Catalysisdriven

Catalysisdriven is a term used to describe processes in which catalytic activity is the principal driver of the observed outcome, determining rate, selectivity, and even reaction pathway. It emphasizes that the catalyst—not the substrate alone—controls the system's behavior.

In such contexts, the catalyst lowers activation energy and creates alternative reaction routes. The catalyst's structure, active sites, and binding properties steer substrate orientation and transition-state stabilization, enabling kinetic control and selective product formation. In enzymatic or heterogeneous systems, the same principle applies: active-site geometry or surface features direct which pathways are favored.

Applications include chemical synthesis where catalysts enable selective bond formation under mild conditions, industrial-scale processes, and environmental or energy-related transformations such as pollutant degradation, electrochemical conversion, and biomass upgrading. Catalysisdriven approaches are also used to guide self-assembly or polymerization, where catalyst activity controls polymer length distribution, branching, or copolymer composition.

Challenges involve understanding dynamic active sites, achieving high turnover numbers, avoiding deactivation or poisoning, and translating lab-scale catalysts to industrial settings. Advances rely on in-situ characterization, computational design, and integration with other reaction steps in tandem or cascade processes.

Related concepts include homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, enzyme catalysis, tandem catalysis, and reaction engineering, all of which intersect with the idea of catalysisdriven control over chemical processes.