## 4 Overview of Advanced Ceramic Materials as Catalysts  
Advanced ceramic materials, broadly defined as inorganic, non-metallic solids prepared by heating and subsequently cooling, encompass a wide range of compositions, including metal oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, and composites [120; 121]. These materials have gained significant notoriety due to their straightforward synthesis and the properties that depend on size, composition, structure, and morphology, as well as imperfections in these parameters [122; 123; 124; 125]. Notably, ceramic-based catalysts offer notable advantages in terms of durability, selectivity, and reusability compared to traditional metal-based catalysts. This Section provides a comprehensive overview of ceramic catalysts, emphasizing their structural characteristics, synthesis techniques, and broad applications across industries such as energy production, environmental remediation, and chemical manufacturing. A key strength of ceramic catalysts lies in their tunable porosity and surface functionalities, which can be precisely engineered to boost both catalytic activity and selectivity. This inherent tunability makes them highly adaptable to the demands of complex reaction environments [120; 121; 122; 123; 124; 125; 126; 127]. Furthermore, recent advances in nanostructuring and the development of ceramic-based composites have broadened their potential. This enables synergistic effects with other materials, paving the way for their incorporation into advanced catalytic platforms [125]. Beyond their intrinsic properties, it is well-known that the method of \begin{table}
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**Aspects** & **Details** \\ \hline Properties of MIPs & High specificity, stability under extreme conditions (pH, temperature), reusability, and robustness for various applications. \\ \hline Advantages over Enzymes & Replace natural enzymes (expensive and unstable), mimicking their catalytic function with high regioselectivity and stereoselectivity. \\ \hline Practical Example & Aldol reaction between acetone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde catalyzed by nanogels containing proline derivatives, with high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity. \\ \hline Recent Innovations & -Active-site titration method for precise calculation of catalytic parameters. -Molecular imprinting based on acrylamide for nanogels with superior catalytic activity. \\ \hline Emerging Applications & -Enzymatic mimicking (“nanozymes”). -Photocatalysis for pollutant degradation. -Asymmetric catalysis for the synthesis of chiral compounds. \\ \hline Impact on Green Chemistry & Reactions under milder conditions, reduction in harsh chemicals, and more sustainable syntheses for industrial and pharmaceutical applications. \\ \hline Future Perspectives & Integration into biosensors, environmental catalysis, and the development of efficient drug delivery systems. \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
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Table 4: Overview of MIPs as Efficient Catalytic Supports. synthesis plays a critical role in determining the final performance of ceramic catalysts. Consequently, a diverse range of synthetic approaches has been widely developed to tailor the composition, structure, size, morphology, and porosity of ceramic catalysts [126; 127; 128; 129; 130; 131]. Among the most widely employed methods are sol-gel processing, hydrothermal synthesis, and solid-state reactions. Sol-gel processing involves the hydrolysis of metal alkoxides or salts to form a gel-like precursor, which is subsequently dried and calcined to obtain the ceramic material. This method is well-regarded for producing high-purity ceramics with controlled microstructures. Hydrothermal synthesis, on the other hand, relies on chemical reactions conducted in aqueous solutions under high temperature and pressure, producing ceramics with uniform particle size and high crystallinity. Solid-state reactions involve the thermal treatment of mixed metal oxides or carbonates, leading to the formation of the desired ceramic phase.