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The nature of the active sites of molybdenum trioxide and molybdenum carbide, two related catalysts with great potential for hydrodeoxygenation reactions, is still under debate. Now, a comparative operando near-ambient-pressure XPS study during hydrodeoxygenation of anisole reveals important differences between these two materials.

Direct methanol fuel cells offer high energy densities but face challenges including catalyst degradation and surface fouling, which reduce performance over time. Here the authors introduce a control system inspired by reinforcement learning to optimize the power output and mitigate degradation of direct methanol fuel cells by dynamically adjusting the voltage.

The mechanism by which bimetallic catalysts can outperform their monometallic counterparts is often unexplained. Now nitrate hydrogenation on bimetallic catalysts is shown to proceed via the electrochemical coupling of hydrogen oxidation and nitrate reduction half-reactions, each of which occurs on one metal component.

Catalytic methods for converting bio-derived feedstocks into lactones are reviewed, emphasizing scalable, energy-efficient processes. Free energy analysis guides process design and pathway selection, whereas literature highlights accessible lactone precursors from various metabolic and chemo-catalytic pathways.

Epimerization of carbohydrates to rare sugars yields products that have potential applications as anti-viral drugs or chiral building blocks. Here, Sn-Beta zeolite in the presence of sodium tetraborate is shown to catalyze the selective epimerization of aldoses in aqueous media.

The oxygen evolution reaction is central to making chemicals and energy carriers using electrons. Metal hydroxide–organic frameworks are shown to act as a tunable catalytic platform for oxygen evolution, with π–π interactions dictating stability and transition metals modulating activity.

The ratio of syringyl (S) and guaiacyl (G) units in lignin has been regarded as a major factor in determining the maximum monomer yield. Here, the authors challenge this common conception using reductive catalytic fractionation in flow-through reactors as an analytical tool to depolymerize lignin in poplar with naturally varying S/G ratios.

The authors identify a dynamic site renewal and decay cycle, mediated by proton transfers involving proximal Brønsted acidic OH groups, which operates concurrently with the Chauvin cycle and could address roadblocks associated with industrial metathesis processes.

Lignin is an abundant source of renewable aromatic carbon and is of interest as a feedstock for sustainable fuels. This Review provides an overview of production technologies, jet fuel requirements, effects of lignin chemistry, depolymerization techniques, upgrading of bio-oils and challenges for catalysis using real biomass feedstocks.

To date, monomer yields from lignin are limited to those attainable through C–O bond cleavage. Cleaving C–C bonds often leads to deleterious product degradation and low monomer yields. Herein we review lignin C–C cleavage reports and advocate for a standardized reporting of yields.

Using core–shell particles represents an effective design strategy for improving the performance of noble metal catalysts, but their stabilities can suffer during reactions. Atomically thin Pt shells are shown to stabilize titanium tungsten carbide cores, even at highly oxidizing potentials.

Plastics are invaluable materials for modern society, although they result in the generation of large amounts of litter at the end of their life cycle. This Review explores the challenges and opportunities associated with the catalytic transformation of waste plastics, looking at both chemical and biological approaches to transforming such spent materials into a resource.