Matching Zeolites with Metal Species for Efficient Catalysis

Supported metal catalysts are essential for industrial processes like energy conversion, chemical synthesis, and pollutant removal, yet they often suffer from low activity, poor selectivity, and deactivation.Matching zeolites with metal species is an effective method for synthesizing highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts, where the zeolite crystals can not only stabilize the metal species against sintering/leaching, but also enhance the catalytic activity and product selectivity.In this mini-review, we briefly summarize recent advances in matching zeolites with metal species for efficient catalysis, highlighting the synergistic effect between zeolites and metal species to improve the catalytic performance.Multiple functions of zeolites with respect to the metal species are highlighted, including the regulation of reactant/product diffusion for increasing the catalytic activity, the control of steric adsorption of reactant for changing the product selectivity, and the modulation of dynamic structural change of metal species for enhancing the catalyst stability.Additionally, future challenges and opportunities in rational metal-zeolite catalyst design are discussed to inspire further innovations in catalytic applications.We believe that this mini-review will open up novel pathways for the widespread utilization of metal-zeolite catalysts in diverse catalytic processes.