Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Quantifying and mitigating thermal interference for electrical capacitance tomography measurement of high-temperature fluidized beds","authors":"Kai Huang,&nbsp;Jianping Zhao,&nbsp;Qiang Guo,&nbsp;Shuanghe Meng,&nbsp;Wuqiang Yang,&nbsp;Hua Li,&nbsp;Mao Ye","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2680-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2680-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is an indispensable non-intrusive diagnostic tool for fluidized beds. Although recent advancements have successfully yielded robust sensors capable of surviving high temperatures, temperature-induced permittivity variations pose a formidable challenge to accurate phase reconstruction in high-temperature applications. To systematically quantify and mitigate the unaddressed thermal interference, this study integrates a numerical framework, encompassing different sensor architectures with varying diameters to represent geometries from laboratory to industrial-scale reactors, with high-temperature experiments. The results reveal that although temperature fluctuations induce significant dielectric drifts, the normalized sensitivity distribution maintains exceptional stability. Conversely, raw capacitance measurements are highly susceptible to thermal perturbations within both packed bed and column wall. Crucially, increasing wall thickness drastically amplifies measurement errors for adjacent electrode pairs. To improve measurement robustness, excluding adjacent electrode measurements is shown to effectively suppress temperature-induced deviations and extend the permissible operating range. In exchange for sacrificing fine-scale boundary resolution, the resulting trade-off prioritizes core-region tomographic integrity, mitigating severe thermal interference. Furthermore, the study establishes a theoretical equivalence between thermal distortions and inherent noise, enabling direct application of noise-based criteria to define operational limits. These findings provide practical guidelines for the design and deployment of robust ECT systems in high-temperature environments.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148613079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Explainable AI-driven discovery of optimal modular architectures of CO2 reduction reactor clusters","authors":"Kaihao Fu,&nbsp;Xinyuan Li,&nbsp;Ping Li,&nbsp;Wenze Guo,&nbsp;Chenxi Cao,&nbsp;Wangli He,&nbsp;Wenli Du,&nbsp;Feng Qian","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2678-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2678-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The performance degradation of modular devices during scaling up necessitates rational design of the integration structure. However, its complex structure makes it challenging to reveal the mechanism of the effect of hierarchical multi-scale structural parameters on performance. This study proposes a data-driven framework to analyze structure-performance relationships and identify optimal scale-up patterns, using a CO₂ reduction microreactor as a case study. A quantitative relationship between structure and performance is established using extreme gradient boosting tree combined with the Shapley additive explanations analysis, elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of structural parameters on performance. While a classification model is utilized to define the criteria for identifying optimal structures. Additionally, optimal scale-up design patterns under various scenarios are uncovered using <i>K</i>-means clustering. The results indicate that Small-sized few-stack parallel structures and large-sized single-stack structures s are the scaling-up patterns that can balance cost and performance. This approach provides important insights for the industrial scale design of modular devices.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxygen vacancy-mediated Lewis acid-base pairs on Ce-doped BiOI enable efficient CO2 conversion","authors":"Chengguang Yue,&nbsp;Wenhao Ji,&nbsp;Tiantian Xiao,&nbsp;Weiying Pang,&nbsp;Shouying Huang,&nbsp;Ji Qi,&nbsp;Yue Wang,&nbsp;Mei-Yan Wang,&nbsp;Xinbin Ma","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2677-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2677-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>CO₂ cycloaddition with epoxides for producing cyclic carbonates is a promising route that aligns with environmental sustainability and economic feasibility. Metal oxyhalides, which contain inherent lattice halogen ions that can act as built-in nucleophiles, offer a distinctive strategy of designing efficient, heterogeneous catalysts for CO₂ cycloaddition. Herein, a series of highly dispersed Ce-doped BiOI (Ce_<i>x</i>Bi_1−<i>x</i>OI) catalysts were developed via a one-pot solvothermal method. The introduction of oxyphilic Ce ions enhances the adsorption and activation of epoxides, thus improving the catalytic performance in CO₂ cycloaddition. Experimental characterizations reveal that Ce doping facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancy-mediated Lewis acid-base pairs (Bi–O_v–Ce³⁺⋯I⁻). In this configuration, the O_v–Ce³⁺⋯I⁻ strengthens the epoxides adsorption and subsequent epoxy ring-opening, while the Bi–O_v supplies CO₂ adsorbed site. This synergistic interaction reduces the apparent activation energy (70.67 kJ·mol⁻¹ for Ce_0.1Bi_0.9OI <i>vs</i>. 