Researchers around the world are working to develop efficient materials to convert CO2 into usable chemical substances — work that is particularly pressing in view of global warming. A team has discovered a new and promising approach: catalytically active molecules are nanoconfined — meaning they are put into an environment that leaves very little space for the single molecules — on a surface that serves as a conductive electron supplier. These molecules promote specific chemical reactions. Such hybrid systems make use of both the properties of the molecules and the properties of the substrate.
