In the context of the global energy crisis and the urgent need for clean energy, dry reforming of methane (DRM) presents a dual benefit by transforming methane and CO₂ into syngas with an ideal H₂/CO ratio. However, traditional thermal DRM processes suffer from the need for elevated temperatures, a challenge that results in catalyst degradation and excessive carbon release. Photothermal catalysis has emerged as a viable alternative, effectively mitigating energy demand and reducing operational temperatures. Compared to traditional precious metal catalysts, non-precious metal catalysts, including Ni and Co, exhibit distinct benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness and availability. Despite these benefits, the rapid deactivation caused by carbon deposition and/or active metal sintering remains a major challenge for large-scale applications. Metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived catalysts have been considered an effective strategy to improve the dispersion and activity of Ni-based catalysts. Nonetheless, the development of MOFs is still in the nascent stages. This work offers a detailed review of progress in photothermal DRM catalyst development, highlighting the potential applications, key challenges, and systematic design principles for MOFs. Finally, we present a vision for the advancement of high-performance photothermal DRM catalysts, outlining key opportunities and challenges.

Research on functional separators is crucial for the performance of batteries owing to the inability of commercial polyolefin separators to suppress dendrites growth in lithium metal batteries, resulting in poor performance and safety hazards. Herein, we report polar groups of terminal amino and amide functionalized polyetherimide separators [ethylenediamine grafting polyetherimide (PEI-EDA)] with uniformly connected pore structures. The PEI-EDA separator displays excellent thermal stability, electrolyte affinity and ion transport ability with an ionic conductivity of 1.96 mS·cm^-1 and a Li⁺ transference number of 0.74. Notably, the lone-pair electrons in nitrogen atoms of the −NH₂ and −CONH− groups have interaction with Li⁺, and the active hydrogens on them have the electrostatic interaction with PF₆^-, which achieves the desolvation of Li⁺, and improves ion transport rate and uniform lithium-ion flux, synergistically inducing homogeneous deposition of Li⁺, suppressing the growth of dendritic lithium and forming a stable fluorine-rich solid interphase layer and uniform cathode interphase layer. Furthermore, the data from online electrochemical mass spectroscopy (OLEMS) show that the gas production of a battery with a PEI-EDA separator is significantly reduced during the cycling process, which effectively improves the battery safety. Uniform and dense lithium deposition not only prolongs the cycle-life of Li||Cu and Li||Li cells but also enhances the rate capability and cycling stability of Li||LiFePO₄ batteries even under high cathode loading and extreme temperature conditions. Moreover, the Li||LiFePO₄ pouch battery displays stable cycling performance and benign safety under the folding state. This suggests the PEI-EDA separator has a promising application prospect in the next-generation secure dendrite-free metal batteries.

Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene to butenes is an effective way to eliminate the minor 1,3-butadiene impurities, which can cause intractable issues of catalyst deactivation in the C₄ olefins upgrading processes. To this end, Pd single-atom catalysts (SACs) exhibit remarkable selectivity to desired butene products due to the adsorption configuration of 1,3-butadiene in a mono-π mode. However, it is still a grand challenge to prepare thermally stable Pd SACs with conventional synthetic methods. Herein, we acquired Pd SACs via the selective encapsulation strategy exploiting classical strong metal-support interaction, during which Pd nanoparticles are more prone to be encapsulated by the oxide overlayer than Pd single atoms, thus Pd single atoms exclusively stay exposed to the catalytic environment. Various characterizations, such as aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, together with CO adsorbed in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra, have collectively demonstrated the successful synthesis of Pd SACs on CeO₂ support when we adjusted the reductive temperature to 600 °C (Pd/CeO₂-H600). The as-obtained Pd/CeO₂-H600 gives excellent catalytic performances in the selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene with conversion of almost 100% and butenes selectivity of above 98% at 100 °C. Moreover, the conversion of 99% and butenes selectivity of 97.5% can also remain nearly unchanged for 60 h at a weight hourly space velocity of 60,000 mL/g_cat/h. This work illustrates the effectiveness of this selective encapsulation strategy to construct Pd SACs and can probably provide a prospective avenue to prepare various SACs for selective hydrogenation processes.

