Phillip Christopher

Professor
Mellichamp Chair in Sustainable Manufacturing
University of California, Santa Barbara
Department of Chemical Engineering

Atomically Dispersed Precious Metal Catalysts: Active site structures, structure-function relationships, and bifunctional reaction mechanisms

Abstract

Many industrially performed chemical reactions require solid-state catalysts containing precious metals (e.g. Pt, Rh) that serve as active sites. Oxide-supported single precious metal atoms (or ions) are of interest as catalytic active sites due to their distinct reactivity and efficient metal utilization compared to metal nanoparticles. Challenges with the development of structure-function relationships and approaches to control the local environment for this class of active sites limits understanding and targeted catalyst design. In this talk, I will highlight recent efforts from my group focused on: (1) the synthesis and characterization of uniform atomically dispersed Pt active sites to develop active site models, (2) the development of rigorous structure-function relationships through the correlation of site-specific characterization to kinetic measurements, and (3) the synthesis, characterization, and kinetic interrogation of bifunctional supported atomically dispersed Rh-WOx pair site catalysts for alkene hydroformylation. Within these examples, I will provide perspectives on the critical role of synthetic approaches, the utility of certain characterization tools, and the benefits and limitations of atomically dispersed metal active sites in important chemical conversions.

Bio

Phillip Christopher earned his B.S. in chemical engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara in 2006 and his M.S and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from University of Michigan in 2011 working with Prof. Suljo Linic. From 2011-2017 he was an Assistant Professor at University of California, Riverside. In 2017 he moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara where he is a Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department and the Mellichamp Chair in Sustainable Manufacturing. He serves as a Senior Editor for ACS Energy Letters. His research interests are in sustainable chemical conversion, heterogeneous catalysis by supported metals, dynamic behavior of catalysts, and photocatalysis by metal nanostructures. He has been given various awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), AIChE CRE Division Young Investigator Award, and Ipatieff Prize from the ACS.