Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101782
Joffrey Scriven, Felix Glaser, Ludovic Troian-Gautier
{"title":"Is faster always better? Rethinking quenching and rate orchestration in photochemical catalysis","authors":"Joffrey Scriven, Felix Glaser, Ludovic Troian-Gautier","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101782","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101782","url":null,"abstract":"[Display omitted] Joffrey Scriven is a FRIA PhD student at UCLouvain, where his research focuses on mechanistic photoredox catalysis and the synthesis of novel chromium-based photosensitizers. Felix Glaser earned his PhD in 2022 from the University of Basel, where he worked with Prof. O. Wenger on mechanistic photoredox catalysis. After conducing his postdoctoral research on coulombic dyads for energy-transfer applications with Prof. C. Kerzig at the University of Mainz, he joined UCLouvain in 2023 as an F.R.S.-FNRS chargé de recherches (postdoctoral researcher) and now develops innovative iron-based dyads for electron and energy-transfer applications. Ludovic Troian-Gautier is an F.R.S.-FNRS chercheur qualifié (research associate) at UCLouvain and an investigator at the Wel Research Institute, where he leads a research program centered around understanding key fundamental processes that govern excited-state reactivity. Research in his group spans several areas, including excited-state reactivity and charge separation, light-driven solar-fuel production, and mechanistic photoredox catalysis using organic dyes and complexes based on scarce and earth-abundant transition metals.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148357188","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-22DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101776
Yuan Yuan, Xitang Qian, Shiyuan Liu, Weiwei Chen, Minglei Lu, Ernest Pahuyo Delmo, Yan Zhang, Yao Yao, Yuxiang Lyu, Yushen Liu, Dong Su, Minhua Shao
{"title":"Spatially decoupled La ZnO core shell structure tunes N2 activation and suppresses oxygen evolution","authors":"Yuan Yuan, Xitang Qian, Shiyuan Liu, Weiwei Chen, Minglei Lu, Ernest Pahuyo Delmo, Yan Zhang, Yao Yao, Yuxiang Lyu, Yushen Liu, Dong Su, Minhua Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101776","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101776","url":null,"abstract":"Efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen oxidation reaction (eNOR) requires promoting N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf> activation while minimizing the competing oxygen evolution reaction (OER). A compartmentalized La-ZnO core-shell electrocatalyst is constructed to mimic cellular functional segregation. The crystalline ZnO shell acts as a selective interface that enriches N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf> and limits OH<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−</ce:sup> adsorption, thereby reducing the OER current. Beneath the shell, a porous amorphous oxygen-deficient core exposes dynamically accessible undercoordinated Zn–O–La sites. These sites promote stabilization of key intermediates, including ∗N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf><ce:sup loc=\"post\">−</ce:sup>, and support stepwise conversion after N<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf> adsorption activation and oxidation. This spatial separation lowers the overall energetic demand along the 10-electron NOR pathway in alkaline electrolyte. The electrocatalyst reaches a Faradaic efficiency of 40.4% and a nitrate yield rate of 11.9 μmol mg<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup> h<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup>.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312749","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101755
Hongliang Xin, John R. Kitchin, Núria López, Neil M. Schweitzer, Milad Abolhasani, Nongnuch Artrith, Líney Árnadóttir, Kamal Choudhary, Rui Ding, Anatoly I. Frenkel, Joseph A. Gauthier, Bryan R. Goldsmith, Amir Barati Farimani, Lars C. Grabow, G.T. Kasun Kalhara Gunasooriya, Guoxiang Hu, Tyler R. Josephson, Heather J. Kulik, Ritesh Kumar, Teodoro Laino, Hao Li, Xiao-Yan Li, Wan-Lu Li, Suljo Linic, Chong Liu, Cong Liu, Fudong Liu, Mingjie Liu, Piao Ma, Andrew J. Medford, Sukrit Mukhopadhyay, Pengfei Ou, Christopher Paolucci, Jiayu Peng, Cory Phillips, Marc D. Porosoff, Long Qi, Shijing Sun, Tibor Szilvási, Johannes Voss, Xiaonan Wang, Kirsten T. Winther, Qin Wu, Di Zhang, Zisheng Zhang
