Research

Our group aims to develop catalytic materials that are utilized in sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. A grand challenge in the development of catalytic materials is understanding and designing the active site structure under reactive environments. Catalysis research has focused on the development of structure-performance relationships, where the observed activity, selectivity, and/or stability of a catalyst is related to the initial material structure to understand the nature of the active site for a particular conversion. 

The challenge, however, is that the material structure is typically determined through ex situ characterization methods despite strong evidence for catalyst reconstruction and dynamics under reaction conditions as a function of temperature, pressure, and chemical potential. Thus, an opportunity exists to bridge the gap between catalyst structure as synthesized and its state under reaction conditions. 

In our group, we aim to design catalysts for the structure under reaction conditions. This will be done through a multipronged approach, involving materials synthesis, in situ and operando spectroscopy, microscopy, reaction kinetics, and kinetic modeling. Combining the synthesis of well-defined catalytic materials with spectroscopic measurement of surface species under reaction conditions will elucidate the role of various components in catalyst structure and resulting performance. This information is then employed to design improved catalytic materials.