Chemical Society Reviews最新文献

Correction for ‘Organoantimony: a versatile main-group platform for pnictogen-bonding and redox catalysis’ by Elisa Chakraborty et al., Chem. Soc. Rev., 2025, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cs00332a.

Adhesive hydrogels represent a transformative technology in biomedicine due to their biocompatibility and multifunctionality. While extensive research has focused on improving their adhesion strength, the pursuit of long-term interfacial stability reveals a core conflict: strong adhesion often comes at the expense of easy removal. Dynamically regulating hydrogel adhesion is thus key to personalized medicine, allowing adaptation to complex clinical needs. Designing such systems demands a multifaceted approach that considers the physiological environment, medical requirements, stimulus-induced interfacial rearrangements, and mechanics-driven microstructure reconstruction. The dynamic regulation of hydrogel adhesion is more than a functional upgrade; it represents a paradigm shift for smart materials, from “static design” to “dynamic interaction”. This review first introduces the mechanisms of hydrogel adhesion. It then provides an in-depth analysis of strategies for dynamically regulating adhesion at the tissue–hydrogel interface and explores the latest progress and application potential in biomedicine.

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) are considered ideal candidates for the next-generation core technologies for development of clean energy storage and conversion systems owing to their inherent high energy density and exceptional safety. Nevertheless, the practical energy density, power characteristics, and cycling stability of SSLMBs are usually limited by sluggish charge transfer kinetics within and across solid-state components, including electrode, electrolyte, binder, and conductive additive materials. Therefore, understanding the intrinsic link between structure–charge transport–performance and improving charge transport kinetics in a heterogeneous solid system through structural modulation has become the key to comprehensively improving the electrochemical performance of SSLMBs. Herein, a unique perspective is proposed to optimize the short-range and long-range charge transport processes in SSLMBs through multi-level structural modulation at the electrode, solid electrolyte, and cell levels. We firstly summarize and evaluate the research progress in multi-level structural modulation. Then, the vital factors impacting structural regulation and regulation principles at the corresponding level are analyzed in depth. Furthermore, the extent of enhancement and limitations of various structural modulation approaches employed for charge transport are evaluated and compared. At the end, perspectives and suggestions were provided on principles for multi-level structural modulation toward fast charge transport kinetics in inorganic SSLMBs. This review will offer broadly applicable principles for the development of next-generation high-performance inorganic SSLMBs.

Precision medicine is aimed at achieving a more personalized approach tailored to individual characteristics and urgently requires the development of precise diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Small-molecule dyes play indispensable roles in medical imaging and surgery procedures, attracting significant attention regarding disease diagnosis and therapy. However, their widespread utilization for accurate tumor localization and long-term intraoperative imaging remains hindered by their inherent limitations, including tedious synthesis protocols, poor photostability, susceptibility to fluorescence quenching in physiological environments, and rapid systemic clearance. Supramolecular dyes, defined as small-molecule dye-based assemblies, usually present unique and superior photophysical properties, including tunable optical properties, enhanced photodynamic and photothermal performance, improved photostability and optimized anti-quenching capability, collectively enabling high-precision optical diagnosis and therapy. Despite remarkable progress in supramolecular dyes, a systemic review summarizing their applications in precision biomedicine remains lacking. In this review, we systematically summarize the recent advances on the development of supramolecular dyes across three key self-assembly systems: supramolecular coordination complexes (SCCs) systems, host–guest systems (including cyclodextrin, cucurbit[n]urils (CB [n]s), calixarenes and pillararenes), and enzyme instructed self-assembly (EISA) systems. Moreover, we highlight current challenges and future perspectives to accelerate their translation from fundamental research to clinical applications.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) constitutes a critical half-reaction in electrochemical water splitting and plays a central role in sustainable energy conversion systems. This review commences with an overview of the fundamental principles governing the OER, serving as the conceptual basis for understanding the influence of external physical fields on catalytic behaviour. The individual effects of magnetic, photo, and thermal fields on OER kinetics and mechanisms are systematically examined, followed by an exploration of the coupling phenomena that arise from their concurrent application. Building on these mechanistic insights, we further discuss catalyst design strategies that exploit both isolated and synergistic external field effects, as reported in recent studies. Advances in computational screening and descriptor-guided design methodologies are also reviewed. Finally, we outline critical future directions, including the optimization of performance trade-offs among activity, stability, and energy efficiency, the development of standardized evaluation protocols, and the integration of theoretical modelling to guide rational catalyst development. Collectively, this review provides a comprehensive framework for advancing OER catalysis through the strategic application of external physical fields.

Because circularly polarized light (CPL) uniquely carries spin-selective information, chiral optoelectronics offer a powerful platform for developing high-efficiency, spin-based optical devices and driving next-generation photonic technologies. Intrinsically chiral semiconductors can absorb or emit CPL through light–matter interactions, positioning them as highly attractive active materials for advanced optoelectronics. However, their weak chiroptical activities often hinder practical implementation. To address this challenge, researchers have explored a range of strategies aimed at enhancing chiroptical performance. Recent advances in molecular design, processing techniques, and device engineering have led to significant improvements in the chiroptical properties of these materials. This review summarizes recent progress in chirality amplification strategies for semiconductors in advanced optoelectronics. Intrinsically chiral semiconductors are classified into three groups: organic semiconductors, metal–organic materials, and chiral hybrid perovskites. Furthermore, strategies for enhancing chiroptical signal output in chiral optoelectronic devices are discussed, supported by relevant theoretical frameworks. These advancements establish a solid foundation for the development of high-performance chiral optoelectronic devices, paving the way for future innovations in photonic technology.

