An international research team led by Bert Weckhuysen (Utrecht University) and Sara Bals (University of Antwerp) has shown that a promising catalyst for clearing CO2 becomes significantly more active and selective if its pretreatment is modified. The scientists have visualized the mechanism underlying this concept with unparalleled precision. The results of the study are published in Science on May 11. Matteo Monai, Kellie Jenkinson and Angela Melcherts are the first authors.