This is a past event
Approximately 90% of everything we use involves a catalytic process at some part of its life cycle and more than 80% of current industrial processes established since 1980 in the chemical, petrochemical and biochemical industries, as well as in the production of polymers and in environmental protection, use catalysts. Of these, supported metals form a large subgroup with applications including vehicle emission control, and methanol and ammonia synthesis. In the 21st century, there has been a significant move away from considering activity as a key operational criterion and selectivity and reduced waste are recognised as being of greater importance. One of the fundamental difficulties with the use of supported metals is in controlling the distribution of different available sites as a consequence of the intrinsic heterogeneity of the metal particles. Although controlling particle growth and shape through nanotechnology-based approaches is popular, scale up using this approach will be challenging. In this lecture I will overview a few of the many different approaches which we have considered over the years to control selectivity by modification of the exposed metal surfaces including use of site doping, surface decoration and use of bimetallics with minimal noble metal loadings. I will include reference to the techniques and approaches developed alongside these routes which have allowed characterisation of the active materials to be performed.
- Speaker
- Professor James Anderson, Chemical and Materials Engineering Group, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen
- Hosted by
- School of Engineeering
- Venue
- FN156
- Contact
-
School of Engineering