Oxide thermoelectric materials have emerged as promising candidates for sustainable energy applications owing to their inherent thermal stability, environmental benignity, elemental abundance, and low cost. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in oxide thermoelectrics, covering synthesis methodologies for bulk and thin-film oxides as well as state-of-the-art advances in thermoelectric performance. Particular emphasis is placed on multiple optimization strategies aimed at carrier-phonon decoupling in oxides (such as high entropy design, texturization, homo-structure construction, and symmetry modulation) and emerging applications based on oxide thermoelectrics (including the photothermoelectric effect, and transverse thermoelectric effect), distinguished from conventional thermoelectric energy conversion. These coupled functionalities open new avenues for multi-modal energy harvesting and intelligent device integration. Finally, we highlight critical challenges and unresolved issues that need to be addressed in future research and practical applications in oxide thermoelectrics.

Water at interfaces exhibits unique properties that differ markedly from those of bulk water. In particular, a myriad of water-interface-related enhanced reactivities including on-water catalysis and microdroplet chemistry have been documented since the 1980s but remain mechanistically unclear. This review focuses on recent advances in optical spectroscopy and imaging techniques—including fluorescence imaging, vibrational Stark spectroscopy, electrochromism, sum-frequency generation, and high-resolution Raman micro-spectroscopy—that have successfully enabled the detection of interfacial electric fields at different hydrophobic water interfaces (air, liquid and solid). We summarize how both probe-based and label-free optical spectroscopic techniques can consistently quantify the on-water electric field strengths to be on the order of tens of MV cm⁻¹, corroborated by independent non-spectroscopic techniques, such as electrokinetic and surface charge measurements. The surprisingly close agreement among these different measurements and across broad experimental systems strongly hints at the existence of strong electric fields being a general feature of water–hydrophobe interfaces. We further discuss the physical origins of the interfacial electric field with a particular emphasis on the mechanism of preferential hydroxide accumulation at hydrophobic interfaces. Finally, we examine the implications of strong interfacial electric fields for chemical kinetics, radical generation and thermodynamics, thereby making important connections to interfacial water reactivity. These insights not only contribute to our fundamental understanding of water at interfaces but also point toward new strategies for harnessing interfacial water electrostatics in biomedicine, catalysis, green chemistry, and environmental science.

Carbon is an incredibly versatile element and can form bonds via sp, sp², and sp³ hybridization, forming diverse structures, which are responsible for the vast complexity and diversity of chemistry and biology. Therefore, understanding carbon bonding is crucial for comprehending the fundamental principles of natural science. Beyond conventional chemistry, carbon bonding confined inside carbon cages can adopt unusual and seemingly unpredictable bond states. Within these spatially restricted environments, encapsulated carbon atoms can bond with multiple nonmetal atoms (e.g., H, C, N, and O) and a variety of metal atoms (e.g., Sc, V, Ti, and Dy), forming otherwise unstable clusters with different bonding models and oxidation states of carbon. This leads to unprecedented bonding situations, including multiple and multicenter carbon–metal bonds, covalent carbon–metal bonds, superatomic states, and pronounced donation bonds (e.g. C₂ → metal atoms). These bonding situations enrich the carbon bonding models beyond traditional organic chemistry. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the recent findings regarding constrained carbon bonding with varying numbers of carbon atoms inside carbon cages. It will encompass crucial aspects of this special constrained carbon bonding such as the dispersion of negative charge on the carbon cage, reduction of Coulomb repulsion, maximization of coordinated metal ions, and determination of optimal configurations for metal atoms within the carbon cages. Accordingly, new carbon bonding could be identified in carbon cages, which holds significant implications in the development of innovative carbon-based compounds. Additionally, the current challenges faced and future developments anticipated from the aspect of confined carbon bonding inside carbon cages will be discussed to provide deeper insights into the intricacies of carbon bonding. Through this comprehensive exploration, we hope to advance knowledge in this exciting area of carbon chemistry.

Twisted Intramolecular charge transfer (TICT)-based fluorescent probes are crucial in chemical sensing due to their sensitivity and specificity. These probes undergo conformational changes upon interacting with target analytes, resulting in measurable fluorescence responses. Their environment-dependent emission characteristics make them ideal for detecting variations in solvent polarity, microviscosity, and specific chemical species. Recent advances have expanded their applications to organic optoelectronics and non-linear optics. This review discusses the design principles, mechanisms, and applications of TICT-based probes, emphasizing their role in detecting cations, anions, and neutral molecules. We describe their advantages, such as fluorescence turn-on or turn-off responses and potential for ratiometric detection, which inherently corrects for interferences. Challenges in developing these probes, including fluorescence quantum yield and photostability, are also addressed. Potential directions for future research are highlighted, including the need for improved biocompatibility and multimodal imaging capabilities, with the aim of enhancing their utility in environmental monitoring, biomedical research, and clinical diagnostics.