{"title":"Transparent reporting for agentic catalysis enabled by artificial intelligence: Community guidelines and a publication checklist","authors":"Hongliang Xin, John R. Kitchin, Núria López, Neil M. Schweitzer, Milad Abolhasani, Nongnuch Artrith, Líney Árnadóttir, Kamal Choudhary, Rui Ding, Anatoly I. Frenkel, Joseph A. Gauthier, Bryan R. Goldsmith, Amir Barati Farimani, Lars C. Grabow, G.T. Kasun Kalhara Gunasooriya, Guoxiang Hu, Tyler R. Josephson, Heather J. Kulik, Ritesh Kumar, Teodoro Laino, Hao Li, Xiao-Yan Li, Wan-Lu Li, Suljo Linic, Chong Liu, Cong Liu, Fudong Liu, Mingjie Liu, Piao Ma, Andrew J. Medford, Sukrit Mukhopadhyay, Pengfei Ou, Christopher Paolucci, Jiayu Peng, Cory Phillips, Marc D. Porosoff, Long Qi, Shijing Sun, Tibor Szilvási, Johannes Voss, Xiaonan Wang, Kirsten T. Winther, Qin Wu, Di Zhang, Zisheng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101755","url":null,"abstract":"Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into catalysis science, enabling agentic workflows in which AI systems perceive inputs, reason under constraints, plan, and autonomously execute <ce:italic>in silico</ce:italic> or physical experiments with minimal human intervention. While these closed-loop capabilities hold promise for accelerating catalysis research, they introduce new sources of variability that can undermine rigor and reproducibility (R&R). These risks are particularly pronounced in heterogeneous catalysis, where subtleties in catalyst synthesis, activation, and testing can strongly influence catalytic outcomes. To address these challenges, we introduce TRACE-AI (transparent reporting for agentic catalysis enabled by artificial intelligence) as a set of community guidelines with a publication checklist. TRACE-AI emphasizes end-to-end traceability of catalysis campaigns, linking scientific queries to data and models, reasoning and actions, and the knowledge acquired. By promoting standardized reporting, TRACE-AI aims to cultivate a foundation for accelerating scientific discovery while reinforcing R&R as autonomous catalysis laboratories continue to emerge.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312750","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101760
Gianfranco Pacchioni
{"title":"Watching catalysts work during CO2 hydrogenation","authors":"Gianfranco Pacchioni","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101760","url":null,"abstract":"In a recent issue of <ce:italic>Nature Catalysis</ce:italic>, Boniface et al. use <ce:italic>operando</ce:italic> techniques to gain new insights into how classical Cu/ZnO/Al<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">3</ce:inf> catalysts operate in methanol synthesis, significantly advancing our understanding of their behavior. These catalysts function as a dynamic ensemble of Cu, ZnO<ce:inf loc=\"post\"><ce:italic>x</ce:italic></ce:inf> ultrathin films, and Cu–Zn alloy phases that continuously interconvert under reaction conditions. However, the atomistic nature of the active site remains elusive.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312752","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101724
Fei Xue, Yong Xu
{"title":"Pentanuclear synergy boosts photocatalytic CO2 reduction","authors":"Fei Xue, Yong Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101724","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101724","url":null,"abstract":"The rational design of multinuclear metal catalysts with precise structures for photocatalysis remains a formidable challenge. In a recent issue of <ce:italic>Matter</ce:italic>, Nai, Wang, and co-workers present a strategy for constructing atomically precise and tailorable pentanuclear metal catalysts on the basis of cyano-bridged metal frameworks; the resulting catalysts exhibit exceptional photocatalytic CO<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf> reduction toward CO with a cooperative Pt<ce:inf loc=\"post\">1</ce:inf>–Ni<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> unit.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"137 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312754","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":"Privileged pybox scaffolds as a platform for modular enantioselective photocatalysts","authors":"Xin-Yi Zhang, Qing-Yun Lei, Xiao-Ye Yu, Jia-Rong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101779","url":null,"abstract":"In a recent issue of <ce:italic>Science</ce:italic>, Yoon, Zysman-Colman, and co-workers report modular chiral pybox photocatalysts via a three-step synthesis from chiral pool materials. These catalysts incorporate electron-donating carbazole units for tunable charge-transfer (CT) photochemistry and show generality in three model asymmetric reactions, including photoredox and excited-state photoreactions.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312753","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-06-18DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101777
Daniyal Kiani, Ozge Deniz Bozkurt, Faysal Ibrahim, Jiyun Hong, Adam S. Hoffman, Henry L. Cater, Gabrielle A. Kliegle, Simon R. Bare, Ive Hermans, Gregg T. Beckham
