Functionalized Metal Oxide Catalysts for Environmental and Energy Sustainability
A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalytic Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5
Special Issue Editor
Interests: photocatalysis; photoelectrochemical water splitting; environmental pollution management; renewable energy; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The escalating environmental crisis and global energy transition demand transformative catalytic solutions. Metal oxides, endowed with intrinsic stability, tunable electronic structures, and earth abundance, represent a cornerstone of sustainable catalysis. However, their practical efficacy hinges on precise functionalization—through doping, heterostructuring, defect engineering, and surface modification—to enhance activity, selectivity, and durability.
This Special Issue seeks to consolidate breakthroughs in the rational design and application of functionalized metal oxide catalysts that directly address environmental remediation and clean energy generation. We invite contributions spanning from fundamental mechanistic insights to applied system-level evaluations, with emphasis on innovative strategies that bridge material innovation with real-world viability.
The scope includes the following:
- Environmental catalysis: Advanced oxidation processes, CO₂ capture/conversion, micropollutant degradation, air and water purification
- Energy catalysis: Photocatalytic/electrocatalytic water splitting, H₂ production/utilization, fuel cells, metal-air batteries, solar fuel synthesis
- Functionalization paradigms: Elemental doping, heterojunctions, vacancy engineering, core-shell architectures, support integration
- Advanced characterization and theory: Operando spectroscopy, DFT modeling, structure–activity relationships
- Sustainability metrics: Catalyst stability, recyclability, scalability, techno-economic analysis
By spotlighting cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aims to accelerate the deployment of functionalized metal oxides as pivotal enablers of a sustainable future.
Prof. Dr. Chin Wei Lai
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- functionalized metal oxides
- environmental catalysis
- energy catalysis
- advanced oxidation processes (AOPs)
- photocatalysis
- electrocatalysis
- CO2 capture and conversion
- water splitting
- heterostructured catalysts
- defect engineering
- doped metal oxides
- catalyst stability
- recyclability
- techno-economic analysis
- sustainable chemistry
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