Date/Time
17.07.2025
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Location
Lecture Hall 55.02
Pfaffenwaldring 55
70569 Stuttgart
We are very happy to welcome within the CRC 1333 Colloquium Series:
Thursday, July 17, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm
University of Basel, Switzerland
Topic: “Tuning the Catalysis of Inorganic Materials by Disentangling their Entangled Interfacial Chemistry”
Abstract:
Heterogeneous catalysis is essential to most industrial chemical processes. However, these processes are often not efficient or selective enough, and typically use rare noble metals as catalysts. Improving the sustainability of current processes will rely on the development of new control elements in catalysis and of abundant materials as catalysts. Earth-abundant transition metal phosphides and sulfides have recently emerged as promising materials in some catalytic applications, but these materials are underexplored for catalysis. New discoveries are hampered by a limited understanding of the interfacial chemistry that directs the catalytic properties of these materials. This talk will introduce the research efforts of the Delley group that target the development of transition metal phosphides and sulfides in new catalytic applications. We use molecular strategies to develop a better understanding of the surface fundamentals that govern the catalysis of these materials. Based on these fundamental insights, we tune the catalytic properties of the phosphides and sulfides by chemical surface modification strategies. Further control at catalytic surfaces could be implemented through use of interfacial electric fields. In this talk, I will also discuss the influence of electric fields on interfacial chemistry and how this could be used to steer heterogeneous catalysis.
The CRC cordially invites all who are interested to the lecture.