysical properties arising from metal-metal interactions. However, thus far, the molecular design is restricted to complexes with chelating ligands due to their advantageous preorganization and strong ligand fields. Herein, we demonstrate unique pathway-controllable me

Reported here is a multi-response anisotropic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel developed by using a rotating magnetic field to align magnetic double stacks (MDSs) that are fixed by polymerization. The magneto-orientation of MDSs originates from the unique structure with g-Fe2O3 nanoparticles sandwiched by two silicate nanosheets. The resultant gels not only exhibit anisotropic optical and mechanical

Recent discoveries of light-driven inward proton-pumping rhodopsins have opened new avenues to exploring the mechanism of unidirectional transport because these proteins transport protons in the opposite direction to conventional proton-pumping rhodopsins, despite their similar protein structure and membrane topology. Schizorhodopsin (SzR) is a newly discovered rhodopsin family of light-driven inward

Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a valuable source of cancer biomarkers. However, the high degree of EV heterogeneity and the complexity of clinical samples pose a challenge in the sensitive identification of tumor-derived EVs. Here we introduce a one-step thermophoretic AND gate operation (Tango) assay that integrates polyethylene glycol (PEG)-enhanced thermophoretic accumulation

Despite the remarkable multiple resonances (MR) optoelectronic properties of organic nanographenes with boron and nitrogen atoms disposed para to each other, the synthetic procedures are sophisticated with low yields and the molecular skeletons are limited. Here, a new paradigm of easy-to-access MR emitter is constructed by simplifying the multiborylation through the amine-directed formation of B-N

Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks.

A strong material becomes more rigid or more relaxed when its constituent gears are spun.

A long-running La Niña climate event could persist into 2023. Plus, breast cancer cells are more likely to go rogue at night, and research to quantify and reduce inequality.

The lineages’ rise seems to stem from their ability to infect people who were immune to earlier forms of Omicron and other variants.

‘Microorganism’ is a misnomer when it comes to centimetre-long Thiomargarita magnifica.

Membranes with methane-excluding pores can remove nitrogen and carbon dioxide from natural gas in an energy-efficient and cost-effective way.

Scientists can now check whether a journal website has been cloned before submitting their manuscript.