{"title":"Metal oxide-promoted calcium cuprate catalysts for diol oxidative dehydrocyclization to lactones","authors":"Daniyal Kiani, Ozge Deniz Bozkurt, Faysal Ibrahim, Jiyun Hong, Adam S. Hoffman, Henry L. Cater, Gabrielle A. Kliegle, Simon R. Bare, Ive Hermans, Gregg T. Beckham","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101777","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101777","url":null,"abstract":"This work investigates structure-function relationships in electronically tunable, redox-active, basic Cu-Ca mixed metal oxide catalysts for oxidative dehydrocyclization of liquid diols to lactones. Compositional screening identified Ni<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> and Zn<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> as effective promoters that increase the surface Cu<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> population by ∼1.7× and Cu-normalized activity for liquid 1,4-butanediol conversion to γ-butyrolactone by ∼3–4×. <ce:italic>In situ</ce:italic> Raman spectroscopy, <ce:italic>in situ</ce:italic> X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), <ce:italic>in situ</ce:italic> diffuse-reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS), <ce:italic>ex situ</ce:italic> X-ray diffraction (XRD), and H<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>-temperature-programmed reduction (H<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf>-TPR) show that Ni<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> or Zn<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> incorporation promotes the formation of Ca<ce:inf loc=\"post\">0.82</ce:inf>Cu<ce:inf loc=\"post\">1.00</ce:inf>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">2</ce:inf> nanoparticles under mild calcination conditions. This cuprate phase features stronger and shorter Cu–O bonds (1.90 Å) than inactive bulk CuO (1.95 Å) and square-planar Cu<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup>O<ce:inf loc=\"post\">4</ce:inf> sites with enhanced d<ce:inf loc=\"post\">z2</ce:inf> electrophilicity, strengthening alkoxy adsorption. Pyridine-DRIFTS confirms the purely basic nature of the catalyst surface, while methanol-DRIFTS indicates Cu<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2+</ce:sup> surface enrichment with Ni or Zn promotion, where Cu–O(Ca)–Cu sites can exist as amorphous domains or a truncation layer on crystalline nanoparticles.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148312751","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":"Surface hydroxyl participation enables efficient alkaline oxygen evolution on double perovskites for anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers","authors":"Lingjie Yuan, Shaohuan Hong, Chenguang Liang, Bin Chen, Jiayi Tang, Chang-Yang Kuo, Chien-Te Chen, Ting-Shan Chan, Cheng-Wei Kao, Huanhuan Tao, Zhongliang Dong, Min Yi, Zhiwei Hu, Feng Gong, Yinlong Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101717","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101717","url":null,"abstract":"The starvation of OH<sup>−</sup> reactants around the anode surface caused by rapid consumption during the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical problem limiting the development of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). Here, we present a high-valence Lewis acid incorporation strategy to enrich OH<sup>−</sup> adsorption for optimizing alkaline OER performance and for the first time demonstrate direct participation of surface hydroxyl in the alkaline OER. In particular, the optimized Sr<sub>2</sub>CoMoO<sub>6</sub> (SCMO) with the strongest surface hydroxylation exhibits excellent alkaline OER activity and AEMWE device performance when adopted as a noble-metal-free anode electrocatalyst, achieving an industrial current density of 1 A cm<sup>−2</sup> at a low voltage of 1.83 V and steadily operating for 100 h. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations verify that the surface hydroxyls in SCMO participate in the OER via an unusual hydrogen-bond-assisted surface hydroxyl participation mechanism. These findings offer new insights into hydroxyl electrocatalysis for AEMWE applications.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"423 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147719894","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}
Chem CatalysisPub Date : 2026-04-16DOI: 10.1016/j.checat.2026.101696
Chengli Mou, Guanjie Wang, Yonggui Robin Chi
{"title":"Aluminum redox catalysis, at long last","authors":"Chengli Mou, Guanjie Wang, Yonggui Robin Chi","doi":"10.1016/j.checat.2026.101696","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2026.101696","url":null,"abstract":"In a recent issue of <em>Nature</em>, Zhang and Liu show that carbazolylaluminylene can function as an aluminum-based catalyst to enable the reversible Al(I)/Al(III) redox catalytic cycle for Reppe cyclotrimerization. The catalyst’s success arises from the dynamic nitrogen geometry within the carbazolyl ligand, which modulates the aluminum coordination environment and lowers the activation barriers of key steps.","PeriodicalId":53121,"journal":{"name":"Chem Catalysis","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147696012","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}