Atomically precise catalysts design toward efficient waste plastic hydrogenolysis

Hydrogenolysis of waste plastics offers a promising route to valorize them into fuels, light olefins, and aromatics (BTX). Despite extensive studies, rational catalyst design and process optimization remain challenging. Although conventional catalysts (homogeneous, nanoparticle, bulk) have driven progress through interfacial and ensemble effects, the activity and stability of these systems ultimately originate from elementary steps at the atomic scale motivating a shift toward atomically precise active-site design. This Perspective highlights atomic active centers and key mechanistic factors and underscores the importance of techno-economic and life cycle analyses for atomically precise catalysts, providing guidance for designing efficient hydrogenolysis systems. Hydrogenolysis can convert waste plastics into fuels, olefins, and aromatics, but catalyst optimization remains challenging. This Perspective highlights atomically precise active-site design and stresses environmental and economic evaluation for practical catalyst development