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Catalytic breakdown of highly persistent fluorinated pollutants is hindered by limited proton availability and catalyst degradation. This study shows that in situ proton-supplying sites enable low-temperature, long-lasting decomposition of stubborn PFAS gas.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is a sensitive technique capable of detecting single molecules via their vibrational fingerprints. Here, the authors demonstrate improved sensitivity with photo-induced enhanced Raman spectroscopy applied to trace-level detection of explosives and other analytes.

This study spatially maps MoS2 monolayer photoactivity, revealing static holes and mobile electrons with distinct redox zones. Bound excitons show higher efficiency, providing insights for designing advanced photocatalysts with improved performance.

Electroreduction of low-concentration NO₃⁻ to NH₃ is limited by NO₃⁻ mass transfer. Here, the authors propose a strategy for NO₃ ⁻ enrichment through charge rearrangement within the inner Helmholtz plane, achieving near-unity conversion of NO₃⁻ to NH₃.

Quantitative understanding of the spatial localization of hot carriers has been elusive. Here Corteset al. spatially map hot-electron-driven reduction chemistry with 15 nm resolution as a function of time and electromagnetic field polarization for different plasmonic nanostructures.

Single atom catalysts offer a promising approach for CO₂ electroreduction to CO, but achieving high efficiency remains challenging. Here, the authors report lanthanide single atom catalysts with the transition ability from bridge to linear adsorption that exhibit efficient CO production.

Genotype and exome sequencing of 150,000 participants and whole-genome sequencing of 9,950 selected individuals recruited into the Mexico City Prospective Study constitute a valuable, publicly available resource of non-European sequencing data.

Efficient charge carrier separation is a substantial roadblock to achieving high performance in photoelectrochemical systems based on transition-metal oxides. Here a metal vacancy strategy is used to enhance hole mobility, resulting in general enhancement of photocurrent density in WO₃, TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃ photoanodes.

The conversion of light into heat is a key process for plasmonic-catalytic applications. Here, the authors investigate how the design of the bimetallic interface affects the photothermal heating properties in Au/Pd nanostructures by applying thermometry at the single-particle level.

The operando imaging of the early formation stages of covalent organic frameworks with the optical technique interferometric scattering microscopy leads to mechanistic insights, enabling the rational development of a synthesis protocol at room temperature instead of elevated temperatures.

Crystal facets are known to be important in traditional heterogeneous catalysis, yet this effect has not been studied in plasmon-assisted catalysis. Here, the authors investigate the impact facets have on CO₂ reduction using plasmonic Au NPs.

A light-activated ‘plasmonic’ catalyst, made from abundant elements, produces as much hydrogen from ammonia as do the most-used heat-activated catalysts based on a rarer element, suggesting a strategy for sustainable chemical production.

Plasmonic composites have potential for photocatalytic conversions using solar light; however, complex interactions between light and the components are poorly understood. Here, a highly ordered two-dimensional plasmonic bimetallic AuPt supercrystal demonstrates a high rate of H₂ generation from formic acid while providing insight into the interaction between plasmonic antenna and catalyst.

Electroreduction of CO₂ on single atom catalysts is often hindered by electron delocalization of the metal sites. To improve CO₂ activation, here the authors functionalize the carbon support with cyano moieties, thereby attenuating metal-substrate conjugation and improving CO₂ to CO conversion.

Phonon polariton quasi-bound states in the continuum realized in a dielectric metasurface patterned with a subwavelength lattice of elliptical holes in a commercially available free-standing, large-area 100-nm-thick silicon carbide membrane is demonstrated, attractive for applications in mid-infrared optics, such as molecular sensing and thermal radiation engineering.

Developing sustainable strategies to tackle microplastic pollution and advance energy solutions is crucial for a green future. Here, authors designed carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts, with a tandem catalytic process, for microplastic degradation and green hydrogen production.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

The strong dispersion of surface phonon polaritons in silicon carbide films is exploited to tailor the orbital angular momentum of phonon polaritons, achieving reconfigurable polaritonic optical vortices that are attractive for orbital-angular-momentum-enabled light–matter interactions at mid-infrared frequencies.

Reporting the position of molecules and the electromagnetic enhancement in a plasmonic hotspot is difficult. Here Macket al. use a large Stokes-shifted molecule to spectrally decouple the emission process of the dye from the plasmonic system, keeping the absorption on resonance with the plasmon resonance of the antenna.

Metallic nanoantennas can enhance and confine electromagnetic fields, however, localized heating hinders many applications. Here, Caldarola et al.demonstrate both high near-field enhancement and ultra-low heat conversion in the visible-near infrared region using silicon dimer nanoantennas with 20 nm gaps.

The mitigation of climate change requires major transformations in the ways we generate energy and operate technologies that release carbon dioxide. Photonic concepts and novel light-driven technologies provide many potential solutions, transforming our current modes of energy use into more effective and sustainable ones.

Plasmonic excitations can enhance the interaction between a metal and molecules adsorbed onto its surface. This Review summarizes the different effects involved in this process and places them into a framework based on electron scattering.

Disentangling the nanoscale interplay of electromagnetic near fields, heat and charge transfer in plasmon-assisted chemistry is non-trivial. We survey the techniques that enable the characterization of these properties with spatial, energetic and/or temporal resolution, with insight regarding the challenges associated when going from studying the ensemble level to single-particle measurements.

Communications Chemistry is pleased to introduce a Collection of articles on the topic of plasmon-mediated chemistry. Here, the Guest Editors discuss different themes within and look towards the future of the field.

Genetic and Structural analysis of COVID patients cohort reveals a correlation between mitochondrial haplogroup and SARS-CoV-2 severity.

Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality.