EES catalysis最新文献

{"title":"Are plasma discharges really “catalyst-free”?","authors":"Thuy Vy Le, C. Buddie Mullins and Thomas C. Underwood","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00305A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00305A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Many plasma chemistry studies assume that chemical reactions occur either within the volume of plasmas or on heterogeneous catalysts that are distributed in packed beds. This designation overlooks the catalytic role of electrodes that bound the plasma. Beyond sustaining the discharge through electron emission, electrodes can act as chemically active interfaces, undergoing erosion, film growth, and nanoparticle release that influence the reactivity of the plasma phase and surrounding surfaces or interfaces. Literature comparisons show that reactors with catalytically active electrodes often achieve similar or higher performance than packed-bed systems, while reactors with inert boundaries underperform. Here, we perform experiments using a nanosecond-pulsed spark discharge for ammonia synthesis to elucidate how electrodes contribute catalytic reactions in plasma systems. We find that electrode composition affects both yield and energy efficiency strongly: under identical discharge settings, Ni electrodes produced 0.37% NH<small>₃</small>, Cu 0.32%, SS 304 0.23%, and W only 0.11%, and on Cu, adjusting the feed ratio from N<small>₂</small> : H<small>₂</small> = 1 : 3 to 1 : 7 increased NH<small>₃</small> yield sevenfold (0.3% to 2.2%). SEM-EDX and XPS analyses confirm that plasma operation generates Cu/Cu–N nanoparticles that coat surfaces within reactors and induce electrode nitridation, providing dynamic nitrogen storage and release and establishing hidden catalytic cycles. These electrode-driven processes influence yields, selectivity, and mechanistic pathways directly. Recognizing electrodes as catalytic elements is essential for accurate mechanistic interpretation, fair benchmarking, and deliberate design of plasma systems, ensuring that advances in plasma chemistry are based on realistic assessments of surface contributions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 642-659"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00305a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923966","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":"Corrosion-resistant mesoporous carbon allowing for durable, high-performance hydrogen fuel cells for heavy-duty vehicle applications","authors":"Marwa Atwa, Sara Pedram, Shicheng Xu, Samuel Dull, Yunha Jung, Takeharu Yoshii, Ruohong Sui, Rong Xu, Robert Marriott, Hirotomo Nishihara, Jonathan E. Mueller, Marco Wiethop, Sebastian Kirsch, Gerold Huebner, Vedran Glavas, Jasna Jankovic, Thomas F. Jaramillo and Fritz B. Prinz","doi":"10.1039/D6EY00019C","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EY00019C","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have emerged as an efficient and clean energy conversion technology, utilizing platinum (Pt)-based catalysts to drive the electrochemical reactions that generate power, including nanoporous carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles. However, developing catalyst layers with exceptional stability has been a challenge, which is essential to achieving the 25 000-hour lifetime required for heavy-duty fuel cell applications. While Pt stability is critical, mitigating carbon support corrosion in the catalyst layer is equally important. Here, we show that tuning the properties of mesoporous carbon supports—specifically, pore size and the concentration of surface oxygen functional groups and H-terminated groups <em>via</em> high-temperature treatment—can overcome this challenge. Pore sizes of 8 nm or smaller are found to mitigate Pt dissolution and performance losses over 10 000–90 000 accelerated stress cycles. Additionally, high-temperature treatment at 2000 °C increased the carbon's crystallinity while retaining a BET surface area of 240 m<small>²</small> g<small>⁻¹</small>. This stability enabled the catalyst layer to maintain its initial performance after 40 hours of voltage hold at 1.2 V, demonstrating exceptional durability. These advancements are a critical step toward commercializing fuel cells for transportation applications and provide insights for advanced catalyst layer designs in clean energy conversion systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 673-685"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d6ey00019c?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923968","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":"Highly selective photothermal CO2 hydrogenation to C2+ hydrocarbons over Mn-modified K–Fe catalysts","authors":"Xinhuilan Wang, Alejandra Rendón-Patiño, Diego Mateo and Jorge Gascon","doi":"10.1039/D6EY00013D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EY00013D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Efficient and selective CO<small>₂</small> hydrogenation pathways are pivotal for tackling climate change while enabling sustainable energy solutions. Herein, we report a series of potassium-promoted Fe<small>_<em>x</em></small>Mn<small>_<em>y</em></small> catalysts for the photothermal hydrogenation of CO<small>₂</small> to C<small>₂</small><small>⁺</small> hydrocarbons under mild reaction conditions. By tuning the Fe/Mn ratio, we identify K–Fe<small>₁₀</small>Mn<small>₁</small> as the optimal composition, exhibiting a remarkable C<small>₂</small><small>⁺</small> selectivity of 79.2% and a C<small>_2-5</small> hydrocarbon yield of 4.8 mmol