108.09 kJ·mol⁻¹ for BiOI) of the CO₂ cycloaddition with butylene oxide. Under solvent- and cocatalyst-free conditions, the optimized Ce_0.1Bi_0.9OI catalyst achieved a butylene carbonate yield of 91%. This work provides a feasible strategy for designing efficient catalysts of CO₂ conversion by constructing reinforced synergistic Lewis acid-base sites.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148236800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"ACGC plus: a general group contribution framework for diverse properties prediction","authors":"Xian Liang,&nbsp;Yuai Zheng,&nbsp;Yuan Sun,&nbsp;Songhan Zhang,&nbsp;Jingxuan Xue,&nbsp;Li-Hong Lin,&nbsp;Qiaoyan Shang,&nbsp;Yin-Ning Zhou,&nbsp;Fangyou Yan","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2675-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2675-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Atomic connectivity group contribution (ACGC) is a method developed by atomic adjacent group (AAG), shape factors and atomic connectivity factors (ACFs) for property prediction. As a crucial parameter for dealing with the challenge of accurately predicting properties of isomers, ACFs are defined for describing the global position of each group in a molecule. In this work, ACFs plus (ACFs+) is proposed to describe the local position of a group by considering the contribution of the core atom in AAG and nearby atoms. As such, ACGC plus (ACGC+) models are developed with ACFs+ to predict key phase transition properties of organic compounds (i.e., Δ_fus<i>S</i>, Δ_vap<i>H</i>°, Δ_sub<i>H</i>°, Δ_fus<i>H, T</i>_b, <i>T</i>_m, <i>T</i>_c, <i>P</i>_c, and <i>V</i>_c). Both predictability and robustness are rigorously validated using external validation and cross-validation. The <i>R</i>_test² values for phase transition entropy and enthalpy range from 0.906 to 0.992, the <i>R</i>_test² values for critical properties are greater than 0.989, and the <i>R</i>_test² values for <i>T</i>_b and <i>T</i>_m are 0.979 and 0.845, respectively, which indicate high predictability of ACGC + models. The <i>R</i>² values for all properties are close to the <i>R</i>_train² values, which further validates the stability of the ACGC+ model. Furthermore, the mean absolute errors of the ACGC+ models decreased by 1.44%–7.91% compared to the ACGC models. These results demonstrate that the ACGC+ method provides high accuracy in predicting the properties of phase transitions.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148060885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergetic catalysis between ZnZrOx and silanol nest-enriched silicalite-1 in CO2 hydrogenation coupled with toluene alkylation","authors":"Yuhang Guo,&nbsp;Weichao Qin,&nbsp;Ruiwen Cao,&nbsp;Linfeng Zhang,&nbsp;Tingjun Fu,&nbsp;Zhong Li","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2674-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2674-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>CO₂ hydrogenation coupled with toluene alkylation is a promising route for application in greenhouse gas utilization and <i>para</i>-xylene (PX) production; however, the strong Brønsted acid sites of the conventional ZSM-5 catalyst lead to uncontrollable (de)alkylation and xylene isomerization. In this study, a silanol nest-enriched silicalite-1 zeolite (AS-1) with a moderate acidity was employed as an alkylation catalyst to suppress side reactions. Dealkylation and xylene isomerization were significantly suppressed compared to those observed using ZSM-5, which reduced the benzene selectivity from 6.04% to 0.5% and increased the PX selectivity from 23.6% to 33%. An epitaxial silicalite-1 shell was introduced to passivate the external sites to enhance the shape-selective effect of AS-1, thus improving the PX selectivity from 36.2% to 44.4%. The intimate contact established by optimizing the spatial distribution facilitated the conversion of the methanol intermediates, increasing the toluene conversion to 16.3%. A deposition-precipitation strategy was adopted to load ZnZrO_<i>x</i> particles onto silicalite-1 zeolite-coated AS-1, which increased the ZnZrO_<i>x</i> dispersion and minimized the transfer distance for the methanol intermediates. Consequently, considerable levels of toluene conversion and a high PX selectivity of 15% and 42.7%, respectively, were maintained, while the CO₂ conversion significantly increased from 5.9% to 9.5%. Additionally, ammonium hexafluorosilicate treatment generated small mesopores within the AS-1 zeolite, which enhanced diffusion and further increased the toluene conversion to 20.9%. This study provides novel insights into the design of bifunctional catalysts comprising silanol nest-enriched silicalite-1 and ZnZrO_<i>x</i> for use in CO₂ hydrogenation coupled with toluene alkylation.