General Energy Research Department (ENE).
Research at PSI comprises all aspects of human energy use, with the ultimate goal of promoting development towards a sustainable energy supply system. Technologies are being advanced for the utilization of renewable energy sources, low-loss energy storage, efficient conversion, and low emission energy use. Experimental and model-based assessment of these emissions forms the basis of a comprehensive assessment of economic, ecological and environmental consequences, for both present and future energy supply systems.Department Head: Prof. Dr. Alexander Wokaun
Current Scientific Highlight
Influence of Methyl Halide Treatment on Gold Nanoparticles Supported on Activated Carbon
Gold particles supported on carbon when subjected to a flow of methyl iodide or bromide redisperse from large ensembles to single atoms and/or dimers of gold. Methyl halide oxidizes gold leading to gradual particle dissolution. The process could be carried out at temperatures as low as 50 °C. The excess of halide could be removed by a post-treatment of the material with 1%H2O/H2, which does not influence the metal dispersion. This remarkable transformation opens the possibility of re-activating gold catalysts that lost their performance due to metal particles sintering.
The finding was proposed based on a combination of in situ (XAS), ex situ characterization (aberration corrected HAADF-TEM, XRD and XPS) and kinetic measurements. The work was a combined effort from Queen’s University Belfast (UK), Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland), Lehigh University (USA) and Cardiff University (UK)
Presentation slides
Citation: J. Sá, A. Goguet, S. F. Rebecca Taylor, R. Tiruvalam, C. J. Kiely, M. Nachtegaal, G. J. Hutchings, C. Hardacre, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50 (2011) 8912-8916.
Publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201102066
Further publications: LBK Publications
Publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201102066
Further publications: LBK Publications
Current news from ENE
27. January 2012
Kein Blick in die Kristallkugel
Das Paul Scherrer Institut wird in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Weltenergierat nachvollziehbare Modelle für zukünftige globale Energiesysteme entwickeln. In einem auf drei Jahre ausgelegten Projekt wollen PSI-Forscher um Stefan Hirschberg ein Modell entwickeln mit dem man Aussagen über zukünftige Energiesysteme machen kann. Das besondere daran ist, dass es sich um ein sogenanntes Open-Source-Modell handeln wird. D. h. Experten und andere Interessenten können einen Zugang zum Programm erhalten, sowie Informationen darüber, von genau welchen Annahmen die Forscher bei der Ausarbeitung ihres Modells ausgegangen sind. Das ist bei kommerziellen Anbietern von Prognosewerkzeugen nicht üblich.This information is only available in German.