Design of Nanostructured Metal Catalysts

By virtue of unique reactivity and atomic efficiency, low‑nuclearity catalysts hold considerable promise in diverse applications with exciting opportunities arising from the possibility to tailor active sites with atomic‑scale rigor. Nevertheless, rational design of low‑nuclearity catalysts is often thwarted by a lack of resolution in both the precise nature of the active sites and their dynamic nature under reaction conditions. Within the interdisciplinary framework of the National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR), my research aims at elucidating structure-property-function relations in low‑nuclearity catalysts by means of a multi-technique approach, including precision material synthesis, ex situ and in situ/operando characterization, as well as extensive catalytic testing complemented with theoretical simulations. Ultimately, the acquired understanding and expertise shall provide fundamental insights to guide catalyst design for targeted applications