Executive Summary : | Methanol, produced from syngas, CO?, and biomass, is a potential liquid fuel and precursor for commodity solvents and chemicals. Selective, reactive, energy-efficient catalysts combined with green feedstocks like methanol significantly reduce industrial energy consumption and CO? emissions. Partial oxidation of methanol (POM) with O? over transition metal catalysts leads to the development of high-purity H?, a crucial energy source that can replace traditional transportation fuels. However, selective H? formation at lower temperatures depends on the catalyst and is not well understood due to various challenges. Supported Au nanocatalysts are of interest in partial oxidation reactions due to their weaker interaction with reactants compared to metals like Pd or Pt. The project aims to develop design principles for improving H? production from methanol oxidation over Au-based catalysts at lower temperatures and ambient pressure. The identity and coverage of reactive oxygen species relative to methanol-derived intermediates are crucial in determining the reactivity and selectivity of POM. Alloying Au with a reactive element such as Pd and using support such as TiO? that assists in methanol/O? activation at the interface are effective strategies to tune the catalyst reactivity. Computer calculations provide primary evidence for the effects of alloying or interfacial sites on POM. The project aims to understand the interaction of Au with secondary metal and supports using Raman spectroscopy and kinetic tools. |