Sodium metal batteries (SMBs) have emerged as promising next-generation energy storage systems due to sodium’s high theoretical specific capacity (1076 mA•h•g^－1) and natural abundance in the Earth’s crust (2.3%). However, dendrite formation during cycling leads to safety risks and rapid capacity degradation. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of three-dimensional (3D) carbon-based current collectors (CCs) as transformative platforms to regulate Na⁺ deposition. 3D carbon architectures, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene aerogels, and carbon cloth, offer high surface areas (500~1500 m²•g^－1), robust mechanical frameworks, and optimized ion transport pathways, effectively reducing local current density and nucleation overpotential by 40%~60%. Firstly, the fabrication technologies are critically discussed. The template methods enable precise pore control (1~50 mm) but risk structural collapse. Sacrificial templates (e.g., MOFs) address this limitation, yielding composites with high conductivity and specific capacity (>600 mA•h•g^－1). The use of 3D-printed nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (3DP-NGA) facilitates dendrite-free sodium deposition, where pyrrolic-N defects act as nucleation sites to guide uniform Na plating, even in complex architectures. Electrospinning produces binder-free mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs), while chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesizes graphitic domains with tunable porosity. Atomic doping of 3D carbon materials can increase their sodium affinity, thereby promoting more uniform sodium deposition. Functionalization strategies such as alloying and incorporating organic or inorganic composites can further enhance sodiophilicity and help form a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during cycling. In addition, rational pore design can effectively regulate sodium plating and stripping behavior, thereby suppressing dendrite growth. Looking ahead, we envision several promising opportunities and pressing challenges: advancing in situ characterization techniques to unravel the fundamental structure-performance correlations; harnessing machine learning-driven inverse design to accelerate materials discovery; developing scalable roll-to-roll manufacturing strategies for gradient-doped CCs with projected costs below $5/m²; and integrating these architectures with solid-state electrolytes to unlock energy densities surpassing 500 W•h•kg^－1. Overall, this review establishes 3D carbon-based CCs as pivotal enablers for practical SMBs, bridging fundamental research and industrial implementation through multidisciplinary innovation.

Organic narrowband photodetectors (NBPDs) have garnered substantial research attention within optoelectronic technology due to their superior spectral resolution and significant potential for applications in biomedical sensing, machine vision, and hyperspectral imaging. Conventional approaches to achieve spectral selectivity, which rely heavily on discrete optical filters or intricate device engineering strategies (e.g., charge collection narrowing, charge injection narrowing and exciton dissociation narrowing), suffer from inherent limitations including compromised device integration density, increased fabrication complexity, and elevated costs. The absorption spectra of organic optoelectronic materials can be accurately regulated through rational design of molecular structures, which exhibits great superiority in constructing narrowband photodetectors. This perspective reviews organic NBPDs based on narrowband absorption materials, analyzing strategies from both molecular design and aggregation-state modulation perspectives. Molecular design covered include metal phthalocyanines, cyanine dyes, merocyanine dyes, squaraine dyes, donor-acceptor (D-A) systems, multi-resonance (MR) systems, non-charge- transfer (non-CT) systems, and boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives. While conventional dyes and D-A molecules typically achieve detection full width at half-maximum (FWHM) no less than 50 nm, emerging MR and non-CT systems demonstrate exceptional potential for sub-50 nm FWHM. This enhanced narrowness stems from their unique photophysical properties—MR systems feature suppressed vibrational coupling due to non-bonding molecular orbitals, while non-CT systems utilize localized excitons. Aggregation-state control, particularly J-aggregation, is highlighted as a powerful strategy to counteract spectral broadening in solid-state films. J-aggregates, formed by a specific slipped-stack molecular arrangements, exhibit red-shifted sharp absorption due to suppressed vibronic couplings. Despite considerable progress, significant challenges still exist in further compressing FWHM below 20 nm, achieving reliable control over aggregation processes during large-area fabrication, standardizing the reporting of crucial figures of merit like spectral rejection ratio (SRR) to enable fair cross-lab comparisons, and developing materials specifically optimized for key application wavelengths beyond the visible range. Addressing these hurdles demands a synergistic approach combining advanced molecular engineering, precise aggregation control, and innovations in device fabrications to realize the full potential of high-performance organic NBPDs for next-generation optoelectronic applications.

