The development of new catalysts for CO2 utilization is essential to achieve a sustainable and net-zero economy. A crucial step towards catalyst development is the determination of reaction kinetics and mechanism over the catalyst. This project aims at the determination of detailed reaction mechanism and kinetics for CO2 hydrogenation over new catalysts using an advanced Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) technique.
TAP is a time-resolved technique for precise kinetic characterization of gas-solid reactions in catalysis, wherein unlike conventional kinetic devices, gas transport occurs via Knudsen diffusion, and the transport rate of each gas is uniquely defined by its molecular mass, the temperature, and the geometry of the reactor packing.
The student will get first-hand experience in operating and interpreting kinetic data using the cutting-edge TAP reactor for novel CO2 hydrogenation catalysts.
[THE TOPIC WILL BE JOINTLY GUIDED BY PROFS A K SURESH AND SONALI DAS]