Recent advances in photoresponsive OFET memories have demonstrated the significant benefits of incorporating optical bias as a fourth terminal control. Herein, three novel carbazole-based polymers are designed and synthesized via Friedel-Crafts polymerization. The polymers serve as photoresponsive electrets, where carbazole moieties act as charge-trapping sites and photoactive units. The penta-cene-based OFET memory device incorporating solution-processed PAnCz exhibits a large memory window (54.4 V), fast programming speed (<20 ms), high hole-trapping density (4.61 × 10¹² cm^–2) and reliable charge retention. PAnCz and PDPhCz devices demonstrate significantly improved photorecovery efficiency compared to that of PDFlCz. The superior performance is attributed to their dual fluo-rescence emission under 350 nm (0.6 mW/cm²) light illumination. The dual fluorescence phenomenon facilitates efficient generation, separation and recombination of photocarriers, which consequently improves the photomodulation efficiency of the devices. This study suggests that dual-fluorescent polycarbazole electrets represent a promising materials platform for photoresponsive OFET memory.

The development of high-performance multi-resonance (MR) emitters has been booming vigorously in recent years, driven by the enormous demand for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Typically, MR emitters incorporate electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) and electron-donating groups (EDGs), which are conducive to reducing the energy gap between the excited triplet (T₁) and singlet (S₁) states. Among the diverse family of MR emitters, quinolino[3,2,1-de]acridine-5,9-dione (QAO) cores have garnered increasing attention due to their excellent molecular modularity and tunable electronic properties. However, most reported MR emitters based on the QAO core feature benzenoid six-membered rings. Five- and seven-membered ring-containing QAO-based MR emitters remain scarce, primarily due to the synthetic challenges involved, despite their potential to exhibit intriguing anti-aromatic properties. Herein, three novel nitrogen/carbonyl-based MR emitters (NE-1, NE-2, and NE-3) with nitrogen-doped 5/6/7-membered rings were successfully synthesized and fully characterized via thermal analysis, cyclic voltammetry, theoretical calculations, and OLED device tests. Notably, the seven-membered nitrogen/carbonyl rings in these emitters were found to possess strong anti-aromaticity, as evidenced by large positive Nucleus-Independent Chemical Shift (NICS) values: 15.09 for NE-1, 7.61 for NE-2, and 18.05 for NE-3. In contrast, the six-membered nitrogen/carbonyl rings exhibited much weaker anti-aromaticity. All three emitters emitted green light in OLED devices, with electroluminescent (EL) peaks at 491 nm (NE-1), 484 nm (NE-2), and 530 nm (NE-3), respectively. Among them, NE-3 achieved the optimal device performance, with a maximum current efficiency (CE_mₐₓ) of 8.5 cd·A^–1, a maximum power efficiency (PE_mₐₓ) of 8.8 lm·W^–1, a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE_mₐₓ) of 2.2%, and Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.30, 0.65).

Quinone-based cathode materials demonstrate considerable prospect for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their cost-effectiveness, excellent electrochemical reversibility and good chemical stability. Notably, acenaphthoquinone (ANQ), as a readily available quinone unit, has not been reported as a viable cathode material for LIBs. In fact, ANQ is a distinctive and compelling quinone unit because of its stable structure and high theoretical specific capacity, yet the severe dissolution in electrolytes hinders its application. To address this issue, 1,4-bis(1,2-acenaphthoquinonyl)benzene (BAB) is designed by expanding the molecular size, while 2,5-bis(1,2-acenaphthoquinonyl)pyrazine (BAP) is further engineered based on BAB's structure to improve planarity. They manifest significantly suppressed solubilities owing to the enhanced intermolecular forces, with BAP exhibiting an even more pronounced reduction. As a result, the BAP cathode demonstrates exceptional electrochemical performance including a high specific capacity of 220.9 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.2 C, and remarkable cycling stability, with 84.4% capacity retention over long-cycling of 1000 times at 2 C, marking the first successful accomplishment of stable cycling in ANQ-derived electrode materials. These results validate the effectiveness of our molecular engineering strategy and this work focusing on ANQ fills a critical gap in the current landscape of quinone organic electrode materials.

