Princeton Researchers Aim to Reinvent Catalysts for Greener Chemistry

Professor Paul Chirik's lab focuses on developing cheaper, safer, and more sustainable catalysts made from earth-abundant metals.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Researchers at Princeton University's chemistry department, led by Professor Paul Chirik, are working to redesign chemical catalysts to be more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Traditional catalysts often rely on rare and expensive precious metals, but Chirik's lab is exploring alternatives made from more abundant and less toxic materials like iron and cobalt. Their research aims to improve catalytic processes for pharmaceutical development and other industries, reducing waste and energy consumption.

Why it matters

Catalysts are essential for producing a wide range of products, from medicines to plastics, but the reliance on rare and environmentally harmful precious metals is a major concern. Developing more sustainable catalyst alternatives could have a significant impact on reducing the environmental footprint of the chemical industry and making important products more accessible.

The details

Chirik's lab is focused on designing catalysts that can selectively modify specific carbon-hydrogen bonds within complex molecules, a process called carbon-hydrogen functionalization. This could streamline chemical synthesis, reducing waste and energy use. Recent work has shown that cobalt-based catalysts can rival or surpass precious metal catalysts in selectivity. The lab is also exploring iron-based catalysts, which are more abundant and less toxic than precious metals. Graduate student Tianyi Zhang is leading efforts to develop these iron-based catalysts, which could be applied to drug discovery and materials science.

  • The research in Chirik's lab has received funding from the National Institutes of Health due to its potential relevance to drug development.

The players

Paul Chirik

A professor in the chemistry department at Princeton University who leads a lab researching potential new catalysts for pharmaceutical and commercial applications.

Tianyi Zhang

A fourth-year Ph.D. student in Chirik's lab who focuses on developing iron-based catalysts to push sustainability even further.

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What they’re saying

“I think the most important thing that people should take away is that just about everything you interact with in your daily life relie[s] on some kind of chemical transformation and almost certainly a catalyst.”

— Paul Chirik (The Daily Princetonian)

“The nice thing about Earth's abundant metals, especially iron, is that it's actually pretty non-toxic. Our body has a very high tolerance of iron, for example, versus palladium or iridium, [for which] these tolerances are very low.”

— Tianyi Zhang, Graduate student (The Daily Princetonian)

“Before your own eyes, the translation of your own research into actual commercial manufacturing processes, and even sometimes made into a method that's used to make drugs that actually then benefit patients and improve people's well-being and life expectancy.... that kind of level of fulfillment is something that's been really inspiring for me.”

— Tianyi Zhang, Graduate student (The Daily Princetonian)

What’s next

The lab hopes to expand its work to include biologically relevant molecules, such as amino acids, which could open new pathways in drug development and chemical biology.

The takeaway

By developing more sustainable and cost-effective catalysts made from abundant and less toxic materials, the research in Chirik's lab has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the chemical industry and make important products more accessible, from pharmaceuticals to everyday materials.