Carbenes (R₂C:) represent a unique class of neutral divalent carbon species that formally possess six valence electrons at the central carbon atom, thereby deviating from the octet rule. These species have long occupied a central role in organic, organometallic, and materials chemistry owing to their rich electronic structures and versatile reactivity. The vast majority of isolated stable carbenes adopt a singlet ground-state electronic configuration described as σ²π⁰, wherein a lone pair occupies an in-plane σ orbital and the out-of-plane π orbital remains unoccupied. This configuration underpins the pronounced nucleophilicity observed in classical N-heterocyclic carbenes and their analogs. A limited number of carbenes with a σ¹π¹ open-shell ground state have been spectroscopically characterized, often exhibiting radical-like behavior and enhanced reactivity. In sharp contrast, carbenes with an inverted electronic configuration—σ⁰π²—remain extraordinarily rare and conceptually intriguing. These carbenes possess two electrons fully occupying the out-of-plane π orbital, leaving the in-plane σ orbital vacant. Such a configuration inverts the typical orbital occupancy pattern, potentially leading to electrophilic or ambiphilic reactivity profiles. To date, four principal design strategies have been proposed to stabilize σ⁰π² carbenes: (1) cyclic di(imino)carbenes; (2) di(boryl)carbene; (3) metal-coordinated cyclic di(phosphino)carbenes; and (4) dicationic carbones. However, despite extensive conceptual exploration, only one stable and isolable σ⁰π² carbene has been structurally authenticated to date. This species features a rigid RhP₂C four-membered metallacycle, wherein the carbene carbon exhibits an unprecedented ¹³C NMR chemical shift below －30 parts per million, representing the most upfield resonance recorded for a carbene center. This carbene demonstrates divergent reactivity patterns uncharacteristic of classical σ²π⁰ congeners. It reacts with both Lewis acids and Lewis bases to yield coordination adducts and π-complexes, respectively, and participates in bond-forming processes such as ketenimine generation from isocyanides. Its demonstrated ambiphilicity offers promise for the activation of inert small molecules, including dinitrogen (N₂)—a long-standing goal in main group chemistry. This perspective provides a systematic overview of the emerging chemistry of σ⁰π² carbenes, critically analyzing structural parameters, stabilization frameworks, and reactivity paradigms. We further highlight the prospective roles of such carbenes in bond activation and novel ligand design, envisioning their integration into next-generation main-group and transition-metal cooperative systems.

Low-dimensional magnetic materials, which can simultaneously utilize the electrons’ spin and charge degrees of freedom for data storage, processing and transmission, exhibit significant potentials for applications in next-generation information technologies. However, the development of low-dimensional magnetic materials faces severe challenges such as the difficulties of experimental synthesis and characterization, usually low Curie temperatures, lack of effective modulation, and limited function integration. First-principles design of novel low-dimensional functional magnetic materials has thus emerged as a crucial approach to addressing these issues. In this context, organometallic systems have garnered widespread attentions due to their rich chemical tunability. Their diverse transition metal centers and extensive organic ligand libraries provide a vast design space for low-dimensional magnetic materials. The precisely controllable coordination environment can effectively modulate the charge and spin states of metal/ligand centers. Moreover, the coordination bonds between metals and ligands exhibit diverse and adjustable orbital coupling, offering an ideal platform for achieving high Curie temperatures and varied magnetic interactions. Additionally, the chemical modifiability and conformational flexibility of organic ligands facilitate the construction of magnetic phase-transition systems and multifunctional spintronic devices. This review aims to systematically summarize recent advances in the first-principles design of low-dimensional magnetic organometallic materials with targeted functions. Several key design strategies are highlighted, including methods for constructing stable magnets with long-range room-temperature ferrimagnetism, chemical modulation strategies for magnetic phase transitions, approaches to designing room-temperature multiferroic materials, principles for creating metal-organic materials with giant Rashba effects, design rules for bipolar magnetic molecules, inverse design of altermagnetic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and microscopic mechanisms of electric-field-controlled magnetism. Finally, the integration of machine learning methods to achieve low-dimensional metal-organic magnets with high magnetic anisotropy is discussed. By systematically outlining the unique advantages and existing challenges of organometallic systems in the design of low-dimensional magnetic materials, along with the latest experimental breakthroughs, this review is expected to provide theoretical guidance and technical pathways for future related researches.

RNA modifications play a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and maintaining cellular homeostasis. While modifications such as N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) and 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C) have been extensively studied, 5-methyluridine (m⁵U) remains relatively understudied despite its abundance and evolutionary conservation, particularly in tRNA. In recent years, despite its low abundance, m⁵U has also been found on mRNA in mammalian cells through high resolution mass spectrometry and metabolic incorporation sequencing method. However, due to the lack of high-throughput sequencing methods, the distribution and biological functions of m⁵U modification on mRNA are still remaining unknown. Various species employ diverse enzymes and traverse two distinct pathways to form m⁵U on tRNA, underscoring the significance and diversity of m⁵U modification throughout evolutionary history. The m⁵U modification on tRNA has also been shown to play a key role in promoting tRNA folding, enhancing tRNA stability, regulating tRNA modification landscape, ribosome translocation, and cellular fitness. The human tRNA methyltransferase TRMT2A, beyond its catalytic role, influences translation fidelity and cell cycle, with implications in cancer and neurodegeneration. Despite some advancements in the study of m⁵U, several challenges persist. For instance, the dynamic regulation mechanism underlying m⁵U modification remains unclear. The precise role of m⁵U in the onset and progression of diseases is still not fully understood, and its potential worth in clinical diagnosis and treatment awaits further exploration. Integrating cutting-edge technologies and multi-omics approaches will be essential to unravel m⁵U's full biological and biomedical potential, offering new insights into RNA epigenetics and disease mechanisms. This perspective highlights recent progress in the study of m⁵U, including its discovery on mRNA, catalytic enzymes, cross-talk with other modifications, and regulatory functions. We also discuss the emerging links between m⁵U and human diseases, and outline the current challenges and future directions in decoding the dynamic regulation and biomedical significance of this RNA modification.

Chiral molecules are ubiquitous in nature and play an important role in natural products, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, advanced materials, as well as living organisms. Therefore, the development of efficient strategies to enable the facile construction of enantiopure chiral compounds in an atom- and step-economical manner is of great importance. The enantioselective functionalization of C—H bonds without multi-steps transformation is arguably one of the most powerful and straightforward strategies to fulfill this goal. This emerging research field has been rapidly developed with the innovation of various chiral catalysts and/or ligands in recent years. In particular, significant advances have been achieved in palladium-catalyzed enantioselective functionalization of C(sp³)—H bonds, streamlining the efficient and concise construction of chiral molecules from readily available hydrocarbon feedstocks. The stereoselective functionalization of C(sp³)—H bonds with the assistance of chiral ligand to form a chiral palladacycle intermediate, which could be transformed into various chemical bonds to form functionalized chiral compounds, has attracted tremendous attention. Thus, this perspective summarizes the advances on palladium(II)-catalyzed enantioselective functionalization of C(sp³)—H bonds via asymmetric C—H palladation. According to the type of C—H bonds, this perspective is classified into several sections, including methyl C(sp³)—H bonds, methylene C(sp³)—H bonds in constrained cycloalkanes, functionalization of methylene C(sp³)—H bonds adjacent to α-heteroatom, benzylic methylene C(sp³)—H bonds, and unbiased methylene C(sp³)—H bonds. The emphasis of this perspective focuses on the discussion of the philosophy of developing novel chiral ligands and the mode of stereocontrol. The remaining limitations and challenges regarding to chemo- and enantioselective control in this field is also discussed. Further development of new chiral ligands and catalytic systems is expected to address these issues and expands the scope of this powerful synthetic strategy. We anticipate that this perspective might inspire more efforts to this emerging research field and the strategy might find wide applications in the synthesis of complicated chiral molecules, such as natural products and drugs.

The reasonable design of materials plays a crucial role in improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). In recent years, OSCs have achieved great success in the research of donor and acceptor materials, making a significant contribution to the rapid growth of efficiency. Currently, their maximum efficiency is over 19%, demonstrating their great potential in practical applications. Chlorine-mediated strategy is proved to be an effective method to regulate the properties of the donor and acceptor materials and has important application significance. Through efforts, our research group has gradually formed a “Chlorine-Mediated Organic Photovoltaic Materials System” based on the continuous progress and accumulated achievements. In this perspective, the development of a series of representative chlorine-mediated polymer donor and non-fullerene acceptor materials using chlorine-mediated strategies in recent years are briefly introduced. The ability of chlorine atoms to regulate material energy levels, intermolecular stacking, active layer film morphology, and their important effects on the photovoltaic performance of devices were emphasized, and their intrinsic mechanisms were explored. In addition, some key issues such as efficiency, cost, and stability that should be considered when developing next generation chlorine-mediated organic photovoltaic materials in the future are also discussed.

Active colloidal motors are micro- or nanoparticles that can move actively and perform complex tasks at the micro- or nanoscale. They have great potential for various applications, such as environmental remediation, biomedical applications and micro- and nanomanufacturing. The development and latest research progress of active colloidal motors are reviewed, their driving mechanisms in different environments are discussed, and the development of new colloidal motors and their applications in different fields are explored. Finally, the perspective on the possible application of active colloidal motors in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption, including the mechanism of action, possible preparation strategies for electromagnetic wave absorption, and their potential performance and new functional applications are presented.

