Template-free reaction networks enable predictive and automated analysis of complex electrochemical reaction cascades

Chemical reaction networks (CRNs) are powerful tools for obtaining mechanistic insight into complex reactive processes. However, they are limited in their applicability where reaction mechanisms are unintuitive, and products are unknown. Here we report new methods of CRN generation and analysis that overcome these limitations. By constructing CRNs using filters rather than templates, we can capture species and reactions that are unintuitive but fundamentally reasonable. The resulting massive CRNs can then be interrogated via stochastic methods, revealing thermodynamically bounded reaction pathways to species of interest and automatically identifying network products. We apply this methodology to study solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation in Li-ion batteries, generating a CRN with ~86,000,000 reactions. Our methods automatically recover SEI products from the literature and predict previously unknown species. We validate their formation mechanisms using first-principles calculations, discovering multiple novel kinetically accessible molecules. This methodology enables the de novo exploration of vast chemical spaces, with the potential for diverse applications across thermochemistry, electrochemistry, and photochemistry.

On-Demand Release of Secondary Amine Bases for the Activation of Catalysts and Crosslinkers

We demonstrate that the species present in the equilibrium of DCv ureas can be employed in reaction cascades and as triggered organocatalysts. Easily controllable stimuli like heat or addition of water shift the equilibrium towards isocyanate and free base which can function as an in situ released reagent, both catalytically and in an equimolar fashion in different reactions. While applying heat to the system leads to a reversible liberation of amine base, addition of water makes this release irreversible. We demonstrate this application of DCv ureas with two examples via ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Firstly, we use the liberated base to activate a protected organocatalyst for acylhydrazone formation. Secondly, this base can be employed to trigger the release of nitrile-N-oxides from chlorooximes, which can react with 4-arm PEG-thiols to form a thiohydroximate polymer gel. These findings show the utility of DCv hindered ureas beyond their application in self-healing.

On-Demand Release of Secondary Amine Bases for the Activation of Catalysts and Crosslinkers

We demonstrate that the species present in the equilibrium of DCv ureas can be employed in reaction cascades and as triggered organocatalysts. Easily controllable stimuli like heat or addition of water shift the equilibrium towards isocyanate and free base which can function as an in situ released reagent, both catalytically and in an equimolar fashion in different reactions. While applying heat to the system leads to a reversible liberation of amine base, addition of water makes this release irreversible. We demonstrate this application of DCv ureas with two examples via ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Firstly, we use the liberated base to activate a protected organocatalyst for acylhydrazone formation. Secondly, this base can be employed to trigger the release of nitrile-N-oxides from chlorooximes, which can react with 4-arm PEG-thiols to form a thiohydroximate polymer gel. These findings show the utility of DCv hindered ureas beyond their application in self-healing.

Mechanical Properties of DNA Hydrogels: Towards Highly Programmable Biomaterials

DNA hydrogels are self-assembled biomaterials that rely on Watson–Crick base pairing to form large-scale programmable three-dimensional networks of nanostructured DNA components. The unique mechanical and biochemical properties of DNA, along with its biocompatibility, make it a suitable material for the assembly of hydrogels with controllable mechanical properties and composition that could be used in several biomedical applications, including the design of novel multifunctional biomaterials. Numerous studies that have recently emerged, demonstrate the assembly of functional DNA hydrogels that are responsive to stimuli such as pH, light, temperature, biomolecules, and programmable strand-displacement reaction cascades. Recent studies have investigated the role of different factors such as linker flexibility, functionality, and chemical crosslinking on the macroscale mechanical properties of DNA hydrogels. In this review, we present the existing data and methods regarding the mechanical design of pure DNA hydrogels and hybrid DNA hydrogels, and their use as hydrogels for cell culture. The aim of this review is to facilitate further study and development of DNA hydrogels towards utilizing their full potential as multifeatured and highly programmable biomaterials with controlled mechanical properties.