Molecules | Feature Papers from the First Half of 2025 in the “Materials Chemistry” Section

1. “Overview of Recent Advances in Rare-Earth High-Entropy Oxides as Multifunctional Materials for Next-Gen Technology Applications”
by Stjepan Šarić, Jelena Kojčinović, Dalibor Tatar and Igor Djerdj
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1082; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051082
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1082

2. “Synthesis and Characterization of Lignocellulose-Based Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) and Their Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Functionalities”
by Wooseok Lee and Seonghyuk Ko
Molecules 2025, 30(3), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030667
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/3/667

3. “Advancing Thermal Energy Storage: Synthesis and Thermal Performance of Silica-Encapsulated Paraffin PCMs”
by Raihana Jannat Adnin and Han-Seung Lee
Molecules 2025, 30(8), 1698; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30081698
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/8/1698

4. “From Anatase TiO₂ Nano-Cuboids to Nano-Bipyramids: Influence of Particle Shape on the TiO₂ Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Contaminants in Contrasted Water Matrices”
by Humaira Asghar, Daphne Hermosilla, Francesco Pellegrino, Virginia Muelas-Ramos, Christian de los Ríos, Antonio Gascó, Valter Maurino and Muhammad Ahsan Iqbal
Molecules 2025, 30(2), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30020424
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/2/424

5. “Ni-Mg-Al Hydrotalcite-Derived Catalysts for Ammonia Decomposition—From Precursor to Effective Catalyst”
by Andrzej Kowalczyk, Martyna Zaryczny, Zofia Piwowarska and Lucjan Chmielarz
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1052; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051052
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1052

6. “Active Polylactic Acid (PLA) Films Incorporating Almond Peel Extracts for Food Preservation”
by Laia Martin-Perez, Carolina Contreras, Amparo Chiralt and Chelo Gonzalez-Martinez
Molecules 2025, 30(9), 1988; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30091988
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/9/1988

7. “Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Thiazole-Based Small Molecules as Potential Anticancer Agents”
by Abdelrahman S. Al-Sayed, Ahmed S. El-Gendy, Hatem A. Ali and Maha A. Hegazy
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051123
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1123

8. “A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation”
by Adrienne Shea and Matthew T. Bernards
Molecules 2025, 30(13), 2710; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30132710
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2710

9. “Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate”
by Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu, Simone Bertoldi, Matthias Schmidt, Hermann J. Heipieper, Irina Volf, and Christian Eberlein
Molecules 2025, 30(5), 1167; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30051167
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1167

10. “Recent Advances in Chiral Gold Nanomaterials: From Synthesis to Applications”
by Huangsiyu Chen and Changlong Hao
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040829
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/829

11. “Enhanced Interfacial Contact and Lithium-Ion Transport in Ionic Liquid Polymer Electrolyte via In-Situ Electrolyte-Cathode Integration”
by Zehua Chen, Mianrui Li, Shengguang Qi and Li Du
Molecules 2025, 30(2), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30020395
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/2/395

12. “Observation of Electroplating in a Lithium-Metal Battery Model Using Magnetic Resonance Microscopy”
by Rok Peklar, Urša Mikac and Igor Serša
Molecules 2025, 30(13), 2733; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30132733
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2733

13. “Nanoscale “Chessboard” Pattern Lamellae in a Supramolecular Perylene-Diimide Polydiacetylene System”
by Ian J. Martin, Francis Kiranka Masese, Kuo-Chih Shih, Mu-Ping Nieh and Rajeswari M. Kasi
Molecules 2025, 30(6), 1207; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30061207
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/6/1207