Biobased chitosan films incorporating rosemary-mediated silver nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity and catalytic applications.

Development of a heterogeneous brønsted acid catalyst from rice husks: Structural characterization and catalytic application in benzimidazole synthesis

Surface ligands modulate the electronic structure of nanocrystals (NCs); however, in catalytic applications, these ligands are often removed due to concerns about blocking active sites. We studied herein whether ligand functionality and a judiciously chosen degree of ligand coverage can precisely tune the adsorption energy of key intermediates on NC catalysts. Guided by density functional theory calculations, we introduced electron-withdrawing ligands at an optimized coverage on Ag2S NCs, achieving an ideal balance in intermediate adsorption strength (ΔGOOH* = 4.16 eV). This turned Ag2S NCs─intrinsically inactive for the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction─into efficient H2O2 electrocatalysts. When integrated onto oxidized carbon nanotube supports, these catalysts exhibited a stable H2O2 production of 161 mg cm-2 h-1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 84% at 300 mA cm-2 in neutral media. This ligand-driven tuning strategy opens new avenues to control and enhance the catalytic properties of NCs.

Structural diversity of cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks enables their diverse applications.

Construction of high-alkali-density ICOF and its application in heterogeneous catalysis

Green in situ synthesis of bio-derived Ag/hydroxyapatite-curcumin nanocomposites for dual catalytic and antimicrobial applications

MoS2/Cu-MOF heterojunction-engineered smart scaffold: Dual-mode chemo-sonodynamic synergy and sonocurrent-driven osteogenic integration for bone regeneration.

Particle size effect of Cu2O laccase nanozymes: Catalytic activity and application in phenolic detection

Application of optical properties and photocatalytic degradation behavior of N, P-CQDs in organic dyes degradation.

Thiosemicarbazone complexes of nickel, palladium and platinum: catalytic application for C N cross-coupling reaction in water

Non-covalent interactions are critical for regulating protein stability, reshaping catalytic active sites, and facilitating enzymatic reactions. Introducing these interactions into reticular materials offers a new approach to constructing artificial enzymes and more closely mimicking the catalytic microenvironment. Herein, a pair of chiral hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (LHOF and DHOF) has been constructed, and their unique crystal structures have been determined. These porous chiral HOFs act as substrate enrichment pockets, active cavities, and possess aldolase-like activity, which can catalyze the asymmetric synthesis of the enantiomeric bioactive molecule, 3-hydroxy-1,5-diphenyl-1-pehtanone. Compared to the right-handed enantiomer, the left-handed compound shows superior reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability in an LPS-induced inflammatory model. Further studies demonstrate that the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of this chiral product can reverse microglia phenotype, thereby enhancing their Aβ phagocytosis and alleviating Alzheimer's disease symptoms in the 3×Tg-AD mouse model. Thus, introduction of non-covalent interactions into reticular materials enhances enzyme-mimicking technology and offers new insights into enantioselective in vivo catalysis. This work provides a new paradigm for developing bioinspired materials chemistry and exploring their applications in enantioselective biomimetic catalysis.

Axially chiral arylpyrroles are a promising class of compounds with broad applications in catalysis, medicinal chemistry, and materials science. Herein, we report a copper-catalysed dynamic kinetic asymmetric (4 + 1) cyclization for the atroposelective synthesis of arylpyrroles bearing a single stereogenic axis or 1,2-diaxes from 1,3-enynes and amines. This dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation employs a chiral Cu/Pybox complex, with air as the oxidant and DABCO serving as both a base and a proton shuttle. A key feature is the reversibility of the aza-Michael addition, which enables the dynamic formation/cleavage of distal C-N bonds. The 5-endo-dig cyclization serves as both the rate-determining and stereodetermining step, ensuring precise stereocontrol of the proximal stereocenters by the catalyst. This strategy overcomes long-standing challenges in the stereocontrol of distal C-N bond formation and enables the synthesis of atropisomeric DMAP catalysts with two stereogenic axes. DFT calculations provide insights into the mechanism of stereocontrol.

