Themed collection Celebrating International Women’s Day: Women in Materials Science

The latest advancement in developing MOF adsorbents for effective separation and purification of propylene from propane is summarized, with a focus on molecular exclusion based separation mechanism and propane-selective adsorption.

The trends in octahedral tilting in Prussian blue analogues are reviewed as a function of various structural factors. The link between tilting and functionality is discussed.

Perovskite nanocrystals embedded in metal–organic frameworks (PeMOF) are a new nanoscale heterostructure for stable photonic sources. This perspective discusses the properties of PeMOF structures and their current progress in photonic devices.

The versatility of MOFs is ideal for designing efficient CO2RR electrocatalysts, yet their poor stability and conductivity needs to be improved.

Heterogeneous chemical reactions catalyzed over solid surfaces at operating temperatures are used to produce a vital part of energy, food, healthcare products, cleaner environments and chemicals.

This Perspective discusses the developments, opportunities, and challenges in the context of the use of alkyne-based organic semiconductors in photovoltaic devices.

This review summarizes the emerging anti-icing gels and corresponding anti-icing mechanisms, and provides a future perspective.

Nanotubes and water-filled channels arising from self-assembling dipeptides display interesting physico-chemical and electronic properties that find potential applications spanning from drug delivery and medicine, to bioelectronics and bioimaging.

The performance of metal oxide and MXene cocatalysts for the photocatalytic conversion of H₂O, CO₂ and N₂ over semiconductors are summarised and compared.

Herein, to provide ideas for the design of highly selective CO₂ reduction materials, we introduce each step of the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction process and summarize how each step is adjusted to promote the selectivity of CO₂ reduction.

Bio-applied molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are biomimetic materials with tailor-made synthetic recognition sites, mimicking biological counterparts known for their sensitive and selective analyte detection.

We review recent advances in 4D printing of LCEs, with emphasis on synthesis and processing methods that enable microscopic changes in the molecular orientation and hence macroscopic changes in the properties of printed objects.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous host defense peptides characterized by their antibiotic activity and lower propensity for developing resistance compared to classic antibiotics.

In this review, we focus on the recent applications of Ni–Co–S materials (NCSs) in energy storage devices, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, sensors and microwave absorption, and highlight the intercommunity of NCSs in different application fields.

A strategy of using nano-carbons to mimic the catalytic behaviour of enzymes is put forward.

In this review, we illustrate how the field of luminescent copper(I) compounds has developed with a focus on ionic copper(I) complexes and those exhibiting thermally-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF).

This review summarizes the field of iron-catalyzed graphitization, which is a simple and flexible route to produce nanostructured graphitic carbons from a wide range of organic precursors.

The versatile synthetic side chain toolbox assists in tuning the OECT parameters by controlling material properties of organic mixed conductors. In this review we critically summarise and evaluate various side chains used throughout OECT materials.

Diketopyrrolopyrroles stand out due to their chemical and optoelectronic properties. Diketopyrrolopyrrole-single molecules applied in organic, dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells are presented to give clues for future molecular optimizations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented global health challenge, creating sudden, massive demands for diagnostic testing, treatment, therapies, and vaccines.

An emerging trend in the application of metal–organic frameworks is to engineer mobile devices to possess chemical detecting capabilities for environmental monitoring, point-of-care testing, artificial intelligence, food security and defence.

A review covering catalytic method development to enable efficient chemical recycling and upcycling of the most abundant commercial polymers.

An overview of the properties of chitosan-based materials: polyelectrolyte complexes, gels, chitosan-surfactant complexes, smart coatings, organic–inorganic hybrids.

Here we introduce for the first time a synthesis method of a core–shell photoanode composed of nanostructured self-standing titania nanotubes filled with Au nanowires. Photoanode shows high photon to current efficiency of 35% and incredible stability.

Structurally precise biohybrid nanomaterials were created by grafting various polymers to DNA with high conversions under ambient conditions. They are patterned onto DNA origami nanostructures to form customizable surface contours.

Leveraging complex coacervation of a polycation and a bivalent anion with aggregation-induced emission characteristics, we accomplish eight basic logic operations, producing Boolean-like ‘outputs’ with contrast higher than one order of magnitude.

