Articles

Water trapped in nanoscale spaces shows unique properties due to confinement effects. Here the authors observe an exotic state of water in the hydrophilic nanopores of porous coordination polymers.

The origin of the excellent photoluminescence properties of embedded cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals remains to be fully understood. Here the authors visualize lattice alignments in dual-phase Cs₄PbBr₆ and CsPb₂Br₅ composites synthesized by sonochemistry and find that the CsPbBr₃ nanocrystals are responsible for the luminescence.

Cations influence the electrostatic, chemical and mechanical properties of lipid bilayers. Here, label-free second harmonic microscopy shows that cation-induced transient ordering of water also plays a role in driving membrane curvature fluctuations, linking molecular hydration to macroscopic properties.

Computational methods are a powerful tool for rapidly searching the optoelectronic property space of organic molecules. Here the property landscape of around 250,000 arenes and quinones is systematically explored, providing guidance for the design of new functional organic molecules.

Collision theory predicts the spectral peak of the sodium D-line to have a red-shift dependent on pressure and temperature. Using the serendipitous presence of sodium in octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), the authors calibrate the D-line shift up to 1.5 GPa during deflagration.

Porous materials are efficient heterogeneous catalysts, but the continuous uptake of reagents to substitute products in the cavities remains unsettled. Here the authors fabricate a self-assembled tubular structure with breathing characteristics for efficient exchange of reactants and products in a nucleophilic substitution reaction.

The inclusion of nickel and manganese in layered sodium metal oxide cathodes for sodium ion batteries is known to improve stability, but the redox behaviour at high voltage is poorly understood. Here in situ X-ray spectroscopy studies show that the redox behaviour of oxygen anions can account for an increase in specific capacity at high voltages.

Computation is proving to be a powerful tool to guide the design of supramolecular cages. Here the authors use an evolutionary algorithm to find potential fullerene encapsulants within the chemical space of porous organic cages.

Rare earth elements are critical components of clean energy technologies, but less than 1% are recycled due to high costs of recovery. Here the authors develop a ligand that selectively precipitates rare earth elements from aqueous media as a function of pH to facilitate the separation of binary rare earth mixtures.

The ability to digest and regenerate metal-organic frameworks is valuable for their application in catalysis and drug delivery, but challenging to achieve. Here, the authors develop a facile method to digest and regenerate a series of zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks using bicarbonate or carbonate salts.

Fluorescent probes are essential tools in chemical biology but their size may perturb systems under investigation. Here a small triazapentalene fluorophore is shown to selectively label thiols without influencing properties such as binding potency.

Statistical models are useful to approximate reaction rates, bypassing the need for detailed dynamical considerations. Here the authors use nonlinear dynamics to visualize the high dimensional phase space and identify the dynamical origins of nonstatisticality in unimolecular reactions.

Rational photosensitizer design for the effective use of low-energy light is important for photofunctional materials. Here the authors develop a stacked nanocarbon photosensitizer based on a rigid polyaromatic framework, which allows efficient energy transfer to a Eu(III) center.

As a byproduct of organic syntheses including the Wittig, Staudinger, and Mitsunobu reactions, triphenylphosphine oxide is often not recycled. Here a transformation of the waste product with metallic sodium to three organophosphorous compounds is presented.

Primary hyperoxaluria is a rare genetic condition which involves elevated levels of oxalate in the body, but its role in causing symptoms is not well understood. Here self-assembled oxalate fibrils are implicated in the mechanism of retinopathy in primary hyperoxaluria in humans.

‘Molecular tweezers' offer a powerful design strategy for catalysts that can be activated or deactivated by conformational change. Here this design is extended to allow a regioselective allosteric effect upon binding of zinc ions.

Understanding the working mechanisms of electrochemical energy storage devices is crucial for the design of those with improved performances. Here the authors use Kelvin probe force microscopy to dynamically image the internal potential distribution in an operating all-solid-state Li ion battery.

Droplet networks capable of transporting molecules between compartments can function as tissue-like materials. Here an encapsulated transcription/translation system generates a Zn-controlled membrane pore, which allows interdroplet transport, enzymatic deprotection and controlled release of a small molecule to the external environment.

The thermodynamic parameters of molecules dispersed in water are influenced by the polarizability of their substituents. Here the formation of discrete aggregates from gear-shaped amphiphiles is determined by isothermal titration calorimetry, showing that substituents with higher polarizability stabilize the nanocubes enthalpically.

Amphiphilic block co-polymer vesicles have emerged as attractive artificial systems. Here the authors employ a continuously stirred tank reactor for the polymerization-induced self-assembly of giant polymer vesicles, mediated by radicals generated by an oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction.