Title: Overcoming the Technical Bottlenecks: Bridging the Gap between Fundamental and Applied Catalysis

Speaker: Prof. Abhishek Dutta Chowdhury, Wuhan University

Date: 2021-11-26 15:00

Location: Room 234, Chemistry Building

Abstract：

Catalysis is an essential technology to produce both bulk and fine chemicals, materials, and fuels, and combustion and pollution control devices. Hence, catalysis is expected to play a decisive role in promoting the 'circular carbon economy' and achieving 'carbon neutrality' goals. However, the efficiency of existing catalytic technologies is still unable to meet current demands. Such slow growth in catalysis-based technologies can be attributed to a few ‘technical bottlenecks’, including the lack of mechanistic/fundamental understanding of the reactions and active catalysts. The importance of mechanistic understanding in heterogeneous catalysis cannot be ignored, as such information is instrumental in developing superior catalysts, maximizing product yields, reducing costs, and minimizing waste to increase economic value. Therefore, the rational design of catalysts to develop new chemical processes, through the fundamental understanding of reaction mechanisms (i.e., pieces of the puzzle), is of vital importance to accelerate our effort to address current societal grand challenges. In this presentation, I will focus on outcomes of spectroscopy-driven development of new/upgraded heterogeneous catalytic technologies, including methanol-to-hydrocarbons, methane dehydroaromatization, aromatic alkylation, and hydrogenation of CO/CO2-to-hydrocarbons. In addition, I will also discuss future research plans from our groups towards delivering e-fuels, with ‘drop-in capability’, from the perspective of both catalysis and material science.