PhD1, Lisette Pompe, has worked on the project of promoters for Cu based catalysts. She has prepared supported Cu nanoparticles on different supports, and investigated and published how most stable catalysts can be made (comparing for instance precipitation by impregnation routes). She unraveled the effect in conversion of synthesis gas to methanol of the Cu particle size, and interestingly discovered how the particle size can be tuned by adapting the reduction conditions (varying reducing agent, concentration, ramp rate). She then continued with investigating catalysts stability, a critical factor in the large scale production of fuels and chemicals from small molecules. The well defined nature of hermodel catalysts allowed to build a model and fundamental and practical understanding of how morphology (interparticle distances, polydispersity, etc) influenced the life time of the catalysts.
Remco Dalebout (PhD2) started with investigating pore-confined bimetallic nanoparticles. Together with Jan Willem the RIjk he also established equipment and protocols that allow to measure the conversion of syngas and CO2 to higher alcohols, fuels and other building blocks. He investigated especially the interplay between promoters and reactant feed (aiming for pure CO2 with renewable H2 as the only feed) and understanding how the catalysts should be tuned to accomodate for this specific feed. With the help of operando experiments at the synchrotron he established for the first time the exact nature of the promoter, MnOx or ZnOx for Cu catalysts under working conditions. Jessi van der HOeven also worked on bimetallic nanoparticles, establishing more fundamental knowledge, such as how with two metal components in one nanoparticle, the atomic distribution changed under working conditions ,and how this could be used to design efficient catalysts. She also contributed to the toolbox of analysis techniques for this type of systems
PhD3, Marisol Tapia Rosales, later succeeded has started 1 October 2016, worked on the electrochemical CO2 reduction using Cu-based catalysts. SHe developed methods to prepare electrode consisting of copper nanoparticles on highly conductive carbon supports, which allowed new fundamental insights. Especially noteworthy were the achievements in understanding electronic tuning by the addition of S to the Cu, and the influence of ZnOx and morphology.
Lastly Peter Ngene (PD1), together with the PI, facilitated the above research, but also participated in related investigations with others to promote renewable energy storage and conversion, such as interesting results also obtained in the field of electrochemical energy storage in batteries.
All outcomes of research have been published (or publication is expected soon, for instance a paper having been accepted in Nature Materials), and results have been actively disseminated also at scientific conferences and in workshops. Furthermore they have led to follow-up projects, for instance supported by an industrial partner to further advance the possibilities of direct conversion of CO2 and renewable hydrogen to sustainable fuels and building blocks.
