Reviews & Analysis

Conventional catalyst design guided by thermodynamic descriptors often falls short in solid-phase electrochemical conversion reactions. A study now establishes an electronic property criterion for dual-atom catalysts, revealing that matching orbital symmetry can induce solid-phase metallization to enable continuous and efficient conversion in catalytic batteries.

The hydrogenation of pyridine molecules to their corresponding piperidines remains a particularly challenging transformation. Now, a class of catalytic materials based on the encapsulation of metal nanoparticles within zeolite frameworks has emerged as a promising solution to this challenge.

Stereocontrol over radical intermediates is highly sought after in asymmetric organic synthesis, yet current approaches remain limited and difficult to generalize. A photobiocatalytic strategy employing thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)‑dependent enzymes now achieves simultaneous and precise control over two prochiral radical intermediates, enabling new‑to‑nature C(sp³)–C(sp³) bond formation with high enantio‑ and diastereoselectivity.

What if substantial biochemical information remains absent from current genome-scale metabolic models? By merging retrobiosynthesis with deep learning, Yeast-MetaTwin uncovers promiscuous reactions and predicts degradation routes with tangible engineering consequences.

Direct electroreduction of CO₂ to produce high-concentration formate is challenged by the low flux of liquids in typical catholyte-free membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). Now, a high-flux MEA using core–shell Cu/Bi nanowires grown on three-dimensional Cu foam as the cathode enables CO₂ electroreduction to high-concentration formate with high selectivity and stability.

Industrial propane dehydrogenation typically requires hazardous or costly catalysts based on Pt or Cr. Now, cobalt silicalite-1 zeolites emerge as potential substitutes in terms of stability on-stream and in regeneration, as well as intrinsic high activity.

It is difficult to isolate and control the reactivity of nickel(I) complexes, despite their potential interest for cross-coupling reactions. Now, Mirica and colleagues report thermally robust bimetallic Ni(I) catalysts supported by isocyanide ligands that show high catalytic efficacy and selectivity in cross-coupling reactions, addressing a long-standing gap in Ni(I) chemistry.

Metalloenzymes serve as staple biocatalysts for a broad range of reactions, offering exquisite selectivity and wide-ranging applicability when paired with versatile metals such as nickel. The mechanism behind sulfonamide formation catalysed by a recently discovered Ni-dependent enzyme has now been revealed, opening tractable avenues to biocatalyst-mediated expansion of the sulfonamide chemical space.

The 2025 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting highlighted the latest developments at the frontiers of materials research. This report focuses on multimodal operando/in situ methods employed to probe dynamic evolution of catalysts under far-from-equilibrium operating conditions — a key challenge in advancing catalyst development.

This Perspective discusses ways to probe the presence or absence of molecular-scale interactions between actives sites on heterogeneous electrodes and how they affect the mechanism of (photo)electrocatalytic reactions.

Biological nitrogen fixation is vital for sustainable agriculture, yet nitrogenase engineering is hindered by limited insight into their essential metallocluster cofactor assembly and transfer. Here, by capturing the nitrogenase biosynthetic component NifEN in multiple structural states, a tunnel-and-switch mechanism that coordinates receipt, maturation and delivery of the FeMo-cofactor precursor is revealed.

Acidic water electrolysis rapidly degrades most Earth-abundant catalysts through water-driven dissolution. A study now demonstrates that weakening interfacial hydrogen bonding by introducing lanthanide elements to cobalt oxide can dramatically enhance its stability without compromising activity, enabling exceptional durability in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis without reliance on noble metals.

The advances in artificial intelligence are permeating most scientific domains, and heterogeneous catalysis is no exception. This Perspective discusses the current state and future prospects of AI in heterogeneous catalysis, from the development of an AI-ready data ecosystem to multimodal foundation models and autonomous labs.

Chiral carboxylic acids bearing two distinct heteroatoms at the α-carbon could tune the functions of biomolecules but have remained largely inaccessible. Now, a strategy is developed for the preparation of α,α-diheteroatomic carboxylic acids through enantioselective O–H or N–H insertion into a thia-Rh-carbene species.

New-to-nature photometabolisms are highly intriguing for manufacturing but difficult to achieve. Now, Escherichia coli engineering integrates flavin-based photobiocatalysis with natural enzymatic reactions, achieving efficient semi- and complete photobiosynthesis of diverse unnatural products, demonstrating scalable manufacturing in bioreactors.

A cobalt-doped RuO₂ catalyst enables proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) electrolysers to operate on inexpensive reverse-osmosis water for thousands of hours by blocking chloride and cation impurities. Dual interfacial shielding preserves membrane conductivity, suppresses chlorine evolution and minimizes metal dissolution. This strategy lowers capital and operating costs while maintaining high current densities, advancing practical low-purity-water hydrogen production.

Energy transfer photocatalysis typically requires expensive metal complexes or specific synthetic photosensitizers with particular triplet energies. Nitroarenes now emerge as powerful, sustainable alternatives, with their catalytic efficiency governed by excited-state geometry rather than only by energy matching, enabling efficient alkene isomerizations and cycloadditions.

Direct conversion of carboxylic acids to nitriles is desirable but thermodynamically uphill. Here, a bioinspired process utilizes magnesium and palladium co-catalysts and urea as a nitrogen source.

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction on Cu is typically studied at room temperature and pressure, producing mostly C₁ and C₂ products (short carbon chains). High-temperature experiments above 125 °C now reveal a carbon-chain growth mechanism akin to the thermally driven Fischer–Tropsch reaction, resulting in the production of C₁–C₅ hydrocarbons.

Deuterated compounds find applications in a variety of fields including catalysis optimization, mass spectrometry standards, pharmaceutical development and organic light emitting diodes. A recent study indicates that the choice of deuterium source significantly affects both the outcomes and mechanistic pathways in catalytic cycles.