Abstract:
Nanocarbon materials, especially carbon nanotubes (CNTs), exhibit unique controllability of both its surface acidity/basicity and π-electron density through curvature, surface functionalization including addition of heteroatoms. Defects existing on the surface of nanocarbons can act as isolated sites to anchor functional groups or activate molecules. The long-range ordering of nanocarbon materials determines the mechanical stability and the macroscopic properties (e.g. thermal and electronic conductivities, oxidation resistance) that are superior to the classical carbon materials such as activated carbon or carbon black. Consequently, nanocarbon has become a test object as a new alternative material to some currently used catalyst. A possible application of nanocarbon as heterogeneous catalysts is attractive since no precious or transition metals are used and open new possibility for a sustainable catalysis. We have explored CNTs for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene and alkane activation (C1-C5), and studied the mechanism by both in- situ experiments and DFT calculations identifying quinone-like carbonyl groups as the active sites. Recently the study of nanocarbon as catalysts has been extended to the hydrochalogenation, hydrogenation, epoxidation and oxygen insertion reactions. Nanocarbons are all active in these reactions. However, the active sites are different for different reactions. Surface modification with heteroatoms such N, B, P can change significantly the conversion/selectivity. The state-of-the-art of nanocarbon catalysis will be presented with an outlook for practical application.
Brief Bio:
Dr. Dang-Sheng Su obtained his Bachelor degree in 1983 from Jilin University, Master degree in 1986 from Jilin University, and Doctorate degree in applied physics in 1991 at Vienna University of Technology, Austria. He has worked as a postdoc and research associate at Fritz-Harbor Institute of the Max Planck Society (Germany), Hahn-Meitner-Institute GmbH (Germany), Vienna University of Technology (Austria) and Humboldt University (Germany) from 1991 to 1999. From July, 1999, Dr. Su worked as the director of electronic microscopy lab and leader of the department of inorganic chemistry at Fritz-Harbor Institute of the Max Planck Society (Germany), and then, he was selected as “overseas high level talents” (thousands plans) in 2008 and moved to Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science (China). He was also appointed as visiting Professor at University of Messina (Italia), University of Milano (Italia), University JAGIELLOŃSKI (Poland) and South China University of Technology (China) etc. In 2016, he joined Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics at Chinese Academy of Sciences as a leader of Energy Research Resources Division.
Dr. Su has been in charge of IDECAT, CANAPE, EnerChem and several other important research projects during his career in Germany, and his research interests cover physics, chemistry, material, catalysis and environment etc. He has 2 international patents and published over 300 articles in the field of nano-carbon materials synthesis, their structural analysis and catalytic activity etc. in world-renowned scientific journals, such as Science, Angew. Chem. etc. Dr. Su has also served as a guest editor for Micron, Catal. Today, and ChemSusChem, and has already organized and edited several special issues on electron microscopy, carbon catalysis and energy chemistry etc.