Using In Situ Vibrational Spectroscopy to Probe (Electro)Catalytic Interfaces

The combination of electrochemical methods with molecular spectroscopy can provide valuable information about chemical processes at electrode-electrolyte interfaces. In particular, Raman and infrared spectroscopies have been shown to yield unique mechanistic insights into chemical reactions at electrodes by enabling fingerprinting of surface species via identification of characteristic vibrational modes. These powerful tools…

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Winter Conference 2023 – Watch now

When: 18 & 19 December 2023Where: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX On the 18th and 19th of December 2023 the UK Catalysis Hub held its annual winter conference and networking meeting. The Conference took place at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire. The event was a hybrid event so attendees had the…

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Summer Conference 2023 Programme Announced!

The UK Catalysis Hub Summer Conference 2023 will be held on 17th & 18th of July 2023 at Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire.  Talks will be starting at lunchtime on the 17th July with a poster session on the evening of the 17th July followed by a dinner at a local venue.…

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Lights, Camera, Action! Watching catalytic reactions with multi-nuclear high resolution FlowNMR spectroscopic techniques

FlowNMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique for gaining insight into dynamic reaction systems in their native environment, allowing the observation of subtle reagent interactions, fleeting intermediates, and steady-state distribution of catalytic states. Quantification of the latter over time and correlation with the reaction progress and selectivity profile of the reaction…

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Catalyst design and development for electrochemical water splitting

The annual production of hydrogen is over 90 million tonnes, with > 96% generated from fossil fuels (mostly by steam methane reformation of natural gas) releasing large quantities of CO2 as a by-product.  Electrochemical water splitting technologies offer an important alternate platform to produce clean and sustainable hydrogen from surplus renewable energy.  Central…

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Process monitoring using parahydrogen-enhanced benchtop NMR spectroscopy

Benchtop NMR spectrometers are a promising technology for process monitoring applications due to their portability, affordability and low maintenance requirements. However, the moderate magnetic fields of benchtop NMR spectrometers (1 – 2 T) limit their sensitivity and chemical shift dispersion when compared to standard laboratory NMR (> 7 T). Hyperpolarisation…

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Watch now – On The Mechanism of Catalytic Methanol Synthesis

When: 28 April 2023, 15:00 BSTWhere: Online Methanol is an important platform chemical and is made on the industrial scale using heterogeneous catalysts. It is currently made in an extremely unsustainable manner, and new routes are needed, utilising ‘green’ hydrogen. The mechanism of the surface reactions involved and work relating…

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Watch Now – UK Catalysis Hub Winter Conference 2022

When: 29 & 30 November 2022Where: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX On the 29th & 30th of November 2022 the UK Catalysis Hub held its annual winter conference and networking meeting. The Conference took place at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire.  The conference began at…

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