Mechanism of Cobalt-Manganese Catalysts Deciphered

Combination of different methods was the key to success

22-Oct-2024 - The energy carrier hydrogen can be obtained from water by electrolysis. This works particularly well with Cobalt spinel electrocatalysts containing manganese. However, it was unclear why. Conventional catalysts for hydrogen production via water electrolysis usually contain precious metals and are ...

Golden Ball Mills as Green Catalysts

A gold-coated grinding bowl proves to be a real marvel

18-Jun-2024 - Less waste, mild reaction conditions, and no harmful solvents – only a very thin layer of gold is necessary to sustainably convert alcohols into aldehydes through mechanochemistry. A gold-coated milling vessel for ball mills proved to be a real marvel in the research work by Inorganic Chemistry ...

Novel Catalyst System for CO2 Conversion

Efficiency and long-lasting stability

03-Jan-2024 - Researchers are constantly pushing the limits of technology by breaking new ground in CO2 conversion. Their goal is to turn the harmful greenhouse gas into a valuable resource. Research groups around the world are developing technologies to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into raw materials for ...

Releasing Brakes on Biocatalysis

The new findings could play a role in H2 technologies

01-Dec-2023 - Formaldehyde can inhibit enzymes that produce hydrogen particularly efficiently. Researchers from Bochum have discovered how this can be prevented. Enzymes from microorganisms can produce hydrogen (H2) under certain conditions, which makes them potential biocatalysts for biobased H2 technologies. ...

A treasure map for the realm of electrocatalysts

Research into promising materials is hampered by the sheer number of possible candidates: An efficient method to solve this problem now developed

17-Jan-2022 - Efficient electrocatalysts, which are needed for the production of green hydrogen, for example, are hidden in materials composed of five or more elements. A team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and the University of Copenhagen has developed an efficient method for identifying promising ...

Catalyst surface analysed at atomic resolution

Particles observed during the catalysis process

12-Jan-2022 - Catalyst surfaces have rarely been imaged in such detail before. And yet, every single atom can play a decisive role in catalytic activity. A German-Chinese research team has visualised the three-dimensional structure of the surface of catalyst nanoparticles at atomic resolution. This structure ...

Challenges in the development of electrocatalysts

What would have to change in research to develop efficient, stable and selective catalysts for industrial application?

21-Aug-2020 - Efficient catalysts are crucial for energy conversion. However, findings from basic research rarely make it into practice at present. Regenerative energy harvesting often generates more electricity than is directly needed. Electrochemical processes could be used to store the excess energy or make ...

Selective conversion of reactive lithium compounds made possible

Until now, unwanted by-products have always been produced during the reactions - The catalyst opens up new applications

14-Aug-2020 - Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have developed a new catalyst that can catalyse reactions to produce pharmaceuticals or chemicals used in agriculture. It creates carbon-carbon bonds between what are known as organolithium compounds without creating any unwanted by-products. The team led by ...

Water molecules are gold for nanocatalysis

Some catalysts show remarkable high activity - Thanks to water

28-Jul-2020 - Nanocatalysts made of gold nanoparticles dispersed on metal oxides are very promising for the industrial, selective oxidation of compounds, including alcohols, into valuable chemicals. They show high catalytic activity, particularly in aqueous solution. A team of researchers from Ruhr-Universität ...

Iodide salts stabilise biocatalysts for fuel cells

18-Feb-2020 - Oxygen is the greatest enemy of biocatalysts for energy conversion. A protective film shields them – but only with an additional ingredient: iodide salt. Contrary to theoretical predictions, oxygen inactivates biocatalysts for energy conversion within a short time, even under a protective film. A ...