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Catalysis lies at the heart of the chemical industry. It encompasses heterogeneous catalysis, homogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis. This page showcases our recent publications that report cutting edge research across the field of catalysis.
pH-dependent rate determining steps and cation effects for thermocatalytic formic acid dehydrogenation at Pd/solution interfaces are analyzed electrochemically based on the coupling of formic acid oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction.
This study reports a cyanamide-framework stabilized multivalent copper catalyst for efficient electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to ethylene with 77.7% selectivity at 400 mA cm−2, offering a rational strategy for CO2 conversion.
A direct, selective photocatalytic method for synthesizing glycols from olefins at room temperature uses water as the oxidizing agent and H2 as byproduct. The hydroxylation proceeds by hydroxyl radicals formed by photocatalytic dissociation of water.
Reducing CO2 to CH3COOH using visible and near-infrared light is challenging. Here, Wu and Zhang et al. incorporate Au nanoparticles and single atoms into Mo-edge-rich MoS2 to provide a pathway to overcome limitations and boost productivity.
Elucidating active sites and reaction pathways is an important goal for understanding catalytic reaction mechanisms. Here, the authors report the key role of conjugated carbonyl sites in carbon nitrides for photocatalytic H2O2 production.
Nanoparticles with precisely controlled socketed geometries, created via an ex-solution method, present promising ways to improve the stability of heterogeneous catalysts. Here, the authors demonstrate that adjusting the level of La deficiencies in the oxide support allows tuning of the geometry of Pd-based particles, which in turn influences their catalytic performance in high-temperature oxidation reactions.
Hydrogenolysis of waste polyolefins often produces excessive methane under low hydrogen pressure. Here, by using a dilute RuPt alloy, the authors successfully prevent sequential C–C bond cleavage, enabling flexible use of various hydrogen sources for localized plastic recycling.
The selective hydrogenation of trace acetylene to ethylene is a well-established process for purifying fossil-derived ethylene streams. Here, the authors present a self-repairing Pd-C laterally condensed catalyst that improves selectivity, prevents sub-surface hydride formation, and achieves high ethylene productivity, effectively bridging the gap between powder catalysts and single-crystal model catalysts.
Selective catalytic oxidation (SCO) of NH3 to N2 is a highly effective approach for reducing NH3 emissions, though achieving high conversion across a broad temperature range without over-oxidation to NOx remains challenging. Here, the authors introduce a bi-metallic surficial Pt-Cu catalyst that effectively removes NH3 from both stationary and mobile exhaust sources via SCO.
Chemical recycling of polyolefins continues to pose challenges. This research introduces ketones into polyethylene using a titanosilicate catalyst and transforms them into in-chain esters or amides, resulting in polymers suitable for closed-loop recycling.
The development of catalytic technology for direct oxidation of methane into value-added products is highly lucrative. Here, a metal-organic framework supported mono iron(III)-dihydroxyl catalyst selectively oxidizes methane into methanol or acetic acid using only oxygen, where acetic acid formation occurs via in-situ methane carboxylation and methanol hydrocarboxylation.
Transition metal carbides exhibit outstanding performance in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene, but carburizing Pd-based intermetallic compounds has been challenging. Here, the authors present a successful synthesis of Pd3ZnCx intermetallic carbide for selective hydrogenation of acetylene through a one-step co-infiltration of zinc and carbon using syngas.
Volcano curves have become the gold standard in catalyst design. Here, the authors propose synergy-dependent volcano curves by disclosing both support- and adsorbate-induced catalyst restructuring, ideally bridging the gap between theoretical models and experimental observations.
The direct dissociation of CO2 into carbonyl (*CO) via a simplified reaction pathway benefits CO2-related synthesis and catalyst improvement, though the stability of the C = O double bond poses a significant challenge. Here, the authors design a subnano MoO3 layer on the surface of Mo2N, offering a dynamically adaptive surface for catalyzing CO2 hydrogenation.
