Programmable catalysts go beyond the Sabatier limit

Chemists use catalysts to speed up reactions and synthesize chemicals in industrial quantities. Conventional catalysts are theoretically limited in how much they can speed up a reaction. Now researchers report using a platinum catalyst to convert formic acid at a rate beyond a theoretical limit known as the Sabatier limit. In one study, the researchers shined light on the catalyst. In another, they applied voltage to the catalyst's surface. The findings were reported in two preprints that have not yet been peer reviewed.

Faster-acting catalysts can lead to smaller reactors, says Paul Dauenhauer of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, an author on both studies, “which can allow for mobile systems or more cost-effective use of capital.”