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Halide perovskite nanocrystals (HPNCs) have emerged as promising materials for various light harvesting applications due to their exceptional optical and electronic properties. However, their inherent instability in water and biological fluids has limited their use as photocatalysts in the aqueous phase. In this study, we present highly water-stable SiO 2 -coated HPNCs as efficient photocatalysts for antimicrobial applications. The double SiO 2 layer coating method confers long-term structural and optical stability to HPNCs in water, while the in situ synthesis of lead- and bismuth-based perovskite NCs into the SiO 2 shell enhances their versatility and tunability. We demonstrate that the substantial generation of singlet oxygen via energy transfer from HPNCs enables efficient photoinduced antibacterial efficacy under aqueous conditions. More than 90% of Escherichia coli was inactivated under mild visible light irradiation for 6 h. The excellent photocatalytic antibacterial performance suggests that SiO 2 -coated HPNCs hold great potential for various aqueous phase photocatalytic applications.

Two-dimensional (2D) inorganic/organic hybrids provide a versatile platform for diverse applications, including electronic, catalysis, and energy storage devices. The recent surge in 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has introduced an organic counterpart for the development of advanced 2D organic/inorganic hybrids with improved electronic coupling, charge separation, and carrier mobility. However, existing synthesis methods have primarily focused on few-layered film structures, which limits scalability for practical applications. Herein, we present a general synthesis approach for a range of COF/inorganic 2D material hybrids, utilizing 2D inorganic materials as both catalysts and inorganic building blocks. By leveraging the intrinsic Lewis acid sites on the inorganic 2D materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and transition metal dichalcogenides, COFs with diverse functional groups and topologies can grow on the surface of inorganic 2D materials. The controlled 2D morphology and excellent solution dispersibility of the resulting hybrids allow for easy processing into films through vacuum filtration. As proof of concept, hBN/COF films were employed as filters for Rhodamine 6G removal under flow-through conditions, achieving a removal rate exceeding 93%. The present work provides a simple and versatile synthesis method for the scalable fabrication of COF/inorganic 2D hybrids, offering exciting opportunities for practical applications such as water treatment and energy storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by University of Science and Technology of China and American Chemical Society.)

Herein, we present details of our conformationally flexible, 1,3-diamine-tethered guanidine/bisthiourea organocatalysts for chemo-, regio-, and enantioselective 1,4-type Friedel-Crafts reactions of phenols. These organocatalysts show a unique stereo-discrimination governed by the differential activation entropy (ΔΔS(≠)), rather than by the differential activation enthalpy (ΔΔH(≠)). Extensive kinetic analyses using Eyring plots for a series of guanidine/bisthiourea organocatalysts revealed the key structural motif in the catalysts associated with a large magnitude of differential activation entropy (ΔΔS(≠)). A plausible guanidine-thiourea cooperative mechanism for the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction is proposed., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)