Manipulation of Biomolecule‐Modified Liquid‐Metal Blobs

Soft and deformable liquid metals (LMs) are building components in various systems related to uncertain and dynamic task environments. Herein we describe the development of a biomolecule‐triggered external‐manipulation method involving LM conjugates for the construction of future innovative soft robotics operating in physiological environments. Functional soft hybrids composed of a liquid‐metal droplet, a thiolated ligand, and proteins were synthesized for the expression of diverse macroscopic commands, such as attachment to cells, binary fusion, and self‐propelled movement through molecular recognition and enzymatic reactions. Our technology could be used to create new state‐of‐the‐art soft robots for chemical and biomedical engineering applications.     

Shape‐Assisted Self‐Organization in Highly Disordered Liquid Crystal Phases

In achiral rod‐like molecules, a nematic phase is the most disordered liquid crystal phase, which only has one‐directional order in the direction of the molecular long axis. A dumbbell‐shaped molecule (compound 3 : R−C₆H₁₀−CH=CH−C₆H₄−CH=CH−C₆H₁₀−R, (R=n C₅H₁₁)), and its liquid crystal phase (X phase) are reported, which exhibit high scattering without thermal fluctuation between two nematic phases under a polarized light optical microscope. The X phase was investigated by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation. A layered structure was ascertained for which a molecular self‐organization mechanism was postulated in which the super‐structure is based on lateral intermolecular interlocking. A second nematic phase above the X phase consisted of “rice grain”‐shaped particles.     

Ultra‐Tough Inverse Artificial Nacre Based on Epoxy‐Graphene by Freeze‐Casting

Epoxy nanocomposites combining high toughness with advantageous functional properties are needed in many fields. However, fabricating high‐performance homogeneous epoxy nanocomposites with traditional methods remains a great challenge. Nacre with outstanding fracture toughness presents an ideal blueprint for the development of future epoxy nanocomposites. Now, high‐performance epoxy‐graphene layered nanocomposites were demonstrated with ultrahigh toughness and temperature‐sensing properties. These nanocomposites are composed of ca. 99 wt % organic epoxy, which is in contrast to the composition of natural nacre (ca. 96 wt % inorganic aragonite). These nanocomposites are named an inverse artificial nacre. The fracture toughness reaches about 4.2 times higher than that of pure epoxy. The electrical resistance is temperature‐sensitive and stable under various humidity conditions. This strategy opens an avenue for fabricating high‐performance epoxy nanocomposites with functional properties.     

Strain‐Promoted 1,3‐Dithiolium‐4‐olates–Alkyne Cycloaddition

Reported here is the reactivity of mesoionic 1,3‐dithiolium‐4‐olates towards strained alkynes, leading to thiophene cycloaddition products. In the process, the potential of these dipoles towards orthogonal reaction with azides, allowing efficient double ligation reactions, was discovered. A versatile process to access benzo[c]thiophenes, in an unprecedented divergent fashion, was developed and provides a new entry to unconventional polyaromatic thiophenes.     

Particle‐in‐a‐Frame Nanostructures with Interior Nanogaps

Designing plasmonic hollow colloids with small interior nanogaps would allow structural properties to be exploited that are normally linked to an ensemble of particles but within a single nanoparticle. Now, a synthetic approach for constructing a new class of frame nanostructures is presented. Fine control over the galvanic replacement reaction of Ag nanoprisms with Au precursors gave unprecedented Au particle‐in‐a‐frame nanostructures with well‐defined sub‐2 nm interior nanogaps. The prepared nanostructures exhibited superior performance in applications, such as plasmonic sensing and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering, over their solid nanostructure and nanoframe counterparts. This highlights the benefit of their interior hot spots, which can highly promote and maximize the electric field confinement within a single nanostructure.     

High‐Pressure Band‐Gap Engineering in Lead‐Free Cs2AgBiBr6 Double Perovskite

Novel inorganic lead‐free double perovskites with improved stability are regarded as alternatives to state‐of‐art hybrid lead halide perovskites in photovoltaic devices. The recently discovered Cs₂AgBiBr₆ double perovskite exhibits attractive optical and electronic features, making it promising for various optoelectronic applications. However, its practical performance is hampered by the large band gap. In this work, remarkable band gap narrowing of Cs₂AgBiBr₆ is, for the first time, achieved on inorganic photovoltaic double perovskites through high pressure treatments. Moreover, the narrowed band gap is partially retainable after releasing pressure, promoting its optoelectronic applications. This work not only provides novel insights into the structure–property relationship in lead‐free double perovskites, but also offers new strategies for further development of advanced perovskite devices.