Themed collection Nanocatalysis

Illustration of atomic catalysts in five different reactions: nitrogen reduction, nitrate reduction, nitrite reduction, nitric oxide reduction and urea synthesis. Advantages of diatom catalysts include those of single atom catalysts.

Artificial switchable catalysis is a new, rapidly expanding field that offers great potential advantages for both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic systems.

This minireview covers recent advances in photoelectrochemical hydrogen production using I–III–VI QDs, detailing the material design strategies.

This minireview focuses on single-atom doping effects on thermal catalysis, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis of atomically precise gold or silver nanoclusters.

This review highlights recent advancements in TiO₂ photocatalysts, emphasizing key strategies to enhance their performance for environmental remediation and energy conversion technologies.

For clean hydrogen (H₂) production, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis are widely regarded as promising technologies to counter the increasing energy crisis.

Progress in the study of MXenes for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction.

A comprehensive overview of high entropy materials (HEMs), encompassing their sustainable energy and environmental applications.

CO-induced fragmentation of platinum nanoparticles on undercoordinated ceria support.

PEDOT counter electrodes, optimized via spin-coating a DMSO-dispersed solution from scalable synthesis, were evaluated for cobalt reduction in dye-sensitized solar cells. PEDOT was a superior electrocatalyst compared to Pt.

Nanoparticle placement in gold-loaded titania (Au/TiO₂) inverse opals impacts photocatalytic activity and stability.

High-surface-area siloxene enables alloying between Pd and Cu via room-temperature reduction with Si–H bonds. This catalyst preparation strategy outperformed the traditional impregnation method for catalytic semi-hydrogenation of acetylene.

The synthesis of AuPdFeNiCo high entropy alloy nanoparticles is reported. These nanoparticles exhibit robust hydrogen evolution activity quantified over a broad pH range, with higher activity than any of the unary metal counterparts.

A one-pot solvothermal synthesis route to prepare freestanding ultrathin Ir nanosheets with atomic thickness for oxygen evolution electrocatalysis was developed.

Bimetallic single-chain nanoparticles allow two consecutive one-pot (incompatible) reactions to be performed at room temperature in N-butylpyrrolidone.

RhNPs on N-functionalized SBA-15 enable biomass transformation. An imidazolium-based ionic liquid improves catalytic performance by limiting Rh–silanol interactions, underscoring the importance of stabilizers in optimizing catalyst activity.

This study reports the designed construction of a novel (3,6)-connected two-dimensional silver cluster-assembled material leveraged, for the first time, as a support matrix for enzyme immobilization.

Finite element simulation combined with machine learning surrogate model was constructed to accelerate power density prediction and evaluate the influence of catalyst layer parameters on the maximum power density of direct methanol fuel cells.

Orbital engineering by axial ligands offers promising strategies to tune the catalytic activity and product selectivity of single-atom catalysts (SACs) with 3d transition metal dopants (Fe, Co, Ni) for CO2 reduction reaction.

We report a hydrothermal one-pot approach using polysaccharides and salt precursors to synthesize and selectively localize metal nanoparticles in hydrogels, leveraging multivariate regression fits to further evaluate synthesis parameter effects.

The stoichiometry of rutile TiO₂ supports determines whether platinum particles will become encapsulated, and drastically affects the TiO₂ reactivity even in the absence of platinum.

Herein, Ni-decorated SnO₂ (Ni@SnO₂) nanostructures have been synthesized over SnO₂ nanoparticles via a simple electroless deposition method for the generation of hydrogen, a potent near-future fuel.

A new hybrid material, composed of atomically dispersed Co species containing electron-withdrawing CF₃ groups and N-doped reduced graphene oxide, shows excellent electrocatalytic properties for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction.

It is difficult to achieve fast kinetics of Zn²⁺(H₂O)₆ desolvation as well as HER inertia at the same electrolyte/Zn interface during long-term cycling of Zn plating/stripping in aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

Zirconia- and ceria-supported Ni,Fe catalysts show higher activity than MgO-supported catalysts in CO₂ hydrogenation. This effect is due to differences in reducibility and oxygen vacancy formation resulting in modified metal-support interactions.