We present a photomemristive sensing concept based on light-induced charge storage in the 2D carbon nitride K-PHI. Our design enables memory sensing with tuneable dynamic concentration ranges, combined with diverse operation and readout modes.

We present a hybrid neural network and genetic optimization adaptive method incorporating Bézier curves to consider the large design space of lattice structures with superior mechanical properties.

Propylene and butylene glycol oligoether chains have been employed as alternatives to ethylene glycol in thiophene based semiconductors for OECTs. Their impact on electrochemical, microstructure, and swelling properties are discussed.

Polymer–dopant intermolecular interactions characterized by solid-state NMR and EPR spectroscopy techniques offer clues about the different doping mechanisms and efficiencies.

A multifunctional nonlinear organic molecular device is designed and demonstrated for electric field sensing and modulating. The molecule consists of a TPE-derived module connected by an alkyl chain to an NAI-derived module.

A new class of yellow- to red-emitting carbazolylgold(III) complexes containing isomeric thienopyridine and thienoquinoline moieties in the cyclometalating ligand has been designed to realize high performance OLEDs with long operational lifetime.

Conjugated oligomers polymerize in vivo on the root system of intact plants forming an extended network of tissue integrated conductors while the plants continue to grow and develop. The conducting roots are used to store energy in the plant.

The number and configurations of stable states existing in origami-inspired ferromagnetic structures can be tailored by creasing and compression. Reconfigurations among the stable states and potential applications in soft robotics were presented.

Extraordinary tuning of electronic structure of SnTe by Bi in the presence of Pb as a co-adjuvant dopant. Synergistic effect of resonance level, increase in the band gap, valence and conduction sub-bands convergence leads to enhanced TE performance.

Favorably engineering sensing reaction zones from triple phase boundaries to quadrupole phase boundaries towards enriching the functionality of the Li-garnet Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ fast-conducting electrolyte for sensing applications beyond batteries.

Building a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer of octadecanethiol on a CoP nanoarray on a titanium mesh (C18@CoP/TM) greatly enhances the N₂ reduction activity with an NH₃ yield of 1.44 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻² and a FE of 14.03% in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄.

A living therapeutic system based on attenuated Salmonella was developed via metabolic engineering using an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer MA.

Exposure to oxygen and light leads to a remarkable performance improvement in the case of highly-defective metal halide perovskite solar cells.

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and phototransistors using blends of Ph-BTBT-10 with binding polymers are prepared. We show that tuning the nature of the polymer is a useful tool to optimise the OFET performance and photoresponsivity.

Layered metal-halide perovskites have shown great promise for applications in optoelectronic devices, where a large number of suitable organic cations give the opportunity to tune their structural and optical properties.

In situ polymerization at a bi-solvent interface produced Au–Ag alloy embedded PEDOT nanohybrids for non-enzymatic histamine detection. The composite demonstrated practical viability by detecting histamine produced by sub-cultured human neural cells.

Encapsulation of anti-miR-181a oligonucleotide into plant virus cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) improves the stability of both RNA oligonucleotides. Knockdown efficacy was significantly improved with CCMV encapsulation compared to non-encapsulated counterpart.

Equiatomic FeMn alloys with varying Ag content (1–5 wt%) and hierarchical porosity show low ferromagnetic response during biodegradation and reduction in the total biofilm biomass upon interaction with S. aureus for 5 wt% Ag containing materials.

The design of organic light emitting diode (OLED) materials with the potential for exhibiting thermally-activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is reported.

The cellular damage response induced by γ-rays, X-rays and proton beams suggest these type of radiations are promising therapeutic modalities against resistant glioblastoma tumours when combined to stable metallacarboranes as radiosensitizers and PBFR.

A water-resistance polymer-based room temperature phosphorescence material (RTP) with an ultralong lifetime and afterglow was achieved by doping PAHs within a rigid polymeric network during in situ polymerization.

The metallo-curcumin complexes, copper–curcumin and nickel–curcumin, are promising anti-endometriotic agents due to their high antioxidant activity, selective cytotoxicity and active transport mediated accumulation in endometriotic cells.

