{"title":"Unlocking Key Intermediates in Copper-Catalyzed CO<sub>2</sub> to Methanol Conversion.","authors":"Vasudha Sharma, Rajashi Haldar, Maheswaran Shanmugam","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500735","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500735","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although copper catalysts have been widely employed in various catalytic transformations, their potential for converting CO<sub>2</sub> to methanol remains largely unexplored to date. Herein, it is reported that a copper(I) salt efficiently converts CO<sub>2</sub> into methanol equivalent in the presence of NaBH<sub>4</sub> and an amide ligand (L1) under mild reaction conditions. The in situ generated active catalyst in the reaction is isolated as a single crystal and the structure solution reveals the formation of a reactive two-coordinate Cu(I) dimeric catalyst [Li<sub>2</sub>(THF)<sub>4</sub>Cu(L1)<sub>4</sub>] (1). The key transient species \"copper-hydride\" responsible for the CO<sub>2</sub> to methanol equivalent via [1-BX<sub>4</sub>]<sup>-</sup> (where X = H or D) adduct formation is indirectly confirmed through NMR spectroscopy. The copper catalyst (1) shows a remarkable TON (3993) and TOF (166 h<sup>-1</sup>) and remains active for more than 7 cycles with an overall TON of 10199. The mechanistic studies, supported by the characterization of key intermediates, provide a plausible pathway for this transformation.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e2500735"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-11DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500960
Xiangxi Wu, Xiaojun Li, Yongfang Li
{"title":"Recent Progress and Prospects in Organic Solar Cells Processed with Non-halogenated Solvents.","authors":"Xiangxi Wu, Xiaojun Li, Yongfang Li","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500960","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Against the backdrop of the global energy transition and sustainable development initiatives, organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising clean energy technology that requires urgent transition to environmentally benign manufacturing processes. From environmental, health, and safety (EHS) perspectives coupled with industrial scalability requirements, there exists a critical need to replace hazardous halogenated solvents, like chloroform (CF) which is conventionally employed in high-performance OSC fabrication, with more environmentally friendly non-halogenated alternatives. Current challenges in room-temperature processing using non-halogenated solvents primarily stem from three interrelated factors: inadequate solubility of photoactive materials, excessive molecular aggregation, and disordered stacking morphology, all of which collectively degrade device performance. This review systematically examines the processing of non-halogenated solvents for OSCs in the following three critical aspects: First, this review focuses on the classification and selection of processing solvents and the impact on the morphology of the active layer. Subsequently, we categorize and analyze recent progress in photoactive material design (particularly small molecule acceptors (SMAs)) and device engineering strategies that enhance OSC processability in non-halogenated solvents. Finally, we propose the challenges for the OSCs towards more environmentally friendly processing and prospects for future applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500960"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144606941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vapor Deposition Strategies for Copper-based Electrocatalysts in CO2 Reduction Applications.","authors":"Lovelle Rhoy Manpatilan, Stefano Bianco, Giancarlo Cicero, Juqin Zeng, Elena Tresso","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500813","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The advent of copper-based electrocatalysts has significantly advanced the electrochemical conversion of CO2 into valuable multi-carbon fuels and chemicals. Among various synthesis methods, vapor deposition techniques offer a facile and innovative approach to produce catalysts with high conformance and precise control of morphology, thickness, and composition. This paper provides a review on the application of the main vapor deposition techniques for the development of copper-based catalysts and electrodes for tuned CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). The first part introduces the CO2RR principles, electrolyser types and components, and Cu electrocatalysts, highlighting their critical role in efficient CO2RR. Then, the principles of physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD) are introduced, including the process variations, and comparative advantages. This review highlights the most promising results obtained with Cu-based catalysts and electrodes for CO2RR via vapor deposition, with a particular focus on monometallic, bimetallic, single-atom, and modified Cu catalysts. The review concludes with our perspectives on applying vapor deposition techniques for advanced catalyst preparation. We emphasize that combining these techniques offers unique opportunities to fine-tune the material properties at the nanoscale, thereby optimizing active sites for improved CO2 conversion selectivity and activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500813"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144598991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-09DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202501148
