Research in Tan Hall

Alexis T. Bell: Building Better Catalysts

Harvey Blanch: Biochemical Engineering

David Graves: Plasma Physics Research

Roya Maboudian: Semiconductor Surfaces

Susan Muller: Studying the Mechanics of Complex Fluids

Clayton Radke: Colloids and Interfaces

Angelica Stacy: Solid State Chemistry

Alexis Bell: Building Better Catalysts

“ . . .we have identified a novel, bifunctional catalyst for the production of methanol from starting mixtures of CO, CO2, and H2.

With the opening of Tan Hall in 1997, I moved my laboratories from Building 62 at LBNL to our new space on the third floor. While any move is stressful, the advantages of this particular move far outweighed any disadvantages. For the first time in my career, my group was housed in modern laboratory facilities designed specifically for its needs.

An additional advantage is that my laboratories are now near those of professors Enrique Iglesia and Don Tilley, with whom I collaborate. The proximity of our groups has allowed us to interact better and has facilitated the sharing of instruments.

The research we are performing in Tan Hall is directed at understanding the structure-performance relationships of catalysts—materials that accelerate and direct chemical reactions so that the desired products are produced. Catalysts are used to produce virtually everything required for modern civilization, including fuels, chemicals, drugs, and polymers, and to greatly reduce emissions from automobiles and stationary combustion sources.

The graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in my group are looking at the surfaces of catalysts from a molecular perspective and are working to better understand how a catalyst converts reactants to products. The tools required for such studies involve a variety of spectroscopy methods, such as IR, Raman, and interpretation of electromagnetic radiation absorbed, scattered or emitted by molecules. In addition, we study reaction kinetics in combination with isotopic tracer methods. The knowledge gained from our work enables us to identify which catalyst properties must be adjusted to optimize that catalyst’s activity and selectivity.

New way to produce methanol
In exciting work sponsored by the Department of Energy, we have identified a novel, bifunctional catalyst for the production of methanol from starting mixtures of CO, CO2, and H2. This material involves copper dispersed on the surface of zirconia and can be made as active, or more active, than current commercially available catalysts. Our studies have shown that the activity and selectivity of the catalyst can be tuned by altering the phase of the support and by adding dopants to the zirconia.

Studying the structure of catalysts
In another project, in collaboration with Enrique Iglesia, we have identified how the structure and composition of very small metal oxide structures influence the oxidative dehydrogenation of low molecular weight alkanes, open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane, to produce olefins—molecules that can serve as the monomer units for polymers and as building blocks for a wide variety of organic products.

In addition, Don Tilley and I are learning how to build single-site catalysts in which all active sites are essentially identical. Our first success has been in isolating single Fe atoms on the surface of silica. This material has been shown to be very active and selective for a variety of hydrocarbon oxidation reactions. The conversion of methane to useful products constitutes another part of our program.

In work supported by Atofina, we have been developing novel approaches for the synthesis of methane sulfonic acid from methane and sulfur trioxide. Our success has led to means for converting two very cheap materials into a relatively expensive product, which is used as an electrolyte for plating metals and as a catalyst for organic synthesis.

Finally, in work funded by BP, we are engaged in identifying how to oxidize methane to produce formaldehyde or, in combination with carbon monoxide, to produce acetic acid. Another part of this project is devoted to the selective oxidation of methanol to form dimethoxy methane and the oxidative carbonylation of methane to form dimethyl carbonate. The first of these products is a clean-burning diesel fuel and the second is a potential substitute for MTBE in gasoline. the physical microfluidic components affect the conformation and stability of the macromolecules.

Related sites:

Tan Hall, spring 2002 stories

Berkeley Catalysis Center

Alex Bell research page

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