Materials,Catalysis and C1-Chemistry

There is no doubt that the conversion of small molecules with one carbon atom, such as CO₂, CO, CH₄, and CH₃OH, will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of the chemical industry. Therefore, our research has a particular focus on C1-chemistry. Although many of the possible transformations in C1 chemistry are well-known, several challenges still limit their full potential for integrating renewable carbon and energy resources for future large-scale production of sustainable fuels and chemicals. In general, the most critical challenges include:

1.  Activity. Increasing the catalytic activity to limit the temperature, pressure, and environmental impact of the processes.
2. Selectivity. Increasing the catalytic selectivity to limit waste and the need for product separation or other downstream processing.
3. Stability. Preventing the catalytic deactivation to limit the need for expensive regeneration and downtime.
4. Cost-efficiency. Developing economically viable processes for large-scale production of renewable fuels and chemicals using effective catalysts that rely on cheap and abundant metals.
5. Environmental impact. Minimizing the footprint of all process stages, from raw feedstock extraction through production and use to disposal or recycling.

To tackle these challenges, we integrate advanced spectroscopic techniques and isotope-labeled kinetic experiments to gain insight into the reaction mechanism and structure–activity relationships under realistic operating conditions. Furthermore, we combine this insight with new tools in automated synthesis, high-throughput testing and data-driven optimizations to develop more stable and cost-efficient catalysts.