Thermal instability originating from the buried interface, particularly the conductivity-stability paradox characteristic of nickel oxide hole transport layers, severely impedes the commercialization of inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we introduce ammonium hexafluoroaluminate (AHA) as a multifunctional interfacial layer to reconcile this contradiction and regulate the buried perovskite interface. We elucidate a charge compensation mechanism wherein AlF₆^3– anions coordinate with surface Ni²⁺ via F^– ions while NH₄⁺ cations fill nickel vacancies. These processes collectively promote Ni³⁺ generation, thereby enhancing conductivity without inducing parasitic reactions. Simultaneously, AHA modulates perovskite crystallization through Lewis acid-base and hydrogen bonding interactions, yielding high-quality films with mitigated strain and favorable energy alignment. Consequently, inverted PSCs incorporating AHA achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of 26.07%. Furthermore, the devices demonstrate exceptional thermal resilience by retaining 90.8% of their initial efficiency after 1100 h of aging at 85 °C under the ISOS-D-2I protocol.

The development of aqueous sodium-ion energy-storage systems that combine high energy density, high power density, and long cycle life is crucial for enabling the large-scale integration of renewable energy. Herein, we report a high-performance composite electrode material constructed by encapsulating Anderson-type polyoxometalate {NiMo₆} clusters within a metal-organic framework (MOF), designated as Ni-BTC@{NiMo₆}. This confinement architecture effectively suppresses cluster dissolution and, by leveraging the electronic synergy between the Ni center and the Mo-O structure, significantly enhances charge-transfer kinetics. The material exhibits predominantly surface-controlled pseudocapacitive behavior, delivering a high specific capacitance of 956.2 F·g^–1 at 1.0 A·g^–1. An asymmetric aqueous sodium-ion hybrid supercapacitor assembled with this material achieves an energy density of 91.3 Wh·kg^–1 along with excellent cycling stability (negligible capacitance decay after 5,000 cycles). This work demonstrates the considerable potential of precise integration between molecular clusters and porous frameworks for designing advanced energy-storage materials.

Chiral isothioureas represent a highly efficient class of organocatalysts, which can activate substrates such as anhydrides, esters, and ketenes to generate C(1)-ammonium enolate intermediates, and have been widely used in the construction of chiral heterocyclic compounds and biologically active molecules. However, the accessible C(1)-ammonium enolate intermediates are largely limited to those bearing hydrogen, alkyl, or aryl substituents. The corresponding oxygen-substituted variants, which would provide valuable access to α-hydroxy ketone motifs, remain inaccessible due to the scarcity of suitable starting materials. α-Ketoacylsilanes can undergo photoinduced [1,3]-silyl migration to in situ generate siloxyketenes, providing a new strategy for the construction of oxy-substituted ketene intermediates. Herein, we developed an enantioselective [4+2] cycloaddition reaction combining sequential photoinduced [1,3]-silyl migration and isothiourea catalysis. Under the irradiation of blue LEDs at room temperature, α-ketoacylsilanes and acyclic azadienes were used as readily available substrates, with chiral HyperBTM as the optimal catalyst to realize highly stereoselective cycloaddition. The reaction features mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity, a broad substrate scope, and generates structurally diverse chiral dihydropyridinone derivatives in good yields (up to 88%) with high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). This transition-metal-free methodology not only expands the scope of C(1)-ammonium enolates but also provides a new and reliable platform for the construction of δ-lactam scaffolds bearing chiral tertiary alcohol motifs.