g<small>⁻¹</small> h<small>⁻¹</small> at 250 °C and 20 bar, under 4 W cm<small>⁻²</small> light irradiation. This catalyst also exhibited the lowest CO selectivity (24.1%) and the highest chain-growth probability (<em>α</em> = 0.64) among the series. In contrast, detailed characterization revealed that excessive Mn leads to over-stabilization of Fe<small>₁</small>Mn<small>_{1−<em>x</em>}</small>O species, diminishing the availability of active Fe<small>₅</small>C<small>₂</small> species and reducing C–C coupling efficiency. Mechanistic studies, including <em>in situ</em> DRIFTS, demonstrate that non-thermal effects dominate the reaction pathway, with light irradiation accelerating the generation of key intermediates without altering the intrinsic mechanism. These findings provide fundamental insights into the structure–activity relationship of K–FeMn systems and offer a promising route for solar-driven CO<small>₂</small>-to-hydrocarbon conversion under industrially relevant conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 734-743"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d6ey00013d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923954","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":"Integrated CO2 capture and conversion: dual-functional materials, mechanisms, and pathways to industrial decarbonization","authors":"Mohamed A. Elokl, Ahmed G. Ali, Abdelrahman M. Abdelmohsen, Ahmed A. Taha, Abdelrahman A. Ashour, Salma Elshabrawy and Nageh K. Allam","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00322A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00322A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Carbon dioxide (CO<small>₂</small>) is both the principal anthropogenic greenhouse gas and a valuable, non-toxic, and abundant C<small>₁</small> feedstock for sustainable fuel and chemical production. Conventional approaches have typically addressed CO<small>₂</small> capture and CO<small>₂</small> conversion as independent processes; however, each remains energy-intensive and economically constrained when implemented in isolation. The emerging concept of integrated CO<small>₂</small> capture and conversion (ICCC) offers a transformative strategy to simultaneously mitigate CO<small>₂</small> emissions and synthesize value-added products within a unified system. Unlike the simple sequential coupling of capture and utilization, ICCC demands the synergistic integration of capture media, catalytic interfaces, and reaction environments, requiring interdisciplinary insight spanning materials chemistry, catalysis, and electrochemical engineering. This review critically surveys recent progress in ICCC with a focus on dual-functional materials (DFMs) that enable concurrent CO<small>₂</small> capture and catalytic conversion. The discussion encompasses a broad range of DFMs, including porous organic polymers, covalent organic frameworks, zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, metal oxides, amines, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and molten salts. Mainstream CO<small>₂</small> capture technologies, post-, pre-, and oxy-fuel combustion routes, and associated separation techniques such as absorption, adsorption, membrane filtration, cryogenics, and looping cycles are systematically analyzed through a SWOT framework (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) across efficiency, energy, cost, and technology readiness dimensions. By coupling techno-economic evaluation with emerging mechanistic and computational insights, this review identifies viable strategies to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial deployment. Finally, we outline key research priorities, including the rational design of DFMs, optimization of catalytic interfaces, and integration of AI-driven process control, positioning ICCC as an emerging pathway toward industrial decarbonization and the global clean energy transition, while highlighting fundamental constraints from coupled CO<small>₂</small> adsorption thermodynamics, transport, and catalytic kinetics that expose critical material-stability and system-integration challenges for large-scale deployment.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 522-641"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00322a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923965","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":"Low-frequency electrochemical pulsing to manage flooding and salt precipitation in zero-gap CO2-to-ethylene electrolyzers","authors":"Michell Marufu, Maxwell Goldman, R. Dominic Ross, Jongmin Lee, Jack Davis, Michael Troksa, Eric Krall, Auston Clemens, Aditya Prajapati, Andrew A. Wong, Pavel Trtik, Po-Ya Abel Chuang, Eric B. Duoss, Sarah E. Baker and Christopher Hahn","doi":"10.1039/D6EY00012F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EY00012F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO<small>₂</small>) to ethylene presents a promising route for utilizing exhaust gases to produce value-added chemicals with broad manufacturing applications. While zero-gap electrolyzer architectures show great potential to enable commercial-scale CO<small>₂</small>-to-ethylene conversion, their performance is often limited by failure within the first 100 hours. In this work, we demonstrate that a low-frequency electrochemical pulsing protocol effectively mitigates carbonate salt precipitation and flooding by managing water transport to and through the cathode gas diffusion electrode and associated flow fields. <em>Operando</em> neutron imaging further reveals the dynamics of water crossover and flooding, emphasizing