Chemical hotspots

Research news - Chemistry live: Using a scanning tunneling microscope, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) were able for the very first time to witness in detail the activity of catalysts during an electro-chemical reaction. The measurements show that the surface structure of the catalyst has a strong influence on their activity. The new analysis method can now be used to improve catalysts for the electrochemical industry. No energy transition without catalysts: On their own, the chemical processes necessary in order to manufacture hydrogen gas using electricity, to convert the hydrogen back into electrical energy in fuel cells, or to convert carbon dioxide into fuel are much too slow to be of practical use. Catalysts accelerate the reaction without being used up themselves. "Catalysts are of enormous importance for the industry. Hence, the industry has a great interest in further improving the materials in order to increase the efficiency of the processes", explains Aliaksandr Bandarenka , Professor for the Physics of Energy Conversion and Storage at the TUM.