Prof. Shinya Furukawa, Associate editor of Catal

Osaka University, Japan
Area of Interest: 
Heterogeneous Catalysis, Materials chemistry, Multinary alloys, Reaction mechanism, Sustainable Chemistry

Could you briefly introduce your academic and research background? What initially drew you to advanced materials such as multinary alloys and their applications in heterogeneous catalysis?

Our research focuses on developing advanced inorganic materials for heterogeneous catalysis, including multinary alloys and ceramics. We study not only thermal catalysis, but also external energy-driven catalysis, such as electrocatalysis, electric field catalysis, and plasma catalysis. The consistent philosophy underlying our research is the desire to achieve precise active site design and reaction control at the atomic level, as seen in homogeneous complex catalysts, even in heterogeneous solid materials. We believe that advancing materials and catalytic chemistry in academic settings requires a comprehensive understanding of reaction mechanisms and catalytic principles at the atomic and orbital levels. Although intermetallic compounds offer well-defined active sites thanks to their high regularity, they have limitations as catalyst materials in terms of variability, flexibility, and expandability in design. To overcome these limitations, one of our current research directions involves multimetallization based on intermetallics. By expanding into pseudo-binary alloys and high-entropy intermetallics, we aim to introduce new possibilities for catalyst materials.

Multinary alloys, especially high-entropy alloys and intermetallics, have developed rapidly in recent years. In your view, what have been the most significant advances in this field, and where do you see the most exciting opportunities ahead?

The development of high-entropy alloys and intermetallics as electrocatalysts has progressed rapidly, supported by advances in synthesis, characterization, and fundamental understanding. While these achievements are noteworthy, progress in multinary alloy chemistry has been more limited in other catalytic fields, especially thermal catalysis. As the target reactions and fields differ, the catalytic chemistry of multinary alloys should also vary. Therefore, I believe that the development of materials science of multinary alloys in the field of thermal catalysis will reveal new aspects and potential for advancement in the catalytic chemistry of high-entropy systems.

Your research often bridges fundamental chemistry and practical applications. What do you see as the key challenges in translating multinary alloy materials from laboratory studies to real-world catalytic or industrial applications?

In our research, intermetallic catalysts generally contain main-group elements or, on occasion, early transition metals. This often leads to challenges in durability and reusability under practical conditions involving air and moisture. Although high-entropy approaches can mitigate some of these issues due to stability enhancement, they introduce trade-offs, such as increased synthetic complexity and higher costs. Ensuring the widespread adoption of multinary alloy materials in real-world applications will require breakthroughs in intrinsic stability, synthesis scalability, ease of handling, and overall practicality.

Looking ahead, what scientific questions or technologies are you most excited about? If resources were unlimited, what project would you pursue?

A fundamental question that continues to drive my research is how we can develop a universal method to overcome the Sabatier principle, the root cause of many tradeoffs that frustrate researchers in the field of catalysis. By inputting external energy in a highly localized, microscopic, and transient manner into specific elementary steps, we could transcend thermodynamic and kinetic limitations, as well as the constraints imposed by the Sabatier principle. I am deeply motivated to explore such innovative approaches with controllable energy input and new materials that can accelerate these processes.

As an Associate Editor for Catal, what qualities do you look for in a strong manuscript? And what are some of the key challenges you face in your editorial role?

In a strong manuscript, I look for work that contributes to the academic and practical advancement of catalysis or provides clear guidance and inspiration for future studies. This may include interdisciplinary research that opens new directions or conceptual breakthroughs in materials design, reaction mechanisms, reaction systems, or energy utilization. A challenge in my editorial role is that Catal is still establishing its reputation and has limited submissions. At this early stage, I should proactively and constructively work with promising submissions, helping authors refine and strengthen their manuscripts so that accepted papers are impactful and well-positioned to gain citations and visibility.

Could you tell us which article from Catal’s recent publications interests you most, and what are your thoughts on this work?

Mechanistic insights into the impact of locally ordered versus disordered aqueous environments on CO₂ reduction to methane across copper surfaces: Xing, Z., Sun, M., Yu, H. et al., Catal 1, 5 (2025).

This study demonstrates that tuning and controlling the microenvironment of H₂O molecules around the catalyst surface is as crucial as the design of the catalyst material itself for optimizing the CO₂ reduction reaction. The significance of this paper lies in quantifying the mechanism by which water microstructuring influences the reaction pathway and proposing a strategy for designing electrodes and interfacial properties to enhance CO₂ conversion to fuels. This challenges conventional catalyst design, which has primarily focused on surface composition and morphology, and highlights the importance of considering interactions between solute, solvent, and surface.