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The precise spatial organization of materials across length scales is challenging. Here interfacial polymerization is used to encapsulate nanoparticles within covalent organic frameworks, allowing control of the spatial distribution of the nanoparticles.
Nanoscale materials hold promising applications for controlled release of bioactive compounds. Here hollow gold nanoshells tethered to liposomes allows the controlled release of encapsulated neurochemicals by acoustic or laser stimulation
At low voltages, lithium-rich cathodes can undergo a detrimental voltage fade. Here by tuning the band structure of the cathode, 85% capacity retention over 400 cycles is achieved.
Antimony trisulfide is a promising light harvester for photovoltaics. Here the growth of single-crystals of antimony trisulfide on polycrystalline titania is reported to proceed via an epitaxial nucleation/growth mechanism. The resulting solar cell delivers a power conversion efficiency of 5.12%.
ɤ-Alkynylation of carbonyls is a challenge in organic synthesis. Here a three-component photocatalytic coupling of alkynes, alkenes, and α-halocarbonyl derivatives provides direct access to divese ɤ-alkynyl esters, ketones, and amides without the use of any directing groups.
Donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts are a relatively new class of photoswitches with promising applications in medical and materials sciences. Here the role of water in inducing isomerisation is explored experimentally and theoretically, showing that water can induce a thermal isomerisation pathway and stabilise the cyclic product.
Vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy is a powerful method for the study of fast dynamics at the air-water interface, but relating spectral and molecular dynamics can be computationally expensive. Here a simple method to calculate time-dependent frequency-resolved SFG spectra of interfacial systems is introduced.
A key challenge in the bottom-up synthesis of artificial cells is the controlled coupling of different reaction networks. Here, a cross-catalytic relationship is established between the growth and division of a vesicle membrane and a surface-bound polymer.
Bloodstain analysis is an important forensic tool but the aging of blood samples is poorly understood. Here the kinetics of bloodstain aging are examined by Raman spectroscopy and multivariate resolution analysis, providing both mechanistic insight and a reference for real samples.
High entropy oxides can exhibit remarkable properties which may be amenable to pressure tuning. Here a fluorite-type high entropy oxide is shown to undergo pressure-induced lattice distortion with associated changes to optical behaviour.
Carbon-based materials such as graphene oxide are promising catalysts but are often incompatible with high temperatures or microwave irradiation. Here asphaltene oxide is shown to catalyze transformations that range from Claisen-Schmidt and aldol condensations to C–C cross-couplings and microwave-promoted Fischer indole syntheses.
Lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) play important roles in epigenetics. Here human KMTs are shown through a combination of experimental and computational methods to methylate non-natural histone peptides containing various non-lysine nucleophiles.
Linear ubiquitylation of NEMO is implicated in intracellular immune signalling but monoubiquitylated NEMO is synthetically inaccessible. Here the authors report auxiliary-assisted ubiquitylation of peptides including the CoZi domain of NEMO and explore its linear ubiquitylation mechanism.
The relationship between structural stability and ligand binding in proteins is debated. Here the structural robustness of a set of protein-ligand complexes is related to individual hydrogen bonds by dynamic undocking.
Cinnamic acid and related monomers are challenging to polymerise but offer interesting features combining structural elements of both acrylates and styrenes. Here homopolymers of cinnamic monomers are obtained by group transfer polymerisation under mild conditions.
Ruthenium(II) complexes are widely used as photosensitisers for electron transfer, but given their high intrinsic symmetry, the origin of the excited state dipole moment is unclear. Here two-photon absorption experiments supported by theoretical calculations suggest this arises from solvent-solute electronic interactions.
Sensing dilute hydrocarbons such as liquefied petroleum gas presents challenges for selectivity and sensitivity. Here a cube-shaped assembly of amphiphiles selectively exhibits fluorescence in the presence of alkanes in water at room temperature, with a response time on the order of seconds.
The incorporation of mechanical bonds into porous materials offers opportunities for new functionality. Here a covalent organic framework is synthesized by polymerization of a cucurbituril-viologen complex, imparting improved thickness, stability, and luminescence compared to the unrotaxanated viologen-based COF.
Precipitation of inorganic materials on cell surfaces is well established but intracellular nanoparticle synthesis is less common. Here the crystallisation of calcium carbonate from exogenous ions within red blood cells is shown to selectively sequester Pb(II) from blood and to reduce accumulation of Pb(II) in mouse kidney and liver tissue.
Asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins is a core transformation in organic chemistry and its syn-selective version is commonly catalysed by toxic osmium catalysts. Here a molybdenum-catalysed anti-dihydroxylation of allylic alcohols yields triols with high regio- and enantioselectivity, proceeding in a cascade of epoxidation and epoxide ring opening.