Catalyst Design for Acceleration of Unconventional Electro-Assisted Molecular Conversions: Beyond the Thermodynamic Equilibrium Limit

Many industrial chemical processes, where conversion rates are limited by chemical equilibrium, require high temperatures for the reaction to proceed, regardless of the performance of the catalyst, and must therefore be energy-intensive processes. Various approaches using electrochemical and photochemical energy have been attempted to break free from the constraints of such chemical equilibria. Electrochemistry and photocatalysis are typical examples, but these systems are not very compatible from an engineering point of view with large-scale industrial processes based on gas-phase flow-type reactions due to problems with gas diffusion in the electrolyte and light irradiation efficiency. In this presentation, we introduce novel reaction systems using electric field and plasma that can break the thermodynamic equilibrium limitations of endothermic reactions such as propane dehydrogenation and CO2 reduction to CO, allowing a significant reduction in operating temperature. In addition, we show how to design functional catalysts that can accelerate such electro-assisted reactions and the importance of alloy materials for this purpose.

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