Trends in Chemistry最新文献

The field of liquid metals (LMs), metals and alloys of low melting point made of post-transition metals, offers exciting prospects for the creation of remarkable composite materials. By providing a liquid state at low temperatures, LMs can act as primary components in conductive and flexible composites involving organic and inorganic materials. In this review, we present a succinct examination of LM-based composites and highlight their notable characteristics. We discuss the contributing factors of low melting points and exceptional thermal and electrical conductivities. Last, we showcase various types of composites utilizing LMs, elucidating their synthesis methods and applications in advanced technologies.

The development of catalysts for electrochemical valorization of crude glycerol has enabled sustainable and economically viable pathways for the conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks into useful products. The use of crude glycerol as a feedstock in CO₂ reduction cells has also recently emerged as a route to reduce the voltage required to improve the energy efficiency and economic viability of the technology. In this opinion, we shed light on future perspectives regarding crude glycerol catalyst design, processing conditions, reaction mechanisms, and its practical applications.

Given the promise of energy efficiency, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for separation applications have made significant progress through fine-tuning of their pore size and environment. An emerging focus in the field is the one-step separation of multicomponent gas mixtures. Compared with binary mixture separation, multicomponent gas mixtures are more relevant to industrial demand and their separation is more challenging. In this review, the unique features of multicomponent mixture separation are analyzed and new strategies for such a challenging task critically discussed. The separation mechanisms are discussed from a molecular level to provide insights for MOF design. To conclude, fundamental questions for performance optimization have been proposed.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) has become the most widely studied biodegradable polymer over the past 100 years. Central to this utility is its semicrystalline nature. Crystallinity is among the most important fundamental properties in materials science. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is routinely used to evaluate polymer crystallinity. This requires the use of reference data for the melting enthalpy of the hypothetical entirely crystalline polymer. These data have been acquired, by necessity, using extrapolation techniques and are variably reported for PCL. The scientific community would benefit from revisiting methods to obtain objective reference values to avoid inaccuracies and compromised data sets. Here we present proposed methodologies in this direction, based on current literature, along with perspectives on the importance of this topic for the greater research community.

Two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) materials have attracted extensive interest because of their superior electrical, optical, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties, which hold great potential in the development of flexible paper-based devices. The family of vdW materials is significantly diverse and their electronic features range from metallic to semiconducting and superconducting. This review covers the state-of-the-art research progress in the development of various vdW materials from fabrication to applications in paper-based electronics and optoelectronics. In particular, the promising applications of vdW materials integrated with paper as flexible mechanical sensors, environmental sensors, and photodetectors are highlighted. The remaining challenges and prospects related to paper-based devices with vdW materials are discussed. This review provides a comprehensive roadmap to inspire future breakthroughs.

As physical chemistry transitioned to computational chemistry, a new growth occurred in the field with the advent of predictive catalysis, making it a key player in the optimization and development of catalytic processes. Predictive catalysis refers to the use of computational and theoretical methods to predict the properties and behavior of chemical systems and, more specifically, their catalytic activity and selectivity. In this analysis, we take a look at what predictive catalysis has done to date and build a picture of how far it can go in the future, while also outlining the challenges that need to be resolved to make it a powerful tool of general applicability.

Building automated platforms in chemical processes is a shared goal by many researchers. Herein, we provide essential insights into the decision-making process for choosing automation platforms, highlighting the suitability of fixed automation for standardized tasks and the strategic use of flexible automation in dynamic research settings. By addressing key factors, we aim to assist researchers in making informed decisions tailored to their specific automation needs.

Hydrogen energy is considered an ideal substitute for fossil energy. However, hydrogen storage is still a bottleneck to the widespread adoption of a hydrogen economy. The development of suitable hydrogen storage materials would provide a promising solution. Formic acid (FA) is a promising candidate as a hydrogen storage material due to its merits of high hydrogen volumetric content, low cost, ready availability, high safety, and reversibility. Solar energy is inexhaustible and photocatalytic FA dehydrogenation provides an appealing strategy for H₂ production, storage, and application. In this review, we mainly focus on the recent advances in photocatalytic FA dehydrogenation systems, especially the progress and current existing challenges, aiming to help stimulate potential advanced developments for this exciting field.