{"title":"Constructing Interconnected Gel with Ionic Fluid Channels for AC Line-Filtering","authors":"Jie zhang, Zhuanpei Wang, Xiaowei Yang","doi":"10.1039/d6sc02703b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc02703b","url":null,"abstract":"Electric double-layer capacitors operating at 120 Hz are promising alternatives to bulky aluminum electrolytic capacitors for AC line-filtering. However, a pivotal challenge in developing high-performance filtering electrodes is achieving the rapid ion response of pathways without compromising the high capacity. Here, we construct a 3D interconnected gel framework consisting of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), featuring ionic fluid channels. The mixed MWCNT effectively inhibits the re-stacking of rGO, forming an interconnected open network that ensures high-density electron transport and ultra-fast ionic accessibility. Systematic investigations reveal that the electrochemical performance is governed by a synergistic balance among conductive continuity, interfacial wettability, and open fluid ion-transport channels. The optimized electrode achieves an ultralow series resistance of 43.5 mΩ cm<small><sup>2</sup></small> and a high areal capacitance of 3.56 mF cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> at 120 Hz (<em>φ</em> = –81.1°). This study is the first to apply fluid gel channels to filtering capacitors, providing a reliable theoretical basis for advanced carbon-based electrochemical capacitors in the next generation of power electronic systems.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147732245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Callum Begg, Viktoriya Dragomanova, Dimitrii S. Yufit, Toby J Blundell, Steven L Cobb, Mark A Fox, Matthew Oliver Kitching, William D. G. Brittain
{"title":"Enhanced Crystallinity of Tetrahalopyridyl (THP) Derivatized Compounds","authors":"Callum Begg, Viktoriya Dragomanova, Dimitrii S. Yufit, Toby J Blundell, Steven L Cobb, Mark A Fox, Matthew Oliver Kitching, William D. G. Brittain","doi":"10.1039/d6sc01377e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc01377e","url":null,"abstract":"Promoting the formation of ordered crystalline material is a fundamental challenge in the fields of organic synthesis, crystal engineering and wider material science. Traditional approaches typically employ strong, unidirectional intermolecular interactions as the core principles for tecton and synthon design. In contrast, the interactions between complex biomolecules, such as proteins, take advantage of the cooperativity of multiple, weak, polyaxial non-covalent interactions (NCIs), working in concert, to generate strongly associated superstructures. Such design principles have yet to be successfully applied to small molecule crystal engineering. Here we show that the tetrahalopyridyl (THP) unit fulfils these tectonic criteria. Firstly, vast and varied THP based NCIs are identified within the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). The diversity of NCIs is then validated through manual interrogation of a model library and quantified through quantum topological analyses using Bader's Atoms In Molecules (QTAIM), non-covalent interactions -reduced density gradient (NCI-RDG) and natural bond orbital (NBO) approaches. Furthermore, the critical importance of F•••F interactions is revealed through analysis of 17 pairs of interactions in a diverse library of 12 related scaffolds. The utility of the approach is then shown across a wide variety of substrates including promoting natural product crystallinity and for application in absolute structural determination.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147719769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yixiao Jiang, Maryam Niksefat, Sophie G Unsworth, Joseph M Parr, Matthew J Evans, Cameron Jones
{"title":"Magnesium(0) Complexes and their Reduction Reactions with Binary Transition Metal Carbonyls","authors":"Yixiao Jiang, Maryam Niksefat, Sophie G Unsworth, Joseph M Parr, Matthew J Evans, Cameron Jones","doi":"10.1039/d6sc01992g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc01992g","url":null,"abstract":"Three very bulky β-diketimine protio-ligands (ArNacnacH, {(Ar)N=C(But)}2CH2, Ar = 2,4,6-tricyclohexylphenyl TCHP; 2,6-dicyclohexylphenyl DCHP; TCHP/Dip, Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) have been synthesised. These have been used to prepare monomeric, three-coordinate β-diketiminato magnesium iodide complexes, [(ArNacnac)MgI] (Ar = TCHP 1, DCHP 3, or TCHP/Dip 5). Sodium metal reduction of 1 afforded the