Prof. Malte Behrens, University of Duisburg-Essen
When: Wednesday, January 08th, 2020, 5:15 pm
Where: TUM IAS Auditorium
Abstract
Catalysts determine the efficiency of many chemical processes and the (electro-)conversion of small molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen are of particular importance for energy storage and conversion reactions. Correlations of structure and composition of the catalyst with the catalytic activity are a valuable guide to catalyst optimization, but these correlations can furthermore contribute towards our fundamental understanding of the active sites and reaction mechanisms. For the elaboration of robust structure activity correlation, a careful and controlled inorganic materials synthesis is a crucial prerequisite. In the lecture, several examples from the field of electro- and thermal catalysis of how detailed knowledge of the synthesis chemistry of catalysts and catalyst precursors can promote catalyst development and inspire new fundamental insight will be presented.