Small and stable supported high-entropy alloy nanoparticles show great promise in catalysis, but their synthesis remains challenging. Here, the authors report a reducing flame aerosol route to highly ...

Scaling correlations, between adsorption energies of chemically related surface species, impose limits on selectivity in chemical processes, as exemplified by constraints in heterogeneous catalysis. N...

Understanding how precise atomic structures govern catalytic activity remains a fundamental challenge. Now it has been shown that framework-encapsulated, molecularly defined polyoxometalate clusters e...

Nature Chemistry, Published online: 11 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41557-026-02143-4One-step excitation overall water splitting holds promise for green hydrogen production but currently requires precise loading of multiple inorganic cocatalysts. Now, a conductive two-dimensional metal–organic framework is shown to serve as an ‘all-in-one’ cocatalyst for both the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions without catalysing reverse oxygen reduction.

Tungsten clusters have illuminated complexity from biology to light conversion. Elisabetta Benazzi, Maurizio Prato and Marcella Bonchio explore how ruthenium-polyoxotungstates for artificial photosynt...

The oxygen evolution reaction proceeds over a surface that undergoes (frustrated) phase transitions to accommodate bias-dependent excess charge. Now it has been shown that this excess charge is intima...

Selective chemical upcycling of polyolefin mixtures remains challenging due to the structural similarity of their backbones. Now it has been shown that a single-site nickel catalyst can preferentially...

Battery recyclability presents a sustainability challenge in materials design. Now it has been shown that aramid amphiphile self-assembly yields solid-state electrolytes with fast ion conductivity and...

While the ligand coordination microenvironment surrounding catalytic centres influences reactivity, dynamic oxygen reconstruction during water oxidation electrocatalysis complicates structure-based me...

Electrochemical energy-storage devices require rapid charge–discharge profiles, but the dense electrode packing required to achieve high energy densities results in sluggish ion-transport kinetics. No...

Electrochemical devices producing oxygen in space face limited buoyancy, hindering gas bubble removal and increasing reaction overpotentials. Now, it has been shown that commercial magnets can enhance...

Ammonia represents a promising fuel resource, but its efficient conversion to dinitrogen faces high energy barriers. Now magnetic domain structures of Co/Pt thin films have been engineered to facilita...

Lithium-metal batteries require the controlled growth of lithium for reliable operation, but it has been challenging to understand which factors impact and determine lithium nucleation and growth. Now...

The combination of electricity and light can provide a sustainable route to drive challenging synthetic transformations, but current catalysts are plagued by poor stability and mechanistic ambiguity. ...

Simulating molecular adsorption on surfaces presents considerable challenges, as computational methods typically suffer from either insufficient accuracy or prohibitive computational costs. Now, with ...

Current CO₂ capture strategies often suffer from high thermal regeneration costs. Now a photobase has been shown to reversibly capture and release CO₂ from ambient air using visible light, offering a ...

Organic electrode materials offer a versatile and sustainable route for lithium-ion batteries, but their application is hindered by low working voltages and poor cycling stability. Now, it has been sh...

High-entropy nanomaterials, which incorporate multiple homogeneously dispersed elements, are promising for energy conversion, but typically require complex, high-temperature synthesis. Now a scalable ...

Electrochemical CO2 and CO reduction are promising for the sustainable synthesis of multi-carbon products. However, the kinetics that govern the activity and selectivity of the interface between catal...

The structure of interfacial water plays a key role in the electrochemical reduction of CO to multi-carbon products on copper electrodes. Now it is shown that highly concentrated electrolytes modulate...

Traditional methylamine synthesis from methanol and ammonia relies on high-temperature and high-pressure reaction conditions, resulting in byproducts and challenging purification. Now, electrochemical...

Nitromethane electroreduction offers a sustainable route for methylamine synthesis, but poor N–O activation yields low selectivity. Now N-methylhydroxylamine adsorption on low-coordination copper has ...

Efficient sunlight-to-fuel conversion requires materials that produce long-lived charges, but increasing carrier lifetimes in visible-light-active photocatalysts has proven difficult. Now it has been ...

Moses Dike and Shudipto Konika Dishari explore lignin’s historic journey alongside human civilization and showcase its game-changing potential to drive sustainability without compromising performance.

Transition metal oxides serve as important electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction, although Co-based oxides typically undergo pH-dependent dynamic surface reconstruction under catalytic co...

Although dry reforming of methane can convert CO2 to valuable chemicals, the reaction requires near-equivalent amounts of CH4. Now it has been demonstrated that an electro-thermocatalytic CH4 reformin...

Propane dehydrogenation is challenging to perform under mild conditions due to the reaction’s endothermic nature. Now, near-ambient propane dehydrogenation has been shown using copper single-atom cata...

Chemical energy conversion and storage rely on the selective movement of protons and electrons, thus understanding these processes is important for applications. Now experiments at elevated pressures ...

Atomically dispersed heterogeneous catalysts impact diverse areas of chemistry through the design of active sites with molecular precision, but this vision is not fully realized. This Perspective pres...

N2 reduction to ammonia typically requires transition metal catalysts, proceeding via a strong metal–nitrogen interaction. Now a Ba–Si orthosilicate oxynitride–hydride has been shown to function as a ...

Lithium–sulfur batteries are a promising electrochemical energy storage technology; however, they are limited by the dissolution of polysulfide intermediates. Now, it has been shown that sparingly sol...

CO2 electroreduction to higher-value carbons can occur through adsorbed hydrogen or through proton-coupled electron transfer from water. Understanding the impact of each route on product selectivity i...

Perovskite solar cells often rely on ordered molecular contacts for favourable charge-carrier transport, and any organizational disruption reduces device efficiency. Now a contact featuring an orthogo...

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can exhibit a voltage decay over time, a complex process that diminishes storable energy and device lifetime. Now, hydrogen transfer from the electrolyte solvent to ...

Molecular approaches in quantum information science are highly promising, but the synthesis and scale-up of suitable covalently linked moieties represent major challenges. Here it is demonstrated that...

Understanding ligated metal clusters’ reactivities is challenging. Now, a methodology has been developed to explore dynamic mixtures of metal clusters. Interrelated cluster populations are constructed...

Li-metal batteries often utilize liquid electrolytes that yield a solid–electrolyte interphase on electrodes; however, the role of anions in interphase formation remains unclear. Now it has been shown...

Legacy energy production has generated a climate crisis and left in its wake a history of injustices that have disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. Integrating energy justice into the...