Photocatalysis has been increasingly investigated as an alternative approach to traditional catalysis for biomass conversions, though both strategies have advantages and disadvantages. Herein, we present an overview on the coupling of photocatalysis with traditional catalysis and their applications in the conversion of biomass-derived carbohydrates to value-added chemicals. These applications include: (1) modulation of an adscititious oxidant and in situ generated mediator to boost the photocatalytic oxidation of carbohydrates to chemicals; (2) coupling of photocatalysis with basic catalysis to facilitate the conversion of carbohydrates to lactic acid with H₂ production; and (3) coupling of photocatalysis with acid catalysis for the polysaccharide hydrolysis to monosaccharides, glucose isomerization to fructose and dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. We believe that the rational combination of photocatalysis with traditional catalysis would not only provide an effective strategy for the design and development of more effective catalytic systems for biomass conversions, but also create new opportunities for synergetic utilization of material and energy.

Carbon-doped boron nitride (CBN) materials are a novel class of non-metallic catalysts with significant potential in catalyzing the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) process. Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) is a type of metal-organic framework material featuring a ZIF skeleton. Boron nitride materials derived from ZIF-8 inherit its advantages, including customizable structure, tunable mesoporous properties and high specific surface area. The present work has developed a novel synthetic method to introduce and engineer the B-terminated defect in ZIF-8 derived carbon-doped boron nitride (CBN-Zx) through the co-pyrolysis of ZIF-8 and other typical precursors containing boron and nitrogen. The unique role of ZIF-8 precursors was to produce mesopores in CBN-Zx, which contained plenty of B-terminated defects formed via the volatilization of Zn and the elimination of C and N species during the pyrolysis process, and these defects could transform into active boron oxygen (BO_x) species, which enhanced the ODHP activity. The optimized CBN-Z0.4 catalyst exhibited high propane conversion at 23.9% in ODHP with the olefin selectivity at 86.1%, which had reached the best level among boron-based catalysts in ODHP. The present work not only provides a new idea for synthesizing highly efficient boron-based catalysts for ODHP reactions, but also sheds light on the structure-function relations, rational design and practical applications of CBN catalysts for ODHP reactions.

Recently, porous organic frameworks (POFs) have emerged as functional materials and have been widely used in various applications. Crystalline POFs include covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and partial crystalline covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs). Amorphous porous organic materials are mainly divided into porous aromatic frameworks (PAFs), conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), and hypercrosslinked porous polymers (HCPs). Although POFs have many unique structural features and excellent performance, the harsh synthesis conditions and difficulty in large-scale production have always limited their widespread use. Therefore, more researchers are paying attention to developing green, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly synthesis processes for large-scale preparation of POFs. Herein, we provide a timely overview on green synthesis of POFs and critically discuss some typical research work in detail. Meanwhile, the green synthesis strategies of POFs are emphatically described to categorize relevant reports. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of green synthetic POFs in the future are proposed according to the above classification research.

The “aldehyde-water shift” (AWS) reaction offers a green and sustainable route for producing carboxylic acids with the concomitant release of hydrogen. However, most current AWS processes rely on homogeneous noble metal-based catalysts, facing significant challenges in the separation and recyclability of catalysts. Herein, we present the Pt nanoparticles deposited on highly defective porous CeO₂ nanorods (Pt/PN-CeO₂) as highly effective catalysts for the production of carboxylic acids and H₂ through the AWS reaction. Isotope investigations have confirmed the occurrence of AWS by tracing the origin of the generated hydrogen with one hydrogen from aldehyde and one hydrogen from water. Further mechanism studies have illustrated that the concentration of oxygen vacancies plays a crucial role in both the activation of the C–H bond in aldehydes and the activation of water. These findings provide valuable insights for designing new catalytic systems by focusing on the construction of heterogeneous catalysts for the AWS reaction.

