Review Articles

Combinatorial biosynthesis of natural products is a method to synthesize structurally diverse molecules with defined modifications. Here, the authors review the various approaches used for combinatorial biosynthesis of fungal natural products by engineering biosynthetic enzymes and pathways to generate novel molecules.

Dynamic microscale droplets produced by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) have emerged as appealing biomaterials, but their instability hinders their assembly into high-order structures with collective behaviors. Here, the authors review current strategies for stabilizing droplets, as well as recent developments in the applications of such LLPS droplets, and provide insights into how stabilized droplets can self-assemble into higher-order structures that display coordinated functions.

Liquid crystal elastomers are shape-morphing materials that demonstrate reversible actuation when exposed to external stimuli, and their actuation depends heavily on the liquid crystal alignment programmed into these materials, using various shape-programming processes. Here, the author reviews current shape-programming methods in relation to the challenges of employing liquid crystal elastomers as soft, shape-memory components in devices in the future.

The signal transducing interface between biosamples and detection devices plays a key role in translating electrochemical reactions into output signals and often governs detection limits and biocompatibility of the sensor. Here, the author reviews syntheses and properties of electrochemical interfaces of field-effect transistor-based biosensors.

Molecular fragmentation plays a pivotal role in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Here the authors summarize the methodologies for molecular fragmentation and their application in the AI-based fragment-based drug discovery.

Incorporating main group elements into amorphous porous organic polymers has enabled the fine tuning of the structures and properties of these materials. Here, the authors review studies in which the geometric structures and electronic properties of main group elements have influenced material structures and properties, and whereby their incorporation has enabled new strategies to synthesize such materials.

Artificial photosynthesis aims to produce fuels and chemicals from simple, abundant building blocks, such as water and carbon dioxide, with sunlight as a source of energy. Here, the authors review recent developments in biomimetic, compartmentalized vesicular systems towards artificial photosynthesis, and highlight challenges and opportunities in mimicking this complex natural reaction system.

Stereoregular polymers exhibit improved thermal and mechanical properties, making the development of enantioselective polymerization catalysts of significant importance. Here, the authors summarize catalyst design strategies and synthetic routes for enantioselective polymerizations of degradable or recyclable polymers from racemic monomers.

Endothelial dysfunction is the early stage in the development of cardiovascular disease, however, molecular probes for diagnostics of endothelial dysfunction are still underexplored. Here, the authors review the specific nitric oxide and calcium sensors available in the context of detecting endothelial dysfunction.

Bicyclobutanes are among the most highly strained organic compounds and are intriguing building blocks in organic synthesis. This review provides an overview of the recent developments in bicyclobutane synthesis, their synthetic utility and their modes of reactivity.

Thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters are inexpensive and versatile materials for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) covering all colour regions. Here, the authors review double boron embedded multi resonant TADF emitters with particular attention to molecular design concepts, synthetic routes, optoelectronic properties, and OLED performance, providing future prospects for display applications.

¹⁰¹Tc is a lesser studied technetium isotope, but its unique nuclear properties and varying routes of production make it interesting for an array of applications where its shorter half-life can be exploited. Here, the authors review the discovery, nuclear properties, synthesis and separation, as well as applications of ¹⁰¹Tc, and point towards future research directions.

Ion separation membranes are of importance for a range of applications, including water treatment, raw material recovery, gas separation, and fuel cells, but traditional research and development methods can be expensive and time-consuming. Here, the authors review the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence in the design of high performing ion-selective membranes.

‘Molecular surgery’ is a useful method through which to create endohedral fullerenes that aren’t accessible by conventional physical methods of trapping small atoms and molecules. Here, the authors review the organic chemistry behind molecular surgery, describing the methods to access open-cage intermediates alongside the cage-closing chemistry.

Control over chemical transformations in aqueous environments employing catalytic systems whose activity can be switched on/off is challenging. Here, the authors review the switchable catalytic systems that operate in aqueous environments in response to external stimuli, such as pH, temperature, light, small molecules, electric field, magnetic field and mechanical energy.

Aluminum–sulfur batteries have a theoretical energy density comparable to lithium–sulfur batteries, whereas aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and the least expensive metallic anode material to date. Here, the authors review experimental and computational approaches to tailor the chemical interactions between sulfur host materials and polysulfides in Al-S batteries and point towards promising future research directions.

Continuously evolving computational methods are crucial to improve our understanding of the thermophysical properties of molten salts, which are experimentally hard to probe but used widely from steel manufacturing to solar power generation. Here, the authors review computational method developments from early simulations to current machine learning tools, and conclude with an outlook on the challenges molten salt simulations still pose.

Molecular dynamics simulations, used to study chemical and biophysical processes, rely on the accuracy of the employed force fields. Here, the authors review successes and key areas of difficulty in the development of additive and polarizable force fields, and discuss experimental data availability, how empirical refinement impacts parametrization, and highlight possible routes to further improve the accuracy of force fields.

Synthetic models of cells are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but engineering communication between these and living cells remains challenging. Here the authors review modes of communication and signal processing between living cells and synthetic analogs, such as giant unilamellar vesicles, proteinosomes, and coacervates.

Mechanochemistry is driven by mechanical energy input, which often alleviates the need for solvents or heating to achieve desired products. Here, the author reviews mechanochemical syntheses of metal-oxide nanoparticles, exploring reaction mechanisms, and contrasting the influence of process parameters on the properties of end products.