Neuroelectronic interface devices create a direct connection between the interface of a living organism's nervous system and the digital world, enabling the acquisition, manipulation and feedback of signals and acting as a bridge for two-way interaction between the nervous system and the outside world. Organic materials with multiple weak interactions between molecules are the most similar to living organisms taking account of their molecular structure and mechanical properties as optoelectronic functional materials and are ideal candidates for constructing neural interface materials and devices. This paper summarizes the progress of neuroelectronic interface devices based on organic materials, as well as the strategies for modulating the functional properties of organic materials in terms of both molecular design and aggregation state modulation, and discusses the future directions of neural interface devices.

Janus particles are micro-nano materials with anisotropic surface chemical properties, exhibiting unique advantages in emulsion stabilization, interfacial adsorption, and selective wetting. The high interfacial activity of Janus particles makes them widely used in oil-water separation research and shows broad application prospects in environmental protection and other fields. In this perspective, we summarize the research progress of emerging Janus particles in preparation, properties, and oil-water separation applications in recent years. We focus on discussing the influence of different preparation strategies and morphologies of Janus particles on their interfacial properties, summarize the mechanism of particle assembly and aggregation at interface, and introduce various Janus particles with reversible responsive properties. Finally, we prospect the challenges and future development directions of Janus particles in oil-water separation, such as green synthesis, large-scale preparation, in-depth mechanism research, and applications in aspects such as micro-oil droplet removal, crude oil treatment, and controllable responsive separation.

Long-lasting antibacterial materials are becoming increasingly important. They can effectively decrease the consumption of antibacterial agents, thereby reducing the risk of microbial resistance. Also, they play an indispensable role in safe utilization of many medical materials (medical cotton cloth, wound dressings, and implants, etc.). The durable antibacterial property can greatly abate the risk of secondary infections and induced diseases. Therefore, the development of durable, efficient, and safe antibacterial materials has become a research hotspot. In this perspective, we mainly introduce the recent advancement of long-lasting antibacterial materials aimed for surface coatings, medical cotton fabrics, wound healing dressings, in vivo implants, water treatment membranes and other aspects. Finally, the future research in this field is envisaged.

Enantioselective desymmetrization of diols is an important method for the synthesis of complex enantioenriched alcohols, which has broad application prospects in medicinal chemistry, total synthesis, and materials science. In recent years, the use of copper catalysis to achieve diols’ enantioselective desymmetrization has progressed rapidly because copper is inexpensive and readily available compared with other noble metal catalysts. Besides, copper undergoes a two-electron or single-electron transfer process in the catalytic cycle, and the rich oxidation states of copper provides the opportunity to solve some challenging problems. This review summarizes the research progress in this field according to the types of diols (meso diol and prochiral diol) and reactions together with a brief perspective.

Throughout the history of transition-metal catalysis, almost every breakthrough is closely related to the development of ligands. Therefore, the history of transition-metal catalysis roughly parallels the development history of ligands. Therefore, ligand development lies in the heart of transition metal catalysis. Since the beginning of homogeneous catalysis, transition metals have been accompanied by phosphine ligands (Wilkinson's catalyst). Till now, phosphine ligands are one of the most widely used ligand types. There are several key factors for the popularity of phosphine ligands, among which the backbone of ligand plays a decisive role in supporting their stability, activity and selectivity. Many privileged phosphine ligands contain five- or six-membered rings in their core structures, possibly due to their ready-availability, low ring strain, and high stability. Seven- and above membered cyclic structures have flexible frameworks, many stable conformations, and are difficult to synthesize, making them unsuitable as ligand backbones. The cyclobutane structure has relatively strong ring strain, but its conformation can be flipped, and it is difficult to synthesize, making it inappropriate to be used as a ligand skeleton, too. As the smallest all-carbon ring, the three carbon atoms of cyclopropane are located in the same plane. Because of the unique electronic structure and rigidity of cyclopropane, changing a substituent on any one of the carbon atoms of the ring will affect the conformation of the substituents on the other two carbons. And cyclopropane structure is relatively simple to synthesize and modify, making it a promising ligand skeleton. However, it is surprising that phosphine ligands with cyclopropane as the core structure have been rarely studied so far, and their applications need to be further explored, too. Based on types of ligands, this perspective systematically summarizes reported phosphine-containing ligands (including monophosphines, diphosphines, phosphine-heteroatoms and triphosphines) with cyclopropane backbone, and their applications in transition metal catalysis. We hope to draw researchers' attention to the cyclopropane-based phosphine ligands and thus promote the development of transition metal catalysis.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of crystalline organic porous materials formed by molecular building blocks via covalent bonds. According to the dimensions of the framework extended in space, COFs can be divided into two-dimensional and three-dimensional COFs. Owing to their high specific surface area, good stability and strong designability, COFs have broad prospects in the fields of gas adsorption and separation, catalysis, sensing, optoelectronics, and energy storage. In the field of photocatalysis, COFs have the following advantages. First, COFs are highly designable, which can achieve efficient photocatalysis by introducing different functional units to adjust the band gap energy and light absorption range. Secondly, the ordered structure of COFs improves the electron-hole separation efficiency. In addition, the high specific surface area and abundant active sites of COFs can promote the photocatalytic reaction and improve the reaction rate. Finally, COFs are connected by covalent bonds, which make them highly stable and facilitate the maintenance of catalytic activity in the photocatalytic process. Porphyrins are a class of 18 π-electron conjugated macrocyclic compounds formed by the interconnection of four pyrroles, which can be involved in photosynthesis as the core part of chlorophyll and other biomolecules. As a kind of functional units with large π-conjugated structure and good photophysical properties, porphyrins usually have strong absorption in the 400~450 nm (Soret band) and 500~700 nm (Q band) regions, and their photocatalytic properties can be regulated by coordination with metal ions and modification of functional groups, which has unique advantages in the field of photocatalysis. By introducing porphyrins into COFs, combined with their unique advantages, porphyrin-based COFs have been found great potential in the field of photocatalysis due to the exceptional optical absorption in a broad spectral range, multiple active sites and effective electron-hole separation ability. As a new type of photocatalyst, porphyrin-based COFs have attracted much interest and have been rapidly developed in the field of photocatalysis. In this review, we focus on the discussion of porphyrin-based COFs in the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, photocatalytic water splitting, photocatalytic organic transformation, and photocatalytic reduction of hexavalent uranium. Finally, the prospects and challenges of porphyrin-based COFs in photocatalysis are discussed.

