News & Comment

Voronoi domains combined with modelled vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy can be used to investigate surfaces, interfaces, and hydrations shells at reduced computational costs.

A series of tricopper mono-, di- and tri-hydride complexes have been prepared and studied as a models of heterogeneous copper catalysts for carbon dioxide reductions.

Near-infrared spectroscopy combined with machine learning can predict the publication years of paper books from 1851 to 2000 with an unprecedented accuracy of 2 years.

When two phenyl rings are perfectly stacked in a cyclophane structure that is bridged by three helicene linkers, they lose some of their aromatic stability, even though the overall structure — with 78 π-electrons — is aromatic.

Nitrogenases are enzymes capable of reducing atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. By better understanding their structure and the reaction mechanism, researchers can work towards artificial mimics that may replace the need for the energy-demanding Haber–Bosch process.

A highly stable glass has been prepared by the physical vapour deposition of two materials in equal amounts.

A bacterial tridecasaccharide known to prevent inflammatory bowel disease has been synthesized.

Hydrogenation reactions of alkynes to cis-alkenes is typically carried out with precious metal catalysts. A new zinc complex represents a rare example of a non-transition metal able to carry out this stereoselective transformation.

Hydroxylamine is a molecule of prebiotic interest, but its estimated abundance in space is orders of magnitude greater than what we have observed. To answer this discrepancy, quantum chemical calculations are used to investigate its formation and destruction pathways.

A thermoelectric material is presented which adopts a tungsten bronze structure with high-entropy properties but without rare-earth metals. Through entropy engineering, the Seebeck coefficient is optimized and the thermal conductivity is minimized, thereby creating the most efficient thermoelectric material of its kind.

Abundant metal copper with a catenane ligand system can effectively induce the oxygen reduction reaction, a promising alternative to typical precious-metal electrocatalysts.

A gold nanoparticle colloidal system is used to explore the effect of nanoparticle–substrate interactions on heterogeneous nucleation, providing a simple model for a complex and poorly understood physical process.

The amount of microplastics released into aquatic environments when synthetic fabrics are laundered can be substantially decreased with a low-friction, liquid-like polymer coating.

Biomineralization approaches have been used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Here, the influence of nucleation sites and protein size on the production of iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic resonance imaging applications is described.

Anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid can be used in cheap and efficient fuel cells, where redox reactions recreate the used fuel.

A self-circulating biohybrid photoelectrochemical cell combining hydrogen peroxide generation and consumption in a single compartment to achieve sustainable solar-to-fuel-to-electric power conversion has been reported.

By breaking a clinical candidate into its substructures, fragments with poor bioavailability profiles can be identified, removed and replaced in a compound before entering the laboratory.

A fluorescent ionogel with fatigue resistance and rapid self-healing properties, which can be used as a sensor for wearable devices, is presented.

An examination of metal–organic frameworks at high pressure in a water medium reveals an increased water uptake as the pressure increases.

Fluorophenols can be activated towards S_NAr reactions by forming a transient electron-withdrawing phenoxyl radical.