Heavy! Top 10 emerging technologies in chemistry announced in 2022

Recently, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced the list
of "Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2022".
The details are as follows:

01 Sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries

A sodium-ion battery (NIB or SIB) is a rechargeable battery, similar to a lithium-ion battery, but uses sodium-ion as a charge carrier
.
Its working principle and battery structure are almost identical to the types of lithium-ion batteries that are widely used in commerce, but with sodium compounds instead of lithium compounds
.

Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a potential alternative to existing lithium-ion battery technology as the world faces a reduction
in the latter's resources.
In addition, the low cost of sodium compared to lithium is a promising factor
in considering sodium as a future alternative battery technology.
Since SIBs use abundant and inexpensive materials such as sodium instead of lithium and aluminum instead of copper, they are expected to be cheaper
than LIBs.
In addition, SIBs have a small
impact on the environment.
Although SIBs are heavier than LIBs, they are more suitable for stationary energy storage systems
where weight and volume are less important.

We need better, more affordable batteries
.
Sodium-ion batteries are an abundant and affordable alternative to
lithium.

02 Nanozyme

Nanozyme

Nanotechnology is key
to developing COVID-19 vaccines.
The possibilities of the nanoworld in healthcare and biomedicine have become apparent, and many other technologies have caught the attention of
researchers and IUPAC experts.
Among them are nanozymes, nanomaterials with natural enzyme properties, and some complementary properties
.
Because nanoenzymes are man-made and designed on demand in the lab, they offer multiple advantages
in terms of stability, recyclability, and cost.
Unlike natural enzymes, which only work within a specific temperature and pH range, nanoenzymes are able to withstand harsh conditions and allow durable, safe, and stable storage
.

The field of nanozymes emerged
about 20 years ago.
In 2004, Italian researchers functionalized gold nanoparticles to catalyze phosphorylation reactions, and a few years later, Yan Xiyun's team at the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that some nanoparticles naturally exhibit enzyme-like activity (Nature Nanotech, 2007, 2, 577–583
).
Both of these events sparked exponential growth in a whole new field that has since made very significant progress, including some groundbreaking commercial ventures
in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Another advantage of nanozymes comes from the possibility of
customization.
Chemists attach a variety of molecules to modify the properties of nanoenzymes beyond the classical catalytic capabilities
.
The nanoworld offers unique possibilities in terms of surface area and allows for versatility – applications in bioanalysis, diagnostics, therapeutics, sensing, water treatment, and more
.
One of the most attractive approaches in the field of nanozymes is the development of new point-of-care diagnostic technologies that have the potential to meet the most critical calls of
the World Health Organization (WHO).
For WHO, bedside devices should meet ASSURED standards – affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, fast, device-free, and deliverable
.
Nanozymes can provide these properties for many different testing techniques, including electrochemical, fluorescence, colorimetry, and immunoassays
.
In addition, they ensure miniaturization and long-term stability, both important improvements
compared to current state-of-the-art technology.
In addition, nanozymes have shown good biocompatibility, ensuring safe integration into healthcare applications, including bioimaging and pathogen detection
.

In addition, nanoenzymes have found use in the treatment, mainly because they catalyze the elimination of reactive oxygen species and nitrogen
associated with aging, inflammation, infertility, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.
In some preliminary studies, nanozymes have shown protective properties against all of these problems, and have also promoted the growth of stem cells, which is useful
for tissue engineering and other therapies.
In addition to biomedicine, nanozymes have become a useful solution for water treatment and decontamination, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals 6, 14 and 15, all related to
a clean environment.
An interesting aspect of this particular application is the recyclability of iron-based nanoenzymes, which stems from their magnetic properties
.
After purification of the contaminated medium, it is easy to extract nanoenzymes from the solution with magnets for subsequent treatment and reuse
.
The researchers also designed logic gates based on gold, cerium, platinum and mercury nanoenzymes — all of which could facilitate the miniaturization
of computers.
By solving some of the problems of natural and artificial enzymes, and offering some promising new properties, nanozymes will soon become attractive alternatives
in many different applications.

Nanozymes are a force that combines natural and artificial catalysis, offering multiple advantages
in terms of stability, recyclability, and cost.
Unlike natural enzymes, which only work within a specific temperature and pH range, nanoenzymes are able to withstand harsh conditions and allow durable, safe, and stable storage
.

