Petra de Jongh receives two million Euros for development of model catalysts
Prof. Petra de Jongh (Chemistry) has received a grant of two million Euros from the European Research Council (ERC) for the development of catalysts for the sustainable production of fuels, synthetics and pharmaceuticals. Catalysts are substances that can accelerate the conversion to a desired product without being consumed themselves. Using three-dimensional model catalysts, Prof. De Jongh hopes to obtain detailed insight into the relationship between the catalysts’ composition, structure and catalytic characteristics. This can in turn help producers find the right catalyst for sustainable production processes.
At the moment, fuels, synthetics and pharmaceuticals are all made from petroleum. However, new catalysts would make it possible to produce them in a sustainable manner from water and carbon dioxide, using wind- or solar-generated energy. “What intrigues me is how tiny adjustments to a catalyst can result in the creation of very different products. The challenge is to better understand why a specific change can result in a certain product, so that we can find the right catalyst more rapidly.”
Complex system
Catalysts are typically made up of a large number of components, but they are often based on porous oxides or carbon. The active components are usually nanoparticles (particles with a diameter of a millionth of a millimetre), which contain one or more metals.
This system’s complexity makes it difficult to determine the effect that the individual components have on the catalytic activity. This is because the size of the pores and the size and precise distribution of the nanoparticles also play a role in addition to the composition of the catalyst.
Model catalysts
For her research, Prof. De Jongh will use model catalysts that have a well-defined, and often regular structure in three dimensions. This will make it possible to study the exact relationship between their composition and structure and their catalytic characteristics. By then varying a single characteristic, she should be able to quickly clarify what effect it has.
Fourth ERC Grant
Professor De Jongh is the fourth person at Utrecht University’s Anorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group to receive a prestigious ERC Grant over the past three years. The previous awards went to Prof. Bert Weckhuysen (Advanced, 2012), Prof. Frank de Groot (Advanced, 2013) and Prof. Krijn de Jong (Advanced, 2013).
Petra de Jongh
Petra de Jongh is an expert in the field of catalysts and other materials that play a key role in the transition to a society based on sustainable sources of energy. In 2007, she recieved an NWO Vidi grant, and in 2013 she received an NWO Vici.
Prof. De Jongh studied Chemistry in Utrecht and earned her PhD. ‘cum laude’ under the supervision of Prof. John Kelly and Daniel Vanmaekelbergh. She then went on to work as a researcher at Philips Research for five years. In 2004, she returned to Utrecht University as University Lecturer with the Anorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group. In 2014, she was promoted to full Professor of Anorganic Nanomaterials at the Department of Chemistry and the Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science.
More information
Previous press releases:
- Petra de Jongh appointed as Chair of Inorganic Nanomaterials
- Catalysts with isolated nanoparticles have longer lifetimes
Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis
Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science
Utrecht University and sustainability
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