Engineering catalysts / photocatalysts to convert CO2 and hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals
Engineering of active and selective composite catalysts / photocatalysts (e.g. metal nanoparticles dispersed on oxides and semiconductors).
Mechanistic studies of catalysts / photocatalysts on nanoscale with state-of-the-art characterization techniques to better understand reaction pathways occurring on the catalyst surface and their consequences on selectivity.
Testing of catalysts / photocatalysts in heterogeneous catalysis for
- CO2 conversion (e.g. gas phase methanol production, photo-thermal catalytic CO2 conversion)
- conversion of hydrocarbons (e.g. C-H bond activation in light alkanes, partial oxidation, syngas chemistry, methane valorization, hydrotreatment of platform molecules).
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- On the mechanism of visible light assisted methane dry reforming reaction over Ni/CeO2−x catalysts
- Effects of Zr Doping into Ceria for the Dry Reforming of Methane over Ni/CeZrO2 Catalysts: In Situ Studies with XRD, XAFS, and AP-XPS
- Alkali and earth alkali modified CuOx/SiO2 catalysts for propylene partial oxidation: What determines the selectivity?
- Insight into the interdependence of Ni and Al in bifunctional Ni/ZSM-5 catalysts at the nanoscale
- Vapor-phase hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ−valerolactone over bi-functional Ni/HZSM-5 catalyst