CAREER: Dual Function Materials for Capture and Conversion of CO2 into Methanol and Higher Alcohols

该项目将合成、表征和评估既能捕获二氧化碳又能催化其转化为更有价值的化学品的材料。具体而言，在燃烧源的废气处（例如，发电厂的烟气）进行捕集和转化是使二氧化碳增值的一个有吸引力的选择，因为它同时具有经济和环境效益。为了实现更有效的二氧化碳转化，该项目将设计新型材料，将吸附剂和催化成分定位在纳米尺度上的近距离。这种双重功能的方法可以潜在地取代现有的多步骤工艺，这些工艺更耗能，需要腐蚀性的二氧化碳捕获和储存技术。该项目还将研究与教育和推广工作联系起来，以提高人们对二氧化碳排放对环境影响的认识，同时鼓励年轻女性和科学和工程领域代表性不足的群体对STEM活动的兴趣。该项目将采用受控合成和表征方法：(1)开发含有高密度界面位点的金属-金属氧化物复合纳米颗粒；(2)合成能够捕获并将二氧化碳转化为甲醇和高级醇的双重功能材料；(3)在吸附剂和催化位点周围产生二氧化碳微环境，以更有效地捕获二氧化碳；(4)使用一种新的湿化学方法减轻催化剂失活。该项目的成功完成将促进对一锅浓缩、捕获和催化将二氧化碳转化为甲醇和其他增值产品的机制的理解，这是可持续减少二氧化碳排放到大气中的战略目标。这项研究将由一个多元化的团队进行，并将与教育活动相结合。作为一名西班牙裔女性，研究者对提高弱势群体在科学领域的参与度有着浓厚的兴趣，为了实现这一目标，该项目将通过托莱多大学为托莱多公立学校提供的WISDOM、拉丁裔青年峰会和EXCEL项目，为俄亥俄州农村社区的移民学生和其他弱势群体的学生提供实践经验。学生将学习化学反应和催化，并了解二氧化碳排放与全球变暖之间的联系。研究人员还将制作一本名为“你身边的女科学家”的涂色书，分发给俄亥俄州西北部的小学，目的是鼓励女孩参与科学。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project will synthesize, characterize, and evaluate materials capable of both capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and catalyzing its conversion to more valuable chemicals. Specifically, capture and conversion at the exhaust of combustion sources (e.g., flue gas at power plants) is an attractive option for CO2 valorization due to its simultaneous economic and environmental benefits. To achieve more efficient CO2 conversion, the project will design novel materials that locate the sorbent and catalytic components in close proximity at the nanoscale. This dual-function approach can potentially replace existing multi-step processes that are more energy intensive and require corrosive CO2 capture and storage technologies. The project also links the research with educational and outreach efforts to raise awareness of environmental consequences of CO2 emissions while encouraging interest in STEM activities amongst young women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering. The project will employ controlled synthesis and characterization methods to: (1) develop metal-metal oxide composite nanoparticles containing a high density of interfacial sites, (2) synthesize dual-function materials able to capture and convert CO2 to methanol and higher alcohols, (3) generate CO2 microenvironments around sorbent and catalytic sites for more efficient CO2 capture, and (4) mitigate catalyst deactivation by using a novel wet chemical method. Successful completion of this project will advance the understanding of mechanisms involved in one-pot concentration, capture, and catalytic conversion of CO2 to methanol and other value-added products, a strategic goal for sustainable reduction of CO2 release to the atmosphere. This research will be performed by a diverse team and will be integrated with educational activities. As a Hispanic woman, the investigator has a strong interest in increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in science, and to this goal, the project will provide hands-on experiences to migrant students in Ohio's rural communities and other underrepresented students through the WISDOM, Latino Youth Summit, and EXCEL programs that The University of Toledo offers to Toledo Public Schools. Students will be introduced to chemical reactions and catalysis, and will learn about connections between CO2 emissions and global warming. The investigator will also create a coloring book entitled "Women Scientists Near You," to be distributed at primary schools in Northwest Ohio with the aim to encourage the participation of girls in science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.