Themed collection Emerging Investigator Series

Artistic representation of CO₂ emissions from various sources into the atmosphere, and its consequence on the global climatic conditions.

In this minireview, the recent advances and limitations of MOlecular Solar Thermal (MOST) energy storage technology are discussed, including a discussion of the photoisomerization and the catalytic back-conversion reactions.

The lattice oxygen activity of oxygen carriers is critical to chemical looping processes and can be effectively controlled with prepared (i) solid solution mixtures, (ii) ternary oxide phases or (iii) core–shell structured oxygen carriers.

The development of metal/zeolite catalysts for C₁–C₈ alkane dehydroaromatization was reviewed. The outlook for the design of metal/zeolite catalysts for alkane dehydroaromatization and deep understanding of the reaction mechanism were proposed.

Building start-of-the-art, sustainable and competitive local API manufacturing in Africa using continuous flow technology.

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) has become an important strategy to address the ever-increasing global demand for propene.

We present a digital framework for rapid multi-objective reaction space exploration and optimization of homogeneous catalytic reactions through autonomous experimentation and Bayesian optimization.

A low volume flow-through cyclic voltammetry cell design that can be readily constructed from commercial fluidic components enables rapid inline monitoring of redox active species.

A sustainable approach for the reduction of perillaldehyde to perillyl alcohol (POH) through alginate immobilized yeast cell beads has been here developed.

A simple Cu(OTf)₂-catalyzed alkene chlorosulfonylation reaction is developed.

Rapid, standardized process optimization and development on a radial synthesizer can be directly converted to a dedicated continuous flow process for scale-up, shown for three APIs via single- and multistep syntheses and continuous crystallization.

Methanol carbonylation on –ORe(O)₃ sites is studied via DFT and NBO. Re(VII) reduction is required for activation. While C–C coupling is facile, C–O activation is challenging on monopodal site, suggesting a different form of catalyst's structure.

Sucralose, a weakly polar sugar electrolyte additive containing halogen elements, enables a highly reversible and dendrite-free Zn anode.

Ru(101) sites are identified as the dominant active sites for the hydrogenation of L-alanine to alaninol.

Monitoring temperature, pressure, and pH as well as intervening via pumping in ingredients at key moments in the process render the fed-batch reactor concept very useful to zeolite synthesis.

Mixed ionic and electronic conducting dual-phase membranes for oxygen separation.

The catalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol with O₂ to glycolic acid was carried out using a Pt/Sn-Beta catalyst in aqueous phase under base-free conditions, with a temperature range of 30–70 °C, achieving a glycolic acid yield of up to 73%.

A dual-stimuli strategy is proposed to boost the catalytic performance of CO oxidation via synergistically harnessing active Cu⁺ species with oxygen vacancies by engineering the grain boundary of Cu–Mn catalysts.

A multiscale approach to simulate biomass pyrolysis.

Metal/linker modifications in UiO-MOFs promote photocatalytic degradation of aromatic pollutant with contrasting impact on oxidant utilization efficiency and material stability.

Flower-like Pt/Al₂O₃ nanosheet catalysts with modulated support properties were developed by simply varying the calcination temperature for the dehydrogenation of cycloalkanes and the support property–performance relationship was correlated.

This work demonstrates the potential of microwave-microfluidics for rapid organic synthesis, incorporating modular flow cells with low-power, variable-MW frequency heating.

Non-thermal plasma synthesis offers efficient access to imine macrocycles.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has been listed as the “TOP 14” most important biomass-derived platform molecules, which can be converted into 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHF) via selective hydrogenation of the carbonyl group on HMF.

We use phase diagrams to study the impact of auto-reduction on different Cu sites in the zeolite SSZ-13.

Automated high throughput workflow facilitating the rapid optimization and development of immobilized enzymes – ready to be scaled – and thus matching the need for speed in modern drug development.

We herein put forward a generalized synthesis strategy which can lead to the ultrafast, one-pot encapsulation of metal oxide nanoclusters into zeolites in just a few minutes.

A new data analytical method for flow-based peptide synthesis enables robust and quantitative analysis of sequence-dependent difficult couplings.

A predictive control framework is developed to maximise enhanced weathering reactor CO₂ capture rate, whilst simultaneously minimising non-renewable energy consumption.

A novel adaptive latent Bayesian optimisation (ALaBO) algorithm accelerates the development of mixed variable catalytic reactions.

Pt and PtSn catalysts supported on oxide and carbonaceous materials have been studied for the regioselective and chemoselective hydrogenation of citral and carvone.

Novel process concepts for DME production based on reactive distillation were proposed and evaluated techno-economically.

1. Sna&β-G@H-Cu-BDC biocomposite was synthesized via the hydrogel-template method with larger size. 2. Sna and β-G were co-immobilized in the hollow Cu-BDC MOF to produce the rare ginsenoside CK with cascade catalysis. 3. The Sna&β-G@H-Cu-BDC biocomposite has good sedimentation performance.

