Radically faster synthesis: Zeolite synthesis normally proceeds under basic conditions that allow the oxide bridges between aluminum and silicon atoms to break and reform. Feng et al. show that the formation of hydroxyl radicals, either by irradiation with ultraviolet light or with the Fenton reagent, can speed up the formation of the crystallized zeolite by about a factor of 2. Science , this issue p. 1188

Molecular rotors have played an important role in recent materials chemistry. Although several studies on functional materials containing molecular rotors have been reported for fluorescence sensing, this concept has yet to be realized in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here we report the preparation of all-carbon, π-conjugated 2D porous organic nanosheets, named NUS-24, which contain flexible tetraphenylethylene (TPE) units as the molecular rotors. NUS-24 nanosheets exhibit high stability, large lateral size, and ultrathin thickness (2–5 nm). The dynamic TPE rotors exposed on the surface of NUS-24 nanosheets can be restricted in the aggregated state with different water fractions, which is reminiscent of the aggregation-induced emission mechanism, thereby leading to the size-selective turn-on fluorescence by volatile organic compounds. Significantly, the ultrathin 2D nanosheets and its composite membranes show much higher sensitivity and selectivity toward Fe³⁺ ions and nitro-containing compounds sensing, suggesting their potential applications in explosive detection and environmental monitoring.

Materials with selective wettabilities are widely used for effective liquid separation in environmental protection and the chemical industry. Current liquid separation strategies are primarily based on covalent modification to control the membranes’ surface energy, or are based on gating mechanisms to accurately tune the gating threshold of the transport substance. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and universal polarity-based protocol to regulate the wetting behavior of superamphiphilic porous nanofibrous membranes by infusing a high polar component of surface energy liquid into the membranes, forming a relatively stable liquid-infusion-interface to repel the immiscible low polar component of surface energy liquid. Even immiscible liquids with a surface energy difference as small as 2 mJ m⁻², or emulsions stabilized by emulsifiers can be effectively separated. Furthermore, the infused liquid can be substituted by another immiscible liquid with a higher polar component of surface energy, affording successive separation of multiphase liquids.

We report the storage capacities and separation selectivity of an rht-type s-heptazine-based metal organic framework (MOF), [Cu₃(TDPAH)(H₂O)₃]·13H₂O·8DMA, 1, (where TDPAH is 2,5,8-tris(3,5-dicarboxylphenylamino)-s-heptazine and DMA is N,N-dimethylacetamide) for C₂ hydrocarbons and CO₂ over CH₄. MOF 1 displays the highest C₂H₂/CH₄ selectivity of 80.9 as well as record high C₂H₄ and C₂H₆ adsorption enthalpies. Theoretical calculations reveal that s-heptazine and NH groups within the framework have synergistic effects on CO₂ binding.