CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.3390/catal16010069
Lin‐Yu Jiao, Zelong Sun, Wen-Yu Luo, Fei Wen, Jun-Bo Ye, K. Chen, Long Xu, Bin Tian, S. Liu
{"title":"Hexagonal Microsphere/Cubic Particle ZnIn2S4 Heterojunctions: A Robust Photocatalyst for Visible-Light-Driven Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Diformylfuran Under Ambient Air Conditions","authors":"Lin‐Yu Jiao, Zelong Sun, Wen-Yu Luo, Fei Wen, Jun-Bo Ye, K. Chen, Long Xu, Bin Tian, S. Liu","doi":"10.3390/catal16010069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010069","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, biomass utilization has attracted extensive attention. Herein, hexagonal/cubic ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) heterojunction catalysts were synthesized via a solvothermal method for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF). The results demonstrated that the constructed heterojunctions effectively promoted carrier separation. The optimal catalyst achieved an HMF conversion rate of 88.8% and a DFF yield of 86.6% within 1 h in the open air. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations confirmed the successful fabrication of the composite phase structure and revealed a porous spherical morphology. Equivalent circuit fitting of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data indicated that the hexagonal/cubic heterojunctions possessed the lowest charge transfer resistance (Rct = 5825 Ω), which effectively reduced interfacial charge transfer resistance and accelerated the transport of photoinduced carriers. Radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy identified superoxide radicals (·O2−) as the primary reactive species. Meanwhile, density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidated the formation of the built-in electric field and the charge transfer mechanism. This work’s construction of Type-II ZIS heterojunctions effectively addressed the issue of rapid carrier recombination in pristine ZIS materials, providing a feasible strategy for biomass valorization.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"69-69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/69/pdf?version=1767785827","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147892009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced Catalytic Performance on UiO-67(Zr) Prepared with the Aid of Vapor by Acid Treatment for Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuel Oil","authors":"Yuqing Kong, X. Liu, Jiawei Fu, Ruyu Zhao, Yinyong Sun, Defeng Li","doi":"10.3390/catal16010070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010070","url":null,"abstract":"UiO-67(Zr), as a member of Zr-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), has attracted much attention owing to its merits, involving large surface area, high pore volume, and good structural stability. However, it is generally inactive in many catalytic reactions due to a lack of active sites. In this work, we report a new strategy, combining vapor-assisted synthesis with acid treatment to create abundant active sites in UiO-67(Zr), resulting from defects. The effects of some synthetic parameters were systematically investigated. As a result, an optimized material named UiO-67(Zr)-V-0.5FA-H, obtained by acid-treating UiO-67(Zr) and prepared with the addition of 0.5 mL formic acid via a vapor-assisted method, exhibited outstanding catalytic performance in the oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT), which can completely oxidize DBT in 9 min at 30 °C using H2O2 as the oxidant. The calculated turnover frequency reached 150.4 h−1, surpassing those of most reported Zr-MOFs catalysts. In addition, it is demonstrated that UiO-67(Zr)-V-0.5FA-H is a heterogeneous catalyst and can be reused without obvious activity loss.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"70-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/70/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147886193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-07DOI: 10.3390/catal16010068
Yongli He, Liling Pan, Ke Yang, Bindong Li
{"title":"Transition-Metal-Free and HI-Catalyzed Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydrobenzothiazin-4-one Derivatives","authors":"Yongli He, Liling Pan, Ke Yang, Bindong Li","doi":"10.3390/catal16010068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010068","url":null,"abstract":"A transition-metal-free strategy for the synthesis of 2,3-dihydrobenzothiazin-4-one derivatives has been established. Using HI as the catalyst, various 2-substituted, N-substituted compounds and variations on the benzamide ring were synthesized in excellent yields via the reaction between 2-mercaptobenzamides and aldehydes. In addition, an easy experimental procedure, broad substrate scope, and excellent functional group tolerance demonstrate that this catalytic protocol provides a valuable complementary approach for accessing 2,3-dihydrobenzothiazin-4-one derivatives.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"68-68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/68/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147881791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.3390/catal16010063
Lirui Xing, Zejie Zhang, Yuehong Zhang, Lei Ji
