Reviews & Analysis

Aluminum–sulfur (Al-S) batteries have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to aluminum’s safety and high theoretical capacity, however their practical implementation remains challenging. In this Review, the authors discuss recent advances in host structural design engineering, electrolytes for enhanced ion transport, and efficient electrocatalysts for Al-S technology.

Crystallization processes are underpinned by an interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics, leading to complex energy landscapes spanned by polymorphs and metastable intermediates that are challenging to identify and characterize. In this Review, the authors highlight how recent progress in computational methods, and their augmentation with machine learning, have advanced our ability to predict crystal structures and simulate crystal nucleation.

Although plasmonic enhancement has been widely studied in pigment–protein complexes – such as Photosystem I and light-harvesting complexes – its application to pigment-pigment self-assembled systems – which are promising candidates for the design of efficient artificial light-harvesting antennas for solar energy – remains largely unexplored. In this Perspective, the authors highlight recent advances in biomimetic light-harvesting design with chlorosome mimics, discussing the role of pigment-pigment interactions in facilitating efficient energy transfer and the potential for plasmonically-enhanced photophysics in these systems.

Efficient separation of americium from lanthanides is crucial for reducing nuclear waste radiotoxicity, yet highly challenging owing to the chemical similarities of Am(III) and Ln(III) ions. Here, the authors review advancements in the preparation and stabilization of higher-valent americium states, highlighting coordination chemistry strategies that enhance Am/Ln separation efficiencies.

Covalent probes have emerged as a pivotal tool in drug discovery, presenting unique challenges for integrating structural data compared to non-covalent probes. Here, the authors explore the role of structure-based design in optimizing covalent probes, emphasizing computational methods to harness structural insights, potentially transforming drug design strategies across various fields.

PROteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) represent a promising therapeutic approach by facilitating the degradation of target proteins via E3 ligase enzymes. Here, the authors analyze recent advances and challenges in cereblon-based PROTACs from synthesis to clinical trials, offering insights to guide future development in cereblon-based targeted protein degradation.

Lithium-ion batteries can be engineered to operate reliably under extreme cold conditions through innovations in electrode architecture, electrolyte design, and interfacial chemistry. In this Review, the authors discuss recent advances such as high-entropy electrolytes, pseudocapacitive anodes, and polymer or solid-state systems, highlighting promising strategies for applications in polar regions, aerospace, and space missions.

High-resolution 3D structural data are essential for drug discovery, yet X-ray crystallography has limitations in guiding medicinal chemistry. Here, the authors discuss the use of solution-state NMR spectroscopy with selective side-chain labeling and advanced computational workflows to produce accurate protein-ligand ensembles, enhancing structural insights for medicinal chemists and enabling high-throughput applications.

Mechanically-interlocked molecules like rotaxanes and catenanes are gaining attention for their dynamic properties and unique structures. Here, the authors review cyclodextrin-based rotaxanes, highlighting their potential in targeted therapy, drug release, and bioimaging, and discuss challenges in advancing these systems as next-generation therapeutic platforms.

Personalised and precision medicine are emerging as the future of therapeutic strategies, enabling the targeted release of therapeutic agents, minimizing off-target effects and improving treatment precision. Here, the authors summarize the intrinsic physiochemical distinctions in pathological conditions and alterations in tissue microenvironments, as well as chemical strategies for intrinsically cleavable systems.

Rotaxanes offer a strategy to introduce topological complexity into polymer gels, with mobile crosslinks typically endowing a material with enhanced toughness and stretchability. Here, the authors review the use of γ-cyclodextrins as mechanical crosslinkers in hydrogels.

Mechanically interlocked metal–organic cages constitute a relatively new class of mechanically interlocked materials and are of interest for a range of potential applications in nanotechnology. Here, the author discusses recent progress in the field, with emphasis on their synthetic preparation and structure–function relationships.

Artificial light-harvesting systems based on phosphorescence-type energy transfer from the triplet excited states of organic room-temperature phosphorescence emitters have emerged as promising candidates for organic afterglow materials. Here, the authors review our fundamental understanding of phosphorescence-type energy transfer processes and highlight recent advances in the design, modulation and application of such systems.

Surface-adsorbed ligands are paramount to the applicability of semiconductor nanocrystals, but their experimental investigation is challenging. Here, the authors discuss the successes and challenges of computational and theoretical methods dedicated to ligand modeling, and their potential for advancing the simulation-guided inverse design of nanocrystalline materials.

Glycosyl cations are reactive sugar intermediates that govern the stereoselective formation of glycosidic bonds, however, studying glycosyl cations remains challenging due to their unstable and short-lived features. Here, the authors review the recent achievements in gas-phase research on glycosyl cations by mass spectrometry.

Autoclaves are widely used for the synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles, yet several key synthesis variables are widely unreported, hampering reproducibility. Here, the authors highlight several parameters that should be reported in autoclave synthesis as standard, and discuss key safety considerations surrounding autoclave reactors.

Bridgmanite is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s lower mantle, with an ideal composition of MgSiO₃, and with many substitution variants with Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Al, Ca and H. Here, the author reviews the phase relationships of bridgmanite with coexisting phases as a function of pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity.

Aqueous zinc batteries are of great interest thanks to their intrinsic safety, potentially low cost, and eco-friendliness, but undesirable chemical reactions on both the anode and cathode sides significantly shorten their cycling life. Here, the authors discuss recent advancements in asymmetric electrolytes that show significant promise in suppressing side reactions at both the anode and cathode while maintaining electrochemical performance.

To achieve sustainable resource circulation, preparation of reactive species from stable compounds is needed, and chlorine chemistry is an eco-friendly approach to address this need. Here, the authors provide an overview of the synthesis of fine chemicals and polymers using chlorine chemistry, with emphasis with regards to sustainability.

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins can be considered an intermediate solubility regime between disperse solutions and solid fibers, relevant to both pathogenic and functional amyloids. Here, the authors review the evidence that links spider silk proteins (spidroins) and LLPS and its role in the spinning process.