03 Aerogels

Aerogel

Aerogels are a class of synthetic porous ultralight materials derived from gels, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced by gas, and the gel structure has not collapsed significantly, forming a solid
with extremely low density and very low thermal conductivity.
Aerogels can be made from a variety of compounds, such as silica aerogels that feel like brittle expanded polystyrene, while some polymer-based aerogels feel like rigid foam
.

Aerogels are produced
by supercritical drying or freeze-drying to extract the liquid components of the gel.
This allows the liquid to dry slowly without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse
due to capillary action like traditional evaporation.
The aerogel structure is derived from sol-gel polymerization, that is, monomers (simple molecules) react with other monomers to form sols or substances composed of bonded, crosslinked macromolecules, including deposits of liquid solutions
.
When the material is strictly heated, the liquid evaporates, leaving behind a bonded, crosslinked polymer framework
.
The result of polymerization and critical heating is a material with a porous strong structure, classified as aerogel
.
Changes in synthesis can alter the surface area and pore size
of the aerogel.
The smaller the pore size, the more likely the aerogel is to break.

Aerogels are one of the lightest known solids, but polymer-based aerogels have high strength and tear resistance
.
Another key property comes from their low density and porosity – they are very good thermal insulators and therefore find many interesting applications
in aerospace technology.
In fact, NASA relies on a dedicated research team to study this type of material, and has already tested some of it as an insulator in their Mars rover and other spacecraft
.
Aerogels provide excellent thermal insulation and are only half the
thickness of conventional insulation.

Perhaps not surprisingly, such space technology has led to more practical applications for
aerogels.
Many projects align with the goals of the IYBSSD and the Sustainable Development Goals – including high-efficiency catalysts, supercapacitors, drug delivery systems, and water purification
.
The latter – and other applications in environmental remediation – have been widely explored and show great promise
.
In particular, aerogels successfully remove pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air and toxic substances
in the water.
Through different processes, chemists customize the surface of aerogels to vary their adsorption capacity and adjust their selectivity
.
The most attractive applications include the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater and the effective cleaning and treatment of oil
spills.
In addition, some researchers have suggested using the vast surface area of aerogels to solve one of the most challenging environmental problems of our generation – the high concentration
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
They compete with other porous materials such as zeolite and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in terms of capacity and operating temperature, so some adsorbed aerogels have been commercialized
for this purpose.

In addition, the adjustability of aerogel surfaces leads to breakthrough applications
in biomedical technology and sensing.
And this combination is more interesting
.
For example, the biocompatibility of aerogels could lead to implantable devices monitoring physiological constants
.
Biocompatibility and biodegradability have given rise to uses for energy production and storage, providing a more environmentally friendly solution
than other available alternatives.
Aerogels are made from glucose, cellulose, graphene and other eco-friendly materials that improve the performance of
batteries, supercapacitors and even flexible electronics.
But perhaps the most interesting application again comes from the thermal properties
of aerogels.
Different studies have demonstrated how aerogels can improve the efficiency of solar thermal power plants, ie
.
An energy harvesting platform that concentrates the sun's heat to produce steam, move turbines and generate electricity
.
Therefore, aerogels also provide interesting tools
for coping with the ongoing energy crisis.

Aerogels are the lightest insulation materials and offer an interesting tool
for coping with the ongoing energy crisis.

04 Film-based fluorescent sensors

Thin-film fluorescence sensor

Fluorescence is an essential tool for chemical and biological sensing, mainly due to its sensitivity and selectivity
.
Due to their tunability and versatility, thin-film-based fluorescence sensors have become a widely used tool
.
In these devices, fluorescent molecules are immobilized on a suitable surface to form a 2D or 3D film
that responds to external stimuli.
One advantage is portability
.
Thin-film-based fluorescence sensors are less than one centimeter in size, which allows the analysis tool to be miniaturized
.
In addition to their small size, thin-film based fluorescence sensors have interesting properties such as power efficiency and ease of operation
.
In the past few years, the team of academician Fang Yu of Shaanxi Normal University has developed different film-based fluorescence sensors to detect different species, especially polluting gases
such as ammonia, NOx and VOCs.
In addition, these films can detect more complex chemicals, including pesticides, nerve agents, and explosives such as trinitrotoluene (TNT).
Syst.
Des.
Eng.
, 2016,1, 242-257）
。

Recently, researchers from Academician Fang Yu of Shaanxi Normal University designed a "chemical nose" based on a thin-film fluorescence sensor to detect nicotine with extremely high sensitivity (Chem.
Commun.
, 2019,55, 12679-12682）
。 These results hint at the great possibilities of film-based fluorescence sensors in environmental remediation applications, as they can play a key role
in the detection, identification, and quantification of different contaminants.
Recently, researchers have demonstrated the potential of film-based fluorescent sensors to detect pathogens, particularly foodborne listeria, the deadly bacteria behind many cases of food poisoning (Aggregate 2022, e203).

