Compression is a common densification method for solid-state materials, but the structural evolution of compressed non-equilibrium oxide materials such as glasses and zeolites remains somewhat elusive. Here, the authors show that siliceous zeolite single-crystals cold-compressed at 20 GPa yield permanently densified glassy silica, while cold-compressed siliceous zeolite powder and glassy silica are metastable.

The on-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons with control over their length and final surface coverage is desirable for electronic applications. Here, the authors outline a protocol to produce long and isolated graphene nanoribbons on an Au(111) surface, achieving lengths of up coverage down to ~0.4 monolayer, of potential value for mono-molecular electronics. to 50 nm and a low surface coverage down to ~0.4 monolayer, of potential value for mono-molecular electronics.

The abiotic production of molecular oxygen in carbon dioxide-rich planetary atmospheres is important in understanding astrochemical reactions and potentially the origin of life on Earth. Here, the authors demonstrate that the low-energy reaction between helium ions, as found in solar winds, and carbon dioxide produces molecular oxygen.

The electrolytic reduction of CO₂ in aqueous media promises a pathway for the utilization of the greenhouse gas by converting it to base chemicals, however, reactions at the electrodes and their proximity remain challenging to elucidate. Here, the authors use multinuclear in operando NMR to study CO₂ electrolysis in aqueous media and find that stable ion pairs in solution catalyze the bicarbonate dehydration reaction.

Diterpene glycosyltransferase UGT76G1 is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of rebaudioside A, a naturally sweet-tasting compound, however, its poor thermostability hinders its industrial application. Here, the authors use a computational design strategy to generate a mutant of UGT76G1 that exhibits improved thermostability and enzymatic activity.

Platinum dispersed on metal oxide supports is widely used for industrially important catalysis such as the reverse water gas shift reaction, but active site migration and subsequent alterations in catalytic performance are still not fully understood. Here, the use of platinum on ceria nanodomes shows the detrimental effect of migration of platinum nanoparticles to titania supports at elevated temperatures.

Organic π-conjugated radicals have recently joined the ranks of high-efficiency light-emitting materials, however, their light-emission mechanism is still a matter of debate. Here, the authors highlight a recently proposed luminescent enhancement mechanism and record-breaking efficiency of a radical organic light-emitting diode.

Pupils with vision impairment face significant challenges in learning science. Here, the authors discuss the impact of an inaccessible curriculum and new ideas that can improve accessibility.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key enabler of sustainable chemical energy storage. Here, the author assesses the current status of protocols for benchmarking the OER in materials- and device-centered investigations and makes suggestions for more comparable data.

Molecular skeletal editing has a wide range of applications in late-stage derivatization, but metal–carbon exchange is underexplored due to the challenges in selectively cleaving highly inert chemical bonds and forming stable intermediates. Here, skeletal metalation of lactams enables a carbonyl-to-nickel exchange via Ni(0) reagent-mediated selective C–N bond oxidative addition and decarbonylation, generating synthetically useful organonickel reagents for the deletion and exchange of single atoms in the lactam core.

Andrew Goodwin is Professor of Materials Chemistry and a Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the dual aspects of flexibility and disorder in functional materials, and his group of about 10–15 researchers is based in Oxford’s Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory.

Dr Camille Bishop is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Wayne State University. She obtained her PhD in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where she prepared glasses with liquid crystal-like packing using physical vapor deposition, after obtaining her B.S. in chemistry from the University of Chicago.