Silicon is a promising candidate anode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, its practical utilization is limited by its low intrinsic electrical conductivity and significant volume expansion during lithiation. To address these challenges, substantial efforts have been dedicated to developing silicon/carbon composites. Herein, we report a solvent-free approach for encapsulating nano Si in nitrogen-doped carbon (Si@NC). The nitrogen-doped carbon coating significantly improves the electrical conductivity and effectively accommodates the volume fluctuation of nano Si. The resulting Si@NC composite manifests an impressive reversible capacity of 915 mAh·g^–1 with decent cyclability. This scalable, cost-effective, and environment-benign synthesis, which is solvent-free and flammable gas-free, offers a viable approach for the construction of high-performance silicon/carbon anodes.

Redox-active ligands on transition metals have been shown to provide access to biradical reaction pathways, however the corresponding reaction pathway for main group systems is not known. The compound ((2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃)NC(Me))₂AlCl(THF) 1 reacts with aldehyde or ketone effecting SET and prompting C−C coupling to afford diradical products. However, the corresponding reactions with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxide, azides and diazomethanes proceed to give products derived from both single electron transfer (SET) and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). Computations show that these latter products are formed via initial SET affording a biradical intermediate which prompts HAT.

Radiation scintillators that combine high sensitivity, stability, and multimodal detection capability are highly desirable for advanced radiation imaging and monitoring. Herein, we report a rational lanthanide-doping strategy to construct a high-performance metal–organic framework (MOF) scintillator, namely Eu³⁺⊂Bi-ndc. In this design, high-atomic-number Bi³⁺ nodes serve as efficient X-ray absorbers, while Eu³⁺ ions act as isolated luminescent activators, and rigid 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylate (ndc^2–) ligands function as effective antennae to facilitate energy transfer and suppress non-radiative relaxation. Under X-ray excitation, Eu³⁺⊂Bi-ndc shows intense radioluminescence with a low detection limit of 2.5 μGy·s^–1, a light yield of 25,695 photons MeV^–1, and outstanding irradiation stability. Flexible scintillating films fabricated from Eu³⁺⊂Bi-ndc enable high-resolution X-ray imaging with a spatial resolution of approximately 7 lp·mm^–1. Remarkably, Eu³⁺⊂Bi-ndc also exhibits measurable β-ray–induced scintillation, representing the first example of a lanthanide-containing MOF functioning as a β-ray scintillator. This study advances a synergistic high-Z/lanthanide MOF paradigm that bridges X-ray and β-ray scintillation, paving the way for novel multifunctional radiation detectors.

Ketenes are highly valuable reactive intermediates in organic synthesis. In particular, the ketene-imine cycloaddition, known as the Staudinger reaction, remains one of the most attractive and widely used methods for the synthesis of β-lactams. Although many methods have been developed for synthesis of ketenes, generating oxy-substituted ketenes via carbonylation of metal carbenes remains challenging due to the lack of suitable carbene precursors. Herein, we report a visible-light-induced in situ generation of siloxyketenes from acylsilanes through a carbon monoxide (CO)-mediated Brook rearrangement. This method enables the carbonylative cycloaddition of acylsilanes with imines under mild and metal-free conditions. The reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope, affording a wide range of valuable α-siloxy-β-lactams in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivity. The synthetic utility of this method has been demonstrated through downstream transformations of the resulting products into useful scaffold motifs. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculation support that the singlet state siloxycarbene species is efficiently captured by CO under photoirradiation, and that nucleophilic attack of the resulting siloxyketene intermediate by the imine is involved in the rate-determining step.

Enantioselective synthesis of five-membered heterocycles bearing chiral tetrasubstituted allylic alcohols remains challenging due to severe steric hindrance and strict regio- and enantio-control demands. Herein, we report an efficient, highly enantioselective Ni(0)-catalyzed cascade syn-arylative cyclization of hetero-1,6-alkynones with arylboronic acids, enabling direct access to chiral pyrrolidines and tetrahydrofurans with chiral quaternary carbon stereocenters. Using Ni(cod)₂/(S)-BIDIME, tert-butanol, and LiOMe, 35 products were obtained in up to 98% yield and >99 : 1 er. Gram-scale synthesis proceeded without erosion of reactivity or enantioselectivity. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculations revealed that the cyclization forming the Ni(II) metallacycle is the enantio-determining step. This work provides a practical strategy for the synthesis of chiral five-membered heterocycles and valuable mechanistic insights for the design of asymmetric catalysts.