{"title":"Construction of Super-Small-Sized BiVO4@SiO2 Composites with High Photocatalytic Performance for Tetracycline Degradation","authors":"Lirui Xing, Zejie Zhang, Yuehong Zhang, Lei Ji","doi":"10.3390/catal16010063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010063","url":null,"abstract":"The ubiquitous presence of tetracycline in water sources due to its prevalent usage in antibiotics poses a potential risk to ecosystems and to human health. There is therefore a dire need for efficient methods of tetracycline removal. To this end, we constructed a series of super-small-sized BiVO4 composites with different loading amounts of 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, and 25 wt% on SiO2 support by a hydrothermal–calcination method for efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. XRD and SEM results revealed that these composites all exhibited good crystallinity and well-dispersed morphologies. Particularly, the 20 wt% BiVO4@SiO2 of this series of composites showed superior photocatalytic performance, with 84.1% efficiency in tetracycline degradation, higher than any of its counterparts. This can be explained by its wide light-absorption range and high charge-separation efficiency, as confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectra and quenched fluorescence spectra. This work offers a new method for the design and construction of tetracycline degradation photocatalysts.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"63-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/63/pdf?version=1767616257","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147906807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-04DOI: 10.3390/catal16010058
Siru Chen, Yiwen Chen, Jun Yin, Guocheng Deng, Jie Xu, Fei Wang, Bing Xue
{"title":"Morphology Dependence of Catalytic Properties of CeO2 Nanocatalysts for One-Step CO2 Conversion to Diethyl Carbonate","authors":"Siru Chen, Yiwen Chen, Jun Yin, Guocheng Deng, Jie Xu, Fei Wang, Bing Xue","doi":"10.3390/catal16010058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010058","url":null,"abstract":"The conversion of CO2 into value-added chemicals exemplifies an innovative and eco-friendly approach to addressing carbon emissions. In this study, shape-specific CeO2 nanocrystals (nanorods, nanocubes, and nanoparticles) were successfully synthesized and employed as catalysts to study the structure-dependent behavior and reaction mechanism for one-step CO2 conversion to diethyl carbonate (DEC). Among the three catalysts, CeO2 nanorods (Ce-NR) exhibited the best catalytic activity in the synthesis of DEC from CO2 compared with CeO2 nanocubes (Ce-NC) and nanoparticles (Ce-NP), which achieved the DEC production of 1.32 mmolDEC/gcat at 423 K and 5 MPa for 4 h. Comprehensive characterization further confirmed the enhanced activity of Ce-NR originated from the morphology effect, particularly the promotion of oxygen vacancies and Ce3+ species, which promoted reaction activity. Furthermore, the Ce-NR catalyst almost retained 1.32 mmolDEC/gcat DEC production of its initial activity after four cycles, underscoring its exceptional stability and promising industrial scalability. These findings provide fundamental insights to guide the rational design of efficient catalysts for CO2 activation and other critical transformations.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"58-58"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/58/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147910168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-03DOI: 10.3390/catal16010055
Xin Liu, Jinshan Zhang, Tao Sun, Hisahiro Einaga, Hajime Hojo, Pengwei Huo
{"title":"LDH-Derived Preparation of Ce-Modified MnCoAl Layered Double Oxides for NH3-SCR: Performance and Reaction Process Study","authors":"Xin Liu, Jinshan Zhang, Tao Sun, Hisahiro Einaga, Hajime Hojo, Pengwei Huo","doi":"10.3390/catal16010055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010055","url":null,"abstract":"A series of novel Ce-modified MnCoAl layered double oxides (Ce/MCA LDOs) were prepared using solvothermal and impregnation methods for NH3-SCR denitration. Various characterizations, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) were used to investigate their structural properties and the mechanism of ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR). The incorporation of Ce was found to effectively integrate into the LDO framework and enhance the catalytic activity over a wide temperature window. Moreover, the thermal stability and resistance of H2O and SO2 were evaluated. In situ DRIFTS studies revealed that the reaction follows both the “Langmuir–Hinshelwood” (L–H) and “Eley–Rideal” (E–R) mechanisms. This work provides systematic insights into the design of LDO-based catalysts, demonstrating their potential for practical application in denitration.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"55-55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/55/pdf?version=1767426987","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147896022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.3390/catal16010046
Shuyi Yao, Haichang Xu, Yankun Jin, Jinjing Zhang, Yaru Zhao, Yilin Kang, H. L. Wang, Hao Liang
{"title":"Biomacromolecule-Regulated Biomimetic Mineralization for Efficiently Immobilizing Cells to Enhance Thermal Stability","authors":"Shuyi Yao, Haichang Xu, Yankun Jin, Jinjing Zhang, Yaru Zhao, Yilin Kang, H. L. Wang, Hao Liang","doi":"10.3390/catal16010046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010046","url":null,"abstract":"The industrial application of free sucrose phosphorylase (SPase) is significantly limited due to cost, stability issues, and poor reusability. In this study, we employed organic–inorganic hybrid nanoflowers to achieve cell immobilization by co-assembling metal ions with cells. The surface of cells was coated with nanoflowers via chitosan-regulated biomimetic mineralization, thereby enhancing the activity of immobilized cells while providing a protective structure to improve stability. The relative activity of the immobilized cells was 30% higher than that of the free cells. After placing at 4 °C in 15 days, the relative activity of immobilized cells (80%) was substantially higher than that of free cells (40%). Moreover, the immobilized cells retained approximately 85% of their relative activity after 10 cycles. In summary, the novel biocatalysts developed in this study combine high catalytic performance with excellent reusability, demonstrating significant advantages in E. coli cell immobilization and providing a solid foundation for their application in industrial biocatalysis and related fields.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"46-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/46/pdf?version=1767327449","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147886799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.3390/catal16010049
