Self-regenerating catalysts for sustainable industrial applications

Supported metal catalysts are indispensable in a broad range of industrial processes; however, their active metal structures often undergo deactivation under harsh operating conditions, primarily caused by sintering or irreversible structural transformations. The emergence of self-regenerating catalysts represents a pivotal breakthrough in addressing this challenge. These catalysts exhibit remarkable environmental adaptability, characterized by reversible structural transformations of metal species in response to dynamic reaction conditions. This adaptability enables them to self-repair, thereby significantly prolonging the catalytic lifespan and maintaining high catalytic performance over extended periods. In this review, we provide an overview of the latest research progress on the structure, driving force, characterization, rational design and applications of self-regenerating catalysts. Artificial intelligence integrated with operando characterization techniques will assist in accelerating the development of the next generation of self-regenerating catalysts. Finally, a brief introduction was provided to “smart” metal/polymer catalysts, as well as their similarities and differences with self-regenerating catalysts. We believe that the practical utilization of this type of advanced catalysts will revolutionize the field of heterogeneous catalysis, offering a pathway to achieve more efficient and sustainable industrial catalytic processes under harsh reaction conditions.