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Gold nanoclusters are known to grow stepwise from gold-thiolate monomers and oligomers. Here, the authors find that the evolution of silver nanoclusters differs completely from that of gold: rather than following a bottom-up pathway, the clusters evolve from similarly-sized Ag-thiolate cluster intermediates.

Integrating CO₂ capture and electrochemical conversion avoids the thermal release of CO₂ and thus could potentially lower the energy needed to make useful products from CO₂, but choosing optimal system components is still challenging. Here the authors use piperazine alongside a nickel catalyst for capture and achieve high energy efficiency and stable CO production.

Radioiodine capture from nuclear fuel waste and contaminated water sources is of environmental importance but technically challenging. Here, the authors report covalent organic frameworks with antiparallel eclipsed stacked structures with dynamic adsorption performance for iodine pollutants under various conditions.

Carbon nanomaterials show promise for H₂O₂ synthesis, but carbon electrocatalysts with industrial-level performance and stability require more research. Here the authors report few-layer boron nanosheets for H₂O₂ electrochemical production with > 95% Faradaic efficiency during 140-hour test at 300 mA cm^-2.

Increasing the metal loading of single-atom catalysts (SACs) typically results in aggregation, which can have a detrimental effect on catalytic performance. Now, a nitrogen-doping-assisted atomization approach is reported that transforms metal-sulfide nanoparticles into ultrahigh-density metal–nitrogen–carbon SACs.

Adding excess m-Li₂ZrF₆ (monoclinic) nanoparticles to a commercial LiPF₆-containing carbonate electrolyte forms a stable interphase rich in t-Li₂ZrF₆ (trigonal), enhancing Li-ion transfer, suppressing dendrite growth and considerably improving the cycling stability of high-rate lithium metal batteries.

Achieving the reduction of U(VI) to solid U(IV) using electrochemical methods under ambient conditions is significant for uranium recovery but challenging. Here, the authors developed a secondary metal ion-induced strategy for electrocatalytic production of U(IV) solids from U(VI) solutions.

Designing efficient and stable acidic oxygen evolution catalysts is challenging. Here, the authors construct high-density grain boundaries in V-doped RuO₂ to tune its electronic structure and boost stability, addressing the activity/stability trade-off in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries are promising devices but their energy storage mechanism remains elusive. Now it is shown that these involve a catalytic mechanism based on water dissociation.

The selective oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane is attracting increasing attention as a method for ethylene production. Here, PdZn supported on ZnO affords record-breaking photocatalytic ethane-to-ethylene conversion rate, emphasizing the pivotal role of the interface between PdZn and ZnO in the process.

Catalytic oxidation of biomass-derived aldehydes and alcohols into acids is challenging due to low activity and selectivity. Here the authors report a Pd/Ni(OH)₂ electrocatalyst with abundant Ni²⁺-O-Pd interfaces that enables efficient electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid with high selectivity and product yield.

Efficient and stable electrocatalysts for acidic oxygen evolution are essential for proton exchange membrane electrolyzers. Here, the authors report Ru–O–Ir atomic interfaces that enable bridging oxygen-mediated deprotonation pathways, overcoming the activity/stability trade-off in acidic oxygen evolution.

Great advances have been made in CO₂ electroreduction, however, the role of wettability-controlled interfacial structures remains poorly understood. Here, the authors apply confocal laser scanning microscopy to gain deeper understanding of these phenomena in gas diffusion electrodes.

Photothermal Fischer-Tropsch synthesis represents a promising strategy for converting CO into value-added chemicals. Here the authors report a Ru₁Co single atom alloy catalyst for CO photo-hydrogenation to C₅₊ liquid fuels at ambient pressure, and confirm the role of Ru single atoms in promoting CO activation and C-C coupling whilst suppressing CH_x* over-hydrogenation.

Sustainable recycling of waste plastics is of highly strategic significance. Here, the authors report a photothermal recycling system for transforming polyolefin plastics into high-selectivity liquid fuels through the synergistic utilization of ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared irradiation.

CO₂ electroreduction in acidic electrolytes avoids carbon loss but entails the issue of salt formation arising from the addition of metal cations, thereby limiting operational stability. Now copper is decorated with immobilized cationic ionomers, achieving stable CO₂ reduction towards multi-carbon products in metal cation-free acidic electrolytes.

Ru-based materials are promising catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction in acidic condition, but their catalytic performance needs to be further improved. Here, the authors report Zn-RuO₂ nanowires with a Ru−Zn dual-site oxide reaction pathway with enhanced activity and stability for acidic oxygen evolution reaction.

Single-atom catalysts are a promising class of catalytic materials, but general synthetic methods are limited. Here, the authors develop a ligand-mediated strategy that allows the large-scale synthesis of diverse transition metal single atom catalysts supported on carbon.

The selective semihydrogenation of acetylene in ethylene-rich gas streams is an important process in the manufacture of polyethylene, which is traditionally performed thermocatalytically. Now, a room-temperature electrochemical acetylene reduction system with excellent performance is presented.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of organic photocatalysts but it remains challenging to gain insight into photocatalytic active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, the authors construct a family of isoreticular crystalline hydrazide-based COF photocatalysts, with the optoelectronic properties and local pore characteristics of the COFs modulated using different linkers

Combining the kinase inhibitor sorafenib with allogeneic stem cell transplantation boosts immune responses against a subtype of acute myelogenous leukemia, suggesting potential clinical benefit.

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is a ubiquitous human ectoparasite with global distribution. Here, the authors sequence the genome of the bed bug and identify reductions in chemosensory genes, expansion of genes associated with blood digestion and genes linked to pesticide resistance.

The FANTOM4 study identified transcriptional start sites active during proliferation arrest and differentiation of the human monocytic cell line THP-1. Systematic knockdown of 52 transcription factors provide support for their model in which a complex transcriptional network regulates the differentiation process.

The beetle Tribolium castaneum is a commonly used laboratory model, combining the ease of systematic RNAi experiments like those in Caenorhabditis elegans, with biology that is more representative of most insects than Drosophila melanogaster. A large consortium has sequenced and analysed the genome of the red flour beetle, creating a resource for biologists everywhere.

A series of FeO-CeO₂ nanocomposite catalysts (FeCe-x) were successfully fabricated by hydrogen reduction of hydroxide precursors at temperatures (x) between 200–600 °C. A FeCe-300 catalyst with a Fe:Ce ratio of 2-1 exhibited excellent performance for photothermal CO₂ hydrogenation to CO (CO selectivity = 99.87%, CO production rate 19.61 mmol h⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹, excellent stability). The FeO phase was effective in promoting the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS, CO₂ + H₂ → CO + H₂O). Catalysts prepared at higher reduction temperatures contained both Fe⁰ and FeO, with the Fe⁰ catalyzing the Sabatier reaction (CO₂ + 4H₂ → CH₄ + 2H₂O) and thus lowering FeCe-x catalyst selectivity to CO.