Xinyu Zhou, Xueyang Li, Xinlong Chen, Can Zhang, Jiae Wu, Jiarui Li, Chao Wang
{"title":"Ion-Conductive Polyphosphasiloxane Networks: Constructing Robust Solid Electrolyte Interphase for SiOx Anode.","authors":"Xinyu Zhou, Xueyang Li, Xinlong Chen, Can Zhang, Jiae Wu, Jiarui Li, Chao Wang","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202501148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202501148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Silicon (Si) is famous for its high theoretical specific capacity, natural abundance and low reduction potential. However, enormous volume change, fast capacity decay and poor ionic conductivity hamper the practical utilization of Si-based anodes. Until now, strategies to improve cycling performance by tailoring solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) remain to be less effective, especially in high-Si content anodes. In this work, the ion-conductive polyphosphasiloxane (PPS) network is constructed on the SiOx anode via condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate/tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphate (TEOS/TMSP) electrolyte additive to form a robust SEI. The PPS network with Si‒O‒P bonds exhibits a low Li+ transport barrier, high ionic conductivity and decreased activation energy (Ea), enabling the regular (de)lithiation process. Moreover, the robust SEI mitigates the volume change of SiOx anode due to the reinforcement effect from crosslinked PPS skeleton with strong Si‒O‒P linkages. As a result, SiOx anode with TEOS/TMSP electrolyte additives exhibits superior cycling performance over 700 cycles with a high retention of 73.4% at 0.4 C and an average capacity decay rate of 0.038% per cycle in half cell. This work provides new insights into dual-additive electrolyte development and SEI design.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202501148"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144598989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-09DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202401756
Ruben Denolf, Jordy C Doolaege, Elina Sel'murzayeva, Dave Manhaeghe, Tobias De Somer, Nils Vermeeren, Muhammad Haris, Rita Kol, Joël Hogie, Steven De Meester
{"title":"Understanding the Dissolution Kinetics of a DINCH Plasticized PVC: Experimental Design and Applied Modeling.","authors":"Ruben Denolf, Jordy C Doolaege, Elina Sel'murzayeva, Dave Manhaeghe, Tobias De Somer, Nils Vermeeren, Muhammad Haris, Rita Kol, Joël Hogie, Steven De Meester","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202401756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202401756","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polymer dissolution-precipitation recycling is a promising pathway to increase plastic recycling rates. One of the first steps in this process is the dissolution of the plastic, where it is important to understand and predict the dissolution kinetics, specifically for plastic waste. Therefore, the dissolution kinetics of a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) sample (P-PVC), containing di-isononyl-1,2-cyclohexaandicarboxylaat (DINCH), were analyzed in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), cyclohexanone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MeTHF). Additionally, the effects of the particle size (1090 - 2990 µm) and temperature (30 - 60 °C) were studied. As expected, lowering the particle size and increasing the temperature reduced the overall dissolution time. It was also found that the dissolution of the polymer and plasticizer occurred simultaneously, and that the fastest dissolution occurred in NMP, followed by cyclohexanone, MEK and 2-MeTHF. Finally, both a chain disentanglement model and a first order model with a diffusion-based rate coefficient were fit to the experimental data to describe the dissolution behavior of the selected plastic waste. The first was found to be a slightly better description of the P-PVC dissolution profile in NMP, a known good solvent, while the latter was better at describing the dissolution in MEK and 2-MeTHF, the slowest analyzed solvents.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202401756"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144598990","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-09DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500629
Alexandros Paparakis, Leandro D Mena, Pritha Saha, Krishna Mohan Das, Daniel Shirwani, Jorge G Uranga, Martin Hulla
{"title":"Trivalent Metal Lewis Acids Activate CO<sub>2</sub> in Transfer Hydrogenations.","authors":"Alexandros Paparakis, Leandro D Mena, Pritha Saha, Krishna Mohan Das, Daniel Shirwani, Jorge G Uranga, Martin Hulla","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500629","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using γ-terpinene as a bio-derived H<sub>2</sub> surrogate, trivalent metal MX<sub>3</sub> (M = Al, Ga, In, Yb, X = Cl, OTf) Lewis acids (LAs) catalyze CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation to formate, yielding p-cymene as the by-product. The resulting formate produces up to 91% N-formamides in tandem hydrogenation-coupling reactions and up to 95% heterocycles, including azoles, via further in situ transfer formylation to ortho-substituted anilines and cyclization at 130 °C and 4 bar. But In(OTf)<sub>3</sub> and a Lewis base fail to abstract a hydride from γ-terpinene. Unlike other LAs and transfer hydrogenation catalysts that induce hydride abstraction from 1,4-cyclohexadiene(s) over B(C<sub>6</sub>F<sub>5</sub>)<sub>3</sub>, alkali earth or noble metals, MX<sub>3</sub> LAs activate CO<sub>2</sub>, so CO<sub>2</sub> can directly accept a hydride from γ-terpinene during formate synthesis, as shown by density functional theory calculations. This triple role of MX<sub>3</sub> LAs in promoting (1) CO<sub>2</sub> activation, (2) tandem coupling reactions, and (3) transfer formylation at low pressure paves the way for sustainable CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation processes, leveraging bio-derived H<sub>2</sub> surrogates to develop efficient carbon capture and utilization systems and to synthesize valuable compounds from renewable feedstocks.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e2500629"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144590008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500891
Soo-Kyeong Jang, Kwang Ho Kim, Faride Unda, Elizabeth L Mahon, John Ralph, Shawn D Mansfield
{"title":"Genetically Engineered Poplar Wood Effectively Enhances the Efficiency of Deep Eutectic Solvent-Mediated One-Pot Processing.","authors":"Soo-Kyeong Jang, Kwang Ho Kim, Faride Unda, Elizabeth L Mahon, John Ralph, Shawn D Mansfield","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500891","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500891","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable resource with the potential to replace fossil-derived fuels and chemicals, its recalcitrance, largely due to lignin, limits its utilization. Recent advancements in genetic engineering have produced transgenic trees with reduced lignin content and/or modified lignin structure without compromising growth traits. Here, three engineered poplar varieties are evaluated as feedstocks using a biocompatible one-pot deep eutectic solvent-mediated process that integrates biomass fractionation and enzymatic saccharification within a single reactor, eliminating water washing and reconditioning. All transgenic poplars exhibit higher fermentable sugar yields than wild-type (WT) trees. Notably, QsuB poplar, incorporating 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate in lignin, achieves the highest glucose conversion yield of 91.3% (vs. 73.0% from WT). AT5 and MdCHS3 poplars, incorporating ferulate esters and naringenin, also demonstrate improved glucose yields (86.7 and 84.7%, respectively), confirming reduced biomass recalcitrance. Additionally, residual lignins are valorized via hydrogenolysis into phenolic compounds, with comparable alkylphenol production across all lines. These findings demonstrate that the transgenic poplar lines not only serve as superior feedstocks for sugar conversion but also provide a rich resource for phenolic compound production, enhancing the operational and economic viability of integrated biorefinery processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e2500891"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144582735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500662
Linda Pastor, Kristina Schell, Simone Göbbels, Francisca Contreras, Marian Bienstein, Gernot Jäger, Ulrich Schwaneberg, Lukas Reisky
