Resolving Surface Reactions in Plasma Catalysis: Towards Rational Catalyst Design

Project Information

SURPLAS

Grant agreement ID: 101116278

DOI

10.3030/101116278

EC signature date 27 November 2023

Start date 1 January 2024

End date 31 December 2028

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 1 500 000,00

EU contribution

€ 1 500 000,00

Coordinated by

STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SURPLAS (Resolving Surface Reactions in Plasma Catalysis: Towards Rational Catalyst Design)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2026-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Plasma assisted catalytic conversion (PLAC) is a technology that uses plasma to activate stable molecules like CO2 and thus allows their conversion to useful chemicals at lower temperatures and for intermittent power supply. The central objective of the SURPLAS project is to reveal, for the first time, the active state and reaction mechanisms of catalyst surfaces during plasma exposure, critical knowledge that is currently lacking and limits rational catalyst design. By integrating expertise in surface chemistry, materials engineering, and in situ spectroscopy with strong collaborations in plasma science and catalysis, the SURPLAS project aims to determine how both model and practical catalysts respond to plasma exposure and to identify trends in selectivity and metal–support interactions. This understanding will ultimately form the basis for rational design of improved plasma catalysts, guided by atomic scale insights into plasma catalyst interactions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Within the SURPLAS project, we have developed a multi-technique toolkit to track the evolution of model catalyst surfaces exposed to plasma conditions. The integration of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy during exposure to plasma-activated species (Plasma XPS) with optical emission spectroscopy and residual gas analysis allows us to track surface composition, oxidation state, and gas phase products during experiments. We have further initiated the combination with infrared spectroscopy to obtain complementary information on molecular vibrations. Our studies show that model catalyst surfaces readily react with plasma-activated species at room temperature, and that fully metallic surfaces are likely the exception. The abundant supply of reactive species at room temperature facilitates the formation of off-equilibrium phases, which can create starting points of catalytic reactions in plasma that differ fundamentally from those in conventional heterogeneous catalysis. In contrast, oxide supports appear to be only weakly affected by the plasma conditions studied so far, allowing us to shift the focus to the behavior of metal nanoparticles.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our work extends the frontiers of surface science by providing in situ insights into reactions at surfaces of catalytic materials in extreme environments. Directly studying these model catalyst surfaces during exposure to plasma mixtures already surpasses the current state of the art. Our surface-sensitive experiments reveal that, under relevant conditions for plasma catalysis, catalyst surfaces tend to form compounds with the reactants in plasma and adopt off-equilibrium structures and stoichiometries. The identification of these phases is key information for accurate modeling of plasma-catalytic processes. By combining these insights with molecular-level characterization of surface species and analysis of the product stream, we expect to elucidate fundamental reaction pathways governing plasma-assisted catalysis in the coming years.