catalysis

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a computation-guided strategy to produce urea more efficiently from carbon dioxide and nitrate. By combining large language models, density functional theory calculations and experiments, the approach identified a cadmium-modified iron oxide catalyst that maintains high urea selectivity at practical current densities. Urea…

A team of researchers in South Korea has developed a new catalyst that can repair itself after damage, potentially solving one of the biggest problems facing hydrogen energy technologies. The breakthrough could help improve the durability of hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers, two technologies that are expected to play an important role in the […] The post Scientists create a self-healin…

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02148-z N-aryl pyrazole is a prevalent motif among pharmaceuticals across various therapeutic areas but can be challenging to synthesize due to the high similarity of the two nitrogen atoms. Now it has been shown that the use of copper catalysis and arynes provides a switchable protocol to access both regioisomers.

A very recent experimental study [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (10) e2524790123] demonstrated that non-functionalized graphene (Gr) supported on silicon(111) catalyzed the decomposition of small sulfur-containing compounds under ultra-high vacuum. Accompanying density functional theory (DFT) calculations identify grain boundary defects (GBDs) and interfacial defects as the active sites. Func…

Researchers have developed a solar-driven catalyst material that harnesses the energy of a single photon to reduce carbon dioxide and oxidize organic waste at the same time, producing valuable chemicals in both reactions. Scientists at the University of Nottingham have created two catalyst materials that, when coupled together within the same reactor, can simultaneously convert […]

Nature Communications, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74210-w While the “majority rules” dictates the handedness of heterochiral assemblies, their chiroptical signals are typically weaker than those of homochiral ones. Here, the authors demonstrate that controlled enantiomeric imbalance can enhance chiroptical activity beyond that of homochiral assemblies.

Nature Communications, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74293-5 The authors use femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to investigate a prototypical EDA system, asymmetric α-alkylation of aldehydes, enabling observation of excited-state dynamics.

Nature Communications, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74186-7 The authors report a visible-light-mediated, chiral Brønsted acid-catalyzed C2-umpolung of 3-azoindoles, enabling their catalytic asymmetric formal nucleophilic C2-substitution with 2-substituted indoles. This strategy provides efficient access to axially chiral 2,3’-bisindoles in good yields with excellent enan…

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01554-3 Electrocatalysts for ammonia oxidation tend to be poisoned by nitrogen-based intermediates. Here the authors use an electrode-alternating strategy that uses pulsed potential reversal to continuously regenerate the deactivated surface, enabling Pt-based ammonia electrolysis for over 1,000 h.

Herein, a straightforward, and mild synthetic co-precipitation method is used to prepare Cr-ZnO/RGO nanocomposite to be used in supercapacitor applications. First, the chromium (Cr) doping concentration in zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles was systematically varied (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10%) to evaluate its influence on the electrochemical performance. The composite was constructed by combining reduced g…

Nature Communications, Published online: 11 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74386-1 Light-driven oxygen redox offers a new strategy to boost oxygen evolution activity by enabling direct O–O bond formation. Here, the authors report that sulfur-treated cobalt oxyhydroxide generates non-bonding oxygen states under light, enhancing oxygen evolution performance.

Nature Communications, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74372-7 Benzocyclobutenes (BCBs) represent a highly strained, privileged structural motif with significant applications in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, organic synthesis, polymers and materials science, yet efficient synthetic methods remain limited. Here, the authors report an oxidant-free Au(I)/Au(III)-catalyz…

Nature Communications, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74182-x Organonitrogen electrosynthesis restores N cycle sustainably but is limited by asynchronous proton-electron transfer. Here, the authors report a synergistic proton-electron donor interface of protonated polyaniline/graphite, enabling dual-path nitrate reduction for high efficiency oxime production.

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02177-8 Selective radical capture remains a central challenge in transition metal-catalysed transformations involving multiple radical intermediates. Now a ligand-modulated metal–radical polarity-match mechanism exploiting electronic bias for selective radical capture has been identified. This principle enables general photo…

Nature Communications, Published online: 10 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74244-0 Skeletal editing enables direct structural reorganization of molecular frameworks, providing a powerful strategy for rapid exploration of chemical space in lead optimization. Herein the authors report a mild, photoinduced skeletal editing strategy that converts furans into pharmacologically valuable pyridazines …

Nature Communications, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74188-5 To establish green and efficient carbon chain elongation protocols, this study reports a photoelectrocatalytic system enabling radical-mediated self-cross-coupling reactions.

Nature Communications, Published online: 09 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74181-y Turning carbon dioxide into ethylene requires catalysts that control intermediate formation and coupling on copper surfaces. Here, the authors show that aluminum-doped copper tunes these intermediates through orbital interactions, enabling efficient ethylene production from dilute carbon dioxide.

The immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) in ordered mesoporous silica can provide a stable and efficient platform for glucose sensing and biocatalytic applications. This work examines a reaction-diffusion model governing glucose transport and enzymatic conversion inside GOx-loaded SBA-15 structures, with attention to both rod-shaped and cuboid particle geometries. Three coupled phenomena are i…

An overview of how heterogeneous metal-based nanocatalysts can hydrogenate nitroarenes to amino arenes has drawn a lot of interest because of its industrial significance as an intermediate in the production of plastics, as well as for the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and material sciences industries. Novel nanocatalysts, including noble (Pd, Pt, Au, Ru, Rh and Ag) and non-noble (Cu, Fe, Ni, Co an…