Ambient-condition acetylene hydrogenation to ethylene (AC-AHE) is a promising process for ethylene production yet remains a challenge. Here the authors report a highly efficient AC-AHE process over robust sulfur-confined atomic Pd species on tungsten sulfide surface, achieving over 99% conversion and 70% selectivity, with a record-breaking ethylene yield and excellent stability exceeding 500 h at 25 °C.
Optimizing metal catalyst structures to achieve specific states is crucial for efficient surface reactions but remains difficult due to the absence of well-defined precursor materials and weak metal-support interactions. Here the authors design Pd oxide nanoclusters on SSZ-13 as optimal catalysts for complete CH4 oxidation, leveraging atomic ions and strong interactions.
A complete understanding of the competing reaction pathways in methanol conversion over zeolites remains elusive. Here the authors explore a Brønsted acid site (BAS)-mediated Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) reduction pathway within ZSM-5 zeolites, facilitating the conversion of acetaldehyde to ethene.
The role of electronic states in catalytic performance remains a topic of debate. In this study, the authors show that electronic interactions between active sites can facilitate the coupling of two half-reactions, thereby enhancing reaction rates.
Operando scanning tunneling microscopy under near-industrial conditions and density functional theory demonstrate that CH3SH hydrodesulfurization occurs via a new methyl transfer pathway on the Co-substituted S edges of a CoMoS model catalyst.
To achieve high yield and selectivity of C2+ products from methane conversion, the authors report a photon-phonon co-driven catalytic process using CeO2 catalysts. Gold, as a co-catalyst, promotes C-C coupling and suppresses overoxidation
Simultaneously converting plastic waste and CO2 into value-added chemicals remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate the feasibility of transforming waste plastics and CO2 into H2 and CO by utilizing solar irradiation via a photovoltaic system and an electrified FeCrAl heating wire.
The area of catalytic dehydrogenation is largely dominated using precious metals. Here the authors introduce a new class of more affordable Co-based catalysts, where highly dispersed single-metal sites work synergistically with small, well-defined nanoparticles to enable efficient formic acid dehydrogenation
Intermetallic alloys (IMAs) hold significant potential for catalysis. Here, the authors present a robust gas-migration method for synthesizing stable and uniform IMAs, which exhibit exceptional stability over 1300 h in propane dehydrogenation.
Achieving high NH3 selective catalytic reduction activity at ultra-low temperatures (below 150 °C) remains a challenge for V-based catalysts. Here the authors explore the electron scissors effect of current-assisted catalysis, which enables a monoatomic V-based catalyst to exhibit exceptional denitration performance at ultra-low temperatures.
Unveiling the regulatory mechanism of regioselectivity in hydroformylation has been a significant challenge. Here the authors successfully demonstrate how hemilabile coordination influences regioselectivity by employing various in situ techniques.
Incorporating immiscible metals in high-entropy oxides creates unique catalytic sites but results in low specific surface areas due to the high formation temperature. Here the authors report low temperature synthesis of periodically aligned high-entropy LaMnO3 oxides and polyoxometalate heterostructures for photoelectrochemical coupling of methane into acetic acid under mild conditions.
The buried interface beneath the solid-liquid junction is crucial for photoelectrochemical device efficiency and requires precise characterization for optimization. Here the authors probe the in situ transformation of a CuxO interlayer at the NiO/n-Si interface by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and improve solar-to-hydrogen efficiency to 4.56%.
A strategy of covalently grafting molecular catalysts to polymer backbones in polymer dots photocatalysts is proposed in this work, realizing a groundbreaking photocatalytic oxidation of various alcohols in neutral conditions.
Developing high-performance Pt-based catalysts with low Pt loading is crucial but challenging for CO oxidation. Here, the authors report a novel Pt/TiO2 catalyst consisting of Pt–Ti intermetallic single-atom alloy and Pt nanoparticles to efficiently catalyze CO oxidation.
