VINCENZINA BARBERA*, ANDREA RAVICINI, DARIO ALLEVI
*Corresponding author
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering (Giulio Natta), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy

Abstract

In this overview, the principles underlying the evolution of catalysis over time through the transition from homogeneous to heterogeneous catalysis and the more recent single-atom catalysis, and its strong impact on both academia and industry will be explored and discussed. This article discusses the crucial role of catalysis in both academic research and industrial applications, with advances often motivated by the need for more sustainable, selective, and efficient chemical transformations. Several examples of the application of catalysis techniques and their development are reported, offering insights into needs and prospects in different fields. Here, homogeneous catalysis, the development of nanoreactors and supramolecular systems, and single-atom catalysis are explored, presenting a concise overview of these milestones and discussing how frontier research is shaping the future of catalysis.

Introduction

Catalysis is nowadays a milestone for a variety of industrial chemical processes that would be impossible to sustain by traditional chemical means. Indeed, catalysis has the role of enabling reactions that would otherwise be too slow, inefficient, or unselective.

The term ‘catalysis’ was coined in 1835 by Jöns Jakob Berzelius, who described substances that facilitate chemical reactions without being consumed during the reaction itself. The history of catalysis continued with a Nobel Prize awarded to Wilhelm Ostwald in 1909 for his contribution in establishing the thermodynamic and kinetic underpinnings of catalytic processes. Another catalysis-centred Nobel Prize was awarded in 1912 to Paul Sabatier for his studies on catalytic hydrogenation. The 20th century was the century in which industrial catalysis began to flourish, with landmark applications such as the Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis and catalytic cracking in petroleum refining. In the second half of the century, organometallic chemistry rose to prominence alongside the development of homogeneous transition metal catalytic systems—fields recog ...