Dinuclear metal catalysis has garnered increasing attention due to its distinct advantages arising from synergistic substrate capture and indirect activation/regulation. Among these systems, diruthenium catalysts remain relatively underexplored and have primarily been applied in transformations such as oxidation, amination, cyclopropanation, and hetero-Diels–Alder reactions. Building upon these advances, we report herein the first example of a diruthenium-catalyzed N-directed C–H acylation. This reaction proceeds efficiently under exogenous base-free conditions, thereby overcoming the limitations of traditional methods that rely on stoichiometric bases, and exhibiting the notable advantage of wide substrate scope. Mechanistic studies confirm that the diruthenium framework exhibits higher catalytic activity compared to its mononuclear analogues. Furthermore, the reaction is readily scalable to gram-scale, providing a mild and sustainable approach for the efficient construction of carbonyl-containing heteroaromatic compounds. More importantly, the resulting carbonyl products serve as key synthetic intermediates that can be further transformed into high-value functional molecules—including alcohols, amines, oximes, and complex heterocycles—through various derivatization transformations such as reduction, nucleophilic addition, condensation, and cross-coupling reactions, fully demonstrating the synthetic utility and late-stage derivatization potential of this methodology.

The direct C–H functionalization of arenes is a highly atom-economic strategy for molecular assembly; however, controlling regioselectivity, especially at the para-position, remains a long-standing hurdle. Herein, we present a dual copper/photoredox catalytic system that enables the para-selective C–H functionalization of benzylic oxime carbonates with sulfenamides. Unlike classical transition metal-catalyzed arene C–H bond activation strategies, our method employs a radical-mediated dearomatization process to achieve selective activation of the para C–H bond in arene. Utilizing a cooperative system of tetrakis(acetonitrile)copper(I) hexafluorophosphate and thioxanthen-9-one under visible light, a para-carbon radical is generated via photoinduced decarboxylation/dearomatization of the oxime carbonate; subsequently, under copper catalysis, this radical reacts with a sulfenamide to enable C–S/N=S bond reorganization, accompanied by subsequent rearomatization, ultimately leading to the construction of desired sulfilimine. This method is characterized by mild reaction conditions, broad substrate generality, and excellent functional group tolerance, offering a versatile tool for the selective preparation of functionalized sulfilimines. Moreover, the late-stage functionalization of complex bioactive scaffolds and versatile product derivatizations further demonstrate the synthetic utility of this approach.

This work presents a continuous side-chain engineering strategy to precisely regulate molecular packing and interfacial compatibility in quinoxaline-based small-molecule acceptors (SMAs). By stepwise evolution of the side chain from methyl (D1) to methoxy (D2) and ultimately to trifluoromethoxy (D3), the electronic character and polarity of the substituent are systematically tuned while maintaining the integrity of the conjugated backbone. In particular, the trifluoromethoxy group simultaneously integrates the electron-donating effect of oxygen and the strong electronegativity of fluorine, enabling the formation of multiple non-covalent interactions, which collectively direct molecular packing and aggregation behavior. As a result, the D18:D3 blend exhibits optimized donor–acceptor miscibility, efficient exciton dissociation, enhanced charge transport, and suppressed recombination, as evidenced by pronounced photoluminescence quenching, reduced trap-state density, prolonged carrier lifetime, and improved molecular ordering. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the D18:D3 device achieves a high power conversion efficiency of 19.31%, accompanied by a high fill factor of 78.8%. This study demonstrates that integrating oxygen- and fluorine-containing functionalities within a single side-chain substituent offers an effective pathway to simultaneously optimize morphology, charge dynamics, and device performance, providing a versatile design paradigm for high-efficiency acceptors.

