Catalysts for Selective Oxidations
In order to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our generation, climate change, solutions for heavy transport, such as shipping and rail, are needed in addition to emission-reduced transport solutions for private individuals. For these, liquid hydrogen and battery-powered electronic drives are not an alternative to conventional fuels. Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) are an alternative that can be used with the existing infrastructure. These materials are liquid at room temperature, have a lower toxicity than petrol and a high hydrogen storage capacity.
A major hurdle in the industrial use of LOHCs is endothermic dehydrogenation. In order to reach the necessary temperatures for high degrees of dehydrogenation, the value product, hydrogen, must be burnt.
This is where selective oxidation comes in. Due to the strong exothermy, the necessary reaction temperature for dehydrogenation is reached by coupling of the two reactions. The combustion of hydrogen is prevented.
In this work, novel catalysts are being developed and investigated for selective oxidation reactions. Herein we produce catalysts using a wide variety of synthesis methods. With this, we can adjust their properties by a wide range of subgroup metals. The aim is to develop cheap and abundant catalysts with high activity for selective oxidations.