The hydroisomerization of n-alkanes over bifunctional catalysts has played an increasingly important role in the modern petroleum industry due to its evident effects on the enhancement of the quality of fossil fuels. However, the preparation of bifunctional catalysts with excellent catalytic performance remains a significant challenge because of the complicated synergistic effects between the metal sites and Brønsted acid sites and the limited diffusion of alkene intermediates in the acid support. To overcome this challenge, the improvement of the metal–acid balance and the synthesis of hierarchical acid supports have become two commonly employed strategies. On the one hand, the favourable metal–acid balance is beneficial for the ideal consecutive hydroisomerization mechanism, which can be achieved by choosing the appropriate ratio of metal sites to Brønsted acid sites, controlling the nanoscale distance between two active sites, reducing the acidity and function of Brønsted acid sites, enhancing the function of metal sites and lowering the cost of preparation. On the other hand, via the “top down” (like desiliconization post-treatment) or “bottom up” (like templating methods) methods, the prepared hierarchical acid supports have more pore mouths or evidently reduced diffusion length. As a result, the alkene intermediates can either undergo isomerization at pore mouth instead of diffusing in the microporous channels or diffuse out fast from the short microporous channels, so that the diffusion limitation of alkene intermediates can be overcome and their cracking is inhibited. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the developments of bifunctional catalysts for n-alkane hydroisomerization. The novel synthesis methods of the bifunctional catalysts are introduced, as well as the catalytic behaviours and the reaction mechanisms over catalysts. The effects of the metal–acid balance and the textural property on the catalytic performances are also discussed. The summarized studies reveal excellent potential for the design and preparation of novel bifunctional catalysts with excellent catalytic performances for n-alkane hydroisomerization.

Carbon‐supported platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) alloy catalyst has become a promising alternative electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, the synthesis of highly active and stable carbon‐supported Pt–Pd alloy catalysts is reported with a room‐temperature electron reduction method. The alloy nanoparticles thus prepared show a particle size around 2.6 nm and a core–shell structure with Pt as the shell. With this structure, the breaking of O–O bands and desorption of OH are both promoted in electrocatalysis of ORR. In comparison with the commercial Pt/C catalyst prepared by conventional method, the mass activity of the Pt–Pd/C catalyst for ORR is shown to increase by a factor of ≈4. After 10 000‐cycle durability test, the Pt–Pd/C catalyst is shown to retain 96.5% of the mass activity, which is much more stable than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.

Noble metal catalysts have been widely used in many applications because of their high activity and selectivity. However, a controllable preparation of noble metal catalysts still remains as a significant challenge. To overcome this challenge, peptide templates can play a critical role in the controllable syntheses of catalysts owing to their flexible binding with specific metallic surfaces and self-assembly characteristics. By employing peptide templates, the size, shape, facet, structure, and composition of obtained catalysts can all be specifically controlled under the mild synthesis conditions. In addition, catalysts with spherical, nanofiber, and nanofilm structures can all be produced by associating with the self-assembly characteristics of peptide templates. Furthermore, the peptide-templated noble metal catalysts also reveal significantly enhanced catalytic behaviours compared with conventional catalysts because the electron conductivity, metal dispersion, and reactive site exposure can all be improved. In this review, we summarize the research progresses in the syntheses of peptide-templated noble metal catalysts. The applications of the peptide-templated catalysts in organic reactions, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis are discussed, and the relationship between structure and activity of these catalysts are addressed. Future opportunities, including new catalytic materials designed by using biological principles, are indicated to achieve selective, eco-friendly, and energy neutral synthesis approaches.