Advanced Catalysis for Sustainable Chemicals and Energy Conversion: Design, Synthesis and Mechanism

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalysis for Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 254

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Shandong Key Laboratory of Intelligent Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: catalytic materials; electrocatalysis; computational catalysis; catalytic mechanism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Shandong Key Laboratory of Intelligent Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Interests: petrochemical catalysts; computational catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, advanced catalytic materials have played an increasingly pivotal role in enabling sustainable chemical synthesis and clean energy conversion, driving innovations in fields such as green chemical production, renewable energy utilization and CO2 conversion. The development of efficient catalysts—from single-atom and nano-structured systems to hierarchical porous materials—has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of selectivity, activity and stability under realistic conditions. However, the intricate relationships among catalyst design, synthesis, performance and mechanism demand integrated experimental and theoretical approaches to fully understand and optimize these systems.

This Special Issue, titled “Advanced Catalysis for Sustainable Chemicals and Energy Conversion: Design, Synthesis and Mechanism,” seeks to highlight the latest advances in the creation, characterization and multi-scale understanding of catalytic materials for sustainable applications. We aim to bring together cutting-edge research that employs innovative synthesis strategies, in situ/operando characterization and state-of-the-art computational tools—including density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics, microkinetic modeling and machine learning—to elucidate catalytic behavior and guide rational material design.

We welcome contributions addressing the following topics:

  • Rational design and controlled synthesis of porous, nano-, single-atom and cluster catalysts.
  • Green and sustainable synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals via homo-/heterogeneous, photo- and electrocatalysis.
  • Catalytic processes for renewable energy conversion, including water splitting, CO2 reduction, N2 fixation and biomass upgrading.
  • Mechanistic insights into catalytic reactions through combined experimental and computational studies.
  • Multi-scale modeling, machine-learning and high-throughput approaches in catalyst discovery and optimization.

This Special Issue will serve as a platform for disseminating groundbreaking research and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among chemists, materials scientists and engineers working in catalysis. By sharing your work, you will contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this vital field and help shape the future of sustainable industrial and energy processes.

We look forward to receiving your contributions, which may include original research articles, review papers and perspectives.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lianming Zhao
Dr. Houyu Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • catalyst design and synthesis
  • green and sustainable catalysis
  • photocatalysis and electrocatalysis
  • CO2 conversion and utilization
  • single-atom and nanocatalysts
  • biomass valorization
  • reaction mechanism studies
  • multi-scale computational catalysis
  • machine learning in catalysis
  • renewable energy catalysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 2502 KB  
Article
Transition Metal Single-Atom-Anchored PdN2 Monolayer for Superior Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation Reactions
by Yanji Qian, Haoyu Zhang, Wenxi Han, Wenxuan An, Yizhu Wang, Guangkun Yan, Jing Xu and Lianming Zhao
Catalysts 2026, 16(6), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16060561 - 18 Jun 2026
Abstract
The sluggish kinetics of alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and high cost of Pt–based catalysts have long hindered large–scale deployment of alkaline membrane fuel cells. Via first–principles calculations, we designed a series of 3d transition metal single atoms anchored on PdN2 monolayer [...] Read more.
The sluggish kinetics of alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and high cost of Pt–based catalysts have long hindered large–scale deployment of alkaline membrane fuel cells. Via first–principles calculations, we designed a series of 3d transition metal single atoms anchored on PdN2 monolayer (TM–PdN2, TM = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) and evaluated their alkaline HOR performance. Ti-, Cr-, Fe-, Co-, Ni-modified systems exhibit excellent thermodynamic and electrochemical stability under operating conditions. Single-atom doping tunes the p-band center of N and d-band center of metal sites, enabling precise modulation of H and OH adsorption strengths. Mechanistic analysis reveals HOR follows H2 + 2OH* → H* + OH* + H2O → 2H2O, with the final step as rate-determining step. H adsorption contributes 3.45 times more to HOR activity than OH adsorption. Fe–PdN2 delivers the best performance, with an ultra–low barrier of 0.11 eV and a rate constant of 2.82 × 1010 s–1·site−1, values that significantly outperform those of Pt(111) (0.22 eV, 4.5 × 109 s−1·site−1). This work provides theoretical guidance for rational design of high–performance alkaline HOR electrocatalysts. Full article
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