Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Welcome to Issue 5! Please read the cover article:

Electrochemical QCM-D for insights into organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors and transistors (OECTs) by Liubov Bakhchova 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.

#OrganicElectronics #Electrochemistry #OECT

#Free_to_read
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D5QM...

Welcome to Issue 4! Please read the cover article:

Spatiotemporal identification of therapeutic markers 𝘷𝘪𝘢 dual-targeted #SERS bioprobes for assessing breast cancer progression by Xiaoxia Wu, Dong Xu, Aiguo Wu, Jie Lin 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.

#Free_to_read #BreastCancer #CancerDiagnostics
doi.org/10.1039/D5QM...

Congratulations 🎊 to Karthik and Abhi for their paper accepted in @materchemfront.rsc.org (doi.org/10.1039/D5QM...), reporting an unusual RTP material. ⚗️🧪 @standrewsosc.bsky.social @standrewschem.bsky.social

We are delighted to announce the Best @materchemfront.rsc.org Covers of 2025! Read below the scientific papers behind each winning piece.

Front cover Issue 21 doi.org/10.1039/D5QM...
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Front cover Issue 04 doi.org/10.1039/D4QM...

🎉 2025 Most-Popular Articles in Materials Chemistry Frontiers

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, we’re highlighting a curated selection of 2025’s most popular papers.

blogs.rsc.org/qm/2026/02/1...

🆓 Free to read until 20 March.

#InorganicChemistry #MaterialsChemistry #RSC

🏆Our annual poll for "Best Covers of the Year" at 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 is back.

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Supercritical CO2-modulated defect dynamic equilibrium for magnetic-proton dual-functional CaZrO3 Fabrication of magnetic-proton dual-functional CaZrO3 via supercritical CO2 (SC CO2)-modulated dynamic defect equilibrium and multiscale lattice strain engineering was achieved. By tuning SC CO2 press...

Recent research by Qun Xu's team.
#ZhengzhouUniversity

Fabrication of magnetic-proton dual-functional CaZrO₃ via supercritical CO₂ (SC CO₂)-modulated dynamic defect equilibrium and multiscale lattice strain engineering was achieved.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00753D

Spatiotemporal identification of therapeutic markers via dual-targeted SERS bioprobes for assessing breast cancer progression The precise treatment of breast cancer relies heavily on the accurate identification of therapeutic markers. Single surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) bioprobes have been used for primary tumo...

Recent research by Aiguo Wu 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.

Authors develop a dual-targeted SERS platform enabling single-cell–resolution detection of PD-L1 and HER2 in breast cancer with a detection limit of 2 cells mL⁻¹.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00808E

Issue 1 of Materials Chemistry Frontiers is available now!

Check out the full issue if you are interested:
pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/...

Advances, practical applications, and future prospects of layered perovskite oxides (LnBaCo2O5+δ) for electrocatalysis reactions To realize a sustainable and clean society, highly efficient and eco-friendly energy conversion and production technologies have been developed, such as solid oxide cells (SOCs) and water electrolysis...

Review article by Tian Xia's team.
#HeilongjiangUniversity

Authors summarize a series of layered perovskite oxides (LnBaCo₂O₅⁺ᵟ) demonstrating attractive oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution electrolysis activities.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00518C

Organic photocatalysts enable efficient hydrogen production via Förster resonance energy transfer Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production represents a highly promising technology for converting and storing solar energy, with photocatalytic active materials serving as a crucial compo...

Research article by Mengmeng Han 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.
#HenanAcademyofSciences

Organic photovoltaic materials were employed as photocatalysts, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was introduced to induce efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00715A

Organic high-temperature afterglow with acid/base-responsive properties Multi-stimuli-responsive afterglow materials have demonstrated broad applications in information encryption, anticounterfeiting, and sensors for dynamic and time-resolved emission toward various stimu...