All this, combined with recent advances in ultraviolet laser technology, may lead to the miniaturization of contamination detection devices and biomedical devices, in the deployment of connected monitoring networks (e.
g.
through the Internet of Things) and in the application of
wearable electronics and portable sensors.

Thin-film based fluorescence sensors offer a tunable, versatile alternative to
miniature detectors.

05 Nanoparticle mega libraries

Library of giant nanoparticles

The giant library and a screening technique based on in situ Raman spectroscopy called ARES helped the researchers identify a new gold-copper catalyst
.
It can be used as a catalyst
for the synthesis of single-walled nanotubes made of carbon.
U.
S.
researchers say they have developed a method to produce more than 65,000 complex nanoparticles, each containing up to six different materials and eight fragments, with interfaces that can be used in electrical or optical applications
.
Each is about 55 nanometers long and about 20 nanometers wide: In comparison, human hair is about 100,000 nanometers
thick.
"The nanoscience community is very interested in making nanoparticles that combine several different materials — semiconductors, catalysts, magnets, electronic materials," said
Raymond E Schaak, team leader at Penn State.
"You could consider connecting different semiconductors together to control how electrons travel through materials, or arranging materials differently to change their optical, catalytic or magnetic
properties.
Schaak and colleagues took simple nanorods composed of copper and sulfur and then replaced some of the copper
with other metal sequences using a process called cation exchange.
By changing the reaction conditions, they can control where the copper is replaced in the nanorods (at one end, at both ends simultaneously, or in the middle).

They repeated the process with other metals that could also be placed in precise locations
inside the nanorods.
By performing up to seven consecutive reactions with several different metals, they can create rainbow-like particles – a combination of more than 65,000 metal sulfide materials is possible
.

Over the years, big data and high-throughput screening have driven the discovery
of new chemicals.
The nanoparticle giant library somehow translates these technologies into the world of
materials.
By creating arrays of millions of nanoparticles of varying composition and structure, scientists have designed a powerful tool to personalize properties and applications
.

The researchers constructed these giant libraries
using a nanoparticle deposition technique called polymer pen lithography.
Different metal salts are dissolved in polymer inks and then carefully deposited on the surface using thousands of tiny soft tips – force and pressure determine the size of the droplets and therefore the size of
the particles.
After that, heating eliminates the polymer and reduces the salt, preparing the metal nanoparticles to catalyze the chemical reaction
.
It is equivalent to building millions of miniature reactors, concentrated on a simple microscope slide (Science 2008, 321 (5896), 1658).

Nanoparticle giant library, high-throughput synthesis screening to reach the nanoworld
.

06 Fiber batteries

Fiber batteries

As mentioned earlier, the world needs better batteries to cope with the energy crisis
.
It is very difficult
to store energy efficiently using current technology.
In fact, according to estimates by the U.
S.
Energy Information Administration, running on battery-powered home appliances will triple your electricity bill and take up a lot of space
.
Fiber batteries offer another interesting solution while opening up possibilities
in the field of wearable electronics.

The configuration of fiber batteries is quite different from traditional alternatives, often based on stacked electrodes and components – much like the original design
of Italian chemist Alessandro Volta.
In contrast, fiber batteries present an almost one-dimensional design with tangled wires as electrodes
.
The structure is protected by a polymer coating that also seals the electrolyte inside
the battery.
Similarly, a modified version of this design has resulted in supercapacitors – an energy storage solution capable of providing charge quickly, for example in
photographic flashes.
Overall, fiber batteries offer a range of advantages over other solutions; They are flexible, robust and safe
.
In addition, woven fibers can be made into battery "fabrics" for many different shapes and applications
.
Some studies have shown that battery fabrics are soft and breathable, making them ideal for wearable electronics applications
.
They also seem to withstand washing without losing any energy density
.
Other methods, such as the hot drawing method, allow fiber batteries to be made from electroactive gels while the electrodes are protected
by a flexible waterproof cladding.
This strategy has achieved continuous production of fibers up to 140 meters long and demonstrated similar discharge capabilities
.

