Through selected recent examples, we show that a new class of catalysts — hybrid chemoenzymatic heterogeneous catalysts — is currently emerging. These multifunctional solid materials have a bright forecast for the development of green and sustainable chemistry. By combining the actions of a solid chemical catalyst and that of an enzyme, these formulations can catalyze multiple reactions in one pot thereby merging the best of two worlds: robustness and recyclability of heterogeneous catalysts on the one hand and outstanding selectivity and specificity of biocatalysts on the other hand. The preparation of such hybrid materials, however, represents a multidisciplinary challenge for catalysis scientists and materials chemists.
Debecker, D., Smeets, V., Van der Verren, M., Meersseman Arango, H., Kinnaer, M., & Devred, F. (2021). Hybrid chemoenzymatic heterogeneous catalysts. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 28, 100437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2020.100437 (Original work published 2021)