Dr. Murielle Delley is working towards more sustainable chemical technologies by developing abundant materials as catalysts in chemical transformations and by investigating new controls on catalysis. Transition metal phosphide and chalcogenide materials have often similar catalytic properties as noble metals highlighting their potential as earth-abundant replacements. Dr. Delley explores catalysis by transition metal phosphides and chalcogenides through the development of a fundamental understanding of their interfacial chemistry. Inspired by the impressive catalytic machinery of nature – the enzymes – she envisions that the combined use of a chemical and a physical approach can maximize the efficiency and selectivity of catalytic materials: Chemically modified surfaces to provide the right environment for a desired reaction path, similar to the function-specific reaction pocket of enzymes, and electric fields as a physical control on catalysis paralleling the electrostatic effects thought to be critical for biological catalysis. Together, electric-field assisted catalysis by tailored inorganic materials could provide exciting opportunities for customizable chemical processes.
