Dalton Transactions

doi: 10.1039/d4dt90001dpmid: N/A

doi: 10.1039/d4dt90002bpmid: N/A

doi: 10.1039/d4dt90003kpmid: N/A

Zhang, Yingjie; Ni, Guoxu; Li, Yuzheng; Xu, Chengxiao; Li, Daming; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Xuliang; Huo, Peipei

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03176dpmid: 38018446

With the increasing demand for sustainable energy and concerns about the scarcity of lithium resources, sodium and potassium ion batteries have emerged as promising alternative energy storage technologies. MXene, as a novel two-dimensional material, possesses exceptional electrical conductivity, high surface area, and tunable structural features that make it an ideal candidate for high-performance electrode materials. However, its limited theoretical capacity hinders its widespread application. To overcome this limitation, MXene has been combined with other materials through synergistic effects between different components to enhance the overall electrochemical performance and expand its application in sodium/potassium ion batteries. Recently, substantial advancements have been realized in the exploration of MXene-based composites as energy storage materials, encompassing their synthesis, design, and the comprehension of charge storage mechanisms. This paper aims to propose a comprehensive summary of the latest developments in MXene-based composites as electrode materials for sodium ion batteries and potassium ion batteries, with a particular emphasis on the enhanced physicochemical properties resulting from composite formation. Moreover, the challenges faced by MXene materials in sodium ion batteries and potassium ion batteries are thoroughly discussed, and future research directions to further advance this field are proposed.

Boronski, Josef T.

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03550fpmid: 38031468

The study of alkaline earth metal complexes is undergoing a renaissance. Stable molecular species featuring Mg–Mg bonds were reported in 2007 and their reactivity has since been intensively investigated. Motivated by this work, efforts have also been devoted to the synthesis of complexes featuring Be–Be and Ca–Ca bonds. These collective endeavours have revealed that the chemistry of the group 2 metals is richer and more complex than had previously been appreciated. Here, a discussion of the nature of homometallic alkaline earth bonding is presented, recent synthetic advances are described, and future directions are considered.

Spahr, Dominik; Bayarjargal, Lkhamsuren; Bykov, Maxim; Brüning, Lukas; Reuter, Tim H.; Milman, Victor; Liermann, Hanns-Peter; Winkler, Björn

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03673apmid: 38054559

The inorganic pyrocarbonate salt Na2[C2O5] crystallizes in the acentric, monoclinic space group P21 with Z = 2. It contains monovalent alkali metal cations together with isolated pyrocarbonate anions. The [C2O5]2−-groups consist of two planar [CO3]2−-groups which are slightly tilted with respect to each other around the bridging oxygen atom. Na2[C2O5] was synthesized in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell at 20(2) GPa by heating a mixture of Na2[CO3] + CO2 to ≈800(200) K. Its crystal structure was obtained by single crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction and confirmed by density functional theory-based calculations in combination with Raman spectroscopy. Second harmonic generation measurements verified the acentric space group symmetry. The crystal structure is characterized by alternating layers of Na+-cations and [C2O5]2−-complex anions.

Guan, Yu-Ming; Bai, Qixia; Zhang, Zhe; Wu, Tun; Xie, Ting-Zheng; Wang, Pingshan

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03217epmid: 38063071

The construction of low-symmetry topological supramolecular structures using bistable building blocks remains challenging. We report an unusual truncated triangular prismatic cage with D3h symmetry using a ligand with both cis- and trans-configurations upon coordination with metal. This work provides new ideas and methods for the future synthesis of low-symmetry topological supramolecules.

Chaudhary, Karan; Dhama, Nitanshu; Rarokar, Nilesh; Chaudhary, Ratiram G.; Tangde, Vijay M.; Masram, Dhanraj T.

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03299jpmid: 38063056

Transition metal–Schiff base complexes are found to be important for biomedical applications but have demerits of being homogeneous complexes, thus their synthesis on the surface of graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs), materials of specific interest, can be beneficial for preparing advanced graphene-based materials for biomedical applications. Of foremost importance is their safety and biocompatibility with biological systems. In this study, a transition metal–Schiff base complex has been synthesized on the surface of a GONR (Ni-S-GNR) using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and complexing nickel. This Ni-S-GNR was characterized well by various physicochemical techniques. The evaluation of biocompatibility of Ni-S-GNR with hemoglobin confirmed binding interactions and influence on the native structure of hemoglobin. It was found that there was alteration in the secondary and tertiary structures of hemoglobin. In addition, histopathological studies on the liver and kidney cells of rats revealed non-toxicity of Ni-S-GNR towards these cells. Overall, Ni-S-GNR was found to be compatible with protein as the native structure was not destroyed and was non-toxic to cells.

Kasprzak, Artur; Zuchowska, Agnieszka; Romanczuk, Pawel; Kowalczyk, Agata; Grudzinski, Ireneusz P.; Malkowska, Anna; Nowicka, Anna M.; Sakurai, Hidehiro

doi: 10.1039/d3dt03810fpmid: 38078478

An effective synthetic protocol towards the oxidation of sumanene–ferrocene conjugates bearing one to four ferrocene moieties has been established. The oxidation protocol was based on the transformation of FeII from ferrocene to FeIII-containing ferrocenium cations by means of the treatment of the title organometallic buckybowls with a mild oxidant. Successful isolation of these ferrocenium-tethered sumanene derivatives 5–7 gave rise to the biological evaluation of the first, buckybowl-based anticancer agents, as elucidated by in vitro assays with human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) and embryotoxicity trials in zebrafish embryos supported with in silico toxicology studies. The designed ferrocenium-tethered sumanene derivatives featured attractive properties in terms of their use in cancer treatments in humans. The tetra-ferrocenium sumanene derivative 7 featured especially beneficial biological features, elucidated by low (<40% for 10 μM) viabilities of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells together with a 1.4–1.7-fold higher viability of normal cells (human mammary fibroblasts, HMF) for respective concentrations. Compound 7 featured significant cytotoxicity against cancer cells thanks to the presence of sumanene and ferrocenium moieties; the latter motif also provided the selectivity of anticancer action. The biological properties of 7 were also improved in comparison with those of native building blocks, which suggested the effects of the presence of the sumanene skeleton towards the anticancer action of this molecule. Ferrocenium-tethered sumanene derivatives exhibited potential towards the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), responsible for biological damage to the cancer cells, with the most efficient generation of the tetra-ferrocenium sumanene derivative 7. Derivative 7 also did not show any embryotoxicity in zebrafish embryos at the tested concentrations, which supports its potential as an effective and cancer-specific anticancer agent. In silico computational analysis also showed no chromosomal aberrations and no mutation with AMES tests for the compound 7 tested with and without microsomal rat liver fractions, which supports its further use as a potent drug candidate in detailed anticancer studies.

Ali, Wajid; Jamshidi-Adegani, Fatemeh; Mirsanei, Zahra; Al-Kindi, Juhaina; Vakilian, Saeid; Al-Broumi, Mohammed; Al-Hashmi, Sulaiman; Rawson, Jeremy M.; Al-Harrasi, Ahmed; Anwar, Muhammad Usman

doi: 10.1039/d3dt02662kpmid: