Detailed project information

Porosity is a crucial factor that determines the efficiency in heterogeneous catalysis. The proposed research aims at extending the control of mesoporosity in catalyst (support) materials, and understand-ing its influence on catalyst properties. Two specific aspects of mesoporosity are targeted. A first aspect is the understanding of the relation between supported catalyst preparation parameters and active phase distribution and hence catalytic performance. Mesoporous materials like MCM-41 silica are excellent model systems, and will be used to study the influence of the catalyst support pore size and geometry, and the interaction with experimental deposition parameters on the distribution of the active phase. The second aspect is the exploration of new possibilities to introduce additional mesopo-rosity in zeolites. The microporosity of zeolites often leads to slow diffusion and limited accessibility of the active sites, thus restricting catalytic conversion rates and selectivity. It will be investigated whether this can be relieved by introducing larger pores in the system by templated growth of the zeolites for instance using mesoporous carbon or carbon nanofibres.

The department of Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis (Utrecht University, the Netherlands) has a strong tradition in the preparation, characterisation, and functionality evaluation of solid catalysts. This proposal aims at facilitating transfer of knowledge and tasks from dr. A.J. van Dillen (currently associate professor and due to retire 1 October 2007) to a new assistant professor (UD), who will strengthen the department's experience by building up knowledge of and experience with the synthesis of mesoporous materials and zeolites.