The Cover picture shows the biocatalytic transformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which is an important bio-based platform chemical, to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan. Such upgrading to high-value products is of currently of considerable interest but difficult to achieve. In this case, a new highly HMF-tolerant yeast strain—Meyerozyma guilliermondii SC1103 was isolated and used for the biocatalytic reduction of HMF using its resting cells over a wide pH range. Co-substrates exerted a significant effect on the catalytic activity and selectivity of microbial cells as well as their HMF-tolerant levels, whereas a nitrogen source and mineral salts had no such effects. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Li et al. on page 372 in Issue 2, 2017 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201601426).

The Back Cover picture shows the structure of a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Bi composite material synthesized through a simple and scalable procedure. The material shows both supercapacitor and battery behavior (supercapattery behavior) and achieves a specific capacity value close to its theoretical value while atmospheric oxidation of metallic bismuth is inhibited by the reduced graphene oxide. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Wang et al. on page 363 in Issue 2, 2017 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201601553).

“we named this cover image “The Conductor and Its Players”…” This and more about the story behind the research that inspired the Cover image is presented in the Cover Profile. Read the full text of the corresponding research at 10.1002/cssc.201601426. View the Front Cover here: 10.1002/cssc.201700003.

Like water off a duck's back! Hemicelluloses, owing to their hydrophilic nature, may be overlooked as a component in water-resistant product applications. However, their domains of use can be greatly expanded by chemical derivatization. The most useful pathways to change the hydrophilic character of hemicelluloses are reviewed. Several applications of these materials are discussed.

Prepare to capture: This Review summarizes the application of ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as a new generation of solvents to capture CO₂ with a special focus on improving the performance by functionalization. Owing to the designer nature of ILs and DESs, it is possible to incorporate CO₂-philic functional groups or adjust the nature of the hydrogen bond donor to promote the CO₂ absorption capacity, respectively. Different possible routes to adequately tune the properties of these materials for optimal CO₂ sorption are identified.

Effective defects: The solid-phase oxidation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with magnesium nitrate salts is a promising method to create highly selective CNT catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of n-butane. The defects generated on the CNT surface, which are susceptible to in situ oxidation into quinone groups in the ODH reaction, promote the selectivity and yield to alkenes. Additionally, the introduction of MgO nanoparticles could facilitate the desorption of alkenes and improve the selectivity.

Fe-N-omenal catalyst: Fe atoms dispersed throughout a nitrogen-containing carbon matrix catalyze alcohol oxidation by O₂ in the aqueous phase. The used catalyst can be regenerated by a mild treatment in H₂. An observed kinetic isotope effect indicates that β-H elimination is a kinetically relevant step in the mechanism, which can be accelerated by substituting Fe with Cu.

Supercapattery composite! A reduced graphene oxide/bismuth (rGO/Bi) composite is synthesized for the first time using a low temperature (60 °C) polyol process with a short reaction time (3 hours). The rGO/Bi material has high specific capacity. The composite also exhibits moderate stability in cycling tests even at current densities as high as 5 A g⁻¹.

High HMF tolerance and selectivity! An efficient and selective biocatalytic approach for the synthesis of 2,5-bis (hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is successfully developed by using highly HMF-tolerant Meyerozyma guilliermondii SC1103 cells for the first time. A fed-bath strategy was used for the synthesis of BHMF, obtaining a good yield and excellent selectivity.

Eco-friendly high-energy batteries: The stability of high-energy graphite// LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) cells featuring electrodes made through aqueous processing is demonstrated for the first time by long-term cycling in a carbonate-based electrolyte. The made-in-water LNMO cathode outperforms an LNMO with polyvinylidene fluoride binder, showing an enhanced cycling stability resulting from the beneficial effects of the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder.

Cu in the spotlight! Using a genetic algorithm method in addition to density functional theory, the reaction mechanism of Cu-catalyzed CO₂ electroreduction reactions is studied. Key intermediates are identified, rationalizing a series of experimental observations. The unique capability of Cu for these reactions is attributed to an interplay between the Cu surfaces, carbon monomers, and water network.

Enabling electrolyte: A highly concentrated sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI) in dimethoxyethane (DME) electrolyte is shown to stably passivate low voltage sodium anodes and allow for stable cycling of sodium metal as well as sodium intercalation compounds. The NaFSI/DME electrolyte may enable Na-metal anodes and allows for more reliable assessment of electrode materials in Na-ion half-cells.

Probing plasma: Artificial photosynthesis, the conversion of CO₂ and H₂O into value-added products, has gained significant interest over the years. Plasmas are intensely investigated for CO₂ conversion, but few studies exist for the combination of CO₂ and H₂O. This work presents an extensive study elucidating plasma chemistry by a combination of experiments and computations to provide the necessary insight.

Enzymatic cleavage of lignin: Marine bacterial enzymes recognize and cleave various lignin substructures near β-O-4 linkages and produce two phenylpropanones selectively. These monomers are promising platforms for producing bioplastics and other functional chemicals in medical and cosmetic industries. This study provides a new stream for “white biotechnology”.

Scratching the surface: The detailed mechanism for hydrogenolysis of glycerol is investigated over CuCr₂O₄ catalyst by using DFT calculations. The roles of Cu and Cr are revealed, and experimental validation is performed.

Custom cellulose: The reactive deep eutectic solvent based on dimethylurea and ZnCl₂ is used to obtain cellulose methyl carbamate. Compared to original wood cellulose fibers, cellulose methylcarbamate exhibits good alkaline solubility even at low NaOH concentration. As dimethylurea can be produced from CO₂, this method can be used as a sustainable way to obtain novel cellulose materials with desirable properties for use in a wide range of applications.

Closing the water-tap: Tap water to cool reflux condensers is replaced with a closed-loop air cooling system. The simple and robust device retains refluxing solvents equally well as tap water, while it consumes little energy and no water at all. This way, the hazards of flooding and loss of water flow are eliminated. The system has been extensively field-tested and is suitable for refluxing both small and large amounts of both volatile and high boiling solvents, especially during long-term experiments.