{"title":"Identification of Urethanases for Biocatalytic Recycling of Toluene Diisocyanate- and Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate-Based Polyurethanes.","authors":"Linda Pastor, Kristina Schell, Simone Göbbels, Francisca Contreras, Marian Bienstein, Gernot Jäger, Ulrich Schwaneberg, Lukas Reisky","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500662","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500662","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, the three urethanases TflABH, MthABH, and OspAmd, originating from two distinct enzyme superfamilies, were identified and characterized with respect to their potential in polyurethane degradation. The substrate scope included five industrially relevant toluene diisocyanate (TDI)- and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)-based carbamates with varied alcohol moieties, representative of intermediates from chemical PU recycling. Notably, TflABH and MthABH are the first urethanases from an esterase superfamily shown to efficiently hydrolyze at least four of the five tested PU-related substrates. Among these, TflABH displayed exceptional thermostability, with a melting temperature (Tm) at least 12 °C higher than those of the other urethanases evaluated. Optimal reaction conditions were established for all three enzymes, revealing pH optima of 7.0 for MthABH, 8.0 for TflABH, and 9.5 for OspAmd, while temperature optima clustered closely around 56-60 °C. Importantly, OspAmd demonstrated greater catalytic efficiency in the hydrolysis of MDA-MeOH, achieving conversions up to 50% after 48 h, approximately threefold higher than benchmark enzymes. These findings highlight the potential of OspAmd, in particular, as a promising biocatalyst for the enzymatic recycling of polyurethanes.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500662"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144582736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500911
Kohei Ishigami, Shinjiro Mori, Kenichi Oyaizu
{"title":"Approach to Tuning the Dispersion Stability of TEMPO-substituted Polymer Nanoparticles for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries.","authors":"Kohei Ishigami, Shinjiro Mori, Kenichi Oyaizu","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500911","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500911","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hydrophilic redox polymer nanoparticles with zwitterionic moieties were synthesized to improve material utilization for semi-solid redox flow batteries. TEMPO was chosen as the charge storage moiety, taking advantage of its high redox-activity in pH-neutral aqueous electrolytes. Redox-active polymer nanoparticles copolymerized with the zwitterionic moiety showed significant changes in surface properties, indicating promising dispersion stability and electrochemical performance even at more than 1 mol% zwitterionic moiety in the copolymer in prototype semi-solid redox flow batteries. Among the compositions studied, the introduction of 10 mol% zwitterionic moiety resulted in the best combination of material utilization and cycle stability. This approach is an effective molecular design strategy to achieve high performance and high volumetric density semi-solid redox flow batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500911"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144590007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ChemSusChemPub Date : 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500474
Sumesh Sadhujan, Yakov Shitrit, Sonal Rajput, Iranna Udachyan, Tamar Friedman, Svetlana Pevzner, Chetan Prakash Sharma, Christopher J Arnusch, Yaron S Cohen, Eran Edri
{"title":"A Dual-Functional Membrane for CO2 Capture and Electrocatalytic Reduction.","authors":"Sumesh Sadhujan, Yakov Shitrit, Sonal Rajput, Iranna Udachyan, Tamar Friedman, Svetlana Pevzner, Chetan Prakash Sharma, Christopher J Arnusch, Yaron S Cohen, Eran Edri","doi":"10.1002/cssc.202500474","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500474","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies are critical for limiting global temperature rise. CO2 capture and utilization are traditionally performed as separate unit operations. Integrating them requires using dual-functional materials and offers a promising pathway to overcome energy demand and cost limitations. In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of an electrocatalytic membrane (eCatMem) by laser-induced graphene processing of a gas-separating membrane, enabling CO2 reduction to formate. The membrane exhibits CO2/N2 permselectivity of ~20, ensuring comparable performance when operating with pure CO2 or a 10% CO2/N2 gas mixture. The eCatMem achieves current densities of 10-50 mA/cm2 with a Faradaic efficiency of ~70% for formate production. This is the first of its kind demonstration of integrated membrane electrochemical reactive separation to form a liquid capture media that is also a product. This approach utilizes simple, low-cost materials and processes and offers a scalable way to integrate CO2 capture and utilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":149,"journal":{"name":"ChemSusChem","volume":" ","pages":"e202500474"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144582733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}