Hydrothermal reactions of lanthanide metal salts with MeN(CH(2)CO(2)H)(CH(2)PO(3)H(2)) (H(3)L) and 5-sulfoisophthalic acid monosodium salt (NaH(2)BTS) lead to four isomorphous lanthanide carboxylate-phosphonate-sulfonate hybrids, namely, Ln(H(2)L)(HBTS)(H(2)O)(2).H(2)O (Ln = La (1), Pr (2), Nd (3), Gd (4)). Their structures have been established by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The interconnection of the lanthanide(III) ions by carboxylate-phosphonate ligands results in a 1D double chain; these double chains are further bridged by bidentate bridging carboxylate-sulfonate ligands to form a <011> layer. The luminescent properties of compounds 3 and 4 have also been studied.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) offers an opportunity to use inexpensive nonprecious metal catalysts. However, pure water-fed AEMWE still faces issues of durability. Herein, we compared the stability of AEMWE under different anolytes, including KOH, pure water, and a phosphate buffer (PB) using a NiFeCo oxygen evolution reaction catalyst. Upon thoroughly characterizing several changes before/after 100 h durability tests, such as the cell performance, catalyst dissolution, catalyst morphologies, impedance of the anion exchange membrane, and catalytic layer, we speculate that the change of the local pH is the main factor causing catalyst reconstruction, which further leads to the loss of cell performance in the pure water-fed mode. By using PB to control the local pH, the morphology of the catalyst will no longer change after the durability test, and the cell performance can recover to the initial performance in pure water. These results not only indicate that the catalyst structural transformation is the main reason for the deactivation of pure water-fed AEMWE but also help find a way to achieve highly durable pure water-fed AEMWE.

Hydrothermal reactions of N-(phosphonomethyl)-N-methylglycine, MeN(CH(2)CO(2)H)(CH(2)PO(3)H(2)) (H(3)L), with zinc(II) acetate resulted in the formation of a novel zinc carboxylate-phosphonate, [Zn(6)L(6)(Zn)][Zn(H(2)O)(6)](2) x 22H(2)O (1). The structure of 1 contains a heptanuclear zinc phosphonate cluster anion, [Zn(6)L(6)(Zn)](4-), in which seven zinc(II) cations form an unusual Zn(6)(Zn) centered octahedron with six of its Zn(3) triangle faces each further capped by a phosphonate group. The Zn(II) cations of the Zn(6) octahedron are five-coordinated whereas the centered Zn(II) cation is octahedrally coordinated. Packing of these cluster anions creates micropores occupied by the hydrated zinc(II) cations as well as lattice water molecules. The structural skeleton of 1 is retained after the removal of the lattice water molecules.

Hydrogen-derived power is one of the most promising components of a fossil fuel-independent future when deployed with green and renewable primary energy sources. Energy from the sun, wind, waves/tidal, and other emissions-free sources can power water electrolyzers (WEs), devices that can produce green hydrogen without carbon emissions. According to recent International Renewable Energy Agency reports, most WEs employed in the industry are currently alkaline water electrolyzers and proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs), with ∼200 and ∼70 years of commercialization history, respectively. The former suffers from inherently limited current densities due to inevitable gas crossover, operates using corrosive (7 M) alkaline solutions, and requires large installation footprints, while the latter requires expensive and scarce precious metal-based electrocatalysts. An emerging technology, the anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE), seeks to combine the benefits of both into one device while overcoming the limitations of each. AEMWEs afford higher operating current densities and pressures, similar Faradaic efficiencies when compared to PEMWEs (>90%), rapid ramping/load-following responsiveness, and the use of non-noble metal catalysts and pure water feed. While recent reports show promising device performance, close to 3 A/cm 2 for AEMWEs with 1 M KOH or pure water feed, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that govern device performance and stability is required for the technology to compete and flourish. Herein, we briefly discuss the fundamentals of AEMWEs in terms of device components, catalysts, membranes, and long-term stability/durability. We provide our perspective on where the field is going and offer our opinion on how specific performance and stability tests should be performed to facilitate the development of the field.