{"title":"Keeping cool under pressure","authors":"Thomas Dursch","doi":"10.1038/s44286-025-00181-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-025-00181-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"26-26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Miguel A. Modestino, David Fernandez Rivas, Hannah Murnen, Aimee Rose, Susan Schofer, Stafford W. Sheehan, Richard Wang
{"title":"Chemical ventures from ideas to scaled solutions","authors":"Miguel A. Modestino, David Fernandez Rivas, Hannah Murnen, Aimee Rose, Susan Schofer, Stafford W. Sheehan, Richard Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00169-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00169-4","url":null,"abstract":"We asked a group of academic innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and start-up mentors to provide advice to aspiring entrepreneurs through the critical stages of their journey — from ideation and research through piloting, scale-up and eventual exit strategies. Their insights offer practical guidance for navigating the unique challenges of building chemical technology companies.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"14-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00169-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexander K. Best, Aswathy K. Raghu, Paulami Majumdar, Linda J. Broadbelt
{"title":"Modeling the depolymerization of plastics","authors":"Alexander K. Best, Aswathy K. Raghu, Paulami Majumdar, Linda J. Broadbelt","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00168-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00168-5","url":null,"abstract":"As customer-driven demand for sustainable solutions increases, so does the clamor for more efficient post-consumer plastic recycling methods. While recycling reactor conditions can be explored experimentally, it is advantageous to employ in silico methods. This Comment focuses on detailed mechanistic approaches for modeling the depolymerization of plastics, the current state of this field and the directions it should take.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"8-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00168-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nanoscale confinement strategy for the stabilization of few-atom platinum cluster catalysts","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s44286-025-00173-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-025-00173-2","url":null,"abstract":"Supported noble metal catalysts are widely applied in hydrogenation catalysis but are limited by their high costs and susceptibility to sintering. Now, a nanoscale confinement strategy is developed to stabilize few-atom platinum clusters, preserving their nuclearity and catalytic activity under harsh reaction conditions.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"32-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biosensors responsive to glucose uptake rates can dynamically regulate metabolic flux","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s44286-025-00174-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-025-00174-1","url":null,"abstract":"When glucose is used as the main carbon source in microbial cultures, its uptake rate directly influences the overall metabolic flux. This study presents genetic circuits that can detect the glucose uptake rate and dynamically regulate the associated metabolic fluxes and the synthesis of desired products.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"34-35"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond the fourth paradigm of modeling in chemical engineering","authors":"John R. Kitchin, Victor Alves, Carl D. Laird","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00170-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00170-x","url":null,"abstract":"Differentiable programming underpins the foundations of machine learning, and enables new approaches to solving chemical engineering problems. This Comment discusses the opportunities and challenges in education and preparing the workforce to leverage these tools. Integration of these skills with domain knowledge can have a substantial impact on the future of chemical engineering.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"11-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00170-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond molecular transformations in electrochemical porous solid electrolyte reactors","authors":"Ahmad Elgazzar, Haotian Wang","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00160-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00160-z","url":null,"abstract":"Electrolyzers have been refined to reach a minimized gap between the electrodes, exemplified by the ''zero gap'' membrane electrode assembly in water electrolyzers. This Comment discusses the porous solid electrolyte reactor, where this gap is re-opened to fully leverage ionic transport for broader applications beyond molecular transformations in electrolysis.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"3-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00160-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yizhen Chen, Jiankang Zhao, Xiao Zhao, Di Wu, Nan Zhang, Junjie Du, Jie Zeng, Xu Li, Miquel Salmeron, Jingyue Liu, Bruce C. Gates
{"title":"Stabilizing supported atom-precise low-nuclearity platinum cluster catalysts by nanoscale confinement","authors":"Yizhen Chen, Jiankang Zhao, Xiao Zhao, Di Wu, Nan Zhang, Junjie Du, Jie Zeng, Xu Li, Miquel Salmeron, Jingyue Liu, Bruce C. Gates","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00162-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00162-x","url":null,"abstract":"Supported noble metal cluster catalysts provide the advantages of high atom efficiency and size-dependent properties, but their stabilization remains a major challenge for industrial applications. Now we report an approach for the stabilization of nuclearity-controlled platinum nanoclusters with a typical diameter of ~0.7 nm (Pt7−14) confined on CeOx nanoislands on a porous silica support. The clusters were synthesized by the reduction of platinum single atoms on the islands in H2 at 400 °C. Redox cycles led to cluster formation and breakup at hundreds of degrees Celsius, with platinum remaining confined to the respective islands. The clusters maintained their nuclearity and were resistant to sintering in H2 at temperatures of ≤600 °C and atmospheric pressure. Experimental catalyst performance data bolstered by computational results demonstrate that these platinum clusters are more active than mononuclear platinum, also exhibiting higher steady-state activity than larger and smaller platinum clusters for ethylene hydrogenation. Platinum nanoclusters comprising about ten atoms each made by reducing isolated platinum cations in CeOx nests isolated on high-area silica are demonstrated. Two forms of platinum were reversibly interconverted by oxidation/reduction, remaining stably confined to the nests even under severe conditions, in H2 at 600 °C and under atmospheric pressure.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"38-49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00162-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Monitoring and dynamically controlling glucose uptake rate and central metabolism","authors":"Dongqin Ding, Yaru Zhu, Danyang Bai, Tongxin Wan, Sang Yup Lee, Dawei Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s44286-024-00163-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s44286-024-00163-w","url":null,"abstract":"The rate of glucose import directly affects the maximum possible flux of central carbon metabolism. However, few tools can directly monitor the cellular glucose uptake rate. Here we report the development of a set of programmable bifunctional glucose uptake rate biosensors (GURBs) for real-time monitoring of glucose uptake rate, which enable the dynamic activation and inhibition of glucose uptake and central metabolism in Escherichia coli. These genetic circuits are used to monitor the glucose uptake rates of strains under different culture conditions. Also, feedback-loop control systems are designed to make cells rely on the glucose uptake rate to tune the target metabolic modules, resulting in a substantial increase of the titers of l-tryptophan, riboflavin and d-lactic acid. The glucose-uptake-rate-responsive genetic circuits developed in this study will serve as an effective tool for the dynamic control of glucose uptake and central metabolism. Glucose uptake is the initial step in cellular metabolism, and its uptake rate directly determines the overall metabolic flow. Here the authors develop a set of programmable bifunctional biosensors for real-time monitoring of glucose uptake rates and dynamic dual control of glucose uptake and central metabolism.","PeriodicalId":501699,"journal":{"name":"Nature Chemical Engineering","volume":"2 1","pages":"50-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44286-024-00163-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}