Nanoengineered Materials for Clean Catalytic Technologies
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Catalysis lies at the heart of life on earth, powers our homes and puts food on our tables. However to a large degree our ability to transform individual atoms and molecules into new pharmaceutical medicines, fuels, and fertilisers has depended upon an equal combination of brilliant science and serendipitous discoveries. This reflects the complex interactions between reacting molecules and products, their surrounding environment, and of course the catalyst itself, which ideally remains unchanged over thousands of reaction cycles. Recent advances in chemical synthesis and analysis now offer an unprecedented opportunity to sculpt the atomic structure of solid catalysts and to peer inside their microscopic workings.Over the next five years, I propose to integrate these new experimental and theoretical breakthroughs with my own expertise in catalyst design and testing, to develop a new generation of nanoengineered materials for the clean production of valuable chemical feedstocks and sustainable biofuels. New collaborations, forged with world leaders in the areas of inorganic solid-state chemistry, nanoscale imaging and computer modelling, will help me to develop the multidisciplinary skillsets needed to achieve my vision of solid catalysts, tailored 'on demand', for efficient clean technologies that will benefit society over the coming decade.
People |
ORCID iD |
Adam Lee (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Zhang X
(2018)
Sulfated Zirconia Catalysts for D-Sorbitol Cascade Cyclodehydration to Isosorbide: Impact of Zirconia Phase
in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Pirez C
(2018)
Sol-gel synthesis of SBA-15: Impact of HCl on surface chemistry
in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials
Rabee A
(2017)
Acidity-Reactivity Relationships in Catalytic Esterification over Ammonium Sulfate-Derived Sulfated Zirconia
in Catalysts
Zeinalipour-Yazdi C
(2016)
CO adsorption over Pd nanoparticles: A general framework for IR simulations on nanoparticles
in Surface Science
Montero J
(2016)
The surface chemistry of nanocrystalline MgO catalysts for FAME production: An in situ XPS study of H2O, CH3OH and CH3OAc adsorption
in Surface Science
Lee A
(2015)
Recent developments in heterogeneous catalysis for the sustainable production of biodiesel
in Catalysis Today
Parlett C
(2014)
Alumina-grafted SBA-15 as a high performance support for Pd-catalysed cinnamyl alcohol selective oxidation
in Catalysis Today
Parlett C
(2014)
Selective oxidation of allylic alcohols over highly ordered Pd/meso-Al2O3 catalysts
in Catalysis Communications
Pirez C
(2014)
An energy-efficient route to the rapid synthesis of organically-modified SBA-15 via ultrasonic template removal
in Green Chem.
Osatiashtiani A
(2014)
Bifunctional SO 4 /ZrO 2 catalysts for 5-hydroxymethylfufural (5-HMF) production from glucose
in Catal. Sci. Technol.
Ayris P
(2013)
SO2 sequestration in large volcanic eruptions: High-temperature scavenging by tephra
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Fairlamb I
(2013)
C-H and C-X Bond Functionalization - Transition Metal Mediation
Wainwright S
(2013)
True liquid crystal templating of SBA-15 with reduced microporosity
in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials
Parlett C
(2013)
Hierarchically Ordered Nanoporous Pd/SBA-15 Catalyst for the Aerobic Selective Oxidation of Sterically Challenging Allylic Alcohols
in ACS Catalysis
Parlett C
(2013)
Operando synchronous DRIFTS/MS/XAS as a powerful tool for guiding the design of Pd catalysts for the selective oxidation of alcohols
in Catalysis Today
Eze V
(2013)
Heterogeneous catalysis in an oscillatory baffled flow reactor
in Catalysis Science & Technology
Woodford J
(2013)
Identifying the active phase in Cs-promoted MgO nanocatalysts for triglyceride transesterification
in Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology
Parlett CM
(2013)
Hierarchical porous materials: catalytic applications.
in Chemical Society reviews
Durndell LJ
(2013)
Tunable Pt nanocatalysts for the aerobic selox of cinnamyl alcohol.
in Nanoscale
Sánchez-Vázquez R
(2013)
Zr-Containing Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Mesoporous Materials: Hydrophobic Acid Catalysts for Biodiesel Production.
in ChemCatChem
Davison T
(2013)
Multiscale modelling of heterogeneously catalysed transesterification reaction process: an overview
in RSC Advances
Walker RA
(2012)
Preservation of York Minster historic limestone by hydrophobic surface coatings.
in Scientific reports
Dingwall L
(2012)
Bifunctional Organorhodium Solid Acid Catalysts for Methanol Carbonylation
in ACS Catalysis
Woodford J
(2012)
Better by design: nanoengineered macroporous hydrotalcites for enhanced catalytic biodiesel production
in Energy & Environmental Science
Dacquin JP
(2012)
Pore-expanded SBA-15 sulfonic acid silicas for biodiesel synthesis.
in Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
Description | See EP/G007594/4 |
Exploitation Route | Yes |
Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Energy,Environment,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | Selective catalytic transformations for agrochemicals |
Organisation | Syngenta International AG |
Country | Switzerland |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Two part-sponsored PhD studentships have undertake fundamental research into the mechanism of palladium catalysed transformations and identified key factors controlling the catalytic performance and stability of nanoparticles. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to laboratories, intellectual guidance, provision of catalysts |
Impact | One PhD graduated to date, and 2 peer-reviewed publications. |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | Synchtrotron studies of nanostructured materials |
Organisation | Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | New research areas in catalysis and materials science developed resulting in numerous jointly authored publications over 17 years. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to synchtrotron facilities and training of 8 PhD students and PDRAs |
Impact | Joint publications, contributions to annual highlights, invited seminar and Fonda-Fasella 2004 award |