Carbide formation as active catalyst species in hydrogenation reactions

Supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs) are used widely for their ability to act as highly active hydrogenation and oxidation catalysts; the application of these processes to sustainable chemistry is of significant importance. The evolving nature of Pd NPs during these reactions is becoming ever more apparent, with interstitial hydride, carbide, and (most recently) nitride phases being observed to form during catalysis. These interstitial structures form readily during catalytic reactions and can play a crucial role in determining both the catalyst activity and nature of the products formed. The challenge is to better understand how these structures are formed, their stability under reaction conditions, and how to harness them for new catalyst technologies. The PdCx phase is very elusive and is best studied during catalysis. Both vibrational spectroscopy and synchrotron experiments are ideally suited to these types of investigations. The project will employ FTIR spectroscopy studies in Glasgow and make use of both X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) experiments. This PhD will be connected to an EPSRC funded project with partners in the University of Southampton and Queen's University Belfast. The PhD candidate will be expected to work as part of this larger team involving several PDRAs and 2 PhD students based at the partner universities.