Different facets of ceria exhibit activities for the entire spectrum of oxygen electrochemistry.

Thin and uniform activated carbon coatings were prepared by electrodeposition, and Pd was uniformly distributed on the coatings. The catalysts by electrodeposition have good external mass transfer performance and hydrogenation activity and stability.

Miniaturised continuous-flow reactors offer an economical and scalable route to explore the synthesis of block copolymers via RAFT mediated polymerisation-induced self-assembly (PISA).

On a high surface area copper catalyst, electrochemical N₂O reduction (N₂ORR) with a favorable onset potential and a high N₂ partial current density is achieved.

A continuous flow reactor capable of a continuous, variable temperature gradient allows for the rapid optimization of reproducible crystallization conditions and control of crystal growth of small organic molecules.

In-line integration of sequential catalysis and continuous multi-column purification. Adapted for small compound amounts (hit-to-lead). Suitable for large-scale purification (process chemistry).

A straightforward and controllable synthesis method based on a high gravity rotating packed bed reactor is highly favored to efficiently manipulate the structural and electronic properties of polypyrrole-derived electrocatalysts.

A novel chemical looping approach for propan-1-ol production from propylene.

94% CO₂ conversion and 100% formation selectivity to CH₄ are obtained in a laboratory Sabatier reactor with a packed bed, air-cooled configuration, using a commercial Ni catalyst.

A strategy for precisely tuning the self-assembly of tungsten and molybdenum dithiolene complexes to nanoflowers and nanopolyhedra is put forward.

This study determines interaction effects and conducts kinetic modeling for catalytic co-pyrolysis of LDPE and PET with multiple zeolite frameworks.

21 types of modifiers are screened for palladium catalysed semi-hydrogenation of alkynes with varying catalyst type, reaction time, and target substrate using an automated flow reactor system.

The present study reports a reducing agent-free continuous manufacturing of ∼5 nm silver nanoparticles in a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix using a microwave-promoted fluidic system.

A method combining information from both experiments and physics-based models is used to improve experimental Bayesian optimization.

Hydrogenolysis of polypropylene and polyethylene provides a pathway to smaller hydrocarbons. We describe the impact of the polyolefin structure, reaction conditions, and presence of chlorine on the product distribution and branching degree.

Kinetic investigations and model-based optimization of CuO/ZnO/ZrO₂ : H-FER 20 catalytic systems for direct DME synthesis from CO₂-rich syngas.

Multivariable optimization is an important task for a microreactor to operate with better control and efficacy.

Uniform hydrogel microparticles with ZIF-8 nanoparticles for molecular co-confinement of cascade enzymes are developed by microfluidics to achieve enhanced stability and reusability under harsh conditions.

A full DFT parameterized MKM is used to accurately predict the reactivity trend for ethanol dehydrogenation reaction on SAAs.

Water reduces the activation barrier of the rate-limiting step of phenol alkylation with propylene in H-BEA. This, in turn, increases the transition-state theory rate coefficient by two orders-of-magnitude, suggesting much faster alkylation.

The developed Fe₂O₃@BC heterojunction photocatalyst supported over activated carbon fiber exhibited efficient photocatalytic activity for degradation of antipyrine under visible light irradiation.

We herein report ruthenium(III) photocatalyzed oxidation of N-aryl tertiary amines to the corresponding amides.

This article reports the competing kinetics and insights into the mechanisms of the electrochemical hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis of furfural to furfuryl alcohol and 2-methylfuran.

A framework for kinetic modelling and evaluation of the reaction intensification of O₂-dependent enzyme catalyzed reactions is built from measurements of consumption rates of the initially dissolved O₂ in homogeneous liquid phase.

Atomic-scale engineering of the copper active sites tunes the material performance in the regioselective synthesis of triazoles.

In this article we review some fundamental engineering concepts and evaluate components and materials required to assemble and operate safe and effective FlowNMR setups that reliably generate meaningful results.

Translating microscale high-throughput screening hits into preparative scale chemistry often requires an understanding of scale-dependent factors, such as the effect of additives on catalyst activation pathways.

CO₂ capture and storage is widely anticipated to play a key role in combatting climate change, however the solvents proposed for use have embedded environmental concerns.

This research was aimed at developing an economically-feasible process to produce a value-added chemical used to synthesize nylon, hexamethylenediamine (HMDA), by hydrogenating adiponitrile (ADN) using an inexpensive catalyst such as RANEY® Ni or RANEY® Co.

Mixing nanostructured Mo₂C with TiO₂ appears as a promising strategy for enhanced CO₂ photoreduction to methanol under visible light.

Intensification of photochlorination of toluene in microstructured reactors by up to a factor of 10 was achieved, but also caused an unexpected decrease of selectivity. Dynamic irradiation suppressed side reactions and increased energy efficiency.