Branco Weiss Fellow Since
2020
Research Category
Chemistry, Material Sciences, Physics
Research Location
Chemistry Department, University of Basel, Switzerland
Background
For climate change mitigation and to safeguard our resources for future generations we need to develop more sustainable technologies and chemical processes. Modern society depends on the chemicals provided by the chemical industry, and 90% of industrial chemical processes operate using a heterogeneous catalyst. These catalysts are often based on noble metals, which are rare, expensive, and susceptible to poisoning. In addition, many current chemical processes are not efficient or selective enough, leading to waste of energy and resources. For a sustainable future, chemical processes should enable the formation of the desired chemical product only with minimal input of energy and resources, and use of abundant materials as catalysts.
Details of Research
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.