The emerging metal-organic framework (MOF) glass, that is brand-new comer to the traditional glass and noncrystalline physics world, was viewed as the Holy Grail of future porous chemistry and the key direction of MOF derived functional materials. The known examples of MOF glass are extremely scarce, prepared mainly through the traditional melt-quenching method. As porous framework constructed from metal ions/clusters and organic linkers through coordinative bonds, the majority of MOFs can not reach high-temperature melt state, which prevents MOF glass formation. Facing these challenges, here we summarized the development history and latest advance of MOF glass. A new strategy of sequential perturbation based on dynamic chemistry was presented to widely prepare MOF glass. How to discover more MOF glasses, expand their properties and functions, and clarify their nature, is the new interdisciplinary frontier from dynamic chemistry to material science and noncrystalline physics. This topic also provides a range of new research opportunities, including the design and regulation of MOF glass based on reticular and dynamic chemistry, exploring new functions of MOF glass beyond its crystalline counterpart, and effectively responding to the scientific challenges in noncrystalline physics including the glass nature, based on the solid-solid structure transformation and relevance between crystalline and glassy MOFs.

Nowadays, nanotechnology has been widely used in many fields such as medicine, catalysis, food and agriculture. With the rapid growth of the production amounts of anthropogenic nanoparticles (NPs), they will inevitably enter the natural environment after use and disposal. As a result, their potential risks to the environment and human health have caused significant concerns. Tracing the sources and environmental transformation of NPs is the prerequisite for the accurate evaluation of toxicity effects and pollution control. The recent progress in the area of source tracing technologies for NPs, including multi- chemical fingerprinting technology, non-traditional stable isotope tracing technology, isotope labeling technology, and DNA labeling technology is outlined. Furthermore, the future development of tracing technologies of NPs is also prospected.

N-arylsulfonyl hydrazones were a kind of stable diazo surrogates in organic synthesis. Among them, N-tosylhydrazones occupied main position in the research of carbene chemistry, and many reactions involving N-tosylhydrazones and reviews were published. In recent years, the chemical reactions involving electron-withdrawing groups (EWG)-substituted N-arylsulfonylhydrazones as milder diazo surrogates have been developed rapidly. However, these reactions were not summarized. Therefore, this review focuses on the research progress on EWG-substituted N-arylsulfonylhydrazones used as diazo surrogates in organic synthesis reactions, and emphasized the coupling, cyclization, insertion, multicomponent and Doyle-Kirmse reaction involved N-o-nitrobenzenesulfonylhydrazides and N-o-triftosylhydrazones.

