Efficient degradation of plastics, the vital challenge for a sustainable future, stands in need of better chemical recycling procedures that help produce commercially valuable small molecules and redefine plastic waste as a rich source of chemical feedstock. However, the corresponding chemical recycling methods, while being generally restricted to polar polymers, need improvement. Particularly, degradation of chemically inert nonpolar polymers, the major constitutes of plastics, suffers from low selectivity and very harsh trans-formation conditions. Herein, an efficient method was developed for selective degradation of styrene-related plastics under gentle conditions through multiple oxidation of sp 3 CÀ H bonds and sp 3 CÀ C bonds. The procedure was catalyzed with inexpensive iron salts under visible light, using oxygen as green oxidant. Furthermore, simple iron salts could be used to degrade plastics in the absence of solvent under natural conditions, highlighting the potential application of iron salts as additives for degradable plastics.

Light-induced [2 + 2] cycloaddition is the most straightforward way to generate cyclobutanes, which are core structures of many natural products, drugs and bioactive compounds. Despite continuous advances in selective [2 + 2] cycloaddition research, general method for intermolecular photocatalysis of acyclic olefins with specific regio- and diastereoselectivity, for example, syn-head-to-head (syn-HH) cyclobutane derivatives, is still lack of development but highly desired. Herein, we report a cage-confined photocatalytic protocol to enable unusual intermolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition for α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. The syn-HH diastereomers are readily generated with diastereoselectivity up to 99%. The cage-catalyst is highly efficient and robust, covering a diverse substrate range with excellent substituent tolerance. The mimic-enzyme catalysis is proposed through a host-guest mediated procedure expedited by aqueous phase transition of reactant and product, where the supramolecular cage effect plays an important role to facilitate substrates inclusion and pre-orientation, offering a promising avenue for general and eco-friendly cycloaddition photocatalysis with special diastereoselectivity.

An iron-catalyzed deconstruction/hydrogenation reaction of alcohols through C−C bond cleavage is developed through photocatalysis, to produce ketones or aldehydes as the products. Tertiary, secondary, and primary alcohols bearing a wide range of substituents are suitable substrates. Complex natural alcohols can also perform the transformation selectively. A investigation of the mechanism reveals a procedure that involves chlorine radical improved O−H homolysis, with the assistance of 2,4,6-collidine.

The insertion of large organic cations in metal halide perovskites with reduced-dimensional (RD) crystal structures increases crystal formation energy and regulates the growth orientation of the inorganic domains.H owever,t he power conversion performance is curtailed by the insulating nature of the bulky cations.N ow as eries of RD perovskites with 2thiophenmethylammonium (TMA) as the intercalating cation are investigated. Compared with traditional ligands,T MA demonstrates improved electron transfer in the inorganic framework. TMA modifies the near-band-edge integrity of the RD perovskite,i mproving hole transport. Ap ower conversion efficiency of 19 %i sa chieved, the highest to date for TMA-based RD perovskite photovoltaics;t hese TMA devices providea12 %r elative increase in PCE compared to control RD perovskite devices that use PEA as the intercalating ligand, ar esult of the improved charge transfer from the inorganic layer to the organic ligands.

The insertion of large organic cations in metal halide perovskites with reduced-dimensional (RD) crystal structures increases crystal formation energy and regulates the growth orientation of the inorganic domains.H owever,t he power conversion performance is curtailed by the insulating nature of the bulky cations.N ow as eries of RD perovskites with 2thiophenmethylammonium (TMA) as the intercalating cation are investigated. Compared with traditional ligands,T MA demonstrates improved electron transfer in the inorganic framework. TMA modifies the near-band-edge integrity of the RD perovskite,i mproving hole transport. Ap ower conversion efficiency of 19 %i sa chieved, the highest to date for TMA-based RD perovskite photovoltaics;t hese TMA devices providea12 %r elative increase in PCE compared to control RD perovskite devices that use PEA as the intercalating ligand, ar esult of the improved charge transfer from the inorganic layer to the organic ligands.