PhD defense Fang Liu

Heterogeneous catalysis plays a central role in many chemical processes, such as petroleum refining, renewable energy production, medicine manufacturing, fine chemicals production, and automotive exhaust treatment. The main task of heterogeneous catalysis scientists is to develop catalytic materials that exhibit high activity and selectivity towards the formation of desired reaction products and a long life-time in the targeted application. However, this is not an easy task as catalyst activity, selectivity and stability are controlled by various factors. This PhD thesis aims to study the effect of the choice of catalyst support, support modification and metal dispersion on the performance of metal oxide supported precious metal-based catalysts. Based on catalyst performance in a range of different gas- and liquid-phase reactions and catalyst characterization results, insights are gained into the structure-performance relationships governing these reactions, and the modes of catalyst deactivation, the knowledge that can aid the further development of stable and more cost-effective precious-metal catalysts for targeted applications.

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Source: website Utrecht University