Chem Rec. 2026 Jun 21:e70197. doi: 10.1002/tcr.70197. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The importance of catalysis in the development of waste management systems in the circular economy is undeniable. This review emphasizes the emerging potential of nature-based bio-inspired catalysis to advance waste valorization. It discusses the potential of bio-inspired catalysis for waste valorization over the…

J Am Chem Soc. 2026 Jun 19. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6c03130. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Light-induced dehalogenation by flavoenzymes offers a promising route to generate acyl radicals in photoenzymatic catalysis, but current applications are largely limited to α-acyl halides. Mechanistic studies are needed to understand this substituent position effect to engineer flavoenzymes for broader applications. Here,…

Org Biomol Chem. 2026 Jun 1. doi: 10.1039/d6ob00560h. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Recent advances have demonstrated that certain enzymes utilizing photoactive cofactors can be redirected upon light excitation to catalyze reactions entirely unrelated to their evolved functions. Given that charge-transfer interactions between substrates and cofactors can be facilitated by the spatial proximity afforded by…

Langmuir. 2026 Jun 16. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c00112. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The excessive discharge of wastewater containing methylene blue (MB) has caused certain adverse effects on human health and daily life. This highlights the urgent need for the development of safe and environmentally friendly methods of degradation. In this study, two catalytic systems based on…

J Mater Chem B. 2026 Jun 12. doi: 10.1039/d6tb00152a. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) liposomes are of emerging interest because of their potential bioapplications in biosensing/imaging and light-driven therapeutic delivery. However, a potential challenge in vivo is their stability, since liposomes are prone to enzymatic degradation. Here, for the first time,…

Chem Rec. 2026 Jun 15:e70195. doi: 10.1002/tcr.70195. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Ionic liquids (ILs) have attracted extensive attention in the field of photocatalytic CO2 reduction due to their unique advantages in the synthesis of photocatalytic materials and the regulation of interfacial reactions. However, the key regulatory mechanisms of photogenerated carrier behavior and reaction pathways…

Nat Commun. 2026 Jun 11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-74128-3. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Microbial cell factory is a powerful biological tool for synthesizing value-added molecules due to its unmatched sustainability and selectivity. However, the inherent catalytic specificity of natural enzymes limits product diversity. Although photobiocatalysis has expanded enzyme catalytic capabilities, challenges such as laborious enzyme purification,…

Nat Commun. 2026 Jun 9. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-74284-6. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The conversion of carbon dioxide into chemicals and fuels via photoreduction offers a promising path toward a sustainable and carbon-neutral future, but the low concentration of photosensitized reactive species and their associated sluggish kinetics limit energy conversion. Herein, a bioinspired incubation strategy is…

ChemMedChem. 2026 Jun 15;21(11):e70344. doi: 10.1002/cmdc.70344. ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) demands therapeutic strategies that do not inhibit bacterial enzymes but target protein elimination. In this highlight, Stevens-Cullinane, Hess, and coworkers report light-activated metal-dependent protein degradation (LAMP-D), which uses a ruthenium photosensitizer tethered to a targeting ligand to degrade New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) in the…

RSC Adv. 2026 May 27;16(31):28535-28556. doi: 10.1039/d6ra02881k. eCollection 2026 May 22. ABSTRACT Microplastics (MPs) (<5 mm) are hydrophobic and can’t be easily degraded. These particles accumulate due to the excessive discharge of plastic waste from domestic and industrial sources, along with several toxic compounds attached to their surface, are also being deposited in environmental matrices,…