“Single-Atom Catalysis” Selected as One of IUPAC’s Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2025
On October 27, 2025, during the opening ceremony of the World Conference on Science and Development 2025, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2025. Notably, Single-Atom Catalysis (SAC)—a research focus long pursued by our laboratory—was selected, underscoring its significant international influence in chemistry and sustainable development.
Among the ten technologies announced, Single-Atom Catalysis (SAC) stands out as one of the most representative and rapidly advancing frontiers in modern chemistry, attracting wide attention for its broad potential applications in energy conversion, green chemical processes, and carbon-neutral catalysis.
SAC achieves atomic-level control of catalytic active sites by dispersing metal atoms individually on suitable supports, significantly enhancing catalytic efficiency and selectivity. The emergence of this concept marks a major step in the evolution of catalysis—from traditional nanoparticle catalysis to a new era of “atomic-precision chemistry.”
Since its inception, research on Single-Atom Catalysis has achieved continuous breakthroughs worldwide in structure design, reaction mechanism elucidation, and catalytic performance optimization. From the proposal of a new concept, to the discovery of new reactions, and further to the revelation of new mechanisms, SAC has established itself as a paradigm of interdisciplinary innovation across chemistry and materials science.
Our laboratory has long been devoted to systematic studies in the field of single-atom catalysis, conducting original research on the construction of single-atom structures and mechanisms of activity regulation. We have made substantial progress in catalytic mechanism studies, model system development, and advanced characterization, and published a series of influential papers in leading international journals.
The inclusion of Single-Atom Catalysis in IUPAC’s annual list of top emerging technologies represents not only international recognition of the field’s scientific significance but also highlights our laboratory’s forward-looking research vision and academic influence.
Photo: Opening ceremony of the 2025 World Conference on Science and Development.
Appendix: IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2025
Xolography
Carbon dots
Nanochain biosensors
Synthetic cells
Single-Atom Catalysis
Thermogelling polymers
Additive manufacturing
Multimodal foundation models for structure elucidation
Direct air capture
Electrochemical carbon capture and conversion
