Fully annulated pyrazine-linked porous graphitic frameworks (PGFs) have garnered attention because of their potential applications in optoelectronics and energy storage. In this issue of Chem, Zhang, Liu, and co-workers report a base-promoted aqueous synthesis of such porous heterographenes with high crystallinity and application potential as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries.

Xiaochen Gao received his PhD degree in chemical technology (2010) from Tianjin University and now is a senior engineer at Sinopec Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (SRIPT). His research focuses on C1 chemistry, metal-organic frameworks, and photocatalysis. Weimin Yang received his PhD degree in physical chemistry (1994) from Nanjing University and now is a professor-level senior

Activation of ubiquitous organic halides into radical intermediates has been a challenging topic. In a recent paper published in Science, Leonori, Juliá, and co-workers disclosed a new and robust strategy for halogen-atom-transfer activation of alkyl and aryl halides with the use of α-aminoalkyl radicals, easily generated from simple tertiary amines via single-electron transfer (SET) oxidation.

Sluggish Zn2+ de- and intercalation behavior in solid lattices limits the cathode performance in rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries. In this issue of Chem, Xia and colleagues introduce a conducting polymer into layered vanadium oxide to promote the Zn storage capacity and long-term cycling stability.

In this issue of Chem, Che and coworkers show the sequential assembly of phosphorescent, multiblock supramolecular aggregates in one or more dimensions by a living supramolecular polymerization approach. Doping small amounts of PtII into PdII assemblies significantly improves emission properties, demonstrating a new strategy for preparing luminescent metal-organic supramolecular materials.

Tingting Kong obtained her PhD degree from Xi’an University of Science and Technology in 2017 and is currently a lecturer at Xi’an Shiyou University. Her research interest focuses on material design for photocatalytic CO2 conversion. Jingxiang Low obtained his PhD degree from Wuhan University of Technology in 2018 and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Science and Technology of

Yang Xia received his MS degree from South Central University for Nationalities in 2017. He is now a PhD candidate under the supervision of Prof. Jiaguo Yu at Wuhan University of Technology.Jiaguo Yu obtained his BS and MS degrees in chemistry from Central China Normal University and Xi’an Jiaotong University, respectively, and earned his PhD degree in materials science in 2000 from Wuhan University

In this issue of Chem, Natu et al. describe the first-ever etching and dispersion of Ti3C2Tz MXenes (ceramic-derived nanosheets) in several polar organic solvents by using ammonium bifluoride as the etchant. This development opens up an entirely new space for the processing and dispersion of MXenes for applications that need to be water-free.

The family of atomic catalysts in defective carbons is now of increasing interest for diverse reactions. In this issue of Chem, Liu and co-workers unveil the nature of M–N–C (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) as active sites that can finely tune the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathways spanning 1e–4e transfer processes.

In the February issue of Cell Reports Physical Science, Melen and co-workers report the reactivity of diaryl-substituted esters with R3P/B(C6F5)3 frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). Although ester C–O activation occurs for all FLP systems, the use of Mes3P induces single-electron transfer to generate a [Mes3P]⋅+/[C(H)Ar2]⋅ radical ion pair. In the presence of olefins, this reactivity is harnessed in an

Direct catalytic conversion of syngas provides a desirable route for ethanol manufacture; however, it still suffers from poor ethanol selectivity and insufficient catalyst durability. In this issue of Chem, Wang et al. design a catalyst with a [email protected] core-shell structure, enabling remarkably high ethanol production from syngas with long-term stability.

Reactions involving an azido group where the azide remains intact are rare and largely underexplored. In this issue of Chem, Bi and co-workers disclose a mild, functional-group-tolerant strategy for the synthesis of β-difluoroalkyl azides from readily accessible α-vinyl azides via an unusual 1,2-azide migration pathway.

Radical 1,3-difunctionalizations of alkenes represent a significant challenge in organic synthesis. In this issue of Chem, Studer and co-workers report the radical 1,3-difunctionalization of allylboronic esters with concomitant 1,2-boron shift.

The stability of ultrathin nanomaterials with high reductivity remains a great challenge. In this issue of Chem, Sun and colleagues present a novel strategy for oxygen passivation to prepare sub-2-nm-thick aluminum (Al) nanosheets, which remain stable even in oxygen-rich atmosphere.

In the November issue of Matter, Cui and co-authors reported the dynamic evolution of the structure and chemistry of the solid-electrolyte interphase on silicon anodes by using cryogenic electron microscopy. Their findings reveal the failure modes of silicon and the critical role of electrolyte additive and guide engineered electrolytes for high-energy-density batteries.

The practical application of high-capacity transition-metal sulfide anodes has been hampered by the poor rate capability and cycling performance. As recently reported in Matter, Yang and co-workers have developed a robust micro-truss structural Cu1.81S material with excellent mechanical strength for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

In this issue of Chem, Kondo and co-workers report a facile soft-chemical method for the preparation of layered, electrically conductive hydrogen boride, which is short-range order but amorphous as a result of the geometrical frustration of the terminal B–H bonds. This work offers an alternative route to two-dimensional (2D) boron materials.

Imagine you were given an isotropic ball-shaped object of nanometer dimensions and you’d have to neatly decorate it in specific positions. This would certainly be a difficult task, even more so if the ball were rotating rapidly. In this issue of Chem, Ribas and co-workers use a nanocage for regioselective functionalization of fullerenes.