Catalysts are making our world more sustainable day by day. But how sustainable are
catalysts themselves? In this contribution we will give a perspective overview of the progress
in dematerializing catalysts, i.e., in using less (critical) materials to deliver the same
(or better) level of functionality. This may be accomplished in many ways: improving
the catalyst performance and durability by gaining insights in reaction, activation,
and deactivation mechanisms; lowering the amount of critical or harmful catalytic
components, e.g., by finding cheaper, more abundant, and sustainable substitutes;
and making catalysts production and disposal processes more sustainable, e.g., by
recycling. Material science and nanotechnology are two essential actors in this process,
providing the tools to understand and optimize catalytic materials and processes, and
to assess the environmental and toxicological impact of nanomaterials.
