Force-Responsive Heterogeneous Catalysts

Efficient catalytic materials are essential for the sustainable energy transition. To design such materials, we have a lot to learn from Nature, where bio-catalysts enzymes can perform many reactions that are virtually impossible for chemists to replicate. Enzymes operate by dynamically confining reactants and transition states, during the catalytic reaction, with high geometric and chemical precision. While we can mimic static confinement with existing nanoporous catalysts, we do not have in-situ control over the confinement geometry inside these generally rigid materials.I aim to bridge this material gap by developing the first catalytic system with externally tunable confinement. My original approach is based on soft graphene-based materials – zeolite-templated carbons (ZTC). The unique property of these materials is that their pore size can be finely tuned within the sub-nanometer range by external mechanical force. This feature enables the precise modulation of the confinement geometry by simply varying the compression degree.In FORECAT, my team and I will:▪ Synthesize a library of catalytic transition metal nanoparticles inside the pores of ZTCs▪ Explore the force-responsive performance of these catalysts in selective CO2 hydrogenation and N2 fixation▪ Link the geometry of confinement with i) diffusivity of reactants, intermediates, and products; ii) their adsorption strength and coverage on active sites; and iii) reactivity and selectivity of the catalysts▪ Utilize oscillatory compression–release of ZTC-based catalysts to drastically enhance their performance through catalytic resonanceThe new field of force-responsive catalysis will provide unique fundamental insights and deep understanding of the chemistry of confinement. This understanding will enable designing better functional porous materials for catalysis and other applications. Eventually, the results of this project will contribute to bridging the gap between artificial and natural catalysts.