Eindhoven researchers circumvent structure sensitivity of cobalt catalysts in CO₂ hydrogenation by clustering cobalt atoms.

Transition metals on solid supports are important heterogeneous catalysts for industry. To make an efficient catalyst, the active metal phase must be easily accessible to the reactants. Thereby, high dispersion of the active metal phase over the support is one of the crucial factor. The problem is that many industrial catalysts suffer from structure dependence, where the catalytic activity drops if the metal particles become too small. This plays out, for example, in CO and CO₂ hydrogenation on cobalt nanoparticles; reactions relevant to energy storage in chemical bonds.