Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering Graduate Seminar Series
About the event
The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering is hosting a seminar presented by Xavier Pereira-Hernandez, Ph.D. Candidate, Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University.
Xavier Isidro Pereira-Hernandez earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from his home country, Colombia, and graduated with cum laude honors. During both degrees he focused on the study of second-generation bioethanol production processes using exergy analysis and the possibility of integration with a sugarcane-based first-generation bioethanol production process.
In 2013 he earned a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a doctorate degree in the United States of America and started it in the fall semester in 2014 at Washington State University. His research focus is on the synthesis, characterization and testing of ceria-supported single-atom platinum catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide at low temperature.
Synthesis and Activation of a Ceria-Supported Pt Single-Atom Catalyst for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation
The combustion of fossil fuel-derived compounds as a source of energy for transportation systems has a negative impact on the contamination of air, leading to public health and environmental issues. The catalytic converter was developed with the objective of addressing this problem. In order for a catalyst to be considered suitable for use in catalytic converters, it is required that it exhibits good stability at high temperatures as well as high activity at low temperatures. Catalysts based on platinum group metals (PGMs) have been the choice for use in catalytic converters due to their superior thermal durability and resistance to poisons like sulfur. Considering that PGMs are scarce and very expensive, it is important to maximize their use by increasing their dispersion. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) use PGMs in the most efficient way since every atom is available to serve as an active site for the reaction, however, synthesizing SACs that are stable at operating temperatures of catalytic converters is a challenge. Moreover, these catalysts need to be very active at low temperatures to comply with more stringent regulations. This seminar will discuss the importance of synthesis and activation conditions of SACs in order to be viable for application in catalytic converters.