Research by Zhen Li's team.
#WuhanUniversity

Authors achieve high-temperature afterglow and acid/base-responsive behavior by combining RTP units with phenolic hydroxyl groups to enable strong hydrogen bonding and active-hydrogen reactivity in crystals.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00700C

LiGaO2-mediated grain boundary engineering in Ta-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) hold promise for next-generation energy storage due to their high safety and energy density. However, challenges such as poor interfacial contact, high interfacia...

Research article by Bingbing Tian's team.
#ShenzhenUniversity

This study investigates the effects of incorporating LiGaO₂ (LGO) into LLZTO to enhance grain-boundary bonding, reduce activation energy, and suppress lithium dendrite growth.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00736D

Manufacturing strategies for metal organic framework-based membrane electrode assemblies in electrolyzers Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derivatives have emerged as promising materials for membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) in water electrolyzers. MOFs offer exceptional atomic-level tunabilit...

Recent review by Dae Woo Kim's team.
#YonseiUniversity

Authors review state-of-the-art MOF synthesis and integration strategies for MEAs, highlighting scalability and interfacial engineering challenges.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00789E

Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical, optical and magnetic properties of new members of the Li2M2W2O9 (M = Mn, Fe, Co) family The relentless quest for new electrode materials for energy storage and electrochromic devices remains essential to improve current technology. Building on our previous discovery of Li2Ni2W2O9, a coru...

Gwenaëlle Rousse's team report three new phases – Li₂Mn₂W₂O₉, Li₂Fe₂W₂O₉ and Li₂Co₂W₂O₉ – synthesized via ceramic and carbothermal reduction methods.

#CollègedeFrance
doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00678C

Fragment to framework: automatic fragmentation of covalent organic frameworks into building blocks for band gap analysis Understanding structure–property relationships in ordered functional materials is essential for their rational design and optimisation. Fragment-based approaches relating materials’ properties to thos...

Research by Ganna Gryn'ova's team.
#UniversityofBern

Authors introduce deCOFpose, an algorithm that systematically fragments COFs into chemically intuitive building blocks for fragment-based structure–property analysis, demonstrated for band gaps.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00727E

A Pd-functionalized β-ketoenamine COF for efficient hydrogen sensing under ambient conditions Hydrogen sensing materials are vital for energy and environmental safety, as hydrogen's high energy density and flammability demand rapid and reliable detection at low concentrations under ambient con...

#OpenAccess article by Surendra Babu Manabolu Surya's team.
#GITAM

Authors report a palladium nanoparticle-functionalized β-ketoenamine-linked covalent organic framework (Pd@TAPT-COF) that enables efficient room-temperature hydrogen sensing.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00681C

Controlling the oxidation degree of graphene for improving the electrochemical performance of Ni-rich cathodes Incorporating graphene into Ni-rich cathode materials, such as the LiNi0.815Co0.15Al0.035O2 (NCA) cathode, has been frequently reported as an effective strategy to improve the performance of lithium-i...

Research by Ferry Iskandar 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.

The oxidation degree of graphene was tuned by varying the electrolyte concentration during the electrochemical exfoliation process, and its impact on the performance of NCA/graphene cathodes was evaluated.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00564G

Mechanically rigid 2D lead halide perovskite (PMA)2PbCl4 with pressure-stable broadband emission We present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the pressure response of the chlorine-based two-dimensional perovskite (PMA)2PbCl4. High-pressure synchrotron powder X-ray diffracti...

Research article by Yongjae Lee's team.
#YonseiUniversity

Authors present a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the pressure response of the chlorine-based two-dimensional perovskite (PMA)₂PbCl₄.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00719D

Recent advances in surface chemistry and applications of silicon and germanium nanocrystals Colloidal silicon and germanium nanocrystals (Si/Ge NCs) have been of immense interest as fundamentally important semiconductor nanomaterials in the past decades due to their distinct covalent bonding...

Review by Zhenyu Yang's team.
#SunYat-senUniversity

This review examines the evolution of surface functionalization strategies, encompassing both conventional passivation methods and innovative ligand architectures, for the property manipulation of Si/Ge NCs.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00646E

Room-temperature phosphorescent materials for tumor imaging: from structural design to diagnosis Compared to fluorophores, room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials exhibit advantages in time-resolved imaging due to their relatively long luminescence lifetime. RTP materials circumvent inter...

