Title : Advances in the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide using Au catalysts
Abstract:
The field of gold catalysis has expanded rapidly since its inception in the early 1980s, when independently Professors Hutchings and Haruta demonstrated that subdivided nanoscale gold can be successfully utilised as a highly effective catalyst for the hydrochlorination of acetylene and CO oxidation. Over the last decade, it has been demonstrated by a number of research groups that the addition of Pd into Au catalysts can increase the activity of a catalyst, whilst maintaining the high selectivity achieved when using Au based catalysts. My research focuses on the development of novel AuPd nanoalloy catalysts, achieving high levels of control for particle size, shape and composition. These catalysts show exceptional activity for a number of industrially important catalytic reactions including alcohol oxidation and the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide.
