PhD Thesis Defense - Enrique David Marín Rivas

Ceria-based catalysts are widely recognized for their ability to speed up chemical reactions, particularly for converting harmful carbon monoxide (CO) gas into less harmful emissions at low temperatures. However, creating catalysts that are both highly efficient and environmentally friendly to produce remains a challenge.

This doctoral research explores mechanochemistry,a process that uses mechanical force (like high-energy ball milling) rather than harsh chemical solvents, to prepare high-performance, ceria-supported metal catalysts.

Key highlights of the research:

• A Greener, More Efficient Synthesis Method: Demonstrating that simple mechanical milling can replace traditional, solvent-heavy chemical methods, successfully producing highly active catalysts with ultrafine metal particles spread evenly across the surface.

• Optimized Copper and Palladium Performance: Finding the ideal recipe, adjusting milling speeds, temperatures, and heating steps, to create strong bonds between the metals and the support material, maximizing their reaction efficiency.

• Real-Time Insight with Advanced Synchrotron Light: Using state-of-the-art X-ray technology to observe how copper atoms continuously transform and react under real working conditions, revealing how the catalyst maintains its high activity over time.

• Unlocking Bimetallic Synergy: Combining palladium and copper with specialized hydrogen treatments to trigger a synergistic effect, allowing the two metals to work together for even faster chemical conversion.

• Innovative Post-Treatments: Testing cutting-edge processing techniques, such as electron beam irradiation, to create active surface defects that further boost catalytic activity and reduce energy requirements.

Overall, this work bridges clean manufacturing and advanced material design, offering a sustainable blueprint for creating better catalysts for environmental cleanup and industrial air purification.