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There is economic impetus to achieve low-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation. Here, the authors use time-resolved diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry to show that platinum carbonates formed reversibly from platinum/aluminium oxide can oxidize carbon monoxide at room temperature.

Unlike the homogeneous Wacker process, understanding of the mechanism of the heterogeneous system remains superficial. Here, the authors investigate the mechanism of heterogeneous Wacker oxidation over Pd-Cu/zeolite Y through the synergistic combination of kinetic, spectroscopic and chemometric studies.

Selective catalytic reduction is employed at the exhaust of diesel vehicles to abate nitrogen oxide emissions. Now, guided by time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transient experiments using Cu-SSZ-13 as the catalyst, the authors unravel important features of the reaction mechanism that allow the performance of the catalyst to be improved.

Nanocatalysts can restructure during reactions. Here, the authors dynamically varied the stoichiometry of the surface species in 30 % Pd-in-Au nanoparticles by modulating H2 and O2 gases and quantified the formation kinetics of Pd regions and oxides.

The evolution of Pd active centers in size and spatial distribution often leads to irreversible deactivation in many high-temperature catalytic processes. Here the authors demonstrate the use of defective alumina (Al₂O_3-x) as a catalyst support to anchor Pd atoms and suppress the growth of Pd clusters in catalytic methane oxidation.

Fe-exchanged zeolite catalysts are known for their ability to remediate NO_x and N₂O emissions, but their reactivity in mixed streams of NO and N₂O remains unclear. Now a suite of operando spectroscopies reveals the active Fe species involved in the process and their synergistic effect during the simultaneous conversion of these pollutants.

Nanomaterials provide a route to efficient solid-state conversion between thermal and electrical energy. Here, the authors demonstrate that a combination of metal and semiconductor colloidal nanocrystals can produce thermoelectric nanocomposites with high performance.

Structure insensitivity in catalysis has been empirically observed, but no satisfactory theoretical explanation could be given. By studying different nanoparticle sizes under dynamic catalytic conditions reaction-dependent particle size dependent restructuring was linked to the aforementioned.

It is commonly accepted that electrolyte alkali metal cations modify the catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction. Here the authors challenge this assumption, showing that the activity is actually affected by a change in the electrolyte pH rather than a specific alkali cation.

The selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia with palladium is an important reaction in the context of NO_x abatement, although limited structural information about the catalyst under reaction conditions is available. Now, an operando study reveals the speciation of palladium and identifies crucial palladium–nitride species.

Understanding structure sensitivity—how the structural morphology of a surface influences a catalytic reaction—is important for rational catalyst design. Here, the synthesis and in-depth characterization of a range of size-defined nickel clusters shows the structure sensitivity of CO₂ hydrogenation, and also identifies two size-dependent reaction pathways.

While solar-driven water splitting may afford a renewable means to harvest energy, it is essential to understand how photocatalysts transform during catalysis. Here, authors study LaTiO_xN_y films by surface-sensitive techniques before and after photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Palladium supported on zeolite is a highly active catalyst for complete methane oxidation, but its stability needs to be improved. Here, the authors design a highly active catalyst resistant to steam-induced sintering under reaction conditions by alleviating the high mobility of palladium nanoparticles and zeolite degradation.

The development of robust and active anode materials for oxygen evolution reaction is challenging. Perovskite nanocatalysts with high mass activity towards water splitting and electronic structures changing drastically during operando conditions are reported.