Plasma-Enhanced Catalysis: A Detailed Study of Surface Interactions Between Low-Temperature Plasma and Catalytic Materials
Abstract
Low-temperature, non-equilibrium plasmas (also called gas discharges) produce an abundance of reactive species that can be used to drive surface chemistry. Historically, they have been used for materials processing in the semiconductor industry, but recently they have shown significant promise to promote catalytic activity for applications ranging from destruction of pollutants to reforming of gasses to produce useful chemicals. But to date, much of the focus has been on using engineering approaches to optimize reactor design. To fully realize the potential of plasma enhanced catalysis, fundamental understanding and molecular insight into how plasmas couple to catalysts is required. The goal of this research is to reveal at a molecular level how plasmas modify surface catalytic chemistry and how these modifications can be exploited to control selectivity and efficiency of gas reforming. We will build a novel plasma Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/mass spectrometry (FTIR/MS) platform to measure how atmospheric pressure plasmas affect the adsorption/desorption and reactions that occur on various catalysts, focusing on chemistry critical to the reforming of hydrocarbons to produce useful chemicals for a greener economy such as synthetic gas (syn gas). Complementing these measurements with detailed atomistic simulations and plasma characterization will lead us to a more complete understanding of the molecular-level interactions that occur when plasma species interact with catalysts, forming the fundamental foundation necessary to optimize plasma-enhanced catalysis systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810157
Entities
People
- David B Go
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Notre Dame