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The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide allows recycling of the greenhouse gas to produce chemicals and fuels. In this Review, Seh and co-workers discuss the progress in operando techniques applied to heterogeneous carbon dioxide electroreduction, highlighting the mechanistic insights that these techniques have provided.
Two-dimensional materials have been in the spotlight since the discovery of graphene, and over time an extensive library of other ultrathin layered structures have emerged. In this Review, Pumera and Chia gather and discuss the features of this class of materials and review their recent applications in electrocatalysis.
Plasmonic catalysis has recently revolutionized the field of catalysis, promising to achieve improved control over catalytic reactions by targeting specific electronic excitations. In this Review, Linic and co-workers discuss the recent advances in the field, focusing on the underlying physical mechanisms and their application in catalysis, as well as limitations and future perspectives.
The artificial synthesis of ammonia remains one of the most important catalytic processes worldwide, over 100 years after its development. In this Review, recent developments in enzymatic, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis towards the conversion of nitrogen to ammonia are discussed, with a particular focus on how mechanistic understanding informs catalyst design.
The conversion of methanol — which can be produced from non-fossil resources — to important chemical commodities such as olefins and aromatics allows for the diversification of organic feedstocks beyond petrochemicals. This Review covers recent discoveries about the mechanism of this process and discusses how these link to practical aspects in reaction engineering.
Single-atom catalysts have drawn increasing attention as methods for their preparation and characterization improve. Here, Beller and co-workers discuss the latest developments in the field of single-metal-site catalysts, discussing how this catalyst class bridges heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, and providing a perspective on how the field might continue to develop.
CO is a vital building block in organic synthesis but, due to its toxicity, storage and transport can be problematic. This review focuses on the methods — both chemical and electrochemical — for the in situ generation of CO from CO2, and its subsequent incorporation into chemicals through catalytic means.
Chemical and biological catalysts provide distinct advantages and disadvantages to the synthetic chemist. This Review focuses on efforts to combine chemo- and biocatalysts, outlining the opportunities achievable by this approach and also efforts to overcome any incompatibilities between these different systems.
