Advanced materials in heterogeneous catalysis - a personal experience

Abstract

The name ‘catalysis’ was coined by Berzelius in 1836 [1]. Many types of materials can serve as catalysts. These include metals, metal compounds (e.g., metal oxides, sulfides, nitrides), organometallic complexes, and enzymes. It is generally accepted that catalysis plays a fundamental role in the industries. Specifically, two of the largest industry segments, chemicals and petroleum processing, depend on catalysis; many of the modern, cost-and energy-efficient environmental technologies are catalytic; and biocatalysis offers exciting opportunities for producing a broad range of pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals, and for bioremediation of the environment. A large fraction of chemical, refinery, and pollution-control processes involve catalysis. Catalysis is critical in the production of 30 of the top 50 commodity chemicals produced in the U.S. and many of the remaining ones are produced from chemical feedstock based on catalytic processes. In broader terms, nearly 90% of all U.S. chemical manufacturing processes involve catalysis