Optimizing the catalytic activity by alloying and additives

After exploring the ethanol electro-oxidation on Pd, I screened alloys to identify catalysts that are more selective towards the full-oxidation for better ethanol fuel-cell.[8] Besides alloying with another metal, metal catalysts can also be tuned by additives. When a chlorinated salt is used as a Ru precursor, Cl is not completely removed during the calcination/reduction steps. The remaining Cl tunes the electronic structure of Ru and facilitates formic acid decomposition.[9] Organic additives can also actively protect the metallic surface and, when the right amount is added, they can facilitate alcohol dehydrogenation catalysed by shaped Co nanoparticles.[10] To reach a thorough understanding and optimize the catalytic activity, I systematically lead those studies combining computational studies and experiments in partnership with leaders in their fields, focusing on the upgrade of biomass-derived molecules.

References

  1. “Computational screening for selective catalysts: Cleaving the CC bond during ethanol electro-oxidation reaction,” E. A. Monyoncho, S. N. Steinmann, P. Sautet, E. A. Baranova, and C. Michel, Electrochim. Acta 2018, 274, 274
  2. “Ru catalysts for levulinic acid hydrogenation with formic acid as a hydrogen source”
    A.M. Ruppert, M. Jedrzejczyk, O. Sneka-Platek, N. Keller, A.S. Dumon, C. Michel, P. Sautet, J. Grams, Green Chem. 2016, 18, 2014.
  3. K. Kaźmierczak, R.K. Ramamoorthy, A. Moisset, G. Viau, A. Viola, M. Giraud, J. Peron, L. Sicard, J.-Y. Piquemal, M. Besson, N. Perret, C. Michel
    “Importance of the decoration in shaped cobalt nanoparticles in the acceptor-less secondary alcohol dehydrogenation,” Catal. Sci. Technol. 2020, 10, 4923