catalysis

A research team developed an acid-metal bifunctional catalyst made from discarded fish bones that efficiently converted waste agricultural film into olefin-rich bio-oil through microwave-assisted pyrolysis. Under optimized conditions, the catalyst produced a bio-oil yield of 89.32 wt.%, with olefins accounting for 84.03% of the oil and C6-C12 compounds dominating the hydrocarbon fraction. By simu…

CHANGWON, South Korea -- Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), led by President Chul-jin Choi, announced that a research team led by Principal Researcher Sung Mook Choi of the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division, in collaboration with research teams led by Professor Min Ho Seo of Pukyong National University and Professor Won Bae Kim of Pohang University of Science and Technolo…

Nature Communications, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-76887-5 To understand nitrogen activation in the Haber–Bosch process, the study simulates the iron catalyst at atomistic level under realistic industrial conditions of high pressure and temperature, revealing catalytic activity despite substantial coverage.

Renewable electricity-driven water electrolysis offers a promising route to low-emission hydrogen, yet exceptional laboratory catalyst performance does not necessarily translate into efficient, durable, and scalable electrolyzer operation. This review examines nanostructured electrocatalysts across interconnected length scales, linking atomic-level electronic structure and adsorption energetics w…

Nature Catalysis, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01581-0 The catalytic formation of C–N bonds remains a central challenge in synthetic chemistry owing to the widespread occurrence of amine motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and other bioactive compounds. By merging photoredox and phosphine catalysis, researchers extend the reactivity of P(IV) intermediates to π-sy…

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-76749-0 The authors report a ligand-controlled, regiodivergent palladium-catalyzed three-component Heck–Tsuji reaction of allenes, aryl iodides, and umpolung hydrazones. Leveraging the umpolung reactivity of hydrazones as sustainable carbanion surrogates enables the direct arylalkylation of allenes, forming two C–C bo…

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of AgxFe2-xO3 nanoparticles as highly efficient photocatalysts and excellent antimicrobial agents. AgxFe2-xO3 nanoparticle synthesis was carried out through the sol–gel auto-combustion method. It was extensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), which confirmed the formation of crystalline α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with a crystallite s…