Ziqi Zhang, Hui Xu, Haojie Chu, Hong Meng, Hongwei Fan, Yingzhou Lu, C. Yuanyuan Li
{"title":"Nucleophilic Reactivity of Calcium Carbide: Its Catalytic Activation and Reaction with Acetone to Synthesize Non-Ionic Defoamers","authors":"Ziqi Zhang, Hui Xu, Haojie Chu, Hong Meng, Hongwei Fan, Yingzhou Lu, C. Yuanyuan Li","doi":"10.3390/catal16010049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010049","url":null,"abstract":"Methylbutynol (MB) is a typical propargylic alcohol with both alkynyl and hydroxyl groups, featuring excellent modifiability and broad applications. Currently, it is produced through the reaction of alkaline metallic acetylides and acetone, requiring expensive raw material and harsh reaction conditions. Herein, a novel method was proposed by replacing the metallic acetylide with calcium carbide (CaC2) as a low-cost industrial acetylide reagent. The effects of solvent, activator, and proton donor on the ball mill reaction, and the defoaming performance of the resultant MB and its oxidative coupling product (2,7-dimethyl-3,5-octadiyn-2,7-diol), were studied. Nucleophilic reactivity of CaC2 with acetone can be regulated by the activating effect of the ball mill, an appropriate activator, and a proton donor. High yield of MB (~94%) was obtained under synergistic action of TBAF·3H2O and acetylene, which represents a facile synthesis process of MB under mild conditions. MB exhibits good defoaming performance, and 2,7-dimethyl-3,5-octadiyn-2,7-diol is more promising, being an excellent non-ionic defoamer. The result is of great significance for exploring new chemical reactions of CaC2 and its high-value utilizations.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"49-49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/49/pdf?version=1767335995","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147894649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.3390/catal16010039
Yiqiong Yang, Xuyang Gao, Juan Han, Mingkun Cao, Li Qing, Liren Yu, Xiaodong Zhang
{"title":"Performance and Mechanism of Monolithic Co-Doped Nickel–Iron Foam Catalyst for Highly Efficient Activation of PMS in Degrading Chlortetracycline in Water","authors":"Yiqiong Yang, Xuyang Gao, Juan Han, Mingkun Cao, Li Qing, Liren Yu, Xiaodong Zhang","doi":"10.3390/catal16010039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010039","url":null,"abstract":"Metal–organic framework (MOF) materials were extensively studied in the removal of pollutants in wastewater. However, catalysts in the powder form usually suffered from the strong tendency to agglomerate and the intricate operation for recycling, which significantly limited their practical application. In comparison, monolithic catalysts with their high macroscopic operability and recoverability as well as impressive specific surface area have attracted tremendous attention in recent years. To address these issues, a monolithic Fe-based catalyst was prepared via in situ synthesis, using nickel–iron foam (NFF) as the substrate with cobalt (Co) incorporation. XPS analysis showed that Co doping enhanced the synergistic interaction among Fe, Ni, and Co, accelerating the redox cycle among species, thus improving electron transfer and laying a kinetic foundation for efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Quenching experiments and EPR indicated singlet oxygen (1O2) as the main reactive species; Co doping shifted the degradation pathway from radicals to non-radicals. Under optimized conditions (PMS: 0.08 mmol/L; catalyst: 1 cm2; initial Chlortetracycline (CTC): 50 mg/L), 95.7% CTC degradation was achieved within 60 min, and efficiency only dropped to 90.5% after 5 cycles. This catalyst provided theoretical and technical support for the application of monolithic MOF-derived catalysts and highly efficient PMS activators.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"39-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/39/pdf?version=1767248967","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147911696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
CatalystsPub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.3390/catal16010026
Hao Du, Yun Chen, Hanyang Wang, Jishen Zhu, S Ye, Jianwei Song, Gaixia Wei, Wenge Qiu
{"title":"Improving the Efficiency of Hydrogen Spillover by an Alkali Treatment Strategy for Boosting Formic Acid Dehydrogenation Performance","authors":"Hao Du, Yun Chen, Hanyang Wang, Jishen Zhu, S Ye, Jianwei Song, Gaixia Wei, Wenge Qiu","doi":"10.3390/catal16010026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010026","url":null,"abstract":"Defect engineering has been demonstrated to be an attractive strategy to improve the catalytic performance of g−C3N4−based catalysts. Herein, three graphite carbon nitrides (labeled “CN”) containing a certain number of cyano groups and nitrogen vacancies are prepared successfully by calcination of the dicyandiamide−based CN in the presence of KOH, and the performances of the corresponding Pd−based catalysts are evaluated by using the formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation as a probe reaction. The characterizations of X−ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X−ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), hydrogen temperature−programmed desorption (H2−TPD), and hydrogen spillover experiments indicate that the high catalytic activity of Pd/CNK−0.5 is mainly attributed to its high efficient hydrogen spillover, relatively high dispersity of Pd species, and basicity due to the introduction of a proper amount of cyano groups and nitrogen vacancies. The low initial activity of Pd/CNK−0.75 may mainly be ascribed to its low hydrogen spillover ability and the strongly chemisorbed hydrogen on Pd single atoms or small clusters.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"26-26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147921794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}