This perspective summarizes the research progress of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials used in lithium-ion battery/lithium-metal electrolytes. By summarizing several long-standing defects of lithium-ion batteries/lithium- metal batteries, MOFs materials are subsequently used as ion sieves, artificial electrode protective layers, quasi-solid electrolytes and used to adjust electrolytes’ configuration, the performance of batteries has been significantly improved. Finally, based on the characteristics of MOFs materials themselves, this perspective also makes a reasonable forward-looking outlook on the subsequent applications of MOFs materials in the field of electrochemical energy storage.

Doping is an effective method to improve the carrier densities and charge transport capabilities of organic semiconductors. In recent years, n-doping of organic semiconductors via Lewis base anions has attracted much attentions of researchers, which takes place under mild condition and controllable fashion, hence exhibiting broad applications in optoelectronics. This perspective focuses on discussing the mechanism of anion-induced electron transfer to semiconductors, summarizing its recent progresses in interfacial materials and doped active layers for optoelectronic devices, as well as analyzing the future development of this field.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) is one of the most cutting-edge strategies towards the preparation of nanoparticles with a range of morphologies (spheres, worms, vesicles, etc.) as it combines polymerization and self-assembly and thus can afford high solid contents in various media. Additionally, nanoparticle morphology can be accurately targeted by adjusting the degree of polymerization of the soluble stabilizer block and the insoluble core-forming block, as well as solid contents in PISA formula. Unfortunately, this highly efficient approach is limited to specific polymerization methods, and hence specific monomer types. Currently, PISA based on reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization (RAFT) has been well-established for the in situ preparation of a range of nanoparticle morphologies. This method is relatively mature especially in the mechanism exploration, morphological control, and characterization, which has important impact to other fields of polymer chemistry. However, methacrylates, acrylates, and styrene monomers are often essential for reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization-induced self-assembly (RAFT-PISA), leading to the carbon-carbon backbone, which normally produces nonbiodegradable structures. These drawbacks are detrimental in terms of biomedical applications. Fortunately, new PISA strategies based on ring-opening polymerizations, including ring-opening metathesis polymerization-induced self-assembly (ROMPISA), ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxy- anhydride-induced self-assembly (NCA-PISA) and radical ring-opening polymerization-induced self-assembly (rROPISA), have been developed to overcome these problems. ROMPISA has proven to be an efficient approach for fabricating multifunctional nanoparticles due to its great tolerance for many functional groups. Biodegradable nanoparticles, including spheres and vesicles, have been successfully prepared by rROPISA and NCA-PISA. Therefore, ring-opening PISA (ROPISA) provides not only new polymerization methods but also new strategies for fabricating biodegradable nanoparticles with a range of monomer species. In this perspective, we briefly summarize the current progress and analyze the challenges of ROPISA. Finally, we provide a perspective for the further development of ROPISA addressed on the mechanism, monomers and applications, which provides an insight into ROPISA as well as some suggestions and directions for its future research.

Near infrared II (NIR Ⅱ, 1000~1700 nm) biological imaging, as a new developing optical imaging technology in recent years, has longer fluorescence wavelength compared with the traditional near infrared I (NIR I, 750~900 nm) and visible light (Vis, 400~750 nm) imaging. Due to the longer emission wavelength, weaker interference by light scattering and tissue autofluorescence, result in higher temporal and spatial resolution with deeper tissue penetration. This technology is more suitable for in vivo imaging in situ. In this review, we mainly introduced research progress on NIR II instrument technology for in vivo imaging, and summarized its major features. Finally, we provided a prospect that the development of chemical materials, optoelectronic instruments, and multi-modal technologies can promote NIR II technology innovation, which is expected to be widely and deeply applied in clinical transformation.

Transition metal-catalyzed direct C-H functionalization is one of the most efficient and powerful tools for the rapid synthesis of organic molecules. The use of functional groups in the molecules or covalently attached coordinating groups as directing groups has been realized as a major strategy to control the selectivity. Noncovalent interactions are of great importance in the field of molecular biology, supramolecular chemistry, material science and drug discovery. More recently, the use of well-designed ligands to enable the site-selective C-H functionalization via noncovalent interactions has emerged as a highly promising yet relatively less explored strategy. In this perspective, recent advances in this cutting-edge area are summarized. The perspective was classified into four sections according to the type of noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, ion pair, Lewis acid-base interaction and electrostatic interaction. Emphasis is placed on the mode of noncovalent interactions among the transition metals, ligands and substrates. The limitation of current research and the prospect of future work will also be discussed. We anticipate that this strategy might become a promising complementary strategy to control the positional selectivity in C-H functionalization reactions.

