Abstract
Ocean acidification and climate change are expected to be two of the most difficult scientific challenges of the 21st century. Converting CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels is one of the most practical routes for reducing CO2 emissions while fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy sector. The catalytic reduction of CO2 by H2 can lead to the formation of three types of products: CO through the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction, methanol via selective hydrogenation, and hydrocarbons through combination of CO2 reduction with Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactions. In this lecture, the speaker will discuss some of their recent results in CO2 conversion via both heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis. The research approaches involve the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and surface science studies over single crystal surfaces, evaluations over supported catalysts, and in-situ characterization under reaction conditions. He will also discuss challenges and opportunities in this important research field.
About the speaker
Prof Jingguang Chen is the Thayer Lindsley Professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University. He received his PhD degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 and then carried out his research as Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in Germany. After spending several years as a staff scientist at Exxon Corporate Research, he started his academic career at the University of Delaware in 1998. He later took the roles as the director of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology and the Claire D. LeClaire Professor of Chemical Engineering. In 2012, he took up his current position at Columbia University.
Prof Chen holds 20 US patents and co-authored over 300 journal articles with over 12,000 citations. He has been on the Editorial Advisory Boards of Chinese Journal of Catalysis since 2007 and Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica since 2009. He has also been an Associate Editor of ACS Catalysis since 2016.
Prof Chen's accomplishments have been recognized by numerous awards, including George Olah Award in Hydrocarbon/Petroleum Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (2015), Giuseppe Parravano Memorial Award in Catalysis from Michigan Catalysis Society (2015) and Herman Pines Award in Catalysis, Chicago Catalysis Club (2011). He also received the Excellence in Catalysis Awards from New York Catalysis Society (2008) and Philadelphia Catalysis Society (2004).
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