Project description
Novel computational tools will help find catalysts for green chemistry
Catalysts speed the rate of a reaction and are fundamental to most chemical and industrial processes. Homogeneous catalysis utilises reactants and catalysts in the same state while heterogeneous catalysis uses catalysts in a different state than the reactants. Homogeneous catalysis often requires milder reaction conditions and can exhibit greater activity, selectivity and control. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ML4Catalysis project is developing machine learning methods and other computational tools harnessing quantum chemistry principles to generate an entirely new family of homogeneous catalysts. The team is targeting transition metal complexes for the creation of fuels and feedstock chemicals from natural resources.
Objective
While machine learning (ML) methods are already commonly applied in heterogeneous catalysis, the use of such methods for the design of homogeneous catalysts is a largely overlooked field. A recent proof-of-principle study showed the huge potential of ML in homogeneous catalysis by demonstrating that activation barriers in a set of related transition metal (TM) complexes can be learned. ML4Catalysis has three objectives that go far beyond this state of the art:
1) Automation of quantum chemistry (QC) calculations by combining different existing computational tools in a unified framework, with the goal to create powerful high-level computational workflows in a synergistic way.
2) Going beyond the accuracy of density-functional theory (DFT), which is often inaccurate for systems with multireference (MR) character like TM complexes. To this end, we will develop an ML method that is trained to predict the difference between energies at the DFT level and at a more accurate multireference level.
3) A pool of entirely novel catalysts for a given reaction will be generated by using a variational autoencoder (VAE) architecture. A Gaussian Process (GP) model trained to predict key activation barriers on a subset of these complexes will be used to screen the remaining set for the most promising candidates. This approach will be applied to find novel CO2 hydrogenation catalysts, which are important for the creation of fuels and feedstock chemicals from natural resources.
With its focus on catalysis and modern QC and ML methods, ML4Catalysis is highly relevant for two of the European Commission’s current priorities: “A European Green Deal” and “A Europe fit for the digital age”. The interdisciplinary project combines knowledge of the researcher on modern MR methods and the electronic structure of TM complexes with the expertise in automation, ML, and homogeneous catalysis at the host institution and will leave the researcher well-prepared for an independent career.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences chemical sciences physical chemistry quantum chemistry
- natural sciences physical sciences quantum physics quantum field theory
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
0313 Oslo
Norway
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.