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Each cover of CCS Chemistry blends artistic vision with the frontiers of scientific discovery. Through thoughtful design and creative interpretation, each cover presents a cutting-edge advance in chemistry in a compelling visual narrative. This merging of artistic expression with scientific innovation not only reflects the spirit of the research it represents, but also invites readers to visually experience the dynamic landscape of modern chemistry.

While each cover is unique and has a beauty of its own, we want to know from you, our readers, which is your favorite CCS Chemistry cover in 2025? We invite you to vote for your favorite cover!

Voting: Each cover is listed below with a corresponding description of the article. You may make your selection of your favorite cover at the bottom of the page. Only submit one vote per person.

Deadline: Please submit your vote no later than March 22, 2026.

Giveaway: Ten randomly chosen participating voters will receive a CCS Chemistry gift bag. To be included in the giveaway, you must provide your name and email address. You may vote without including your contact information but will not be included in the giveaway.

Please vote and help us select the top 2025 CCS Chemistry Reader’s Choice Covers! The authors of the top 2 covers will receive a certificate and award.

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 1

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 1</strong>
Lowering iridium usage without sacrificing activity and durability is critical to the development of anode catalytic layers in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). Hui Chen (陈辉), Xiaoxin Zou (邹晓新), and coworkers present the synthesis of layered iridium oxide microparticles (p-L-IrO₂) with an open porosity of approximately 74%. The p-L-IrO₂ material is further employed to fabricate low-iridium-loading anode catalytic layers in PEMWE, which can afford excellent catalytic performance and retention of catalytic activity for 2300 h.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 216-228

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202303586

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 2

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 2</strong>
Robotic AI chemists have become transformative to the field of chemistry, especially to synthetic chemistry. In this Mini-Review, Zhuoying Zhu (朱濯缨), Jun Jiang (江俊), and coworkers summarize recent advances in chemistry and materials science aided by the combination of automated high-throughput computations, machine learning, and robotic experiments. This paradigm shift may redefine research methodologies and promote the next generation of efficient and intelligent innovation in chemistry.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 345-360

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404860

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 3

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 3</strong>
Detecting and identifying rare tumor cells circulating among the vast number of blood cells is an important challenge in addressing cancer detection and treatment. Jianhua Wang (王建华), Ping Yu (于萍), Lanqun Mao (毛兰群), and coworkers report a method of label-free cell identification of tumor cells by machine learning-assisted access resistance cytometry based on ion current fingerprints of single cells at the orifice of a nanopipette. This new approach for monitoring normal and pathological cells promises to have important applications in clinic diagnosis and cell-related biomedical research.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 691-702

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404077

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 4

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 4</strong>
Industrial purification processes for ethylene from steam pyrolysis or cracking gases generally employ multiple energy-intensive steps. Yun-Lei Peng (彭云雷), Guangjin Chen (陈光进), Zhenjie Zhang (张振杰), and coworkers employ a custom-designed multifunctional and industry-compatible ultramicroporous crystalline physisorbent (CALF-20) to tackle this challenge. They show that, with the CALF-20, C₂H₄ can be purified from a seven-component cracking gas mixture (C₂H₄, C₂H₂, C₂H₆, CO₂, C₃H₄, C₃H₆, and C₃H₈) by one-step separation with remarkable performance. This work not only provides guidelines for the development of a new generation of MOFs adsorbents, but also greatly promotes further industrialization of MOFs.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 1054-1066

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202403977

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 5

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 5</strong>
Zhuo Chen (陈卓), Honglin Liu (刘洪林) and coworkers develop an aptamer–protein conjugate, which is composed of 5~10 aptamers and a bovine serum albumin core, named pAPNC. This pAPNC achieves outstanding performance in biostability, signal amplification, drug-loading efficiency, nuclease resistance, receptor accessibility, cancer cell killing, and in vivo imaging capability. This new type of nanocarrier holds great promise for revolutionizing targeted therapeutic interventions and imaging modalities in biomedical settings.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 1411-1423