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148173175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential, challenges and opportunities of machine learning model for plasma-based gas conversion: a critical review","authors":"Jiayin Li,&nbsp;Xinpei Lu,&nbsp;Sirui Li,&nbsp;Annemie Bogaerts","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2679-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2679-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plasma-based gas conversion has emerged as increasingly prominent sustainable technology for chemical production, offering significant advantages such as mild operating conditions, instantaneous control, and flexibility in scales. However, the inherent complexity of its multidimensional parameter space makes traditional experimental optimization resource-intensive. Machine learning (ML) presents a transformative method to efficiently explore such intricate scientific phenomena, yet its application in the field remains in its infancy. Current efforts are constrained by fragmented, small-scale experimental datasets that lack standardization across different reactor configurations and measurement protocols. Data quality issues, inconsistent reporting of performance metrics, and the absence of critical plasma and catalyst descriptors further hinder model development. Consequently, most ML studies are limited to simple predictive models that interpolate within narrow operational domains, offering little generalizability or mechanistic insight. This critical review provides a comprehensive analysis of ML methodologies applied to plasma-based gas conversion, using CO₂ conversion as a base case. We outline the general ML workflow and key algorithms, discuss their applications with state-of-the-art examples, and critically evaluate current limitations. Finally, we identify emerging challenges and future opportunities to guide the field toward more robust, generalizable, and physically as well as chemically meaningful ML applications.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148323290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic adsorption-photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin using Zn1−xCuxS-modified cellulose/chitosan sponge","authors":"Lei Xia,&nbsp;Qingtao Cui,&nbsp;Liyuan Shi,&nbsp;Xupin Zhuang","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2673-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2673-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Antibiotics have revolutionized infectious disease management; however, their incomplete absorption and metabolism by humans lead to environmental discharge, posing severe threats to ecosystems. Levofloxacin (LEV), a typical broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is highly resistant to microbial biodegradation in aqueous environments and poses a major threat to human health and ecological systems. This paper presents a facile and robust strategy for fabricating Zn_1−<i>x</i>Cu_<i>x</i>S nanoparticle (NP)-decorated cellulose–chitosan composite sponges (denoted as ZnCuCCS). The synthetic route integrates hydrothermal xanthate decomposition and <i>in situ</i> deposition, producing a porous composite characterized by homogeneous Zn_1−<i>x</i>Cu_<i>x</i>S NPs dispersion, strong Nanoparticle anchoring, and superior mechanical stability. Benefiting from the abundant adsorption sites provided by the polysaccharide sponge matrix and the high surface exposure of Zn_1−<i>x</i>Cu_<i>x</i>S NPs, ZnCuCCS possesses a narrow bandgap (1.31 eV), which endows the composite with superior adsorption capability and prominent photocatalytic activity, achieving a LEV removal efficiency of up to 90.12%. Notably, ZnCuCCS maintains a stable degradation rate of 72.9% even after five consecutive reuse cycles. Systematic investigations of the adsorption–photocatalytic degradation behavior and intrinsic mechanism of LEV removal provide novel theoretical insights for the rational design and practical application of advanced photocatalytic materials in wastewater treatment.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148008641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Controllable synthesis and characterization of spherical CeO2 abrasives for chemical mechanical polishing","authors":"Chao Fang,&nbsp;Guanghui Shi,&nbsp;Sibin Li,&nbsp;Xiaofeng Xie,&nbsp;Chenghao Liu,&nbsp;Zhi Qi,&nbsp;Peiyu Zhang,&nbsp;Geng Li,&nbsp;Tao Qi,&nbsp;Xiao Wang,&nbsp;Guoping Hu","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2672-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2672-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cerium oxide (CeO₂) is a critical abrasive in chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) due to its chemical-mechanical reactivity and planarization capability. This study developed a controllable hydrothermal synthesis strategy for spherical CeO₂ abrasives and systematically evaluated their CMP performance on silicon wafers. Uniform CeO₂ particles with a fluorite structure were synthesized, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses. Mechanistic studies reveal that CeO₂ formation occurred via nitrate-induced oxidation of Ce³⁺. The subsequent precipitation of CeO₂, coupled with acetate decomposition, thermodynamically drove the reaction forward under hydrothermal conditions. By adjusting water volume, the particle size was precisely tuned from 32 to 531 nm while maintaining excellent sphericity and dispersity. CMP tests showed that 343 nm CeO₂ achieved the highest material removal rate (73.7 nm·min⁻¹) with low surface roughness (Ra = 0.31 nm). Optimal polishing with 0.5 wt% CeO₂ achieved a balance between removal efficiency and surface quality, while higher concentrations led to residue defects. Moreover, the hydrothermally synthesized CeO₂ exhibited better CMP performance than commercial abrasives in both short- and long-term polishing, owing to its uniform morphology. Overall, this work demonstrates a simple, effective, and scalable strategy for synthesizing size-controlled CeO₂ abrasives with excellent performance in precision surface processing.