Towards atomic precision in HMF and methane oxidation electrocatalysts

Abstract

With the increasing emphasis on transitioning to a sustainable society, electrosynthetic routes to generate fuels and chemicals are rapidly gaining traction. While the electrolysis of water and CO₂ has been heavily investigated over the last decade, electrocatalysis of other abundant resources such as biomass and methane is now increasingly coming into focus. As this area is relatively less mature, much work remains to be done. In particular, efforts to decipher reaction mechanisms and extract the fundamental insights are necessary to develop economically competitive electrosynthetic routes using biomass and methane. Against this backdrop, this feature article focuses on the recent developments within the community using atomically precise catalysts, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, as model systems to understand these reactions.