This course provides a more profound description of catalysis as compared to “Kinetiek en Katalyse”, preparing students for performing research on catalytic materials, both in industry and academia, as well as for knowledge-based operation and troubleshooting of catalytic reactors.
In more detail you will be able to:
Fundamentals of catalysis
- Understand trends in molecular chemisorption on metals in the periodic system (PS)
- Based on basics of orbital theory description of chemical bonding + d-band theory
- Understand trends in dissociative adsorption with reference to the PS
- Based on orbital theory and Bronsted-Polanyi relationship
- Understand trends in catalytic performance of metals in the PS based on Bronsted-Polanyi relationship
- Understand why kinetic equations depend on conditions and surface coverage in the Langmuir Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism on metals
- Understand why surface structure, particle size and support can influence catalytic performance of supported metal catalysts
Catalyst Preparation
- Be familiar with the most common procedures used in industry to prepare catalysts, including the involved physical phenomena and chemistry
Properties and application of oxides/acids
- Explain which metal-oxides are typically used in selective oxidation processes, and why
- Understand the Mars and van Krevelen mechanism in oxidation catalysis and the implications for process operation.
- Be familiar with the structure of zeolites, their composition, and their forms of acidity
- Be familiar with methods to determine zeolite acidity
- Be familiar with processes in which zeolites are typically applied
Characterization of Catalytic Materials
- Understand characterization techniques based on adsorption
- Multilayer adsorption (BET) and porosimetry
- Specific chemisorption: static and dynamic techniques
- Explain the basic principles of temperature programmed (TP) techniques
- Explain the basic principles of transient techniques, including the use of isotopes
- Explain the basic principles of different X-ray based characterization techniques, namely X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS).
- Understand the basic principles of UV, Raman and Infrared spectroscopy, and instrumentation.
- Discuss the limitations of the mentioned spectroscopic techniques and analyze spectroscopic data of these techniques.
- Select appropriate characterization techniques and propose strategies to characterize heterogeneous catalysts.
Catalytic reactors
- Understand the choice for a catalyst-reactor combination depending on conditions and thermodynamics
- Understand the influence of mass transfer on activity
- Qualitatively understand the influence of mass transfer on selectivity
- Qualitatively understand the effect of catalyst particles on G-L transfer
- Understand how to measure kinetics correctly in the lab
Catalysis by alternative stimuli
- Understand the principles and perspectives of electrocatalysis
- Understand the principles and perspectives of photocatalysis
- Understand the principles and perspectives of plasmacatalysis
Scientific attitude
- Able to critically evaluate a scientific paper identifying key-messages, strengths and weaknesses
- Able to present and discuss scientific research in the domain of heterogeneous catalysis
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o Physisorption and capillary condensation for catalyst characterization
o Molecular bonding in chemisorption and heterogeneous catalysis on metals
o Oxide and solid acid catalysts
o Electro-photo- and plasma-catalysis
o Catalytst characterization with electrons and photons
o Temperature programmed techniques for characterization
o Catalytic reactors and transport
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