the intricate interplay between electrochemical operation and ionic transport. By mitigating short-term flooding and salt precipitation failure modes, this study establishes a foundation for understanding long-term degradation mechanisms and advancing the practical viability of CO<small>₂</small> electrolyzers for industrial-scale applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 708-716"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d6ey00012f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923971","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":"Tailoring electronic structures of Ni@N-doped carbon hollow urchins for dual-functional Zn–CO2 batteries and industrial CO2 electroreduction","authors":"Songjiang Wu, Di Wang, Haijian Wang, Haiyan Chen, Xinyu Zhuang, Shenjie Yu, Hao Zhang, Suqin Ci and Zhenhai Wen","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00299K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00299K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A catalyst with a hollow urchin-like sphere structure and porous surface was synthesized using Ni-MOF precursors (Ni@N-HCS). This catalyst features nickel nanoparticles encapsulated by nitrogen-doped carbon shells and exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity in the CO<small>₂</small> reduction reaction (CO<small>₂</small>RR). In a hybrid flow cell, the optimal catalyst attains an industrial current density of 174.23 mA cm<small>⁻²</small> and a high CO Faraday efficiency (FE<small>_CO</small>) of 82.34%, along with good long-term stability. Moreover, when employed as the cathode in a Zn–CO<small>₂</small> flow battery, this catalyst achieves the highest power density of 11.55 mW cm<small>⁻²</small> and demonstrates excellent cycling durability. According to density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the graphene-covered Ni cluster (Ni-ApyN) is identified as the most efficient active site for the CO<small>₂</small>RR. This efficiency is attributed to the fact that pyridinic N-doped carbon shell encapsulating Ni nanoparticles (NPs) reduces the free energy of the reaction by modulating the electronic structure of Ni, thereby effectively accelerating the reaction kinetics rate. As a result, this work in both the hybrid flow cell and the Zn–CO<small>₂</small> flow battery offers a promising approach for energy storage and conversion.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 744-753"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00299k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147924004","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":"Identifying mechanistic differences between co-fed CO2 hydrogenation and reactive CO2 capture using Ru and Pd dual function materials","authors":"Chae Jeong-Potter, Neha Mehra, Carrie A. Farberow and Daniel A. Ruddy","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00320B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00320B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Dual function materials (DFMs) enable reactive carbon capture (RCkeC), an intensified approach to carbon dioxide capture and utilization for cost and energy input reductions. Yet, there is a fundamental lack of understanding of mechanisms around CO<small>₂</small> adsorption and subsequent conversion on these materials, hindering further development. Herein, we investigated several supported alkaline metal oxides for their CO<small>₂</small> adsorption characteristics to find that Na/Al<small>₂</small>O<small>₃</small> had the highest CO<small>₂</small> adsorption capacity, accompanied by a variety of CO<small>₂</small> adsorption geometries as identified by <em>in situ</em> DRIFTS and computational modeling. The addition of catalytic metals (Ru, Pd) increased the adsorption capacity of Na/Al<small>₂</small>O<small>₃</small> without altering binding modes. In the subsequent reactive desorption step, acetate and formate intermediates were observed. Notably, this mechanistic investigation identified that the formation of acetate species was unique to RCC on a DFM, as these species were not observed in co-fed hydrogenation over the DFM or RCC over a Na-free catalyst.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 696-707"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00320b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923970","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":"Dynamic structural evolution of 2D/3D MoS2@Ni heterostructure supported on SBA-15 during CO2 RWGS reaction","authors":"Oumayma Liaaychi, Pascal Blanchard, Maya Marinova, Carole Lamonier, Jean-Philippe Dacquin, Sébastien Royer and Said Laassiri","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00328H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00328H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Two-dimensional (2D) layered materials have attracted significant interest for catalytic applications due to tuneable electronic properties, and a high density of edge-active sites associated to a high proportion of reactant-accessible active sites. In this work, we report the synthesis of 2D/3D MoS<small>₂</small>@Ni/SBA-15 heterostructure <em>via</em> thermal <em>in situ</em> gas-phase sulfidation of MoO<small>₃</small>@NiO/SBA-15 precursor, aimed at promoting reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Catalytic tests, conducted over a wide temperature range (200–800 °C) revealed that the MoS<small>₂</small>@Ni/SBA-15 catalyst significantly outperforms its oxidic counterpart in terms of product selectivity, while both catalysts exhibit high CO<small>₂</small> conversion. Notably, the