Descripción del proyecto
La revolución en la investigación de catalizadores sostenibles
La sostenibilidad es el futuro. El equipo del proyecto SINCAT, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, pretende revolucionar la investigación sobre catalizadores para impulsar un futuro en el que la energía limpia proceda de la luz solar y las pilas de combustible de hidrógeno y las emisiones de CO2 se transformen en recursos valiosos. Al superar las limitaciones de los estudios actuales, el proyecto pretende desarrollar materiales catalizadores altamente eficientes, fundamentales para una sociedad sostenible. Para ello, los investigadores crearán un dispositivo de reactor nanofluídico único que permitirá examinar las nanopartículas catalizadoras individuales y sus reacciones. La integración de sondas ópticas plasmónicas proporcionará información en tiempo real sobre la dinámica de las partículas catalizadoras durante las reacciones. En SINCAT se investigará el papel del estado de oxidación del catalizador en la catálisis Fischer-Tropsch y explorará vías de reacción mediadas por electrones calientes inducidos por plasmones para la reducción catalítica del CO2.
Objetivo
Imagine a sustainable society where clean energy is produced from sunlight, and water is converted into hydrogen to fuel a fuel cell, which produces electric energy to power the electric motor in a car. At the same time, CO2 emissions are captured and converted to hydrocarbons that are again used as fuel or as resource for fine chemical synthesis. At the heart of this vision is heterogeneous catalysis. Hence, for it to become reality, tailored highly efficient catalyst materials are of paramount importance. The goal of this research program is therefore to establish a new experimental paradigm, which allows the detailed scrutiny of individual catalyst nanoparticles and their reaction products under application conditions.
The catalytic performance of nanoparticles is directly controlled by their size, shape and chemical composition. Current studies are, however, conducted on ensembles of nanoparticles. Therefore, such studies are plagued by averaging effects, which deny access to the key details related to how size, shape and composition control catalyst performance. To eliminate this problem, we will nanofabricate a unique nanofluidic reactor device that will enable us to scrutinize catalytic processes and products at the individual catalyst nanoparticle level. In a second step, we will integrate plasmonic optical probes with the nanoreactor to be able to simultaneously monitor the dynamics of the catalyst particle state during reaction.
Finally, we will apply the nanoreactor to investigate the role of the catalyst oxidation state in Fischer-Tropsch catalysis. In parallel, we will explore novel plasmon-induced hot electron-mediated reaction pathways for catalytic CO2 reduction, as part of a carbon-neutral energy cycle. We anticipate unprecedented insight into the role of catalyst particle state, size and shape in these processes. This will facilitate the development of more efficient catalyst materials in the quest for an energy-efficient and sustainable future.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitución de acogida
412 96 GOTEBORG
Suecia