Monomeric metal species for low‐temperature methane oxidation

Abstract

Direct oxidation of methane into value‐added chemicals is considered as one of the holy grails in chemistry and catalysis. Considerable efforts have been devoted to developing advanced catalyst systems operated under mild conditions, and mononuclear metal species, which are currently in the spotlight of methane oxidation, have shown great advantages and addressed significant attention. In this Concept, we highlight the recent breakthroughs and developments in monomeric metal species for low‐temperature (<100 °C) methane oxidation. Emphasis is put on the identification and validation of monomeric metal species as the intrinsic active sites. Promising characterization approaches for identifying catalytically relevant features of physicochemical properties of monomeric metal species are discussed, as well as the emerging insights on the development of in situ characterization technologies. Finally, the open challenges and outlooks for rational development of monomeric metal catalysts for methane valorization are examined for guiding further developments and inspiring the future work.