This review focuses on the recent progress of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs)-based phosphorescent materials. Their molecular structural characteristics as promising phosphors are highlighted, and the efficient strategies from molecular and aggregation levels have been illustrated systematically to promote the development of PACs with desirable performance.

Phosphorescent materials, as a class of functional substances with unique optical properties, demonstrate immense application potential in various fields, such as anticounterfeiting technology, information encryption, and bioimaging. Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) stand out in this field as highly promising candidates, due to their unique rigid conjugated structures, diverse and tunable conformations, easily modulated bandgaps, multifunctionality, and excellent biocompatibility. This review systematically evaluates the latest research progress in PAC-based phosphorescent materials, highlighting the innovative strategies for enhancing phosphorescence performance and the current challenges faced, to provide forward-looking research perspectives for this rapidly evolving field of materials science.

The Mn-doping Ni3S2 (M-NiS) is synthesized via simple hydrothermal ion-exchange method. The introduction of Mn3+ not only promote the electrochemical activity of Ni sites, but also enhance the adsorption ability of OH−. As the result, the assemble M-NiS//Zn battery shows an ultrahigh high areal capacity of 4.15 mAh cm−2 at the current density of 16 mA cm−2.

Aqueous energy storage systems have garnered significant attention for large-scale energy storage grids and portable electronics due to their inherent safety and environmental benignity. Nickel sulfide, as the potential cathode for aqueous alkaline Zn-based batteries, faces challenges such as weak OH− adsorption, low electrochemical activity and slow reaction kinetics. Herein, the Mn-doped strategy is employed to endow Ni3S2 with ultrahigh electrochemical performance via a simple hydrothermal process. Benefiting from the optimized electronic states of Ni sites after Mn doping in Ni3S2, the Mn-doped Ni3S2 (M-NiS) exhibits significantly enhanced capacity and rate capability compared to pristine Ni3S2 (NiS). Therefore, the assembled M-NiS//Zn battery achieves an ultrahigh areal capacity of 4.15 mAh cm−2 and excellent rate performance of 0.75 mAh cm−2 at 80 mA cm−2. Moreover, it shows no capacity decay after 1000 cycles at the current density of 40 mA cm−2, indicating an exceptional cycling stability. The work is expected to serve as a guide for paving the way for developing high-performance transition metal sulfide.

Ring the boron, not the bell: cyclotrimerization of borylated diynes with nitriles using Co and Ru catalysts allows the efficient synthesis of a wide variety of borylated pyridines with high regioselectivity, paving the way for multiple post-functionalizations.

Regioselective synthesis is a crucial concept in organic chemistry, enabling the selective formation of different regioisomers from the same type of starting materials. This approach is particularly valuable in pharmaceutical and materials sciences, where the arrangement of functional groups influences the biological activities and properties of the molecule. Pyridines are ubiquitous in organic chemistry due to their prevalence in natural products and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the introduction of boron substituents into pyridine rings enables subsequent functionalization further enhancing their utility. Herein, we present a synthetic strategy for the selective formation of either 2- and 3-polysubstituted borylated pyridines via Ru- and Co-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2] cyclotrimerization reactions. Efficient synthesis and utilization of functionalized diynes allow the exploration of their reactivity in cyclotrimerization reactions with a wide variety of nitriles. The broad applicability of the methods to form pyridines with high efficiency and regioselectivity based on the used type of boronic acid derivative is shown. The application includes successful photocatalyzed cyclizations as well as the implementation of one-pot cyclotrimerization-coupling protocols. The findings not only provide a practical route to valuable borylated pyridines but also offer insights into the mechanistic aspects governing selectivity in these reactions.

Lithium-rich manganese-based materials have demonstrated significant potential as cathode materials for all-solid-state batteries. This review provides a comprehensive overview of their crystal structures, electrochemical reaction mechanisms, and the key challenges limiting their performance. Recent advances in enhancing the electrochemical properties of LRMOs within ASSB systems are systematically summarized and critically analyzed. Finally, future perspectives and development directions for LRMOs in ASSB applications are discussed.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have emerged as a leading next-generation energy storage technology due to their enhanced safety, higher energy density, and nonflammable nature. However, the current development of ASSBs still faces many challenges, including low ionic conductivity of SSEs at room temperature, side reactions of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) and electrodes, poor interfacial contact, and internal mechanical stress. To overcome these, the selection and optimization of cathode materials are one of the keys, and lithium-rich manganese-based materials (LRMOs) have become a promising cathode material due to their high specific capacity (>250 mAh g−1), high energy density (>900 Wh kg−1), and low cost. However, the problems of lattice oxygen loss, voltage fading, low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), and interfacial side reactions of LRMOs and SSEs severely limit their practical applications. This review provides a detailed overview of the basic properties of LRMOs and the challenges faced in their application in ASSBs. It summarizes and analyzes the relevant advances in solving the application of LRMOs in ASSBs and finally concludes and looks forward to the future optimization focus and development direction of LRMOs in ASSBs.

Graphdiyne (GDY) has emerged as a versatile carbon allotrope for cutting-edge applications. To fully unlock the distinguished characteristics of GDY-based materials, precise preparation is vital for structure control, which largely shapes the materials’ properties. This review aims to illustrate the preparation strategies of GDY, doped-GDY, and GDY composites, while also briefly introducing the corresponding utilizations and enhanced performance.

