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Catalysis Research using the Diamond Synchrotron

Catalysis Research Using Diamond

Catalysis is estimated to be involved in 90% of all chemical processes and in the creation of 60% of the chemical products available on the market, but still it is rarely analysed at the atomic scale. The need to understand catalysis at this level is driven by both economic and environmental concerns; therefore there is a global interest in optimising the synthesis of new catalytic materials and in understanding the fundamental process of catalysis.

Diamond provides specialist analytical techniques for the atomic to microscale characterisation of various catalytic materials and the in situ study of catalytic processes.

Homogeneous catalyst design

Structural characterisation of various homogenous catalysts applied in fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries;
Optimising a catalyst formation based on its selectivity and activity towards specific reaction e.g. alkylation, oligomerisation, carbon-carbon coupling reactions;
Studies of electronic and structural ligand-active metal interactions.

Heterogeneous catalyst design

Investigations on novel three-way catalysts – monitoring effect of promoter on an active metal and overall performance of a catalyst;
Studies of novel, more efficient Fischer Tropsch catalysts, promoted with various dopants;
Structural characterisation of multifunctional mesoporous materials e.g. zeolites, AlPO- types with different active metals.

Mechanism of catalytic reactions

Structural and electronic studies of catalyst and catalytic processes under in situ, time-resolved conditions to mimic real industrial processes;
Understand mechanism of catalysis by in situ studies of fast kinetic phenomena and detect multiple transition species of catalyst under operation;
Structural characterisation of homogeneous catalysts using in situ, stopped flow reactors.

Processing of catalytic materials

Follow structural changes during processing under service conditions;
Understand processes of poisoning and deactivation of catalysts under extreme conditions e.g. high temperature, pressure;
Detect strain, fatigue, pores and cracks within catalytic systems under operating conditions;
Apply advanced approaches to improve catalytic reactor technology.

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Case Studies

Johnson Matthey - Pt speciation

The Problem profilephoto

Platinum group metals play a crucial role in a variety of applications and in particular for a host of catalytic applications. The largest application is currently in vehicle emission control (VEC) catalysts to efficiently reduce particulate matter, CO, NOx and hydrocarbons. This type of catalytic system is diverse and complex and generally contains 0.1-1 wt% active metal deposited on a thermally stable structural support. Therefore, applying a wide range of techniques is essential to fully understand these complex catalytic materials.

Sasol - in situ catalysis with the microreactor

The Problem profilephoto

A proper understanding of structure-property relationships plays a central role in the design and discovery of novel materials. In many cases, exploring the relationship between the structure of a new material and its physical and chemical properties requires that measurements are carried out under exactly the same in situ conditions of temperature, pressure and atmosphere as the performance environments of the material of interest.

Oxford - methanol production

The Problem profilephoto

Catalytic production of methanol is an industrially important process and this high-energy density liquid is widely used in the manufacture of plastics and synthetic fibres, and in fuel cells. Currently, methanol is synthesized on a large scale using natural gas from an energy-inefficient process, which requires an endothermic, and therefore thermally intensive, step to completely break down the methane to CO/H₂ before methanol can be formed. Scientists from the University of Oxford were keen to explore an alternative non-syn-gas route for methanol production utilising ethylene glycol (EG) which can be sourced from biomass.