TY - JOUR TI - Advances in electrothermal catalysis for heterogeneous reactions JO - Greenverse Science PY - 2026 VL - 1 IS - 2 SP - EP - 8 SN - ISSN 3142-7189 (Online) AB -
The transition toward electrified chemical manufacturing is accelerating the development of catalytic technologies that can efficiently couple renewable electricity with thermochemical reactions. Among these, electrothermal catalysis has attracted increasing attention because it generates heat directly within catalytic systems through Joule heating, thereby redefining thermal energy delivery to reaction zones. Compared with conventional heated reactors, electrothermal systems enable rapid, localized, and dynamically controllable heating, offering new opportunities for process intensification and energy-efficient catalysis. This review summarizes recent advances in electrothermal catalysis, including its fundamental principles, electrothermal materials, reactor design strategies, and emerging applications in adsorption-desorption processes, hydrogen production, environmental catalysis, and CO2 valorization. It also highlights recent mechanistic insights into how electrical input can modulate interfacial electronic structure and reaction pathways beyond purely thermal effects. Finally, key challenges and future opportunities are discussed, highlighting the potential of electrothermal catalysis as a versatile platform for electrified and sustainable chemical transformations.
KW - Electrothermal catalysis KW - Joule heating KW - structured reactors KW - mechanistic insights KW - energy-efficient catalysis DO - 10.20517/greenvsci.2026.09 UR - https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/greenvsci.2026.09