The unique way carbon atoms bond with each other creates diverse allotropes, varying from diamond, graphite to fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene, and graphdiyne (GDY). GDY is different from other carbon allotropes with a single carbon hybrid state. The successful synthesis of GDY in 2010, a hybrid sp/sp 2 carbon framework integrating triple bonds and hexagonal rings, stands as the latest milestone in a long history of innovations within carbon science. GDY owns tunable electronic properties, high carrier mobility, and a porous conjugated structure, positioning it as a promising material for catalysis, energy, optoelectronics, life sciences, information intelligence, and biological applications. Among these applications, the preparation of GDY-based materials serves as the crucial starting point for achieving their outstanding performance. The precise preparation methodologies contribute to the structure and morphology control, endowing GDY composites with unique and prominent properties. This review covers the preparation strategies of GDY, doped-GDY, and GDY-based materials. GDY hybrids are further categorized by their combined components, such as metal atoms, metal compounds, and 2D materials—all of which demonstrate exceptional performance in electrocatalysis and energy devices. At last, the remaining challenges and the prospects for the role of advancing GDY in next-generation technologies are discussed.

A strategy for the hierarchical self-assembly of an emissive silver nanocluster into a 3D crystalline lattice via cooperative acetylene bonding in concert with networking silver···pyridyl coordination embodying the hexadentate form is demonstrated.

The controlled supramolecular alignment of atomically precise metal nanoclusters is a promising method to unlock unprecedented properties and advanced functions beyond those of the individual monomeric nanoclusters. Conventional protocols for the construction of such assemblies require the use of two or more types of ligands for protecting and interconnecting the nanoclusters, respectively. Herein, a strategy is demonstrated for the hierarchical self-assembly of an alkyne-protected silver nanocluster into a 3D network in the crystalline lattice based on cooperative silver···acetylene coordination and silver···pyridyl coordination by a bifunctional ligand with a simple design. The bent ligand L produces a Cl@Ag14L12 monomer with a helical conformation resembling that of organic tripodal ligands, which assembles into a 3D network as evident from a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The monomeric and network structures are further characterized using grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption fine structure, in addition to photoluminescence with a microsecond lifetime in the solid state, exhibiting the success of the strategy toward the design of self-assembled 3D supramolecular arrangements of atomically precise metal nanoclusters using a single, simple ligand.

The Cover Feature shows a new ferrociphenol derivative that was designed to equip a prominent organometallic anticancer agent with an additional phosphine group capable of coordinating other metal centers. In their Research Article (DOI: 10.1002/ceur.202500048), B. Bertrand, J. Schulz and co-workers report the syntheses of this compound, its corresponding phosphonium salt, and transition metal complexes incorporating the functional phosphine, along with their preliminary evaluation as anticancer agents.

The Cover Feature illustrates the potentialities of electrochemistry for green organic synthesis, which avoids the transport/storage/handling of hazardous reducing and oxidizing chemicals. In their Review (DOI: 10.1002/ceur.202500013), A. Minguzzi and co-workers consider electrochemical oxidation and reduction from/to alcohols and carbonyl groups in a reader-friendly format.

CH H bonds (HB) are normally much weaker than those involving the OH group. Quantum chemical calculations address the sorts of substituents, and their placement, that might adjust the strengths of the OH··N and CH··N HBs to make them more nearly equal.

The ability of the CH group to act as proton donor is now widely accepted, even if the H bonds (HBs), which it forms are typically much weaker than those of the hydroxyl group, particularly for a sp3-hybridized C. An NH3 nucleophile is allowed to approach both the terminal methyl group and the hydroxyl of n-butanol, so as to form either a CH··N or OH··N HB. Density functional theory calculations show that the latter is much stronger than the former. However, the strength of the CH··N HB can be amplified and approach much closer to that of OH··N by appropriate placement of suitable electron-withdrawing and donating substituents on the butanol. The interaction energy of the CH··N HB reaches above 6–8 kcal mol−1 in several cases, considerably larger than the prototype HB within the water dimer.

The peroxo-di-cerium(IV)-di-lithium-containing 32-tungsto-4-phosphate [(CeIV 2O2)Li2(P2W16O59)2]16− (Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 ) is synthesized and structurally characterized. This peroxo-polyanion demonstrates remarkable stability in solution across a broad pH range. Additionally, the central Ce-peroxo group exhibits exceptional thermal stability, making it one of the most thermally stable peroxo-species reported to date. Furthermore, the oxidative reactivity mechanism of the peroxo-cerium Ce2(O2) unit in Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 is investigated.

The peroxo-bridged di-cerium(IV)-di-lithium-containing polyoxometalate [(CeIV 2O2)Li2(P2W16O59)2]16− (Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 ) is synthesized in a one-pot aqueous synthetic procedure and isolated as a hydrated mixed alkali salt, K13.6Na1.4Li[(CeIV 2O2)Li2(P2W16O59)2]·32H2O (KNaLi-Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 ). The novel polyanion Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 comprises a side-on peroxo-group bridging two cerium(IV) and two lithium ions, which are encapsulated between two dilacunary, face-on {P2W16} Wells–Dawson units, with a vacant site in each of the two belts. The polyanion Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 is characterized in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy and in solution by 31P NMR and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. Ce 2 Li 2 P 4 W 32 and the peroxo-group are shown to be highly stable in a large pH range and up to almost boiling temperatures, but at the same time the polyanion is reactive toward oxidation of triphenylphosphine, involving the peroxo group and the cerium(IV) centers.