Advancements in high-volume manufacturing of semiconductors depend on the innovation of lithography technology to fabricate nanoscale features. As the key materials in lithographic processes, resists are of importance for high-resolution patterns. With the continuous shrinkage of critical dimensions, it is a great challenge for the traditional chemically-amplified resists (CARs) to resolve the sub-20 nm patterns due to their inherent acid diffusion blur. Nonchemically-amplified resists (n-CARs) started to attract renewed attention at about a decade ago, and have exhibited remarkable comprehensive performances on high-resolution lithography in recent years. They are considered as a promising candidate for next-generation lithography. In this review, recent progress of novel n-CARs is summarized, commented, and discussed according to the type of resist materials, which are classified as polymeric resists, organic molecular glass resists, and organic-inorganic hybrid resists. It focuses on the resist design strategy, the resist performance, and the relationship between the molecular structure and lithographic performance, providing our insights on the development of n-CARs for next-generation patterning materials. The outlook and trend of future resist studies are outlined and prospected as well.

Apropos high-resolution lithography for advanced device nodes, extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is one of the feasible technologies, also including e-beam lithography. Ekinci and co-workers have been dedicating to technologically developing the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) interference lithography tool since the 2010s, furnishing a credible platform to investigate the resolution limit of n-CARs. With the renewed emphasis of n-CARs and abundant discussions of high-absorption strategy, Ober's group pioneered the use of metal oxide nanoparticle resists in the 2010s. Brainard's group proposed the concept of molecular organometallic resists for EUVL, and started to establish novel platforms based on organic-inorganic hybrid materials in 2011. Then, Brouwer's group reported a substantial body of work on patterning and mechanism analysis of tin-oxo cage resists. In 2014, Gonsalves's group developed sulfonium-based n-CARs, providing a unique insight on photosensitive groups. In 2020s, Li and Yang et al. propelled deep explorations on polarity transition polymeric n-CARs and pursued pathfinding research on molecular n-CARs. Peng's group and Zhang's group respectively started to screen promising metal oxide clusters recently. Additionally, Xu et al. focus on comprehensive studies of zirconium-based resists. This review underscores the relationship between molecular structures and the lithographic performance of n-CARs for high-resolution lithography, which are divided into polymeric n-CARs, organic molecular glass n-CARs, and organic-inorganic hybrid n-CARs.

Since its discovery in 1997, the Catellani reaction, enabled by palladium/norbornene (Pd/NBE) cooperative catalysis, has matured into a powerful strategy in organic synthesis for the iterative ortho- and ipso-difunctionalization of aryl halides. This methodology is fundamentally dependent on the formation of key aryl-norbornyl-palladacycle intermediates, which facilitate the one-step assembly of multiple C–C bonds. Recently, the emergence of Pd/NBE catalysis has broadened the applicability of this platform, allowing for efficient and stereocontrolled construction of chiral compounds. In this review, we comprehensively summarize recent advances in Pd/NBE cooperative catalysis for the synthesis of diverse chiral compounds, with a focus on four dominant strategies: chiral substrate control (exploiting inherent substrate chirality), chiral ligand control (introducing chirality during the termination step), organocatalytic control (via enamine intermediates generated from chiral amines), and chiral norbornene control (wherein the norbornene conveys stereochemistry through sequential stages, including C–H activation, kinetic resolution, axial chirality induction and desymmetrization). These developments have enabled highly asymmetric transformations of aryl iodides, triflates, and boronates, granting efficient access to diverse, complex chiral compounds including C-aryl glycosides, carbon- and phosphorus-stereogenic centers, varied axial chiral motifs, planar chiral ferrocenes, and inherently chiral aromatics. Collectively, these accomplishments underscore the considerable potential of this catalytic platform for constructing core scaffolds in bioactive molecules and functional materials. Despite these advances, key challenges persist. The structural diversity of directly accessible chiral compounds remains narrow; stereocenters bearing heteroatoms (e.g., sulfur, boron, or silicon), C–B axial chirality, and planar or helical chiral macrocycles remain particularly underexplored. Furthermore, the functionalization of sterically hindered substrates, especially those governed by the “meta-constraint”, remains a significant challenge, and the scope of compatible electrophiles and terminating reagents requires significant broadening. Looking ahead, integrating this asymmetric catalytic strategy with emerging techniques such as photocatalysis and electrosynthesis offers a promising avenue to overcome current mechanistic and selectivity limitations, thereby opening new frontiers for the design of chiral compounds with novel scaffolds and unique functionalities.