Designing and enhancing the performance of metal single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) through atom-pair engineering is important yet difficult. Here the authors develop the atom-pair engineering of Zn-SA/CNCl SAzyme by concurrently creating Zn-N4 sites as catalytic sites and Zn-N4Cl1 sites as catalytic regulators.
Fe-N-C material is promising catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Here the authors visualize the formation of Fe-N4 sites using in situ heating microscopy, providing theoretical guidance for rational catalyst design of Fe-N-C materials.
Nanosizing covalent organic frameworks using surfactants provides greatly improved water dispersibility and light-harvesting properties, leading to dramatically enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. Here the authors observe a reverse concentration-dependent photocatalytic phenomeno, whereby a higher photocatalytic activity is found at a lower catalyst concentration.
Hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis is an important reaction that suffers from poor activity due to the high energy barrier of hydrogen extraction in water. Here, we report a keto-form anthraquinone framework that shows promising performance in alkaline conditions.
Polyester waste is increasingly accumulating in the environment, and alcoholysis recycling offers a sustainable management solution. This study demonstrates the use of an oxygen vacancy-rich catalyst to transform waste blended polyester/textiles into high-value monomers.
Designing highly active and stable catalytic sites is often challenging due to complex synthesis procedures and the agglomeration of active sites during high-temperature reactions. Here the authors present a two-step method to synthesize Pt clusters in In-modified ZSM-5, resulting in superior propane dehydrogenation performance.
Photoelectrochemical oxidation of glycerol to produce dihydroxyacetone is limited by its low selectivity. Here, a bismuth vanadate photoanode enriched with a bismuth-rich surface and containing oxygen vacancies was utilized to overcome this dilemma.
Industrial methanol synthesis uses materials based on Cu and ZnO. We present high-resolution imaging of active surfaces which reveals how Zn species are transported at the active Cu interface in diffusion processes controlled by the reactant gas composition.
This study unravels the efficient photocatalytic route for synthesizing dimethoxymethane by coupling CO2 reduction integrated with CH3OH oxidation by using a silver and tungsten comodified blue titanium dioxide catalyst under mild conditions.
Hydrogen spillover is typically associated with reducible metal oxides and considered relevant for various hydrogen-related technologies. Here, the authors demonstrate that a non-reducible MgO doped with heteroatom Al enables hydrogen spillover similarly to reducible metal oxides.
The impact of facets on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has primarily been explored through theoretical studies or on single-crystal surfaces, lacking experimental data on practical catalysts. Here, the authors provide experimental evidence of the facet sensitivity of iron carbides during syngas conversion by creating {202} and {112} χ-Fe5C2 facets.
Solvents play a crucial role in catalysis, affecting both activity and selectivity. Here the authors demonstrate how solvent affinity to the catalyst surface influences the reaction pathways of 4-propylguaiacol.
Achieving stable and high-activity nitrate electroreduction to ammonia in low concentrations nitrate is critical but challenging. Here, the authors present a Co-based electrocatalyst with gradient-doped Ru atoms, showing a continuous ammonia production at −1000 mA/cm2 in 2000 ppm nitrate electrolyte.
Efficient electroreduction of CO2 to multi-carbon products under strong acidic condition is highly challenging. Here, the authors demonstrate that combining microenvironment modulation and La doping effect could promote multicarbon products generation in acidic electrolyte.
Despite significant progress in CO2 conversion field, there remains a significant gap between fundamental research and the industrial demands. This Comment discusses key performance parameters for industrial applications and outlines current limitations in the field.
Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a highly endothermic process, often limited by the severe thermocatalytic conditions it demands. Here the authors introduce a novel DRM method that employs a 16 W pulsed laser along with a cost-effective Mo2C catalyst, allowing DRM to proceed under milder conditions.
The catalytic conversion of polyolefins into gasoline-range alkanes requires a comprehensive understanding of the catalytically active species and their corresponding performance. Here the authors tackle this need by examining the nuclearity of the chloroaluminate ions and their interactions with reaction intermediates.