Cutting-Edge Catalysts for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Catalysts are indispensable in modern industry and scientific research, playing a transformative role in energy generation and environmental protection. While noble metal-based catalysts exhibit high performance, their cost and limited scalability pose challenges to broader, sustainable applications. This has increased the demand for novel catalytic materials that advance sustainable energy practices, reduce industrial waste, lower costs, and meet the growing need for clean technology. In response to these challenges, researchers are actively exploring a diverse range of catalytic materials, from single metals and mixed metal oxides or sulfides to advanced frameworks like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Additionally, the integration of catalysts with solar irradiation and sustainable oxidants is proving effective for eco-friendly oxidation processes. Innovations in nanostructured catalysts are also at the forefront, emphasizing the design of materials that maintain efficiency and selectivity over multiple cycles. These catalysts are tailored for sustainable applications, including H₂ production, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for water treatment, and CO₂ reduction, highlighting their significant potential for impactful solutions in environmental and energy sectors.

This Special Issue invites original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and perspectives that explore recent advances and novel approaches in catalytic materials. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Catalysts for Renewable Energy: Development of photocatalysts, electrocatalysts, and other catalysts for applications in hydrogen production, fuel cells, CO₂ reduction, and biomass conversion;
• Environmental Catalysis: Catalysts for pollutant degradation, wastewater treatment, air purification, and other applications in environmental remediation;
• Nanostructured Catalysts: Innovations in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of nanocatalysts and nanocomposites to enhance catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability;
• Heterogeneous Catalysis: Design and optimization of solid catalysts for industrial processes, with an emphasis on sustainable and efficient chemical transformations;
• Catalyst Mechanisms and Modeling: Investigations into catalyst mechanisms, behavior, and performance through experimental studies, theoretical calculations, and computational modeling.

This Special Issue aims to publish cutting-edge research that pushes the boundaries of catalytic science for sustainable and environmental applications. Contributions that feature interdisciplinary approaches, address scalability challenges, or demonstrate potential for real-world application are highly encouraged. The goal is to provide a comprehensive platform for emerging innovations that can pave the way toward cleaner and more efficient processes across various sectors.

Prof. Dr. Abu Saad Ansari
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• catalysis for sustainable energy
• environmental catalysis and photocatalysis
• electrocatalysis
• nanostructured catalysts
• metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)
• single-atom catalysts
• advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
• CO₂ reduction catalysts
• hydrogen production
• fuel cells
• water treatment catalysis
• heterogeneous catalysis