When
Presenter:
Dr. Franklin Tao
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
Abstract:
Single-atom catalysis has emerged as a highly efficient approach for converting raw materials into chemical feedstocks and value-added products, enabling clean fuel production, energy conversion, and environmental remediation. By maximizing the utilization of precious metals, single-atom catalysts offer significant cost advantages. More importantly, their unique electronic structures and the homogeneous dispersion of isolated metal active sites on supports give rise to exceptional catalytic activity and selectivity across a broad range of important reactions. In this talk, I will introduce single-atom catalysts, with an emphasis on their preparation, in-situ/operando characterizations, catalytic performances, and reaction mechanisms at the molecular level. Topics will include durable high-temperature methane transformations, low-temperature selective oxidation of light hydrocarbons to produce significant intermediate compounds such as acetic acid, conversion of chemical energy of methane into electrical energy, integration of photocatalysis and single-atom catalysis, Sonogashira C–C coupling and C–N coupling through hydroaminoalkylation at low temperatures, and efficient hydrogen production.
Bio:
Dr. Franklin Tao received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He is a Fellow of RSC and AAAS. His research focuses on fundamental studies of catalysis for chemical transformations and environmental remediation, the energy conversion, the synthesis and catalysis of single-atom metal and oxide catalysts, the development of in situ and operando characterization methods to elucidate dynamic catalyst structures and catalytic mechanisms at the molecular level, and the integration of machine learning technique into predictive design of catalytic materials. Dr. Tao is the recipient of several awards, including the Eugene P. Wigner Fellowship from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the NSF CAREER Award, the Paul Holloway Award from the American Vacuum Society, and the University Scholarly Achievement Award from the University of Kansas.
Hosted by: Dr. Craig Aspinwall