The development of high-performance rechargeable batteries capable of efficiently storing and delivering electrical energy remains a crucial research topic for realizing a sustainable society, particularly with respect to achieving high capacity and fast charge–discharge characteristics. In this context, hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs)—porous organic frameworks assembled through hydrogen bonding—have attracted increasing attention as cathode-active materials for advanced rechargeable batteries. This article reviews the electrochemical performances of HOFs incorporating redox-active imide, triazine, and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units as representative systems in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of integrating synergistic redox activity with structurally robust heterocyclic units as an effective molecular design strategy for the development of high-performance organic electrode materials. Compared with their corresponding molecular counterparts, these HOF-based cathodes exhibit superior electrochemical properties, including higher discharge capacities, improved cycling stability, and enhanced rate capability, especially in SIBs. Collectively, these studies demonstrate a molecular-level design approach for activating multi-electron redox centers in HOFs and highlight redox-active HOFs as versatile and promising cathode materials for post-lithium-ion battery applications.
Thiolate-protected Au25 nanoclusters display unique catalytic activities due to the multiple functions of the superatomic core and surface gold–thiolate staples. Substituting different metallic atoms for Au25 nanoclusters creates new multimetallic alloy clusters with tailored or improved multifunctional catalytic properties. Conventional methods that involve the direct reduction of multiple metal salts face challenges in controlling the position and number of substituted heterometallic atoms. In this paper, we describe a self-assembly-based bottom-up method to synthesize novel PdAu12 M12 (SR)18 nanoclusters composed of three different metals. The key to success was using a phosphine-protected PdAu12 nanocluster as the precursor, along with metal thiolate compounds that form intermolecular hydrogen bonds as sources of additional metal and ligands. We believe this approach guarantees the precise synthesis of a new class of alloy nanoclusters.