【兴大报告Xing Da Lecture 536】

题  目

Hunting for the Hidden Chemistry in Solid Catalysts: Towards a Molecular Movie 

报告人

Prof. Bert M. Weckhuysen

Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

b.m.weckhuysen@uu.nl

时　间

2017年11月17日，下午2:00

地　点

化学楼A204/206

主请人：马  丁

The search for new or more effective solid catalysts would benefit when we could bridge the molecular world with the macroscopic world. Such detailed information can be realized if we would have access to a very powerful camera shooting molecular movies of an active catalytic solid at a submolecular level. This is the field of operando spectroscopy and recent breakthroughs in chemical imaging techniques, based on optical, electron and X-ray methods, demonstrate that such molecular movie concept is within reach.

This lecture discusses the recent advances in spectroscopy and microscopy of catalytic solids at different length scales, starting from single molecules and single atoms up to the level of individual catalyst particles. Special emphasis will be devoted to the exploration of mesoscale effects in catalytic solids as well as on the scientific challenges ahead to make such molecular movie reality. 

Figure：Heterogeneous catalysis as a multiscale science and technology, in which the macroscopic world of catalytic activity, selectivity and stability as measured in a catalytic reactor connects via the mesoworld with the nanoworld of individual atoms and molecules. Operando spectroscopy of a catalytic solid should enable us to create a “Google earth” camera viewing the working catalyst, including both the organic and inorganic part of chemical processes, at different length scales.

Prof. Bert Weckhuysen (49) received his master degree in chemical and agricultural engineering with greatest distinction from Leuven University (Belgium) in 1991. After obtaining his PhD degree from Leuven University with honours (highest degree) in 1995 under the supervision of Prof. Robert Schoonheydt, he has worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Israel Wachs at Lehigh University (USA) and with Prof. Jack Lunsford at Texas A&M University (USA). From 1997 until 2000 he was a research fellow of the Belgian National Science Foundation. Weckhuysen is since October 1 2000 Full Professor at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). Weckhuysen has been appointed as Distinguished Professor of the Faculty of Science at Utrecht University as of September 2012. He has been a visiting professor at Leuven University (2000-2005) and Stanford University (USA, 2012); and is currently a visiting professor at Stanford University & SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (2013-onwards) and University College London (UK, 2014-onwards).  

Weckhuysen authored or co-authored ~ 500 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals with an average number of citations per paper of ~ 40 and a Hirsch index of 74. Furthermore, Weckhuysen is the author of 21 conference proceedings publications, 29 other journal publications and editorial material, 25 book chapters and 10 patents/patent applications. Furthermore, he is the (co-) editor of three books. He serves/served on the editorial and/or advisory boards of Applied Catalysis A: General, Catalysis Letters, Catalysis Today, Chem, Chemical Society Reviews, ChemCatChem, ChemPhysChem, Faraday Discussions, Journal of Applied Chemistry, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Topics in Catalysis, Vibrational Spectroscopy and The Journal of Catalysis.

        He obtained prestigious VICI (2002), TOP  (2006 and 2011) and Gravitation (2013) grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). In 2012 he has been awarded an Advanced ERC grant from the European Research Council (ERC). Weckhuysen has received several research awards, including the 2006 Royal Dutch Chemical Society Gold Medal, the 2007 DECHEMA Award from The Max Buchner Research Foundation, the 2009 Netherlands Catalysis and Chemistry Award, the Eminent Visitor Award 2009 of the Catalysis Society of South Africa, the 2011 Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis of the North American Catalysis Society, the International Catalysis Award 2012 of the International Association of Catalysis Societies, the 2013 Vladimir N. Ipatieff Lectureship in Catalysis, the 2013 Royal Society of Chemistry Bourke Award, the 2013 Spinoza Award from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, the 2017 Kozo Tanabe Prize in Acid-Base Catalysis and the 2018 Robert B. Anderson Award. In 2015 he has been appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

        Weckhuysen has been the scientific director of the Dutch Research School for Catalysis (NIOK) in the period 2003-2013 and of a Smartmix research program Biomass Catalysis funded by the Dutch government and chemical industries (CatchBio; 2007-2016; ~ 29 M€; www.catchbio.com). Currently, he directs a Gravitation research program on Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversions (MCEC; 2013-2023; ~ 32 M€; www.mcec-researchcenter.nl) funded by the Dutch government as well as an Advanced Research Center Chemical Building Blocks Consortium (ARC CBBC; 2016-2026; 11 M€/year, www.arc-cbbc.nl) with a joint investment by government, businesses and universities. Of these three large research program initiatives he has been (one of) the main initiator(s). In 2017 he has been elected as the President of the European Federation of Catalysis Society (EFCATS). 

        Weckhuysen is an elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW), Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts (KVAB), the Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation (NATI), the Royal Holland Society of Sciences (KHMW), and the European Academy of Science; an alumnus elected member of the Young Academy (DJA, 2005-2010) of the KNAW; and a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) and ChemPubSoc Europe. Weckhuysen serves on many boards and panels for national and international research.