thermally robust anionic magnesium(0) complex [{(TCHPNacnac)Mg}Na]2 6 in good yield. In contrast, reduction of less bulky [(DCHPNacnac)MgI] 3 gave a mixture of unknown products, whilst reduction of [(TCHP/DipNacnac)MgI] 5 yielded the mixed oxidation state, magnesium compound, [{(TCHP/DipNacnac)Mg}2Mg] 7. The related compound [{(TCHPNacnac)Mg}2Mg] 8, was prepared by reduction of a 2:1 mixture of [(TCHPNacnac)MgI] 1 and MgI2. Computational analyses of 6 and 8 reveal their electronic structures to be comparable to those of previously reported analogues of these compounds. Reduction reactions between magnesium(0) compound 6 and the neutral groups 6 and 7 transition metal carbonyls, Cr(CO)6, Mo(CO)6 and Mn2(CO)10, gave a series of complexes [{(TCHPNacnac)Mg}2{μ-M2(CO)n}] (n = 10, M = Cr 9 or Mo 10; n = 8, M = Mn 11) which incorporate metal‒metal single (9 and 10) or double (11) bonded metal carbonyl fragments. In contrast, reduction of Fe(CO)5 with 6 yielded [{(TCHPNacnac)Mg}Na{Fe(CO)4}]2 12 which does not possess an Fe‒Fe bond, and can be viewed as an analogue of Collman’s reagent, Na2[Fe(CO)4], in which one Na+ cation has been replaced by a [(TCHPNacnac)Mg]+ unit.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147719770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Guosheng Zhang, Leilei Si, Fuhai Zhou, Xiaofang Song, Hongming Wang
{"title":"Real-time NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Precision Thrombolysis with a Molecularly Planarized Phototheranostic Agent","authors":"Guosheng Zhang, Leilei Si, Fuhai Zhou, Xiaofang Song, Hongming Wang","doi":"10.1039/d6sc00914j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc00914j","url":null,"abstract":"The precise diagnosis and treatment of intravascular thrombosis pose a major clinical challenge, as existing technologies struggle to simultaneously achieve high-resolution imaging and highly efficient yet safe therapy. To address this, we propose a molecular planarization engineering strategy. Based on the benzo[cd]indol-2(1H)-one scaffold, phenyl/biphenyl groups were introduced at the 6-position to construct a D-A-D type squaraine dye, SQ-BiPh. This strategy significantly extends the π-conjugation system and enhances molecular rigidity. Notably, the molecule forms a well-defined J-aggregate structure after nanoencapsulation, which substantially red-shifts the absorption peak to 1087 nm, extends the emission wavelength beyond 1130 nm, and simultaneously endows the material with excellent photothermal conversion performance.The corresponding nanoparticles (SQ-BiPh NPs) enable simultaneous high-contrast NIR-II fluorescence imaging and precise 1064 nm laser-triggered photothermal thrombolysis in a mouse model of lower-extremity venous thrombosis, allowing real-time monitoring of thrombus dissolution and vascular recanalization. This work not only establishes a new, generalizable molecular design paradigm for developing high-performance NIR-II phototheranostic agents but also successfully constructs an efficient, safe, and integrated platform for precise thrombus theranostics.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147720021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pavan Ravindra, Xavier R. Advincula, Benjamin Shi, Samuel Coles, Angelos Michaelides, Venkat Kapil
{"title":"Nuclear quantum effects amplify autoionization-driven superionic behaviour in nanoconfined monolayer water","authors":"Pavan Ravindra, Xavier R. Advincula, Benjamin Shi, Samuel Coles, Angelos Michaelides, Venkat Kapil","doi":"10.1039/d6sc00138f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc00138f","url":null,"abstract":"While nuclear quantum effects influence autoionization in ambient-condition bulk water, their impact on autoionization-driven phase transitions is only observed at extreme conditions (in the range of many tens or hundreds of GPa). Here, we show that, for a monolayer of water in uniform nanoconfinement, nuclear quantum effects induce a superionic phase transition under milder conditions than in bulk. Our calculations suggest that this effect brings superionic behaviour into pressure regimes much closer to those accessible in current 2D-material-water encapsulation experiments.