sulfided heterostructure achieves complete suppression of CH<small>₄</small> formation and maintains 100% selectivity towards CO across the entire temperature range studied. In contrast, MoO<small>₃</small>@NiO/SBA-15 favours methanation at low temperatures and only shifts to CO production at <em>T</em> &gt; 600 °C. At 500 °C, a CO<small>₂</small> conversion of 33.3% is achieved on MoS<small>₂</small>@Ni/SBA-15 with exclusive CO selectivity, surpassing most state-of-the-art transition metal-based catalysts operating at similar conditions. Moreover, long-term stability tests at 800 °C, over 100 h, confirmed its remarkable stability, maintaining high CO<small>₂</small> conversion (&gt;75%) and full CO selectivity without any visible deactivation. These results demonstrate the strong potential of engineered 2D/3D MoS<small>₂</small>-based heterostructures as efficient, robust, and non-noble metal catalysts for sustainable CO<small>₂</small> valorisation.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 717-733"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00328h?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923972","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":"Harnessing chirality in nanomaterials: advancing photocatalysis for hydrogen production and beyond","authors":"Nur Aqlili Riana Che Mohamad, Dong-Il Won, Haeun Kang, Jeongwon Kim, Kyunghee Chae, Minju Kim, Mingyue Zhang, Zhiqun Lin and Dong Ha Kim","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00314H","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00314H","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Solar-driven chemical conversion stands as a basis strategy for realizing sustainable energy technologies. Within this context, chiral photocatalysts have emerged as a new generation of materials that unify light–matter interactions with asymmetric molecular recognition. The integration of chirality into nanostructured systems introduces inherent structural and electronic asymmetry, enhancing light absorption, chiroptical activity and charge carrier dynamics. The cooperative effects collectively improve photocatalytic efficiency, particularly in solar-driven hydrogen evolution. In parallel, the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect promotes spin-polarized charge transport, accelerates reaction kinetics and refines product selectivity. This review elucidates the mechanistic origins of chirality in catalyst design, encompassing molecular interactions, light-mediated induction and template-assisted synthesis. It evaluates recent advances in the characterization and construction of multiclass chiral photocatalysts, with emphasis on hydrogen evolution, alongside extensions to photocatalytic CO<small>₂</small>, N<small>₂</small> reduction and other emerging reaction paradigms. The outlook presented herein underscores emerging opportunities for rationally designing chirality-driven photocatalysts as a transformative platform for next-generation solar-to-chemical energy conversion.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 502-521"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00314h?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923963","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":"Reaction network of CO2 hydrogenation into C1–2 oxygenates and its BEP relationships","authors":"Mikhail V. Polynski and Sergey M. Kozlov","doi":"10.1039/D5EY00338E","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EY00338E","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Although copper is one of the most common components in catalysts for CO<small>₂</small> conversion into valuable C<small>₂₊</small> chemicals, a clear and systematic mechanistic explanation of its unique properties in these processes is lacking. Herein, we address this challenge by introducing a novel ansatz to rationally construct catalytic reaction networks and account for realistic active sites on catalyst nanoparticles, applied here to CO<small>₂</small> hydrogenation into C<small>₁</small> and C<small>₂</small> oxygenates, explaining the formation of frequently observed reaction intermediates. We also provide a comparative mechanistic analysis of CO<small>₂</small> hydrogenation on a stronger-adsorbing metal widely used in hydrogenation reactions, Pd. Furthermore, we present a refined approach to Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relationships tailored to structural characteristics of transition states. Our approach facilitates further exploration of CO<small>₂</small> hydrogenation on transition metal-based catalysts, deepening our understanding of the underlying reaction mechanism. This theoretical framework not only elucidates the intricate kinetics of CO<small>₂</small> hydrogenation but also establishes a versatile foundation for rational catalyst design across catalytic domains. This study highlights the unique activity of Cu in various hydrogenation and C–C coupling steps. Unlike scarce metals that require resource-intensive extraction, Cu reduces the environmental impact and costs of CO<small>₂</small> conversion technologies. Clarifying its unique role in converting CO<small>₂</small> into valuable C<small>₂₊</small> chemicals moves us closer to balancing economic growth and environmental protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":72877,"journal":{"name":"EES catalysis","volume":" 3","pages":" 660-672"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/ey/d5ey00338e?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147923967","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}