Featuring flexible design and facile synthesis, non-fused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs) have attracted considerable attention over the past few years in the field of organic solar cells (OSCs). To date, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of OSCs based on NFREAs has exceeded 19%, gradually approaching that of their fused-ring counterparts. Given their low-cost nature, NFREAs have emerged as highly promising candidates for future OSC commercialization, especially in the large-scale fabrication scenarios. During their development, side chain engineering has stood out as a simple yet effective strategy that significantly enhances the photovoltaic performance of NFREAs. By tailoring the side chains on electron-donating and/or electron-withdrawing building blocks, researchers can precisely regulate the physical properties of NFREAs, such as material solubility and light absorption. More importantly, side chain engineering plays a crucial role in controlling crystal packing and film forming kinetics, which directly affect exciton diffusion, charge transport and recombination dynamics within devices. In this context, extensive studies have revealed critical structure–property relationships among side chain modifications, device performance and stability, providing valuable guidelines for future molecular design. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of side chain engineering in NFREAs. First, we individually focus on the side chain engineering of the electron-donating and electron-withdrawing units. We then systematically summarize the diverse side chain engineering approaches, including the regulation of side chain length, branching point, substitution positions, etc. The effects of these modifications on physical properties, film morphology, device performance, and stability are analyzed in depth. Finally, the key challenges and future perspectives for achieving efficient, stable, and low-cost NFREA-based OSCs via advanced side chain engineering are comprehensively addressed.

This review systematically details the significant advances from 2019 to 2025 in utilizing difluorocarbene (:CF₂) as a minimal perfluorocarbon linker for the efficient synthesis of gem-difluoromethylenated compounds (G₁-CF₂-G₂, G₁, G₂ ≠ H, F). As the smallest perfluorocarbon linker, :CF₂ has evolved beyond a traditional C1 synthon into a versatile bipolar connective scaffold, enabling modular assembly through innovative methodologies. The progress is systematically categorized into two primary domains: the synthesis of linear and cyclic architectures. For linear molecules, breakthroughs include tunable transition-metal catalysis (e.g., Pd, Cu) that enables controlled three-component couplings and programmable fluoroalkyl chain elongations, alongside diverse metal-free strategies utilizing phosphonium ylides, silyl reagents, and oxidative protocols for incorporating heteroatoms (O, S, N, Se, etc.) into the -CF₂- bridge. In cyclic molecule synthesis, beyond the classical [2+1] cycloaddition for the synthesis of gem-difluorocyclopropanes, novel annulation paradigms such as [3+1], [4+1], and [1+4] cycloadditions have emerged, providing efficient access to a wide array of medicinally relevant fluorinated heterocycles. Furthermore, complementary difluorocarbene-like pathways, particularly those employing radical-based synthons, offer alternative routes for constructing the -CF₂- linkage. Looking forward, the review provides inspiring perspectives, emphasizing the in-depth fundamental studies of metal-difluorocarbene coupling reactions, the development of bench- stable and externally activated (light, electricity) :CF₂ precursors, the pursuit of enantioselective :CF₂ transfer for constructing chiral G₁*–CF₂–G₂ centers, and the exploration of :CF₂ as a repeating linker unit in high-performance fluorinated polymers and materials. The integration of computational prediction with experimental validation is highlighted as a powerful tool for discovering :CF₂-mediated transformations, while the application of these methodologies in late-stage diversification of complex pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals underscores their practical utility. This consolidated overview underscores :CF₂'s transformative role as a minimal perfluorocarbon linker in modern synthetic methodology, offering valuable insights for organic, medicinal, and materials chemists to design and access complex fluorinated targets with enhanced efficiency and precision.