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404442

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 6

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 6</strong>
Kang Wang (王康), Yihan Zhu (朱艺涵), Jianzhuang Jiang (姜建壮), and coworkers report the synthesis of a new kind of planar-square SiO₄-linked covalent organic framework (COF). The COF possesses conjugated, N/O-rich, and ordered porous frameworks, endowing them with exceptional anodic K+ storage performance in a potassium-ion battery with a high specific capacity, outstanding rate performance, and excellent cycling stability.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 1812-1822

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404530

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 7

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 7</strong>
Owing to the advantages of low cost, minimal environmental pollution, and excellent herbicidal activity against weeds, paraquat (methyl viologen) has been utilized as an herbicide in many countries worldwide; however, it is extremely toxic to humans. Yapei Wang (王亚培) and coworkers report a zwitterionic paraquat precursor that can be unlocked to paraquat via a decarboxylation reaction on demand. Highly improved cellular biocompatibility and organ biosafety of zwitterionic paraquat relative to paraquat are identified by in vitro and in vivo tests. The modified herbicide exhibits great potential in green-field agriculture.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 2098-2108

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404831

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 8

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 8</strong>
The catalytic oxidation reaction plays an important role in scientific research and industrial applications. However, the development of green catalysts with high conversion and selectivity under mild conditions remains challenging. Tian-Fu Liu (刘天赋) and coworkers report the synthesis of three metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Among them, a Hf-based MOF with a charged backbone exhibits exceptionally high catalytic activity and selectivity toward aniline and sulfide oxidation compared to the other two isoreticular MOFs. Moreover, the desired pure products, azoxybenzenes and sulfones, are obtained with high selectivity without the need for an isolation process.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 2465-2474

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404630

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 9

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 9</strong>
Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymeric materials with rich chemical modifiability, good morphological stability, high thermal stability, and excellent processability have attracted much attention in recent years due to their wide application in optoelectronic devices. Ying Han (韩莹), Hai-Yan Lu (吕海燕), Chuan-Feng Chen (陈传峰), and coworkers report a facile and efficient supramolecular strategy for the construction of color-tunable TADF polymeric materials through host–guest complexation.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 2623-2632

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404657

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 10

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 10</strong>
Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) offer high theoretical capacity and low redox potential, making them attractive for next-generation energy storage. However, their practical application is limited by dendrite formation, interfacial instability, parasitic reactions, and poor long-term cycling under realistic conditions. In this Mini-Review, Kai Liu (刘凯) and coworkers provide a timely, comprehensive, and conceptually insightful analysis of supramolecular chemistry strategies for LMB electrolytes. This approach not only enables dynamic interfacial regulation and improved cycling stability but also opens new avenues for the molecular design of high-performance and durable LMBs.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 2864-2898

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.025.202506033

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 11

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 11</strong>
Polyethylene (PE) is known for its stable structure, which results in its very slow photocatalytic degradation under natural environmental conditions. Lei Nie (聂磊), Zhenglong Li (李正龙), and coworkers develop a novel photocatalytic method for oxidizing PE into long-chain saturated aliphatic dicarboxylic acids using a BiOI/BiVO₄ heterojunction catalyst. Under visible light irradiation, PE is directly converted into dicarboxylic acids with high yields at 150 °C under a pressure of 5 MPa.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 3519-3529

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.025.202405274

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Cover of Volume 7 Issue 12

<strong>Cover of Volume 7 Issue 12</strong>
Supported metal catalysts are essential for industrial processes, such as energy conversion, chemical synthesis, and pollutant removal, yet they often lead to low activity, poor selectivity, and deactivation. Matching zeolites with metal species is an effective method for synthesizing highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts, where the zeolite crystals not only stabilize the metal species against sintering/leaching, but also enhance the catalytic activity and product selectivity. In this Mini-Review, Hai Wang (王海), Liang Wang (王亮), and Feng-Shou Xiao (肖丰收) summarize recent advances and future opportunities in matching zeolites with metal species for efficient catalysis.

CCS Chem. 2025, 7, 3540-3552

https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.025.202506367

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