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Ti-, Zr- and Nb-based MXenes with Cl, Br or mixed terminations can be synthesized by a bottom-up, atom-economic route directly from metals and molecular organohalides. The reactivity of organohalide precursors can be controlled to enable direct synthesis of MXene nanostructures that exhibit enhanced surface reactivity compared with conventional micrometre-scale MXenes.

Diverse methods have been developed to tailor the number of metal atoms in metal nanoclusters, but controlling the number of surface ligands is rare. Here, the authors realize reversible addition and elimination of a single thiolate ligand on a gold nanocluster.

Here the authors report the synthesis of defect-rich boron nitride by flux reconstruction method, which exhibited good reactivity for semihydrogenation of low concentration acetylene in ethylene-abundant gas stream.

Etching is one of the key considerations in the synthesis, storage, and application of metal nanoparticles. Here, the authors study the etching of water-soluble thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters at a molecular level and reveal an unusual recombination process in the oxidative reaction environment.

Ni-based catalysts are highly reactive for DRM, but they tend to deactivate quickly due to sintering and/or coking. Here a simple method for anchoring dispersed Ni sites in dealuminated Beta zeolite, enhancing metal-support interactions, results in a catalyst with superior stability and performance for DRM.

To push the boundary of sol-gel chemistry towards high quality organic membrane construction is challenging. Here, the authors show a controlled nanocrystal suturing strategy in sol-gel solutions to afford highly crystalline and free-standing covalent organic framework membranes.

Designing catalysts with atomically synergistic sites shows great promise as a pathway for advanced catalyst development. Here the authors report Zn-Cr catalyst with atomically binuclear active sites for iso-stoichiometric co-conversion of ethane and CO₂ through proximal atomic synergy.

Volcano plots for electrocatalytic hydrogen production show the best catalysts as those ensuring the hydrogen binding step is thermodynamically neutral. Here, the authors report fabrication of a highly active thermoneutral electrocatalyst via doping of a single platinum atom into a gold nanocluster.

Water electrolysis typically requires a large voltage input and produces H₂ only at the cathode. Here the authors present a strategy of coupling formaldehyde oxidation with water reduction and report H₂ production at both anode and cathode with small voltage inputs.

Doping metal nanoclusters at specific sites is a powerful strategy for tuning their properties. Here, the authors precisely control the alloying sites of bimetallic nanoclusters by replacing entire surface motifs with structurally similar heteroatom motifs, tuning the surface composition motif-by-motif rather than atom-by-atom.

Since the first isolation of oxygen, chemists have explored oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Now, computational chemists are trying to understand and predict the best catalysts for them. Here, the importance of various considerations for such calculations, as well as their challenges and opportunities, are discussed.

Functionalizing two-dimensional transition-metal carbide (MXene) surfaces can alter their properties, but covalent functionalization has been synthetically challenging. Now, it has been shown that various organic groups can be covalently attached to MXene surfaces through amido and imido bonds. The resulting hybrid organic–inorganic structures exhibit Fano resonances and superior stability compared with traditional MXenes with a mixture of –F, –O and –OH surface terminations.

Nanostructured birnessite exhibits high specific capacitance and, while an important electrode material for high-power energy storage devices, its capacitive mechanism remains unclear. Capacitive charge storage in birnessite is now shown to be governed by interlayer cation intercalation.

Intercalation of protons in 2D materials plays a major role for several applications in energy storage and conversion. Here, the authors show that protons intercalated in Ti₃C₂T_x MXene interlayer during electrochemical cycling have a different hydration structure than protons in bulk water.

Surface modification using organic molecules is crucial for tailoring the physicochemical properties of electrocatalysts. In this study, we employ atomically precise Au25 nanoclusters with different ligands to identify the ligand effect on switching rate-limiting steps of oxygen evolution reaction.

Nanocrystal surface structure affects many properties but is tough to determine for halide-adsorbed materials. Here, the authors combine X-ray absorption measurements and computational modelling to elucidate the chloride metal surface structures for silver-coated gold nanocrystals with controlled shapes.

Precise control of charge transfer between catalyst nanoparticles and supports presents a unique opportunity to enhance catalytic performance. Here the authors demonstrate a scanning transmission electron microscopy method to visualize atomic-scale structure and sub-nanometer-scale charge distribution in heterogeneous catalysts, shedding light on the atomic-scale mechanisms behind their highly active perimeter sites.

Copper hydrides have been studied for their exciting structural chemistry and applications in hydrogenation catalysis. Here, the authors uncover the role of the amidinate ligand in yielding two closely related copper hydride clusters with quite different catalytic hydrogenation activity.

Low-cost catalysts for oxygen reduction, such as Fe–N–C materials, often suffer from poor stability in fuel cells due to the generation of oxidizing radical species. Here the authors locate Ta–TiO_x additives in the vicinity of Fe–N–C catalysts and show that they can successfully scavenge radicals, improving durability.

The synthesis of heterocyclic moieties pertaining to biologically active molecules from biomass-based starting compounds is very attractive yet underexplored. Herein, the authors report an electrocatalytic Achmatowicz reaction for the synthesis of hydropyranones from biomass-derived furfuryl alcohols.

Incorporation of supramolecular macrocycles into porous organic polymers can increase uptake of guest molecules through host−guest interactions. Here the authors report a pillar[5]quinone derived multi-microporous organic polymer, which show a superior performance in radioactive iodomethane capture and storage.

Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored structure constitute a desirable model system for catalysts. PtAu nanoparticles with Pt single-atom surface sites, prepared by a colloidal method, exhibit unprecedented electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation.

How metal nanoclusters evolve in size is poorly understood, particularly at the atomic level. Here, the authors use mass spectrometry to study the size conversion dynamics between two isoelectronic gold nanoclusters with atomic resolution, revealing that the growth reaction proceeds through a distinct balanced equation.

Strong metal–support interactions (SMSI) are effective in tuning the structures and catalytic performances of catalysts but limited by the poor exposure of active sites. Here, the authors develop a strategy to engineer SMSI via a reverse route, which is in favor of metal site exposure while embracing the SMSI.

Synthetic nanochemistry currently lacks the molecular step-by-step routes afforded to organic chemistry by total synthesis. Here, the authors track the seeded growth of atom-precise gold nanoclusters using mass spectrometry, revealing that the clusters evolve through a series of intermediates in two-electron steps.

Catalytic transformation of CH₄ under mild conditions has implications to shale gas utilization. Here, the authors report the transformation of CH₄ to acetic acid through coupling of CH₄, CO and O₂ on single-site Rh₁O₅ anchored in microporous aluminosilicates in liquid phase.

The development of efficient, high-energy and high-power electrochemical energy-storage devices requires a systems-level holistic approach, rather than focusing on the electrode or electrolyte separately. In this Review, we discuss the interfacial reactions and ion transport in ionic-liquid-based Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors, and summarize their impact on device performance.