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147726500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Charge-regulated hepatic γ-glutamyltranspeptidase fluorescent probe: in vivo staging Schistosoma-infection","authors":"Xiaoxi Ma, Eryang Xie, Qiang Li, Chuyang Sun, Yongkang Yao, Chenxu Yan, Qianfu Luo, Zhiqian Guo, Weihong Zhu","doi":"10.1039/d6sc02037b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc02037b","url":null,"abstract":"Schistosomiasis remains a formidable global health threat, yet current diagnostic modalities like microscopy and ultrasonography suffer from limited sensitivity and critical inability for real-time <em>in vivo</em> monitoring, posing significant hurdles in precise infection staging. To address this diagnostic bottleneck, we develop a <em>de novo</em> strategic charge-regulation approach for developing a dual-channel near-infrared fluorescent probe toward hepatic <em>γ</em>-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), a key biomarker for schistosomiasis-induced liver pathological evolution. By engineering quinoline scaffold from zwitterionic, single positive charge, to double positive charge, the optimized probe QMC-N-GGT achieves superior precise targeting to the infected liver tissues with anionic microenvironment. Impressively, its dual-channel signals make a breakthrough to track when, where, and how the probe targets the liver and <em>in situ</em> lights up endogenous GGT. This probe exhibits a remarkable stage-dependent fluorescent response to GGT, enabling accurate distinction of slight, middle, and severe infection stages with an ultra-high signal-to-noise ratio. QMC-N-GGT thus represents an unprecedented diagnostic tool, bridging the gap between conventional infection screening and advanced pathological staging for non-invasive, real-time schistosomiasis monitoring.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molecular-Level Precursor Engineering Enables High Utilization of Closed Nanopores in Hard Carbon for Sodium-Ion Batteries","authors":"Rui Li, Beilei Yuan, Yupeng Feng, Yuhan Li, Na Jiang, Ping Liu, Liangzhi Li, Weiyue Li, Chunwei Dong, Shuchun Hu, Qi Liu, Jian Chen, Fei Li, Jianping Long, Anjun Hu","doi":"10.1039/d6sc01648k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc01648k","url":null,"abstract":"Closed nanopores in hard carbon (HC) are widely regarded as the primary host for low-voltage plateau capacity in sodium-ion batteries, yet their electrochemical inactivity due to poor accessibility remains a critical bottleneck. Here we report a molecular-templating liquid-phase carbonization strategy that engineers biomass precursors with sodium acetate to unlock closed-pore utilization. Sodium acetate simultaneously enriches oxygen-containing functionalities and generates molecular-scale pre-pores during liquid-phase carbonization, enabling controllable closed-pore density and size in bamboo-derived HC. Upon high-temperature treatment, these pre-pores evolve into percolating mesoporous channels that bridge otherwise isolated closed nanopores, thereby constructing an efficient ion-transport network and markedly shortening the solid-state diffusion distance. As a result, the closed-pore utilization reaches 86%, delivering a substantially enhanced plateau contribution together with an expanded interlayer spacing (d<small><sub>002</sub></small> = 0.391 nm). The optimized HC exhibits a high reversible capacity of 369 mAh g<small><sup>-1</sup></small> at 0.1C with 88.9% initial Coulombic efficiency, retains ~85% capacity after 500 cycles at 2 C, and maintains 257 mAh g<small><sup>-1</sup></small> at -20 °C. This work establishes a molecular-level precursor-engineering route to transform closed pores from “present” to “accessible”, providing a general design principle for high-energy HC anodes.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meng-Meng Lun, Meng-Meng Sun, Yongqiang Wang, Gaoshang Gong, Maocai Wei, Yuling Su, Da-Wei Fu, Zun-qi Liu
{"title":"Recent Progress in Single-phase Molecular Multiferroic Materials with Ferroelectricity and Ferroelasticity","authors":"Meng-Meng Lun, Meng-Meng Sun, Yongqiang Wang, Gaoshang Gong, Maocai Wei, Yuling Su, Da-Wei Fu, Zun-qi Liu","doi":"10.1039/d5sc10231f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sc10231f","url":null,"abstract":"Single-phase multiferroic materials, characterized by the coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferroelasticity, have garnered significant attention due to the inherent coupling between polarization and strain. This coupling offers considerable potential for applications in multistate memories, high-sensitivity sensors and energy converters. Recently, molecular multiferroic materials have emerged as a research hotspot owing to their unique advantages, including structural diversity, facile tunability, mechanical flexibility, and environmental friendliness. Notably, these molecular multiferroics typically exhibit good mechanical flexibility and a pronounced response to applied stress, which facilitates the investigation of coupling effects between polarization and strain. However, existing reviews predominantly concentrate on single ferroic properties or specific material systems, resulting in a notable scarcity of systematic overviews on molecular multiferroic materials. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in multiferroic materials that simultaneously possess ferroelectric and ferroelastic orders. We summarize key experimental findings, elucidate the relationship between molecular design strategies and material performance, and explore their potential applications in flexible electronics, biomimetic sensing, and bio-integrated devices. This review is expected to shed new light on the future of this emerging field and promote cross-disciplinary cooperation and innovation in materials science, electronic engineering, biomedicine, and other related fields.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ortho-Methylation of Pyridine via Intramolecular N-methyl Migration","authors":"Haiyan Fu, Hua Chen, Shunyao Huang, Shun Li, Mingyuan Li, Cong Lv, Shenxiang Wang, Weichao Xue, Jiaqi Xu, Xueli Zheng, Ruixiang Li","doi":"10.1039/d5sc10082h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sc10082h","url":null,"abstract":"Pyridine is a privileged scaffold in pharmaceuticals, and selective C2-alkylation, particularly methylation, represents a valu-able strategy to fine-tune drug-like properties such as metabolic stability and solubility. However, achieving highly site-selective methylation at the C2 position remains challenging. Herein, we report a ruthenium-catalyzed, copper-mediated protocol that enables direct C2-methylation of pyridines. The transformation proceeds through a formal <em>N</em>-to-C methyl migration in <em>N</em>-methylpyridinium salts, which serve dually as activated substrates and internal methyl donors, thereby ensuring excellent atom economy. This operationally simple and scalable approach is compatible with the late-stage modification of complex bioactive molecules. Furthermore, the migratable groups can be extended to longer alkyl and benzyl substituents, highlighting the broad synthetic utility of this strategy.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sheng Hu, Siyang Luo, Haoxin Du, Xiongfeng Zeng, Jiao Yang, Xing Wang, Haifeng Bao, Na Yao
{"title":"Lewis base-mediated stabilization of the lattice oxygen mechanism in RuO2 for robust acidic water oxidation","authors":"Sheng Hu, Siyang Luo, Haoxin Du, Xiongfeng Zeng, Jiao Yang, Xing Wang, Haifeng Bao, Na Yao","doi":"10.1039/d6sc01794k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc01794k","url":null,"abstract":"Stabilizing the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism (LOM) pathway of Ru-based oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts under acidic conditions is pivotal for efficient proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. Herein, we propose a Lewis base regulation strategy by introducing In into RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> to activate and stabilize the LOM process during the OER. Integrated <em>in situ</em> and <em>ex situ</em> characterization studies and theoretical calculations reveal that the In acts as an electron donor to modulate the interfacial water structure and accelerate deprotonation, thereby ensuring a continuous supply of *OH. Furthermore, In doping optimizes the electronic structure to promote *OH adsorption on Ru sites, enhance the Ru–O covalency, and stabilize oxygen vacancies generated during the LOM process, thereby synergistically improving both the activity and stability of the Ru-based catalyst along the LOM pathway. Benefiting from this Lewis base modulation, In-RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> exhibits outstanding acidic OER performance, achieving 10 mA cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> at an overpotential of only 194 mV with excellent stability (>1000 h). Furthermore, In-RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> outperforms RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> in PEM electrolyzer tests, operating stably for over 1000 h at 1 A cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small>. This work offers a design principle for highly active and stable LOM catalysts toward scalable green hydrogen production.","PeriodicalId":9909,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Science","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147709287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}