CAS: Base Metal Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation and Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation

该项目由明尼苏达大学的康妮·卢教授领导，由化学系化学催化项目资助。该项目的主要目标是将火山、温泉和间歇泉以及石油和天然气矿藏中的二氧化碳转化为燃料。卢教授正在测试这种化学转化的新催化剂。本研究中使用的催化剂是由成对的金属组成的。值得注意的是，一些配对，如铁和铝，有望加速所需的反应，而其他配对则不那么活跃。Lu团队专注于确定活性对的结构。这项研究为未来催化剂和可再生燃料的设计奠定了基础。学生通过在德国马克斯·普朗克研究所和太平洋西北国家实验室的短期研究，以及对阿贡和橡树岭国家实验室的实地访问，获得国际经验和接触美国国家实验室。这些丰富的机会造就了一支更强大、更有经验的美国劳动力队伍。卢教授和她的团队在学生主导的项目SciMentors中担任志愿者，该项目通过辅导和动手科学实验帮助服务不足的成年学习者通过GED考试。该项目有助于提高美国的科学素养和经济竞争力，催化剂设计的进步越来越注重贱金属的使用，因为它们的低成本和低环境足迹。在美国国家科学基金会化学催化项目的资助下，明尼苏达大学的康妮·卢教授正在研究刘易斯酸性西格玛受体金属配体，通过利用贱金属(M)和刘易斯酸(LA)之间的M→LA键相互作用，使贱金属能够实现新的反应模式。近年来，M-−-LA络合物已成为一类重要的双功能催化剂，其中LA一直是主要的基团离子。在这个项目中，Lu教授和她的团队瞄准了以贱金属(Fe、Co和Ni)和稀土离子为中心的M-LA催化剂，以实现二氧化碳加氢生成甲酸盐，并最终生成甲醇。该团队还旨在通过瞄准利用M-LA活性部位独特的协作性的C-C键形成过程来扩大这些双功能络合物的催化范围。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project is led by Professor Connie Lu of the University of Minnesota and is funded by the Chemical Catalysis program of the Chemistry Division. The main goal of this project is to convert carbon dioxide, a gas found in volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, as well as in deposits of petroleum and natural gas, into fuels. Professor Lu is testing new catalysts for this chemical conversion. The catalysts used in this research are formed from pairs of metals. Notably, some pairs, such as iron and aluminium, are promising candidates to accelerate the desired reactions, while other pairs are less active. The Lu team focuses on determining the structures of the active pairs. This research develops the foundations for the design of future catalysts and renewable fuels. Students gain international experience and exposure to US National Laboratories through short research stays at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as site visits to Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These enriching opportunities build a stronger, more experienced US workforce. Professor Lu and her team volunteer in the student-led program, SciMentors, which helps underserved adult learners pass the GED exam through tutoring and hands-on science experiments. This project contributes to scientific literacy and addresses economic competitiveness of the U.S.Advances in catalyst design increasingly focus on the use of base metals because of their low cost and low environmental footprint. Funded by NSF's Chemical Catalysis Program, Professor Connie Lu of the University of Minnesota is investigating Lewis acidic sigma-acceptor metalloligands to enable new modes of reactivity at a base metal by leveraging the M→LA bonding interaction between the base metal (M) and the Lewis acid (LA). Recently, M−LA complexes have emerged as an important class of bifunctional catalysts, where the LA has predominantly been a main group ion. For this project, Professor Lu and her team are targeting M-LA catalysts centered on base metals (Fe, Co, and Ni) and lanthanide ions to achieve the hydrogenation of CO2 to formate, and ultimately, to methanol. The team also aims to expand the catalytic scope of these bifunctional complexes by targeting C-C bond formation processes that leverage the unique cooperativity of the M-LA active site.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.