Unlocking the Future of Catalysis with SCALMS (Supported Catalytically Active Liquid Metal Solutions): A Dynamic Approach to Heterogeneous Catalysis
Liquid Ga SCALMS droplet in HAADF-STEM, showing an uncharted, crystalline GaPt intermetallic phase (in false-colors, image and research: Robert Branscheid and Simon Carl, Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN)).
While catalysts significantly contribute to our daily lives, their impact often goes unnoticed. By accelerating reaction rates, catalytic processes are essential for developing cleaner fuels, energy storage systems, and renewable resources. With this they play a crucial role in lowering the environmental impact of manufacturing, enhancing sustainability and supporting the transition to renewable energy.
However, traditional solid catalysts often face performance limitations. Supported Catalytically Active Metal Solutions (SCALMS) are a novel class of catalysts that is transforming the field and has shown very exciting long-time performance in various catalytic applications. SCALMS utilizes small amount of a catalytically active metal (such as Pt) dissolved in liquid metal droplets (typically Ga), creating a dynamic system that allows single Pt atoms to go to the surface and forming catalytically active sites at the liquid interface. In our group we aim to explore the highly dynamic, anisotropic environment of such liquid interfaces to create, tailor and stabilize catalytically active sites with unique reactivity and performance. This month’s (STEM-) image visualizes (in false colors) an up-till now unexplored GaPt intermetallic phase in zone-axis inside its Ga matrix, highlighting the complex interrelations in this novel dynamic catalyst system.
S. Carl, J. Will, N. Madubuko, A. Gotz, T. Przybilla, M. Wu, N. Raman, J. Wirth, N. Taccardi, B. A. Zubiri, M. Haumann, P. Wasserscheid, E. Spiecker, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2024, 15(17), 4711-4720, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03494
J. Wirth, S. Englisch, D. Drobek, B. Apeleo Zubiri, M. Wu, N. Taccardi, N. Raman, P. Wasserscheid, E. Spiecker, Catalysts 2021, 11(7), 810, https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070810
Unlocking the Future of Catalysis with SCALMS (Supported Catalytically Active Liquid Metal Solutions): A Dynamic Approach to Heterogeneous Catalysis
While catalysts significantly contribute to our daily lives, their impact often goes unnoticed. By accelerating reaction rates, catalytic processes are essential for developing cleaner fuels, energy storage systems, and renewable resources. With this they play a crucial role in lowering the environmental impact of manufacturing, enhancing sustainability and supporting the transition to renewable energy.
However, traditional solid catalysts often face performance limitations. Supported Catalytically Active Metal Solutions (SCALMS) are a novel class of catalysts that is transforming the field and has shown very exciting long-time performance in various catalytic applications. SCALMS utilizes small amount of a catalytically active metal (such as Pt) dissolved in liquid metal droplets (typically Ga), creating a dynamic system that allows single Pt atoms to go to the surface and forming catalytically active sites at the liquid interface. In our group we aim to explore the highly dynamic, anisotropic environment of such liquid interfaces to create, tailor and stabilize catalytically active sites with unique reactivity and performance. This month’s (STEM-) image visualizes (in false colors) an up-till now unexplored GaPt intermetallic phase in zone-axis inside its Ga matrix, highlighting the complex interrelations in this novel dynamic catalyst system.
Research group website:
https://www.cenem.fau.de/
Publications related to this work:
S. Carl, J. Will, N. Madubuko, A. Gotz, T. Przybilla, M. Wu, N. Raman, J. Wirth, N. Taccardi, B. A. Zubiri, M. Haumann, P. Wasserscheid, E. Spiecker, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2024, 15(17), 4711-4720, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03494
J. Wirth, S. Englisch, D. Drobek, B. Apeleo Zubiri, M. Wu, N. Taccardi, N. Raman, P. Wasserscheid, E. Spiecker, Catalysts 2021, 11(7), 810, https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11070810