Research
Surface
Chemistry and Catalysis Our research focuses on the fundamental understanding of
structure-reactivity relationships of nanocatalysts
for heterogeneous catalysis. The research involves controlled catalyst growth
by design, in-situ characterization of catalyst structures, as well as
chemical mechanism studies. The
design and synthesis of catalytic materials with controlled structures and
characteristics at the atomic/molecular scale as well as a thorough
characterization coupled with the understanding of the local structure can
provide important knowledge for the engineering of materials with desirable
properties for specific applications. We use two approaches to investigate heterogeneous nanocatalysts. Surface
science studies of well-defined model surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions using combined spectroscopy
and microscopy techniques can achieve
full control and characterization of catalytic systems as well as catalytic
reaction conditions. This approach can enable identification of molecules,
catalyst clusters, and substrates of interest, assist with understanding the
detailed reaction mechanism, and provide the connection between
chemical properties and designed structures at the atomic/molecular scale. Catalytic studies of powders and
nanostructures under reactor conditions can address an
important question whether the results obtained using model catalysts are
representative of real-world catalysts. Current
Research Topics Elucidation of the Role of Atomic Structures of CeO2(111) on
the Nucleation and Growth of Metal Clusters through in situ STM and Theory
(National Science Foundation) Surface Science Studies of Ni-based Bimetallic
Particles on CeO2 for Dry Reforming of Methane (National Science
Foundation) Investigation of the Effect of Metal Dopants in Ce1-xMxO2-δ on the Activity and
Stability of Supported Metal Particles in Dry Reforming
of Methane (University of Wyoming Carbon Engineering Initiatives) |