Sulfur Integration in Nanostructures Boosts Catalytic Efficiency in Hydrogenation Reactions

Sulfur integration in nanostructures boosts catalytic efficiency in hydrogenation reactions

Despite natural evidence indicating sulfur's importance and efficiency as a catalyst for critical redox reactions, including hydrogenation (addition of hydrogen to molecule) and dehydrogenation (its opposite), chemists have struggled to manage the enzyme's complexity and fragility at scale.

Integrating sulfur into crystalline nanostructures fuels catalytic activity

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a novel approach to integrate metal-sulfur active sites into metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. Sulfur-containing MOFs significantly outperformed their non-sulfur counterparts in hydrogenation catalysis.