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture><span>The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.</span></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147830150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The adaptive mechanisms of Bacillus velezensis C5 for survival on polyethylene microplastics","authors":"Xianrui Liu,&nbsp;Shaojie Wang,&nbsp;Yilin Zhao,&nbsp;Haijia Su","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2669-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2669-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Polyethylene (PE) plastics pose a severe environmental challenge due to their recalcitrance, which also creates an extremely nutrient-limited environment for microbial colonizers. Understanding the initial adaptive mechanisms is crucial for developing effective bioremediation strategies. In this study, comparative transcriptomics was employed to analyze the specific adaptive response of <i>Bacillus velezensis</i> C5 to PE microplastics by comparing it with responses to a non-polymeric hydrocarbon, <i>n</i>-docosane (C22), and a nutrient-free medium. The results revealed a robust, PE-specific transcriptional program distinct from general starvation or surface-contact responses. Exposure to PE, but not C22, triggered massive upregulation of genes involved in biofilm formation (e.g., the <i>epsA-O</i> operon, including a 185-fold increase in <i>epsL</i>) and sporulation (e.g., a 22-fold increase in <i>yicZ</i>), indicating a polymer-induced strategy for surface colonization and long-term persistence. Although genes associated with canonical PE degradation were not induced, several LLM-class monooxygenases were upregulated, suggesting an auxiliary role in stress mitigation. Phenotypic analyses confirmed that strain C5 remained viable without growth on PE, formed a dense biofilm that increased surface hydrophilicity, and induced only subtle physicochemical changes to the plastic. This study demonstrates that the initial interaction is dominated by a sophisticated, polymer-specific survival program rather than direct metabolic degradation. This insight is fundamental for designing future strategies capable of overcoming this adaptive phase to promote efficient plastic biodegradation.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147661903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photothermal catalysis for plastic upcycling: a review on material design and reaction mechanisms","authors":"Haoze Li,&nbsp;Mengyao Wang,&nbsp;Hailong Cheng,&nbsp;Li Wang,&nbsp;Jianping Yang","doi":"10.1007/s11705-026-2661-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-026-2661-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The accumulation of non-degradable plastic waste presents a critical environmental challenge, necessitating the development of energy-efficient, and sustainable recycling methodologies. Conventional thermal catalytic processes often entail high energy inputs and limited selectivity, while photocatalytic approaches suffer from low quantum yields. Photothermal catalysis has emerged as a synergistic strategy that harnesses broadband solar irradiation to generate localized thermal gradients and active charge carriers, thereby enabling efficient chemical upcycling of polymeric substrates under mild operational conditions. This review comprehensively examines recent advances in photothermal catalysis for plastic valorization, with emphasis on mechanistic understanding, photothermal material classification, and structural design principles. Plasmonic metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Ru), defective semiconductors (e.g., oxygen-deficient TiO₂, doped g-C₃N₄), and carbon-based nanostructures (e.g., graphene, carbon nanotubes) are analyzed in terms of their light-to-heat conversion efficiency and catalytic functionality. We further summarize engineering strategies for enhanced photon utilization and reaction kinetics, including defect modulation and heterojunction formation, evaluate critical aspects from reactor design to scalability, address key challenges of stability and feasibility, and propose future directions such as machine learning-assisted catalyst discovery. This work aims to provide a foundational framework for the development of solar-driven plastic upcycling technologies aligned with circular economy objectives.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"20 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}