Recent review by Hongmin Chen's team.
#XiamenUniversity

This review summarized the mechanisms of phosphorescent radiative transitions, including key factors such as molecular orbital arrangements, spin–orbit coupling, and intermolecular interactions.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00659G

Diagnosis and therapeutic strategies of inorganic nanomaterials in lymphatic system diseases Lymphatic system diseases, such as lymphoma and lymphedema, present significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to the complex structure of the system and the risk of damaging healthy tissue...

HOT review by Jianshi Du's team.

This review summarizes recent advances in the use of #INMs for #lymphatic disease management, including X-ray and photoacoustic imaging, high-resolution fluorescence tracking, and controlled drug delivery.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00647C

Recent research by Brett A. Helms's team.
#LawrenceBerkeleyNationalLaboratory #LBL

Authors use density functional theory to show that mixed-ligand 2D hybrid perovskites create free volume that enables organic small-molecule intercalation.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00488H

Porous porphyrin-based photocatalysts: recent progress and applications in environmental remediation Environmental pollution from organic contaminants poses a significant threat to ecosystems and human health, which require innovative and efficient remediation strategies. Porphyrin-based materials, r...

Check out recent #review by Ting Han's team.

This review highlights recent progress in the design, synthesis, and functionalization of porous porphyrin-based photocatalysts, including MOFs, COFs, HOFs and POPs.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00676G

Improving the phosphorescence properties of doped materials through the heavy atom effect of the hosts Using a host–guest doping strategy to construct materials with excellent phosphorescence properties has important practical significance, and designing guests with strong luminescence properties to en...

A doped system was constructed by selecting five compounds containing Group 15 elements as the hosts, and triphenylamine derivatives as the guests.

Read the article by Yan Chen's team.
doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00645G

Carbohydrate-powered solar cells: how starches give perovskite extra energy Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as promising low-cost photovoltaics, combining high efficiency with solution-processable and scalable fabrication. Realizing stable PSCs via ambient-conditio...

Recent research by Rongrong Cheacharoen 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.
#ChulalongkornUniversity

Authors investigate the impact of starch structures, focusing on the ratio of linear amylose to branched amylopectin, on perovskite formation at 50% relative humidity.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00493D

#Callsforpapers
𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬

This collection highlights how studying, imitating, and advancing nature’s strategies enables the creation of next-generation high-performance, multifunctional, sustainable materials.

www.rsc.org/publishing/j...

Organic framework membranes for electrochemical energy storage: structure–property insights The transition to sustainable energy requires efficient storage technologies to manage the intermittency of renewables like solar and wind. Electrochemical devices such as supercapacitors, lithium-ion...

#Review article by Mangalaraja Ramalinga Viswanathan 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.

metal–organic frameworks ( #MOFs)
covalent organic frameworks ( #COFs)
porous organic polymers ( #POPs)
hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks ( #HOFs)

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM...

Hexaphenyl-1,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,16,17,18-dodecaazatrinaphthylene Highly N-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are attractive because of their significantly electron deficient nature and cation binding ability. The title compound PhDATN, possessing a trinaph...

Research article by Ichiro Hisaki 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. #UOsaka

Authors synthesized a hexaphenyl-substituted derivative PhDATN, characterized it at the molecular level by spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses, and revealed its electronic and photophysical properties.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00649J

Structural design and functional characterization of dicationic pyrazolium salts as organic ionic plastic crystals A series of dicationic pyrazolium hexafluorophosphate (PF6−) salts connected by a butylene bridge were synthesized with side linear alkyl chains ranging from C1 to C12. Thermal analysis revealed that ...

Recent research by Minjae Lee 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭.
#KunsanNationalUniversity

A series of dicationic pyrazolium hexafluorophosphate (PF₆⁻) salts connected by a butylene bridge were synthesized with side linear alkyl chains ranging from C₁ to C₁₂.

doi.org/10.1039/D5QM00697J