Tuning exact ratios of two metals in a catalyst may enable new directions in catalysis scienceIn the

Tuning exact ratios of two metals in a catalyst may enable new directions in catalysis science

In the last 20 years, there have been efforts to reduce fossil fuel use in plastics manufacturing, and, according to Penn State researchers, efficient, customizable catalytic reactions—where two metals are combined using a catalyst, or molecule that remains unchanged during a reaction—are an attractive alternative.

Researchers have found a way to make catalytic reactions less wasteful and more cost effective by controlling the placement of each atom on the catalyst surface. Controlling or customizing the catalysts cuts down on unneeded competitive reactions and isolates a successful, predictable reaction. These results were published in Nature Chemistry.

“By isolating an active metal in an inert host, and precisely controlling the exact ratio of the metals, we can get a targeted pattern of the two metal atoms,” said Michael Janik, Penn State professor of chemical engineering and co-principal investigator for the study.

Researchers used palladium, which served as the active catalyst component, and zinc, the inert host, to form an intermetallic, a compound with two or more types of metal atoms arranged in a repeating pattern.

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