Volatile organic compounds are important precursors of air pollution and photochemical smog, and they pose potential risks to human health and the ecological environment. Among them, propane is particularly challenging to eliminate due to its stable chemical nature. The catalytic oxidation of propane offers a promising strategy to tackle this pressing environmental issue and serves as an excellent model reaction for investigating the C–H and C–C bond activation and oxygen redox processes on supported noble metal catalysts. In this review, we focus on commonly used supported noble metal catalysts and systematically discuss how the chemical state, particle size, support type, addition of promoters, and metal-support interactions influence the catalytic performance in complete propane oxidation. Subsequently, the thermal stability of different noble metal catalysts is summarized. We then provide an overview of the common propane oxidation mechanisms reported in the literature, including Langmuir-Hinshelwood, Eley-Rideal, and Mars-van Krevelen mechanisms. Finally, we summarize and prospect the precise regulation of noble metal-support interface and the application of newly developed electrothermal catalytic technologies for highly efficient propane oxidation, guiding the design of future high-performance catalysts. This review aims to provide mechanistic insights and design principles bridging fundamental catalysis and practical oxidation applications.

The quest for energy storage systems that are both sustainable and efficient has generated growing attention toward rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs), known for their elevated theoretical specific energy, affordability, and eco-friendliness. Nevertheless, the effective application of ZABs faces challenges due to the slow kinetics associated with the oxygen reduction reaction and the oxygen evolution reaction. Traditionally, the preferred catalysts for these reactions have been platinum-group metals because of their remarkable catalytic activity and stability, but their prohibitive cost and scarcity have driven the search for cost-effective, non-precious metal (NPM)-based alternatives. NPM-based carbon materials, including metal-organic framework derivatives, metal-doped carbons, carbon nitrides, and heteroatom-doped carbons, have emerged as promising candidates for replacing platinum-group metals in ZABs. These materials offer high specific surface areas, tunable morphologies, and the ability to incorporate multiple active sites through doping with elements such as nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), phosphorus (P), and boron. The enhanced transfer of electrons and mass transport is facilitated by these attributes, resulting in better catalytic performance for both the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction. This review highlights recent advancements in the design and synthesis of NPM-based carbon catalysts, detailing strategies to enhance their performance and providing examples of high-performance catalysts. These catalysts, especially when applied in solid-state ZABs, offer significant improvements in terms of efficiency and stability, making them promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems. The future outlook includes the optimization of synthesis parameters and exploration of wider applications for these advanced electrocatalysts.

In the realm of metal-air batteries (MABs) and fuel cells (FC), managing the thickly catalytic layer of metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts is pivotal, where the design of mass transport pathways in meso- and macro-scale is essential around the active metal sites. Such arrangements are crucial to achieving adequate three-phase boundaries and timely kinetic responses during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Yet, when it comes to materials with low-dimensional morphologies, such as nanolayers and nanosheets, the high aspect ratios render new challenges to structure maintenance during the pore formation, usually involving templating or etching, and against the pyrolysis collapse. Herein, we have developed an in-situ nano-assembling methodology to design hierarchical porosity in M-N-C catalysts pyrolytically derived from 2D materials. By controlling the solvothermal synthesis, the 2D nonporous precursors, fusiform ZIF-L nanolayers, are taken as a particular experimental model; they can scale down into secondary monomers and restack meso- and macro-porously. After pyrolysis, the derived Fe-N-C catalysts well inherit the hierarchical morphology and thus showcase calcined micro-pores along with a spectrum of meso- and macro-pores. Advanced characterization techniques such as the spherical aberration correction electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectrum allow us to pinpoint atomically dispersed FeN₄ motifs as the primary active sites. Notably, their upgraded accessibility exhibits a direct correlation to the performance parameters in half-cells and prototype zinc-air batteries (ZABs). This investigation heralds new pathways for the optimization of low-dimensional nanocatalysts, aiming to exploit their activity within catalytic layers to the fullest.

Mechanofluorochromic (MFC) materials, capable of undergoing color changes in response to external forces, hold vast potential for a wide range of applications. Here, we designed and synthesized four compounds based on the tetraphenylethylene (TPE) unit, denoted as TPE-1, TPE-2, TPE-3, and TPE-4. The TPE moiety serves as the common core among these compounds, while nitrogen atom fine-tuning is employed on the modifying groups of the four compounds to explore its influence on their photophysical properties and MFC performance. These compounds display significant variations in their solid-state photophysical properties and MFC characteristics. Especially, TPE-3 and TPE-4 exhibit excellent MFC properties and different sensitivity to external mechanical stimuli. These research findings not only offer a fresh perspective on the MFC mechanism of TPE-based compounds but also provide valuable insights for the design and development of novel MFC molecules.