Presenter: Dr. Xuchun Wang (王旭春), University of Western Ontario
Topic: Design and Surface Modification of Noble Metal-Based Nanocatalysts
Time: 9:30 am, April 12th (Wednesday)
Location: 910-308
Abstract:
Considering the surface specificity of the heterogeneous catalytic process, direct modification towards catalyst surfaces can optimize the adsorption behavior of reaction intermediates, thus further improving catalytic performance. This presentation will focus on using a surface alloy strategy to address issues that noble metals (such as Pt and Pd) faced in specific reactions, including 1) the CO-poisoning issue of Pt in methanol electrooxidation and 2) the over-hydrogenation issue of Pd in selective hydrogenation of alkynes. Through carefully matching synchrotron capabilities with scientific issues, this study has succeeded in determining the structure and electronic properties of a new class of core-shell catalysts and correlating them to their catalytic performance.
Biography:
Dr. Xuchun Wang got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Soochow University and then joined the “2+2” Suda-Western Ph.D. program and received his doctoral degree from the University of Western Ontario. He is the winner of the 2022 Paul de Mayo Award for Excellence in Chemical Research, the most prestigious graduate student recognition at the Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Xuchun’s research focused on the controllable synthesis of nanocatalysts for fuel cells and dehydrogenation/selective hydrogenation reactions related to the petrochemical and fine chemical industry. Co-supervised by Dr. Tsun-Kong Sham and Dr. Qiao Zhang, Xuchun also has a strong background in Synchrotron techniques, especially in the interpretation and analysis of X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Up to now, Xuchun has over 20 publications, including ACS Nano, Nano Lett., Adv. Funct. Mater., Research, ACS Catal., etc.
Contact: Muhan Cao