Tailoring of Catalyst
Nanomaterials
Bo Brummerstedt Iversen
E-mail: bo@chem.au.dk
Office: 1512-312
Background:
The practical use of nanomaterials is not only dependent on the basic development of desired
material properties; the nanomaterial must also be cheap and easy to produce. Technologically,
synthesis of functional nanoparticles in near- or supercritical fluids is a very
promising technique as it can be done in continuous modes, which are
scaled easily to suit commercial demands. It is, in essence, a wet-chemical
synthesis method done at high temperatures and high pressures, in a way
which allow control of several key properties in the produced particles
such as size, crystallinity and chemical composition. Consequently, there is
a huge potential for designing and tailoring these syntheses to target new,
improved and technologically superior nanomaterials.
Techniques/Methods:
Synthesis by autoclave, continuous-flow and pulsed-flow
in near- and supercritical fluids
Powder X-Ray Diffraction, Electron microscopy, Elemental analysis
Project suggestions:
Intermetallic PtRu nanoparticles for new methanol fuel cells
CeO2-ZrO2 Metal-oxide nanoparticles for 3-way catalysts
Nickel nanoparticles for H2 production through catalyzed electrolysis
TiO2- or ZnO photo-catalysts for organics/pollution removal
25 nm
Examples of previous Bachelor projects:
Martin Bondesgaard, Supercritical synthesis and characterization of the Pt 1-xRux system, Bachelor thesis,
Aarhus University, 2014
Kasper Houlberg, Hydrothermal synthesis of pyrochlore stannates and bismuth substituted ceria and zirconia,
Bachelor thesis, Aarhus University 2013
Martin Roelsgaard, Novel Hydrothermal Synthesis and Characterisation of MSb2O4-type compounds (M = Mn,
Co and Fe), Bachelor thesis, Aarhus University, 2013
Relevant litterature:
Review of supercritical fluids in inorganic materials science, Aymonier, C.; Loppinet-Serani, A.; Reveròn, H.;
Garrabos, Y.; Cancell, F. J. Supercritical Fluids 38, 2006, 242-251
Pt-Ru electrocatalysts for fuel cells: A representative review, O. A. Petrii, J. Solid State Electrochem., 12, 2008,
609-642
In-situ synchrotron radiation study of formation and growth of crystalline Ce xZr1-xO2 nanoparticles synthesized
in supercritical water, C. Tyrsted, J. Becker, P. Hald, M. Bremholm, J. S. Pedersen, J. Chevallier, Y. Cerenius, S.
Iversen, B. B. Iversen, Chem. Mater., 22, 2010, 1814-1820