The silent partner in catalysis: How support architectures dictate efficiency in polyolefin hydrogenolysis

Polyolefins represent the most extensively manufactured category of plastics globally, whose ultra strong chemical stability makes their recycling challenging. Hydrogenolysis has emerged as a promising chemical recycling strategy for polyolefins, in which supports play an important but “silent” role. This review focuses on recent advances in polyolefin hydrogenolysis, with particular emphasis on how supports (acidity/basicity, reducibility, size/pore, optical activity) architecture dictate efficiency in the process. It also summarizes characterization methodologies for elucidating support effects. This review bridges the current research void in support-effect-mediated regulation of polyolefin hydrogenolysis, establishing rational design principles for carriers to boost the performance of metal-supported catalysts.