Recent advances in non-noble metal-based oxide materials as heterogeneous catalysts for C-H activation

As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, it is desirable to replace the homogeneous catalytic processes and conventional industrial processes with energy-efficient, cost-effective, and greener heterogeneous processes. In heterogeneous catalysis, non-noble metal-based oxide catalysts have been gaining traction recently, as they are affordable, highly stable, and thus appealing for different industrial uses. C-H activation is crucial to numerous organic reactions such as hydrogenation, oxidation, reduction, oxidative coupling, substitution, and C-C coupling. However, it is a challenging task due to its high bond energy and high kinetic barrier of C-H bond cleavage, making it inert in most conventional processes, thereby requiring efficient catalysts. In recent years, non-noble metal-based oxides have made a huge difference in the reactivity of the C-H bond through their tailored surface area, surface charge, redox properties, and oxygen vacancies. In this perspective article, we discuss the application of nanostructured non-noble metal oxides with tailored surface properties through nano-structuring, doping, vacancy creation, and heterostructure formation in reactions involving C-H activation as the key step. Specifically, we focus on the essential surface properties of catalysts that play a major role in the C-H activation reaction for sustainable industrial applications.