Solid–solid catalysis for sustainable alloy synthesis
Abstract
Metal production causes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with most metals extracted from oxide ores via fossil-based pyrometallurgy, including melting. Solid-state hydrogen-driven redox reduction is not only a sustainable alternative, but can also be used to integrate reduction, in situ alloying of mixed oxides and microstructure design in one single process. Upon co-reduction of a Fe 2 O 3 –NiO mixture with hydrogen, we report a distinct type of solid–solid catalytic interaction between pre-reduced metal (Ni) and a transient oxide (FeO). This interaction accelerates hydrogen-based reduction by a factor of at least two, highlighting its potential relevance for improving reduction kinetics in hydrogen-based ironmaking and alloy production. Specifically, during hydrogen-driven co-reduction of Fe 2 O 3 and NiO, Ni partitioning takes place across metal–oxide interfaces, driven by interface dynamics, during which restructuring continuously regenerates the catalytic sites that promote H 2 spillover. These findings show that hydrogen-based alloy production is not only more sustainable than fossil-based practices, but can leverage kinetic and commercial advantages through solid–solid catalytic effects.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026solidsolid,
title = {{Solid–solid catalysis for sustainable alloy synthesis}},
author = {Xinren Chen and Baptiste Bienvenu and Tingting Yang and Baptiste Gault and Shaolou Wei and Xuyang Zhou and Dierk Raabe},
journal = {Nature Synthesis},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s44160-026-01086-5},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05761962v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Solid–solid catalysis for sustainable alloy synthesis
AU - Xinren Chen
AU - Baptiste Bienvenu
AU - Tingting Yang
AU - Baptiste Gault
AU - Shaolou Wei
AU - Xuyang Zhou
AU - Dierk Raabe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Nature Synthesis
DO - 10.1038/s44160-026-01086-5
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05761962v1
AB - Metal production causes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with most metals extracted from oxide ores via fossil-based pyrometallurgy, including melting. Solid-state hydrogen-driven redox reduction is not only a sustainable alternative, but can also be used to integrate reduction, in situ alloying of mixed oxides and microstructure design in one single process. Upon co-reduction of a Fe 2 O 3 –NiO mixture with hydrogen, we report a distinct type of solid–solid catalytic interaction between pre-reduced metal (Ni) and a transient oxide (FeO). This interaction accelerates hydrogen-based reduction by a factor of at least two, highlighting its potential relevance for improving reduction kinetics in hydrogen-based ironmaking and alloy production. Specifically, during hydrogen-driven co-reduction of Fe 2 O 3 and NiO, Ni partitioning takes place across metal–oxide interfaces, driven by interface dynamics, during which restructuring continuously regenerates the catalytic sites that promote H 2 spillover. These findings show that hydrogen-based alloy production is not only more sustainable than fossil-based practices, but can leverage kinetic and commercial advantages through solid–solid catalytic effects.
SN - 2731-0582
ER -