The effect of boric acid post-modification on [Al]ZSM-5 zeolites is investigated. Boric acid modification reduces surface areas, and high loadings lead to agglomeration of crystals. 11B MAS NMR spectroscopy indicates boron isomorphously substituted into the framework if 1.5 wt% boric acid is applied, while above 5 wt% loading additionally surface bound BT1 species and, increasingly, boric acid deposits BT0 are found. The Brønsted acid site (BAS) density decreases with boric acid loading. 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy after acetonitrile-d3 loading reveals a similar BAS strength as the parent, thus BAS are associated with bridging Si(OH)Al from the parent's structure. A loading with trimethylphosphine oxide (TMPO) is sensitive to weaker Lewis acid sites (LAS). A subsequent hydration changes the nature of water-accessible boric acid surface species. Conversion of methanol, ethanol, or ethene over boric acid-modified MFI was tested. For 1.5 wt% loading, an increased BTEX content and lifetime in ethanol conversion was observed, while other modified catalysts were outperformed by the unmodified parent. Most boron is removed after catalytic application. It is concluded that the introduced weak surface acidity and the introduced LAS density could render the modification method interesting for synthesizing new adsorbents operated at moderate conditions.

Main-group compounds featuring multiple bonds with heavy elements exhibit unusual bonding, diverse structures, and rich reactivity that could activate various small molecules. However, the regeneration of such highly active species in a catalytic cycle poses significant challenges, thereby restricting their applications in catalysis. Herein, we report on the synthesis of iminostibanes stabilized by an N,C,N-pincer ligand bearing polar SbIII═N double bonds through the reactions of the corresponding stibinidene with organic azides. Experimental observations and computational studies demonstrate that intramolecular donor → Sb interactions provided by the pincer ligand play a crucial role in stabilizing the iminostibanes. Meanwhile, it is essential for iminyl groups to incorporate electron-withdrawing groups capable of accepting electron delocalization or bulky substituents offering steric protection. The synthetic reactions of iminostibanes are successfully applied to both catalytic Staudinger reduction and Staudinger-aza-Wittig reactions. We can control the divergent catalysis through choosing appropriate reductants. Mechanistic investigations prove that iminostibanes serve as crucial intermediates in both types of catalysis.

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials, with their atomically thin layers, provides scalable, low-dissipation platforms for advanced spintronic devices. Here, we propose a tetragonal Fe2BC monolayer, in which Fe-(B/C)-Fe bond angles perfectly locked at 90°. The monolayer exhibits robust room-temperature ferromagnetic half-metallicity with a Curie temperature (TC) of 442 K and a large magnetic anisotropy energy of 251 μeV per Fe. Ferromagnetic coupling between neighboring Fe atoms is strongly mediated by superexchange interaction through the intervening B/C atoms. Moreover, the Fe2BC monolayer shows excellent hydrogen-evolution catalytic activity, with ΔGH* = -0.23 eV, approaching the ideal of -0.002 eV under 1% biaxial tensile strain and outperforming some 2D catalytic materials. These features render Fe2BC a promising 2D material for multifunctional applications in spintronics and energy catalysis.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have become an innovative class of tailor-made materials, encompassing a variety of frameworks that range from highly crystalline to fully amorphous structures such as covalent organic frameworks (COFs), covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs), conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs), and hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs). While their inherent porosity and stability are impressive, the true strength of POPs lies in strategic functionalization. Among the various methods reported, the incorporation of sulfonic acid (-SO3H) groups in these porous scaffolds introduces additional functionality. This review explores a comprehensive overview of sulfonated POPs (SPOPs), where robust frameworks are combined with the strong Brønsted acidity of -SO3H groups. We describe the design and synthesis of SPOPs, highlighting how this functionalization tailors their properties for innovative applications. Moving beyond their well-known role as superior heterogeneous acid catalysts for organic transformations, SPOPs are now emerging as key materials for addressing global challenges. Their remarkable capabilities are evident in environmental applications, including their deployment as high-performance adsorbents for the removal of dyes, antibiotics, and heavy metals from water, as well as functional porous solids for selective gas separation. We also explore their pioneering applications as next-generation proton-conducting membranes for high-performance fuel cells and advanced energy storage systems, offering alternatives to fluorinated membranes. This review delivers both a critical analysis of the current state-of-the-art and a forward-looking perspective on the challenges and opportunities ahead, serving as a roadmap for leveraging the multifunctional properties of SPOPs to advance sustainable chemistry, environmental remediation, and energy technologies.

