Innovative Catalyst Platform Advances Understanding of Working Catalysts
© FHI
A novel catalyst platform, known as Laterally Condensed Catalysts (LCC), has been developed to enable design and analysis of the functional interface connecting the active mass to its support. This interface not only influences the chemical properties of the reactive interface but also controls its stability and hence the sustainability of the catalytic materials. The development was significantly supported by the use of operando spectroscopy at the BESSY II synchrotron, which made it possible to observe and understand the dynamic processes and structures under reaction conditions.
Unrestrained combinations in composition between active phase and support enable for example direct energy transfer to the reactive interface in electrocatalysis or electrical heating. The physical synthesis methodology within the FHI-HZB CatLab project, taken from solar cell technology, gives access to precise and homogeneous structures and chemistry. This facilitates the mechanistic understanding of working catalysts and their subsequent optimization through interrogating reactive and functional interfaces by operando spectroscopy. The thin film catalysts studied here were synthesized with the objective of designing the interface structure of performance catalysts and closing the material gap between model and real-world powder catalysts while minimizing the use of noble metals. Its unique flat and densely packed structure (LCC) enables to achieve a homogeneous high density of surface active sites, minimizing the content of material present in the “bulk” or subsurface of the active catalysts with benefical effects on the selelctivity of the catalyzed reaction.
This effort is detailed in a study published in Nature Communications, entitled "Rationally Designed Laterally-Condensed-Catalysts Deliver Robust Activity and Selectivity for Ethylene Production in Acetylene Hydrogenation." The study is part of the CatLab Project, a collaboration prominently involving the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion. The CatLab Project is funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
- Metallic nanocatalysts: what really happens during catalysisUsing a combination of spectromicroscopy at BESSY II and microscopic analyses at DESY's NanoLab, a team has gained new insights into the chemical behaviour of nanocatalysts during catalysis. The nanoparticles consisted of a platinum core with a rhodium shell. This configuration allows a better understanding of structural changes in, for example, rhodium-platinum catalysts for emission control. The results show that under typical catalytic conditions, some of the rhodium in the shell can diffuse into the interior of the nanoparticles. However, most of it remains on the surface and oxidises. This process is strongly dependent on the surface orientation of the nanoparticle facets.
- Shedding light on insulators: how light pulses unfreeze electronsMetal oxides are abundant in nature and central to technologies such as photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Yet, many suffer from poor electrical conduction, caused by strong repulsion between electrons in neighboring metal atoms. Researchers at HZB and partner institutions have shown that light pulses can temporarily weaken these repulsive forces, lowering the energy required for electrons mobility, inducing a metal-like behavior. This discovery offers a new way to manipulate material properties with light, with high potential to more efficient light-based devices.
- Key technology for a future without fossil fuelsIn June and July 2025, catalyst researcher Nico Fischer spent some time at HZB. It was his sabbatical, he was relieved of his duties as Director of the Catalysis Institute in Cape Town for several months and was able to focus on research only. His institute is collaborating with HZB on two projects that aim to develop environmentally friendly alternatives using innovative catalyst technologies. The questions were asked by Antonia Rötger, HZB.