Xinhua Liang

Catalysts are responsible for the production of over 60% of all chemicals and are used in some 90% of all chemical processes worldwide. Heterogeneous catalysts enable many chemical transformations of fossil resources (natural gas, methane, liquid petroleum, coal, etc.) into useful products. Normally, heterogeneous catalysts consist of small metal particles dispersed on a high surface area porous oxide support. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin film growth technique based on sequential, self-limiting surface chemical reactions, and has focused principally on the formation of oxide thin films with precise atomic layer control. Recently, ALD has been used to prepare highly active, highly dispersed metal nanoparticles. In this presentation, I will introduce ALD chemistry, metal and bimetallic nanoparticles prepared by ALD, and examples of ALD prepared catalysts for various reactions.

Dr. Xinhua Liang is a Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined WashU in August 2022 from Missouri University of Science & Technology, where he was the Linda and Bipin Doshi Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and had been a member of the faculty since 2012. He attended the Chemical Engineering program at Tianjin University, earning bachelor's degree in 2001 and master's degree in 2003. He received Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2008 and had three years of postdoctoral training there. Dr. Liang’s research interests are in nanostructured materials synthesis and functionalization by atomic/molecular layer deposition and applying this technology in a broad range of energy and environmental applications including catalysis, storage batteries, and gas and liquid separation.

• Time: 11:00 AM
• Location: 206 Furnas Hall