Amino groups can enhance the adsorption of CO₂ and also be protonated to adsorb protons, this property makes amino-modification highly effective in improving the CO₂RR performance of the catalyst in zero-gap CO₂ electrolyzers utilizing pure water.

Mesoporous N-doped carbon with a tunable nitrogen content showed excellent performance for oxygen reduction due to the pyridinic/graphitic nitrogen and structural defects, offering a promising strategy for designing electrocatalysts.

Fibril nucleation during protein aggregation is a heterogeneous process highly dependent on the surfaces present during the process.

Transforming carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable chemicals via electroreduction presents a sustainable and viable approach to mitigating excess CO₂ in the atmosphere.

We computationally screened metal-single-atom catalysts (M-SAC) on carbon nitride for selective CO₂ reduction. NiCN significantly lowered the rate-determining potential for CO₂ conversion to formic acid via the *OCHO key intermediate.

Synthesis parameters in catalyst preparation indirectly affect catalytic processes in pyrolysis. Some parameters and their interactions impact product quality and quantity, while others do not.

We report the use of fluorinated polymer zwitterions to build hybrid systems for efficient CO₂ electroreduction.

Immobilized Gd dopants induced deep reconstruction of α-Co(OH)₂ during alkaline OER into γ-CoOOH with modified crystallinity and electronic structure. Thus, the bulk and intrinsic activity was enhanced, boosting the resulting OER performance.

The intermetallic L1₀-NiCo electrocatalysts play a crucial role in reducing energy consumption, improving hydrogen production rates, and prolonging the service life of alkaline electrolyzers.

A seed-like structured Mo@ZrS₂ catalyst was synthesised on graphene nanosheets by a simple hydrothermal and annealing method to achieve the ORR and high performance Zn–air batteries.

This study reveals unique pH-dependent behaviors of IONPs and ascorbic acid, paving the way for a macrophage-based cell therapy.

Carbon-coated SnSe₂/C–N composites with optimized hetero-atom doping and electrical conductivity exhibit superior electrochemical performance in lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries.

Polarized CuCo₂O₄ nanorods exhibit excellent electrocatalytic water-splitting performance due to their large surface areas and fast electron transfer.

This study introduces two efficient electrode materials, NF@ZIF-67@NiCo₂S₄ and NF@Co–N–C@NiCo₂S₄, for H₂ production, achieving excellent OER, HER and overall water splitting activities with remarkable durability in an alkaline electrolyzer.

Transforming CO₂ to CO via reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction is widely regarded as a promising technique for improving the efficiency and economics of CO₂ utilization processes.

CP/CuOx with suitable copper valence states obtained by fine-tuning the conductivity of electrochemical reconstruction may provide a competitive cathode catalyst for achieving excellent activity and selectivity of NO₃⁻-to-NH₃ conversion.

We propose a set of features for the ordered arrangement of palladium nanoparticles that are consistent with the intuitive understanding of researchers and allow quantification of the data in terms of easily interpretable physical parameters.

Faceting of Au NPs is induced by a heteroepitaxial junction on anatase TiO₂(001) nanoplate array. Light irradiation of the plasmonic electrode generates current for water oxidation at λ < 900 nm with a maximum efficiency of 0.39% at λ = 600 nm.

A CuO nanoflower catalyst with tip curvature exhibited remarkable performance toward CO₂ to ethanol conversion. The exceptional ethanol selectivity was attributed to the enhanced *OH adsorption due to the tip-curvature-induced local electric fields.

Density functional theory simulations were employed to investigate the charging and discharging kinetics of Na–S and Na–Se electrodes by utilizing single transition metal atoms supported on reduced graphitic carbon nitride surfaces.

Through the regulation of electronic structure and optimization of hydrophobicity, two types of fluorine modification (fluorine doping and surface fluorination) have respectively enhanced nitrogen activation and selectivity during nitrogen fixation.

The glycerol electrooxidation reaction's C3 product selectivity and glycerol conversion in an alkaline medium are more efficient on Pt_CUBE than on Pt_DEND, with lactate selectivity reaching up to 68%.

Self-supported Co/Cu nanodendrites with high catalytic activity were designed for electrochemical reduction of CO₂. The influences of the composition and structure on their efficiency as well as the reduction reaction mechanism were studied.

