(3ar) Structure-Function Correlations of Nanostructured Composites in Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Synthesis of Chemicals and Fuels

Amid environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels and the ever-increasing trend in worldwide energy consumption, interests in the industrial-scale production of fuels and products from carbon dioxide (CO₂) are rapidly growing. The primary challenges in current thermocatalytic approaches include low reaction rate and selectivity, rapid sintering-induced deactivation, and high-energy input. All these challenges could be overcome through the development of new nanostructured catalytic composites by taking advantage of advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology. To this end, I am interested in studying the synergetic effect between active sites and advanced nanomaterials in heterogeneous catalytic composites to achieve a more economically feasible and sustainable conversion of CO₂. In contrast to traditional heterogeneous catalysts that are designed using transition and main group metals, my research will focus on: 1) designing catalysts beyond sites using the local environment offered by porous materials to enable synergistic catalysis, such as incorporating well-recognized active metal crystals (Cu, Pd, Fe, In, etc) into the framework of nanomaterials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), 2) studying catalytic CO₂ hydrogenation to higher-valued chemicals and fuels and exploring feasibility of hybrid approaches for high energy efficiency, and 3) developing acid-base catalysts to achieve alternative approaches to utilize CO₂ as soft oxidant for clean energy applications. Computer simulations through collaboration will complement experimental studies to probe mechanisms and rationally design catalysts with optimal activity, selectivity, and lifetime.

Research Experience

In my Ph.D. study at Pennsylvania State University, I successfully developed robust Pd-Cu catalysts for selective CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, and revealed the importance of Pd-Cu alloys in governing reaction and tuning reaction paths. We also unveiled the roles of water in enriching key intermediates on surface, leading to improved methanol selectivity and formation rate. My postdoctoral research at Georgia Institute of Technology aimed to develop ZIF-derived and carbon-based porous sorbents for natural gas/biogas purification by removing hydrogen sulfide. We found sorbents with high capacity and established the relationship of textural property, surface functional groups, and sorption performance. Meanwhile, I also extended my interest in developing ZIF-based catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to hydrocarbons. This study offers an effective approach to achieve high, stable activity by tuning the morphology and size of ZIF particles, as well as decorating surface for improved adsorption capacity. My current research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory focuses on developing efficient catalysts for light alkane conversion, with a particular focus on understanding the associated surface chemistry and reaction mechanisms.

Teaching Experience & Interests

I pursue a career in academia with great excitement and enthusiasm, not only because I have the opportunity to innovate in the field of science and engineering, but also to teach and mentor others. Throughout my graduate studies at Penn State, I served as a guest lecturer delivering talks on Reaction Engineering and Catalytic Engineering in a graduate-level course (EME 590 Research Colloquium) between 2013-2017. Starting from 2016 Fall, I shared the responsibility as both lecturer and coordinator for this course. As a postdoc fellow at Penn State, I mentored/supervised three Ph.D. students, and have jointly published 5 papers with these students in top-ranked journals thus far. It is most valuable to see the progress that students made toward becoming critical thinkers and independent researchers.

Given my research and educational background, I am most interested in teaching undergraduate and graduate-level kinetics and reaction engineering, as well as undergraduate unit operations, and introductory courses in chemical engineering that introduce fundamental concepts. I am also interested in developing graduate and undergraduate-elective courses introducing fundamentals of catalysis sciences, focusing on catalyst preparation, characterization, and evaluation, state-of-the-art in situ/operando characterization techniques for mechanistic studies, reactor design, and mass/heat transfer.

Selected Publications (Total 31 by June 2020)

1. Jiang, X. Nie, X. Guo, C. Song, J.G. Chen, Recent Advances in Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation to Methanol via Heterogeneous Catalysis, Chemical Reviews 2020, DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00723.
2. Jiang, X. Nie, Y. Gong, C.M. Moran, J. Wang, J. Zhu, H. Chang, X. Guo, K.S. Walton, C. Song, A Combined Experimental and DFT Study of H₂O Effect on In₂O₃/ZrO₂ Catalyst for CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol, Journal of Catalysis 2020, 383, 283-296.
3. Jiang, X. Nie, X. Wang, H. Wang, N. Koizumi, Y. Chen, X. Guo, C. Song, Origin of Pd-Cu Bimetallic Effect for Synergetic Promotion of Methanol Formation from CO₂ Hydrogenation, Journal of Catalysis 2019, 369, 21-32.
4. Nie, X. Jiang (co-first authored), H. Wang, W. Luo, M. J. Janik, Y. Chen, X. Guo, C. Song, Mechanistic Understanding of Alloy Effect and Water Promotion for Pd-Cu Bimetallic Catalysts in CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol, ACS Catalysis 2018, 8, 4873-4892.
5. Jiang, N. Koizumi, X. Guo, C. Song, Bimetallic Pd-Cu Catalysts for Selective CO₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol, Applied Catalysis B: Environment 2015, 170-171, 173-185.