Source: Chemical & Engineering News, 4/6/26
"Converting carbon dioxide to hydrocarbons could become a cleaner alternative to producing fossil fuels. Now, a team of researchers in China has envisioned a strategy using “molecular fences” to trap reaction intermediates, increasing the conversion rates and energy efficiency of the process (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c02917). This process is especially selective toward the production of ethylene, the principal pillar of the petrochemical industry, with an annual global production of about 225 million metric tons."