An international team of researchers has solved one of the fundamental mysteries in catalysis: The paradox of structure insensitivity. To make better catalysts, researchers have long been studying the optimal shape and size of these nanoparticles, as this should have an influence on how well they perform in chemical reactions. Mysteriously, for some catalysts, the shape and size of the nanoparticles seemed to have no influence on their performance. A research team led by Prof. Bert Weckhuysen has now shown that this is not true. Instead, these supposedly "structure-insensitive" particles manage to rearrange themselves extremely quickly to an optimal structure, which is why their performance is always similar. This insight can help in the development of catalysts for cleaner fuels, for example.