Recently, Professor Peng Huisheng's research group of Fudan University has developed a new method
for producing high-performance braided fiber batteries based on lithium-ion technology.
The energy density of these devices is eighty times better than the first prototype fiber battery; In addition, they retain 90% capacity after five hundred charge cycles, which is comparable
to most commercial batteries.
In proof-of-concept applications, scientists investigated the possibility of charging smartphones wirelessly, as well as integrating woven batteries with textile displays and interactive jackets for monitoring different body constants
.
The process is also scalable because it is optimized for use with standard industrial equipment, including machinery widely used in the textile industry, such as rapier looms
.
Under ideal circumstances, the cost of the battery could be less than $0.
05 per meter (related report: In less than half a year, Peng Huisheng's team at Fudan University re-issued Nature!).
）
。 Companies such as Samsung and Huawei are studying the potential of fiber batteries, and the market is expected to grow
alongside products such as wearables and printed electronics.

Fiber batteries, a new form of energy storage, are ready
for wearable devices.

07 Liquid solar fuel synthesis

Production of liquid solar energy

Plants use photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into glucose
.
Similarly, chemists have created "artificial photosynthesis" to mimic this process and produce energy-rich substances that are used as fuel
.
Typically, researchers look for carbon-based molecules, such as alcohols and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, to replace the ubiquitous petroleum-derived fuels
with less polluting alternatives.
However, some classifications also include fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and hydrazine, as long as the primary energy sources used in their manufacture are fully renewable – mainly solar and wind
.
Like batteries, solar fuels offer new opportunities to
store intermittent energy.
That's why some experts call this strategy "bottling renewable energy.
"

Photocatalysis also offers great opportunities
.
By using sunlight directly to activate and accelerate the reaction, chemists can save steps and simplify the entire process
.
Many consider photocatalysis to be an ideal way
to convert solar energy into energy-rich products such as fuels.
Currently, many groups around the world are grappling with issues
in this process.
Even plants, after billions of years of evolution, can only manage up to 4% energy conversion efficiency
.
Some of these solutions come from pairing
artificial catalysts with natural structures such as enzymes or even bacteria.
Among other advantages, these coupled systems provide access to interesting commodity chemicals, such as acetic acid
.
Other groups dream of photocatalytic processes that work at night and connect catalysts to capacitors and batteries, which store energy during lighting and begin to release it
at night.
The concept of "persistent photocatalysis" reduces intermittency and improves process performance
.

Strategies for liquid solar fuels, "bottling renewable energy" and making more environmentally friendly chemicals
.

08 Textile displays

Textile display

Screens are everywhere
in our lives.
In addition, it is estimated that 80% of our perception of external circumstances comes directly from our eyes, which makes vision the most important and complex sense
.
Now, with the advent of high-speed communication and connected devices, the Internet of Things, researchers are beginning to explore the field of
textile display.
These devices will change our everyday electronics, the way we interact with them, and facilitate the commercialization
of new wearables and smart fabrics.

Traditionally, wearables have relied on thin-film displays
that are attached to the surface of fabrics and textiles.
The practice of textile displays is completely different, in fact, it is very similar
to the fiber battery mentioned above.
The researchers directly developed fibers capable of emitting light and then interwoven them to form a flexible fabric as a display
.
This strategy solves many problems: first, it increases the breathability, which is hindered by traditional screens; Second, it makes wearables softer and closer to actual clothing; Third, the fiber bends freely; Deformation does not have as much effect on emission as on thin-film screens
.

Researchers have studied many different materials to make textile displays
.
For example, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) – often planar sandwich structures – have been modified into coaxial fibers
.
Alternatively, polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) add flexibility
.
The polymers used have electroluminescent properties and support popular production processes
.
Since some combine a small number of OLEDs with PLEDs, a new nomenclature has emerged to define these light-emitting devices: fiber optic LEDs (FLEDs).

Professor Peng Huisheng's team at Fudan University uses luminescent electrochemical cells to disperse cathode and anode materials with electrolytes or powdered luminescent materials (usually sulfide salts) into the
fibers.
The former achieves novelties such as color tunability, while the latter, despite its lower brightness, has advantages from a production point of view, since it allows the use of traditional weaving processes, resulting in meter-long fibers and high-surface displays (Fudan University Peng Huisheng/Chen Peining team today Nature!).
)
。

Textile display, fiber-based LEDs
for flexible screens.