Developing high-performance and low-cost donor/acceptor materials is crucial for the industrialization of organic solar cells (OSCs).

A novel water-stable 2D Copper-Imidazolate Framework (2DCIF) exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction without the need for calcination. These 2DCIFs have been successfully used as air electrodes in Zn–air batteries.

In this work, vanadium doped molybdenum disulfide (V–MoS₂) electrocatalysts are successfully prepared by using vanadium defect-engineering for electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR), which has significantly improved NITRR activity.

Cyclometallated N-heterocyclic carbenes with an appended carbazole and chelating diphosphines brought together to achieve the first simple solution-processed green-emitting iTMC-LECs based on mononuclear Pt(II) complexes.

A stretchable and self-healable PEDOT-based conducting polymer was developed for a flexible and wearable supercapacitor. The developed supercapacitor provides excellent capacitance, cycling stability and self-healing properties.

Synthesis of two dithia[9]helicenes by means of a LED-based double photocyclization is reported.

We develop a route to synthesise Cu-functionalized porous BN (Cu/BN) directly from a metal–organic framework (MOF). The Cu/BN presents an improved CO₂ photoreduction performance compared to pristine BN and standard reference sample, g-C₃N₄.

Bacillus subtilis are probiotic microbes that are difficult to formulate when they are not in their spore form. Using self-assembling coatings, these cells were successfully protected during the freeze-drying process.

PEDOT:PSS was combined with OIPCs (C₂mpyrFSI and C₂mpyrTFSI) which gave high ionic and electronic conductivities and when employed for the first time in a solid-state Li|LiFePO₄ cell as an OMIEC binder it showed an outstanding performance.

Compared to polycrystalline Ni-rich cathode materials, single crystal Ni-rich LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ materials have less irreversible structural and phase changes under varied temperature conditions, improving their cycling stability.

A chemical reaction during vapor phase infiltration (VPI) is harnessed to “stain” non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) for imaging the morphology of organic electronic films.

Remarkable engineering of the electronic structure of SnTe by co-doping Ge and Zn. The synergistic effect of the resonance level, increase in the band gap and perfect convergence of valence sub-bands with reduced thermal conductivity leads to enhanced TE performance.

The Mo-modified InOOH/In(OH)₃ heterojunction photocatalyst with excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity was achieved due to its high-efficiency photogenerated charge separation and transfer efficiency.

Nitrogen-rich heterocycles are essential for designing novel energetic green materials with the combination of high explosive performance and acceptable mechanical sensitivities.

Comprehensive comparison among cations (X = Mn, Mg, Ni, Fe, Co, Ba, Sr) in Cu₂XSnS₄. Mn, Mg, Ba and Sr show photovoltaic responses, with Ba exhibiting the most potential.

Halide perovskite and silicon heterojunction solar cells present sensitive contact layers prone to damage during ITO deposition. We study the effect of ITO pulsed laser deposition pressure on damage mitigation and improved solar cell performance.

A novel coating with antifouling and antimicrobial dual functions was fabricated to prevent transmission and spread of infectious diseases.

Naphthalene diimides have electrochromic applications due to their highly stable dark reduced state along with a transparent colourless neutral state. Here we show the morphology of aggregated structures at different pHs has a greater influence on the chromic properties than the chemical structure.

A simple one-pot solution-processed OFET memory device has been fabricated based on the vertical phase separation of phthalocyanine-cored star-shaped polystyrene and an organic semiconductor.

A TADF emitter exhibiting high OLED device performance of 25% and narrow emission (FWHM = 58 nm) in the deep blue region (λ_em = 458 nm, CIE = 0.14, 0.13) due to balanced charge transfer interactions and locked molecular geometry.

Conversion of near-infrared photons to visible light in rubrene based systems is made 20x more efficient when mixed with 0.5% wt DBP. This is not because singlet fission in rubrene is supressed, but because of reduced triplet losses.

The growing problem of skin diseases due to allergies causing atopic dermatitis, which is characterized by itching, burning, and redness, constantly motivates researchers to look for solutions to soothe these effects by moisturizing skin properly.