Reviews & Analysis

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.

The need for new single enantiomer drug substances helps drive the development of new asymmetric catalytic synthetic methods. A new enantioconvergent process enabled by an ionization racemization mechanism allows a hydrogenative route to chiral compounds with two stereocentres.

Reactive metal–support interactions are generally considered characteristic of oxide supports. Now, two-dimensional niobium carbide, a member of the MXenes family, has been used as a platinum support providing an active water-gas shift catalyst via reduction-induced formation of stable, catalytically active Nb–Pt nanoparticles.

Guiding principles for the design of novel catalysts are key to developing new synthesis approaches. Now, a general principle has been defined to predict the reactivity for the hydrogen cycle of atomically dispersed metals on carbon supports.

Discerning the precise mechanisms of photocatalytic energy conversion has long been a challenge. A computational multiscale approach reveals insights into the reaction pathways and rate-limiting steps of the oxygen evolution reaction, the bottleneck for water splitting on TiO₂ surfaces.

For electrocatalysts, the activity and stability is determined by the surface — often just a few atomic layers thick. Now atom probe tomography is used to examine the changing surface of an oxygen evolution catalyst at near-atomic-scale resolution, linking structure to activity and stability.

The solid electrolyte interphase that forms on graphite anodes plays a vital role in the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Now research shows that the formation of lithium fluoride deposits — one of the main components of the solid electrolyte interphase — is strongly influenced by the electrocatalytic activity of the anode.

Tensile strain of a solid surface can result in either strengthening or weakening of bonds with adsorbates. Adsorption energies of different adsorbate/site combinations may be shifted in different directions — a striking violation of the Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relation.

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.

Homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzyme catalysts each provide distinct advantages and disadvantages. This Perspective discusses important approaches, benefits and challenges of constructing hybrid catalysts, revealing their potential to improve various catalytic processes.

Solvents are used pervasively in catalytic studies to enhance kinetics and selectivities. Now, the analysis of biomass upgrading has been remarkably simplified by elucidating the solvation effects of dehydration for key compounds with solvent-enabled control of reactivity.

Fluctuations in the composition of reactant gas mixtures often lead to activity and selectivity variations in automotive catalysts. Now, time-resolved operando spectroscopy sheds light on the transient changes of surface species for a commercially applied catalyst and leads to process optimization.

Lyases are enzymes that catalyse the breaking of chemical bonds. Now, reversing this reaction towards carbon–nitrogen bond formation allows for the synthesis of various chiral aminocarboxylic acids such as the potential antibiotic co-drug aspergillomarasmine A.

Ammonia synthesis is an energy-intensive process due to the high activation barrier for N₂ dissociation, which is the rate-determining step on conventional catalysts. Now, a ternary intermetallic catalyst is reported to be capable of catalysing this reaction through an alternative pathway.

Understanding the fundamentals of a catalytic process remains an intellectual challenge. Now, a method has been developed that can discriminate mass transport phenomena from reaction kinetics at the single-molecule and single-particle levels.

Selective, electrochemical transformation of carbon dioxide into industrially relevant C₂₊ products has remained a challenge. Now, a copper-based ‘nanoneedle’ electrocatalyst has been used to selectively convert carbon dioxide to ethylene at extremely high current density.

Given the abundance of amines in pharmaceutical substances, new strategies for the formation of C–N bonds are highly sought after. Now, using a dual photoredox–copper catalysis system, a method for amine synthesis has been developed.

In nature, a manganese catalyst is used for photosynthetic water oxidation, but efforts to develop artificial manganese-based counterparts have been hampered by the lability of manganese complexes. By using a bulky and hydrophilic ligand, a water-soluble Mn₁₂ complex is found to be a stable and efficient water oxidation electrocatalyst.

Most electrochemical CO₂ reduction research has been confined to fundamental studies that attempt to understand how to overcome low selectivity and energy efficiency for valuable oxygenated products. Now, a modular, scalable system generates multi-carbon oxygenates with a potential solar-to-alcohol efficiency of more than 8%.