09 Rational vaccines with SNA

Reasonable spherical nucleic acid vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of
vaccines.
In fact, the IUPAC "Big Ten" initiative has also repeatedly recognized the value of emerging and mature technologies in this field, such as mRNA vaccines and scalable synthesis
of nucleic acids.
Now, in this edition, our experts have selected another interesting innovation in vaccinology: spherical nucleic acids, often referred to simply as SNA
.
Originally developed in 1996, these structured stellate nucleic acid strands are attached to different kinds of nanostructures
.
Gold nanoparticles are first, but other materials – silica, polymers, proteins, micelles, MOFs – follow, offering great versatility
.

The chemical and biological properties of SNAs differ from linear nucleic acids, even though they share the same nucleotide sequence
.
The three-dimensional arrangement facilitates entry into the cell, which happens faster and in greater
quantities.
In addition, such an organization produces properties
that are missing from individual components alone.
In fact, preliminary research suggests that therapeutic antigens and adjuvants that have previously failed in clinical trials may show increased activity
when incorporated into nanoengineered SNA treatments.

SNA vaccines have been shown to be effective in protecting against infectious pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus
that causes COVID-19.
Previously vaccinated mice survived when attacked by a lethal dose of the virus, demonstrating the protective potential
of SNA to generate a good immune response.
Remarkably, this particular design does not require the entire structure of the spike protein to work
.
Liposomes covered with DNA encapsulate smaller antigens in the receptor-binding domain, simplifying the synthesis and adaptability
of such vaccines.
In addition, SNA preparations remain stable at room temperature, which facilitates access to vaccines in remote areas, in line with sustainability goals
.

Spherical nucleic acids have also shown promise in cancer immunotherapy, particularly for melanoma, ovarian and prostate cancers
.
In one study, treatment with SNA vaccine successfully eliminated tumors in 30% of mice, driving the transition
to human clinical trials.
In fact, there are currently six human clinical trials testing SNA-related products for immunotherapy and gene regulation
.
Biotech company Exicure seeks approval and commercialization of SNA therapies and has begun working with Allergan, Dermelix and Ipsen to develop different drugs
.
SNA is definitely an emerging technology that could change the way
we deal with disease in the future.

Rational vaccines with SNA, spherical nucleic acid remodeling and recombinant vaccine technology
.

10 VR-enable interactive modeling

VR platform interactive modeling

In the year of the Metaverse, IUPAC's "Big Ten" ventured into virtual reality (VR).

Through virtual space, researchers explore interactive collaborations
that enhance the possibilities of computational chemistry and molecular dynamics.
As a result of these innovative interactions with molecules, the researchers reinforced their particular reasoning and improved their understanding of
quantum chemistry.

Instead of interacting with computers via a keyboard and mouse, VR-enabled platforms allow researchers to enter an imaginary room full of giant molecules and "touch" them
through synchronized wireless controllers in their hands.
Once there, they poke atoms, move them, introduce modifications and functional groups – while virtual molecules are simulated and rendered
in real time by external computers.
Since molecular interactions are inherently three-dimensional, working in these virtual spaces can improve our understanding of
chemical reactions.
This immersive experience, widely used in other environments such as operating rooms and animation studios, accelerates results and reduces errors
.
When using VR, chemists can complete molecular modeling tasks ten times
faster than with traditional interfaces.

Far from being fantastic, this strategy already provides real-life results
.
For example, the VR setup helps researchers efficiently generate protein-ligand docking poses, utilizing experts and non-experts alike to explore different positioning possibilities
.
The model is dedicated to designing different antiviral drugs, including modifications implemented "on the fly" by users as they identify atoms and functional groups
that can better bind to the active sites of the protein.
In addition, the researchers used a similar strategy to design an inhibitor that targets one of the main targets of SARS-CoV-2, a protease called Mpro.

All of this research is run under the open-source framework Narupa, which runs
alongside most commodity VR devices on the market.
Another benefit of these studies comes from comprehensive data collection
during the presentation.
When processed properly, this information guides machine learning algorithms and neural networks, which predict the properties of
molecules more accurately than other methods.

VR modeling also opens up new possibilities for chemistry education, in line with SDG 4 and IUPAC's core values
.
Student feedback on these VR enhancement tools, especially a process called Manta, is much
more positive than traditional techniques.
Thanks to the direct observation of atoms and molecules, students' understanding of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena seems to be the same
.
In addition, digital tools open up possibilities for distance education, allowing teachers to share their lessons with anyone, almost anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection and have access to the VR set
.