Distinguished iNANO Lecture: Mass-selected Nanoparticles for Conversion of Sustainable Energy

Professor Ib Chorkendorff
Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark
Director of the The Villum Center for the science of sustainable fuels and chemicals (V-SUSTAIN)  
Kgs. Lyngby

Mass-selected Nanoparticles for Conversion of Sustainable Energy 

In this presentation, I will give an overview of some our recent progress in making nanoparticles alloys and intermetallic compounds for catalysis, particularly in relation to conversion of sustainable energy [1].

We shall demonstrate how mass-selected nanoparticles of CuZn alloys can be used to elucidate the dynamics of the methanol synthesis catalysts. The produced nanoparticles will be compared to the conventional CuZnAl at 1 bar for synthesizing methanol from CO₂ and H₂ [2, 3, 4]. The methanol synthesis on CuZn will also be discussed with respect to our recent findings of using alloys of NiGa for methanol synthesis [5]. The use of mass-selected nanoparticles will be further demonstrated for electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction, which is really the limiting reaction in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. Here we have found entirely new classes of electro-catalysts by alloying Pt with early transition metals [6] or the lanthanides [7]. We have shown that it is possible to make mass-selected nanoparticles of these alloys with very good activities [8] and PtGd alloys [9] although direct translation of such results to fuel cells is difficult [10]. We shall demonstrate that as similar approach can be used for studying size dependence and efficiency for catalysts related to water splitting [11, 12] and evaluate the scalability of scarce and expensive elements like Platinum and Ruthenium. Size dependence and isotope labelled experiments will be presented for NiFe nanoparticles for oxygen evolution under alkaline conditions [13]. Here we shall demonstrate a new principle for dynamic detection of gas evolution [14]. This has also been used to investigate electrochemical CO hydrogenation on mass-selected Copper nanoparticles to study the dynamical influence of surface oxygen on the selectivity for methane/ethene production [15].

References

1.      Z. W She, J. Kibsgaard, C. F. Dickens, I. Chorkendorff, J. K. Nørskov, T. F. Jaramillo, Science (2017) 355.
2.      S. Kuld, C. Conradsen,P.G. Moses, I. Chorkendorff and J. Sehested, Angew. Chemie 53 (2014) 1.
3.      C. Holse, … I. Chorkendorff, S. Helveg, J. H. Nielsen, J. Chem. Phys. 119 (2015) 2804.
4.      S. Kuld, .. C. Elkjær, S.  Helveg, I. Chorkendorff, J. Sehested, Science 352 (2016) 969-974.
5.      F. Studt, . … S. Dahl, I.  Chorkendorff, and J. K. Nørskov, Nature Chemistry. 6 (2014) 320.
6.      J. Greeley,. J. Rossmeisl, I. Chorkendorff, J. K. Nørskov, Nature Chemistry. 1 (2009) 522.
7.      M. Escudero-Escribano, … I. E.L. Stephens, I. Chorkendorff, Science 352 (2016) 73.
8.      P. Hernandez-Fernandez, F. Masini, …, I. Chorkendorff, Nature Chemistry 6 (2014) 732.
9.      A. Velázquez-Palenzuela…. I. E.L. Stephens, I. Chorkendorff, J. Catal. 328 (2015) 297.
10.  I. F. L. Stephens, J. Rossmeisl, I. Chorkendorff, Science 354 (2016) 1378
11.  E. Kemppainen, … and I. Chorkendorff, Energy & Environmental Science, 8 (2015) 2991.
12.  E. A. Paoli, F. … S. Horch, I. E.L Stephens, I. Chorkendorff, Chemical Science, 6 (2015) 190.
13.  C. Roy, …J. Kibsgaard, I. E. L. Stephens, and I. Chorkendorff; Submitted (2017).
14.  D. T. Bøndergaard, .. I Chorkendorff and P. C. K. Vesborg, Rev. Sci. Inst.  86 (2015) 075006.
15.  S. B. Scott, …. P. C. K. Vesborg, Jan Rossmeisl, and I. Chorkendorff, submitted (2017).

Host: Associate professor Jeppe Vang Lauritsen, iNANO & Department of Physics and Astronomy