Volume 4 Issue 12, December 2020

Self-organization of water molecules around solute ions can affect how they permeate through nanoporous liquid-crystalline membranes.

Silicon and germanium are predicted to form stable planar pentacoordinate species when inside a ring of five donor atoms.

The biosynthesis of inorganic nanomaterials in microorganisms is an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical synthesis. This Review describes the engineering of microorganisms to rationally prepare nanomaterials for diverse applications.

Correlated disorder drives a variety of important and useful physical properties in crystalline materials. This Review explores the link between disorder and function, and surveys the core design principles that enable targeted control over correlated disorder in crystals.

Post-translational modifications expand the diversity of the proteome and regulate core biological processes. Chemical biology tools provide access to proteins bearing site-specific post-translational modifications, helping us to decipher their roles in health and disease.

Bimetallic complexes are fertile territory for investigating metal–metal cooperativity. This Perspective highlights how complexes with two proximal metals have tunable features of relevance to bond activation, catalysis and unprecedented reactivity.