CO₂ is an ideal C1 source in chemical transformations. It is of great significance to utilize CO₂ in chemical conversion to synthesize high value-added compounds, including carboxylic acids and carbonyl-containing heterocycles. On the other hand, the difunctionalization of olefins is an important organic reaction, which can efficiently convert easily available olefins into important compounds with structural diversity. However, due to the low reactivity of CO₂ and the difficulty in controlling the selectivity, the difunctionalization of olefins with CO₂ is highly challenging. Recently, the significant progress of radical chemistry has provided new strategies and promoted the development of novel transformations in this field. This Perspective summarizes the recent progress of the radical-type difunctionalization of olefins with CO₂, including the oxy-alkylation, carbocarboxylation, silacarboxylation, thiocarboxylation, and dicarboxylation of alkenes with CO₂. At the same time, we also highlight the mechanism with radicals and four kinds of pathways are proposed: (1) Free radicals attack olefins to form new carbon radical intermediates. The radicals are then oxidized to form carbocations, which are further captured by carbonates or carbamates. It is also possible for direct C—O bonding reaction or sequent C—I and C—O bonds formation. (2) The new carbon radical intermediates, in-situ generated through attack of alkenes with radicals, are reduced via single electron transfer into carbanions, which could attack CO₂ to form C—C bonds. (3) CO₂ is reduced into CO₂ radical anions in the highly reductive reaction conditions. Once generated, the CO₂ radical anions might attack olefins to form carboxylate bearing more stable carbon radical intermediates (such as benzylic ones) and further form C—C bonds or carbon-heteroatom bonds. (4) Olefins are reduced via single electron transfer into alkenyl free radical anions in the highly reductive reaction conditions. These anions may attack CO₂ to form carboxylate bearing carbon radical intermediates and are further reduced to generate carbanions. Finally they may attack another CO₂ to form succinic acid derivatives. We point out the challenges and predict the future development in the field, including the more challenging substrates, more reaction types, better selectivities, and deeper mechanistic understanding.

The intramolecular aromatic ring systems migration reactions, namely Smiles rearrangement is a powerful method for (hetero)aryl group functionalization. It can be employed as a complementary strategy to arene functionalization, and has found its broad applications in synthetic chemistry. After the initial documentation in 1894 this chemistry was intensively investigated by Smiles. In its classical pathway, the migration of aromatic ring system takes place ipso nucleophilic substitution. Accordingly, the migrating (hetero)aryl groups are highly electronic and steric-dependent. Moreover, as new reaction modes reported, advances have been made in the areas for arene C—C, C—N and C—O bond formation and radical triggered Smiles rearrangement has also enriched migrating units. Recently, there has been a rapid growth in the transformation induced by visible-light photocatalysis. Harnessing visible light as the energy source for chemical reactions usually serves as an environmentally benign alternative in comparison with classical radical pathway. Furthermore, photoredox-induced rearrangement represents a valuable and efficient approach for facilitating both the radical-based bond-cleaving and bond-forming events in a single step. It has become an effective tool for both synthesis and late stage modification of bio-active molecules. The last five years has witnessed many important advances in exploring photo-induced Smiles reactions, which make this classic reaction regained its attention. Significant progress has been made for expediting the generation of N-centered, C-centered and O-centered from a variety of precursors before single electron transfer rearrangement. This powerful synthetic platform for efficient promotes (hetero) aromatic group construction under mild reaction conditions, and has become a useful method for the synthesis and late stage functionalization of pharmaceutically interest products. In this perspective, we focus on visible light induced Smiles chemistry, which the major breakthroughs are classified based on migrating-induced radical species, and their synthetic applications are discussed briefly.

Enantioselective control of free radical reactions has eluded organic chemists for decades. Echoed with the renaissance of photo-induced processes, or so called photocatalysis or photoredox catalysis in organic synthesis, photo-induced organic radical chemistry has regained its prominence in developing catalytic asymmetric radical reaction. The generally mild conditions inherited with photochemistry, particularly visible light photo-processes, have allowed for controllable generation of free radicals as well as the subsequent bond formations. The past five years have witnessed dramatic advances in exploring photo-induced catalytic asymmetric free radical reactions, and enormous potentials along this line are envisaged. This perspective gives a brief summary on the important advances in this field. Accordingly, the major advances are classified based on different radical species including α-amino/oxyl radicals, radicals generated from enones and its analogues, benzyl radicals, α-carbonyl radicals, polyhalogenated alkyl radicals and nitrogen radicals. Brief discussion of mechanism is presented whenever relevant.

