Advanced Catalytic Materials and Processes for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The global push towards carbon neutrality and environmental remediation places catalysis at the heart of sustainable energy conversion and pollution control. Advanced catalytic materials—ranging from single-atom and high-entropy alloys to metal–organic frameworks and defect-engineered oxides—offer unprecedented opportunities to drive critical reactions such as water splitting, CO₂ reduction, biomass upgrading and persistent pollutant degradation. However, translating laboratory discoveries into industrially viable processes remains hindered by challenges in durability, selectivity and scalable synthesis under dynamic operating conditions.

This Special Issue aims to showcase frontier research on rational catalyst design, green synthesis routes and innovative reactor engineering that collectively enable efficient, durable and cost-effective catalytic systems. By bridging molecular-level mechanistic insights—gained from in situ/operando characterization and computational modeling—with process intensification and techno-economic viability, we seek to accelerate the deployment of catalytic technologies in real-world energy and environmental applications. Contributions are expected to align with principles of sustainability, circularity and low carbon footprint, covering topics such as electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, thermal catalysis and hybrid systems. Through this collection, we aspire to highlight transformative pathways that reconcile high performance with environmental responsibility, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations toward a cleaner, more resilient future.

Dr. Jianbiao Chen
Guest Editor

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