Since climate change keeps escalating, it is imperative
that the
increasing CO2emissions be combated. Over recent years,
research efforts have been aiming for the design and optimization
of materials for CO2capture and conversion to enable a
circular economy. The uncertainties in the energy sector and the variations
in supply and demand place an additional burden on the commercialization
and implementation of these carbon capture and utilization technologies.
Therefore, the scientific community needs to think out of the box
if it is to find solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Flexible chemical synthesis can pave the way for tackling market uncertainties.
The materials for flexible chemical synthesis function under a dynamic
operation, and thus, they need to be studied as such. Dual-function
materials are an emerging group of dynamic catalytic materials that
integrate the CO2capture and conversion steps. Hence,
they can be used to allow some flexibility in the production of chemicals
as a response to the changing energy sector. This Perspective highlights
the necessity of flexible chemical synthesis by focusing on understanding
the catalytic characteristics under a dynamic operation and by discussing
the requirements for the optimization of materials at the nanoscale.