High-energy ball milling enables the integration of NiCo₂O₄ nanoparticles with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets for boosting catalytic degradation of tetracycline under visible light and ultrasonic irradiation.

The surface electronic structure and morphology of catalysts have a crucial impact on the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction performance.

Optimized two-dimensional Mo–Co(OH)₂ nanosheets undergoing operando transformation into oxyhydroxide active species demonstrated high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance in a near-neutral-pH electrolyte.

We developed an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst, Au:F-CAC, for the dehydrogenative oxidation of hydrosilanes. Detailed analyses revealed that the cationic Au sites generated via the adsorption of oxygen play an important role.

Vanillin (VAN), the primary aroma compound in vanilla, contributes significantly to sensory delight; however, its unrestrained presence poses notable health risks.

A novel GO-hoisted SnO₂–BiOBr bifunctional catalyst for the remediation of organic dyes under illumination by visible light and electrocatalytic water splitting.

(a) TEM image of TNTs decorated with Cu₂O and CuInS₂ QDs. (b) Amperometric response of different configurations of biosensing electrodes. (c) Cholesterol oxidation mechanism on the surface of the CuInS₂/Cu₂O/TNT electrode.

Recoverable ternary nanocomposite (NC) made of Fe₃O₄ supported on Oryza sativa Husk (OSH) and ornamented with 3d tetra-metals (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu) is proposed using a manual grinding method.

NiPt/SBA-15 and NiPd/SBA-15 catalysts were active for hydrodeoxygenation of anisole to cyclohexane, while PdPt/SBA-15 was active for hydrogenation of anisole to cyclohexyl methyl ether.

The introduction of boron into NiFe hydroxide enhances activity and stability for oxygen evolution reaction as it maintains a uniform distribution of Fe species on the active surface through facilitated dissolution and redeposition cycles.

A unique nanocomposite, Cu-CuO@rGO-SiO₂, exhibits enhanced catalytic activity in C–X (X = S, N, O) coupling reactions. The high performance presumably originates from synergism of different co-existing copper species spread over rGO-SiO₂ matrices.

The notion of orbital-regulated electronic levels on Ni sites introduces a distinctive methodology for the systematic development of catalysts used in hydrogen evolution and other applications.

Two donor–acceptor type triphenylamine-based porous aromatic frameworks (TPA-PAFs) were constructed, which achieved the photocatalytic synthesis of benzimidazoles and their derivatives in high yields under mild conditions.

A series of Ca²⁺-doped CeO₂ solid solutions with 10 wt% Ni loading (named Ni/Ca_xCe_1−xO_y) was used for effective CO₂ methanation.

Real-time electrochemical measurements of the solution potential of colloidal nanoparticle syntheses provide a tool for identifying the influence of trace contaminants in nanoparticle growth and shape development.

An Fe³⁺ doping strategy is used to optimize the d-band state of the CoSn(OH)₆ perovskite hydroxide, which promotes the OER performance of materials.

The superhydrophobic nanocomposite with hierarchical porosity was prepared by growing ZIF-8 nanocrystals within PDVB-vim to form ZIF-8/PDVB-vim composite. In an humid environment, the composite exhibits enhanced catalytic activity in Friedel–Crafts reaction.

Local structure change of the vanadium-oxygen cluster with nitrate at the center controls the catalytic performance in selective oxidation.

Porous silver films on a commercial carbon paper with a commercial waterproofer (p-Ag/CP) could be easily fabricated on a large scale and serve as efficient electrocatalysts as well as Zn–CO₂ batteries for CO₂ reduction to CO.

The BSNT ferroelectric submicron powder tribocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen with rate of 200 μmol/h/g and tribocatalytic degradation of RhB dyes with efficiency 96% in 2 hours, •OH and •O₂⁻ play crucial roles in tribocatalysis.

BiO_2−x/COF has abundant oxygen vacancies and photocatalyzes the degradation of diclofenac by forming heterojunctions with ˙O₂⁻ and h⁺ active substances.

Crystalline carbon nitride with bi-directional charge transfer channel (TCCN-K) is prepared. Donor–acceptor units and K intercalation set up a bi-directional charge transfer channel, endowing TCCN-K with a superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity.