The group of Roland Bliem (Materials & Surface Science for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) has received an NWO XS grant of 50.000 euros to investigate the process of photoelectron spectroscopy in a plasma environment to better understand plasma-based conversion of CO2 to fuels.
Research plan
Challenging catalytic reactions such as the conversion of CO2 to fuels play an important role in the transition to a climate-neutral society. In plasma-based catalysis, even highly stable molecules like CO2 are converted efficiently at low catalyst temperatures because the reaction already starts with the gas in an extremely high-energy state: a plasma. The surface processes during plasma catalysis, however, are poorly understood, even though they are decisive for the product selectivity and reaction rate. This project introduces a novel method to follow the surface chemistry in plasma live, paving the way for designing efficient and selective plasma catalysts.
