Catalysis
Catalysis has the potential to make existing commodity chemicals in faster more energy efficient ways, open the door to enabling new chemical reactions and products, and be used to convert renewable energy into fuels, or capture carbon from the atmosphere. Compared to a typical chemical reaction, a catalytic reaction is characteristically faster, requires less energy input, and generates less waste. Teams within RASEI are investigating approaches that replace existing reactions with new, more efficient, catalytic transformations. Using catalysis, new reaction are possible, including producing fuels, such as hydrogen, employing renewable energy drivers.
RASEI Researchers have a strong focus on electrocatalysis, which is where electricity is used to drive the reaction in place of a chemical catalyst or reagent. This not only significantly reduces the amount of chemical waste generated, but also provides access to new reaction mechanisms in a sustainable and environmentally benign way.