PNNL researchers worked to decouple the effects that solvents impose on reactions catalyzed in the liquid phase.

New research finds that reaction rates for cyclic alcohol dehydration increase as ionic strength increases, independent of reaction mechanism.

Local ionic strength within zeolite pores tailors the chemical potential of reacting molecules, leading to high cyclohexanol dehydration activity

Tetranuclear molybdenum sulfide clusters encaged in zeolites mimic the FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase, offering a new opportunity for improving industrial hydrotreatment processes.

New research uncovers the mechanism of carbon dioxide reduction by metal-O-Fe bonds of single-metal atoms and metal nanoparticles supported by oxidic surfaces.

Characterizing the electron redistribution that allows the binding of molecular nitrogen to the catalytic core of nitrogenase.

A new approach uses CO₂ to favorably co-produce methanol and glycols in a simple one-pot reaction.

A nanosized metal catalyst directly bonded to a metal-organic framework is active in converting carbon dioxide to methanol.

Scientists at PNNL's Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis (CME) are working to understand the fundamental reactivity of H2 that could contribute to making hydrogen a more widely used fuel source.

Using a bio-inspired design that mimics nature's catalysts-enzymes, researchers at PNNL have designed a rarely seen reversible synthetic catalyst.

At PNNL, scientists have mapped the reaction that turns wind-generated electricity into fuel and the amount of energy needed for each step.

Dr. Morris Bullock and Dr. Monte Helm reviewed the catalysis research at the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, where Bullock is the director, in a recent article in Accounts of Chemical Research.

Generating power without gasoline, diesel, or coal could change our nation's energy and security landscape. However, replacing technologies that use fossil fuel with ones that require rare metals is unsustainable.

Making hydrogen economically demands a quick, efficient reaction. Creating that reaction demands a catalyst. CME scientists found that a proton and water-packed environment lets the catalyst work 50 times faster—without added energy.

Quickly, reliably turning wind energy into fuel means looking beyond the catalyst to its foundation, according to a recent study from the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis.

At PNNL, scientists have elaborated on a strategy to map the catalytic route. Scientists can now explore design decisions with molecular catalysts that store or release energy from the chemical bond in dihydrogen (H2).

In an invited ACS Catalysis Viewpoint paper, scientists at PNNL proposed a way to measure and report the energy efficiency of molecular electrocatalysts.

Scientists at the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis (CME) devised a new computation-based method to predict the catalytic intermediates that could represent a thermodynamic sink.

Taking a cue from enzymes, researchers at PNNL placed the amino acid arginine at the periphery of a hydrogen-splitting catalyst that cleaves hydrogen into protons and electrons.

Like ripping open a dinner roll, a fuel cell catalyst that converts hydrogen into electricity must tear open a hydrogen molecule. Now researchers have captured a view of such a catalyst holding onto the two halves of its hydrogen feast.