Transition metal-catalyzed reductive carboxylation of unsaturated hydrocarbons with CO₂ is a promising and potential strategy, offering an excellent alternative access to carboxylic acids/acrylic acids. The active transition metal species could react with unsaturated hydrocarbons and CO₂ to generate the stable metallalactones or carboxylic salts. The transmetalation between reductants and metallalactones/carboxylic salts regenerates the active catalytic species. As a result, the reductive carboxylation is able to run in a catalytic mode rather than stoichiometric version. Organometal species, silanes/boranes, metal powder, methanol and hydrogens have been developed as reducing reagents in reductive carboxylation with CO₂. In this perspective, the latest advances on the transition metal-catalyzed reductive carboxylation are summarized, with particular focus on the application of reductants and related reaction mechanism at a molecular level.

This article summarizes the recent advance for the construction of supramolecular organic frameworks (SOFs) in aqueous media from rationally designed rigid preorganized building blocks. We first introduce the research background on the design of multitopic molecular monomers for the self-assembly of discrete supramolecular aggregates and polymers. We then describe the formation of less ordered supramolecular polymers from tritopic molecular monomers. In the following section, we show that conjugated rigid triangular building blocks have been successfully applied for the construction of two-dimensional (2D) one-layer SOFs in water. Following this, we further present the design of tetratopic building blocks for the formation of three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular networks in aqueous and organic solvents. Finally, we demonstrate that a 3D porous SOF can be assembled from a preorganized tetrahedral building block in water. For the formation of both 2D and 3D SOFs, the hydrophobically driven encapsulation of the stacked dimer of 4-phenylpyridinium unit in the cavity of cucurbit[8]uril in water plays a key role, and the dimerization of viologen radical cation has also been utilized as driving force for generating a 2D SOF. We also briefly introduce the analytical methods for the characterization of SOFs in solution. In the conclusion section, we make a perspective for the construction of SOFs in solution and their potential applications in guest adsorption and release.

As it was firstly reported in 2007, conjugated microporous polymer (CMP) has been constructed by a diversity of conjugation building blocks towards a three-dimensional rigid organic framework with the form of insoluble and infusible solid powders. Although CMP has showed the collective characteristics such as exceptional porosity, stable network structure and versatile functionality for potential applications and broad prospects in many fields, the problem of processability concerning this kind of material has not been overcome yet. To take full advantage of their features and break through the application scopes from adsorption and separation to energy and environment such as photoelectric transformation, sensing and catalysis, modulation of growth and formation of CMP in multiple scales is highly anticipated, giving rise to the micro/nanometer-size CMP microspheres and macroscopic CMP films, coatings or gels. Unambiguously, such well-organized forms either have the improved solution properties for further processing, or appear membranes directly assembled into devices. Looking back at the progress of CMP studies in recent years, there are four strategies reported to explore multi-scale CMPs, including (1) soluble CMP-like polymer, (2) solution-dispersible CMP microspheres, (3) CMP-based (composite) film, and (4) CMP-supporting organogel. In these studies, the novel polymerization methods, new catalysts or functional monomers were adopted; the resulting CMPs could be processed, assembled or combined with other materials in solution, and have greatly promoted the performances of optical sensing, photoelectric conversion, energy storage and heterogeneous catalysis on intended devices. It is noted that the reported methodologies have some limitation, but upon the creative ideas and vast explorations, CMP is going to be one important branch of porous materials with promising perspectives.

Covalent organic porous polymers (COPs) are a kind of novel porous polymers formed by covalent bonds linkage between organic building blocks. They feature intrinsic microporous or mesoporous structures and thus exhibit enormous potential applications in energy, chemicals absorption and separation, photovoltaics, gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis, biochemical sensing and so on. Although many reactions and various monomers are available for their synthesis and the resulted frameworks are robust, many challenges still remain. For example, COPs synthesized via traditional methods are usually amorphous and insoluble, their structures are hardly controlled and it is difficult for further processing. To address these issues, many new kinds of methods and strategies are exploited in recent years, it figures out a new direction towards future development of covalent organic porous polymers. Herein, we will give a brief introduction on some recent important progress made in such area.

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite is a class of direct-bandgap semiconductors that can be processed as thin films from solutions by low-temperature methods. Among various solution-processable semiconductor materials, the hybrid perovskites exhibit unique combination of low bulk-trap densities, remarkable ambipolar transport properties, good broadband absorption characteristics and long charge carrier diffusion lengths, making them ideal for photovoltaic applications. Furthermore, as direct bandgap semiconductors with low bulk trap densities, the hybrid perovskite films possess remarkable luminescent properties. The bandgap of the hybrid perovskites can be tuned by crystal engineering, i.e. tuning the composition at molecular levels. These intriguing properties indicate that the hybrid perovskites may also find applications in light-emitting diodes and lasing. This paper reviews the unique properties and current research progresses of this class of dream material and provides our perspective of future directions.