Johannes A. Lercher
Catalysis at Interfaces
Our research addresses fundamental aspects of catalysts and catalyzed reactions that enable paths to zero carbon footprint energy carriers and chemical intermediates, using thermal and electrochemical energy input. Designing the nature of catalytically active centers, their steric environment, and the self-organization around them, we seek to lower required reaction temperatures and increase targeted selectivities for converting biomass derived feedstock, light alkanes, and CO2. In-depth characterization of the nature and structure of such sites, of their chemical and steric functionality, as well as of the molecules populating their environment guides us together with kinetic and mechanistic studies to find new reaction pathways.
Key publications:
Formation Mechanism of the First Carbon–Carbon Bond and the First Olefin in the Methanol Conversion into Hydrocarbons, Y. Liu, S. Müller, D. Berger, J. Jelic, K. Reuter, M. Tonigold, M. Sanchez-Sanchez, J. A. Lercher, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 5723–5726.
Role of Spatial Constraints of Brønsted Acid Sites for Adsorption and Surface Reactions of Linear Pentenes, S. Schallmoser, G.L. Haller, M. Sanchez-Sanchez, J. A. Lercher, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 8646–8652.
Enhancing the catalytic activity of hydronium ions through constrained environments, Y. Liu, A. Vjunov, H. Shi, S. Eckstein, D. M. Camaioni, D. Mei, E. Barath, J. A. Lercher, Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 14113.
Active Sites on Nickel-Promoted Transition Metal Sulfides that Catalyze Hydrogenation of Aromatic Compounds, W. Luo, H. Shi, E. Schachtl, O. Y. Gutiérrez, J. A. Lercher, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 14555–14559.
Electrochemically Tunable Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in Pd-Catalyzed Benzaldehyde Hydrogenation, K. Koh, U. Sanyal, M.-S. Lee, G. Cheng, M. Song, V.-A. Glezakou, Y. Liu, D. Li, R. Rousseau, O. Y. Gutiérrez, A. Karkamkar, M. Derewinski, J. A. Lercher, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 132, 1501–1505.