Apr. 5: "Fabrication of Nano-Structured Catalysts and Catalyst Supports by ALD"
Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
 
Time: 9:30-10:30AM
 
Location: Health Science Technology Building (HST), Forum Room 101
 
This event features Raymond Gorte, as the Chen Distinguished Lecturer, who will talk about "Fabrication of Nano-Structured Catalysts and Catalyst Supports by ALD", as part of the Lehigh University Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering's Spring 2023 Colloquium Seminar Series.

Abstract

The preparation of heterogeneous catalysts by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) offers the opportunity to produce a wide range of interesting materials, several of which will be demonstrated in this talk. In the first example, the synthesis and potential applications of thin-film perovskites on high-surface-area supports will be demonstrated. Perovskites are of interest as “Intelligent Catalysts” due to their ability to stabilize catalytic metals in high-temperature applications, but the low-surface area of bulk materials limits their application. Here, high-surface-area, thin-film perovskites were formed by ALD onto high-surface-areas substrates. The properties of these thin films as catalyst supports will be discussed. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated that some perovskites which are unstable in bulk form, such as CeFeO3 and CeMnO3, can be stabilized as thin films. In a second example, ALD will be used to synthesize small metal particles and thin-film oxides in mesoporous materials (e.g. SBA-15). Some potential applications for these materials will also be discussed.

About the Speaker

Raymond J. Gorte joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 after receiving his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is currently the Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, with a secondary appointment in Materials Science & Engineering. Since joining Penn, Ray has served as Chairman of Chemical Engineering from 1995 to 2000 and was the Carl V. S. Patterson Professor of Chemical Engineering from 1996 through 2001. He received the 1997 Parravano Award of the Michigan Catalysis Society, the 1998 Philadelphia Catalysis Club Award, the 1999 Paul Emmett Award of the North American Catalysis Society, the 2001 Penn Engineering Distinguished Research Award, the 2009 AIChE Wilhelm Award, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2018. He has served as Chairman of the Gordon Conference on Catalysis (1998) and Program Chairman of the 12th International Zeolite Conference (1998). He was an Associate Editor of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society from 2010 to 2021. His present research interests are focused on electrodes for solid-oxide fuel cells, catalyst synthesis by ALD, and catalysts for biomass upgrading. He is also known for his research on zeolite acidity and on the redox properties of ceria for catalysis.

John C. Chen (1934-2013)

John C. Chen, the Carl R. Anderson Professor Emeritus of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is an internationally known scholar in transport phenomena of multiphase systems, and a recognized pioneer in boiling and heat transfer. His 1966 paper “Correlation for Boiling Heat Transfer to Saturated Fluids in Convective Flow,” named in 2003 as a Classic Paper by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), developed the "Chen Method" of predicting the rate at which heat must be transferred to liquid to make it boil. The method has become the standard for designing vapor‐liquid boiling systems used in the chemical, power, refrigeration, petroleum, nuclear and gas industries. It has been cited nearly 2000 times in technical articles and textbooks. Professor Chen taught undergraduate and graduate courses in chemical engineering and mechanical engineering over some four decades at Lehigh. During this time, he also served Lehigh as dean of engineering (1999‐2001) and chair of chemical engineering (1983‐1989). Over his career, he published more than 200 technical articles and won 18 major national or international research awards. Among Dr. Chen’s honors are the Melville Medal for archival literature, the Classic Paper Award from ASME, the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Award, and the Max Planck Research Prize from Federal Republic of Germany. In late 2012, he was the inaugural recipient of the World Scientific Award in Boiling and Condensing Heat Transfer, for lifetime contributions to the fundamental understanding of boiling and condensing phenomenon, and for his ability to translate that understanding into better engineering practice. Professor Chen was a fellow and past president of AIChE, as well as a fellow of the ASME and a member of the American Chemical Society and of the American Association for Advancement of Science. Professor Chen is survived by his spouse, Kathy, and several extended family members.

Raymond Gorte

Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering,
University of Pennsylvania