In contrast to conventional tetracoordinate stereogenic centres exhibiting twofold stereogenicity, penta- and hexacoordinate stereogenic centres may encode more than two stereoisomers, expanding the stereochemical space accessible to these species. This more complex stereoisomerism is characteristic to compounds of a variety of main-group elements and transition metals having a suitable set of ligands. Despite these unique hallmarks and the prospective applications in medicinal chemistry, catalysis, and information science, this area of stereoselective synthesis awaits widespread exploration. In this review, the fundamentals of the higher-order stereogenicity of penta- and hexacoordinate stereogenic centres will thus be summarized and an overview of emerging applications and their stereoselective synthesis will be provided.

The rational design of cost-effective electrocatalysts with superior catalytic activity for overall water splitting (OWS) continues to pose a significant challenge. The combination of oxygen vacancies and the adaptable electronic structure in the Cu(OH)2 heterostructure has made them highly appealing for catalytic applications. Herein, the Cu(OH)2 and MoO3 (Cu@MoO3) nanorod heterostructure was prepared via a simple hydrothermal process. Subsequently, Cu(OH)2 was anchored into the MoO3 nanorods using a coprecipitation method. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy result confirmed the existence of mixed Mo5+ and Mo6+ oxygen states and oxygen vacancies in the Cu@MoO3 heterostructure. The Cu@MoO3-3 electrocatalyst exhibited outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance, requiring overpotentials of 78 and 308 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH, respectively. The constructed electrolyzer exhibits impressive durability, achieving 10 mA cm-2 at 1.56 V along with a Faradaic efficiency of 86.44% for O2 production. This study demonstrates the successful synthesis of a catalyst via a hydrothermal process, highlighting its promising potential for future applications.

Ru-based nanomaterials are highly promising catalysts for energy storage and conversion due to their high intrinsic activity and cost-effectiveness among platinum-group metals. Phase tailoring, which directly controls the atomic arrangement, has emerged as a powerful strategy for precisely tailoring their physicochemical properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in phase tailoring of Ru-based nanomaterials. It starts with cataloging the newly developed phases of Ru-based nanomaterials from unconventional crystalline and amorphous structures to intermetallic and chalcogenide compounds, and discusses their synthetic principles from the thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives. We then summarize the representative synthetic methodologies that enable these novel phases and highlight the resulting Ru-based nanomaterials with novel phases. Furthermore, we review their electrocatalytic applications in water splitting and fuel cells, with the establishment of structure-performance relationships. Finally, the review concludes by pointing out the potential challenges and presenting a perspective on future research, aiming to guide the rational design of next-generation Ru-based catalysts.

ABSTRACT Precise control of temperature fields at the micro‐ and nanoscale is essential for emerging applications in nanophotonics, catalysis, and microfluidics, yet remains difficult due to the diffusive nature of heat. While inverse‐design algorithms have advanced thermoplasmonic metasurfaces, their extension to all‐dielectric systems has not been explored. Here, an inverse thermal design framework is introduced for dielectric metasurfaces composed of thermo‐optical amorphous silicon (a‐Si) nanoresonators. By leveraging a precomputed library of absorption spectra as a function of geometry and temperature, target thermal profiles are directly mapped onto metasurfaces, enabling both uniform and complex temperature shaping. Unlike plasmonic platforms that require multi‐resonator unit cells for tunability, dielectric nanoresonators provide intrinsic reconfigurability. At wavelengths where the thermo‐optical coefficient is negligible (e.g., ∼500 nm), absorption remains temperature‐invariant, whereas at other wavelengths it becomes strongly temperature‐dependent, allowing illumination intensity to reshape the thermal landscape. This multifunctionality permits a single metasurface to yield distinct profiles under different excitation conditions without added structural complexity. As a proof of concept, photothermal catalysis on such metasurfaces is modeled, predicting over 30% enhancement in reaction rates. The presented framework establishes a scalable strategy for engineering nanoscale temperature fields with broad implications for catalysis, thermal management, and photothermal energy conversion.