The treatment of CO and hydrocarbons in the exhaust of lean-burn engines continues as a challenge impacting the deployment of these improved efficiency automobiles. This will likely be aggravated as the use of biodiesel and other alternative fuel components enter the pool. Low temperature after-treatment catalysts based on noble metals are still the best choice for dealing with the pollutants. The economics of the situation dictate that more active and stable catalysts, particularly those using less noble metal contents, are highly desirable R and D targets. This GOALI proposal combines efforts from 2 universities and an automotive industry lab to address this problem. Based on observations that Palladium will prevent the emission of volatile Platinum oxides made at the University of New Mexico, and that a physical mixture of these two monometallic catalysts will give results of bimetallic catalytic nature made at the General Motors Labs, a team of Prof. Abhaya Datye from the University of New Mexico, Prof. Boris Kiefer from New Mexico State University, and Scientists Michael Balogh, Chang Kim and Wei Li from General Motors Laboratory are collaborating to understand the synergistic effects of palladium for platinum stability and for the ability to self-assemble a bimetallic catalyst from independent particles. A wide variety of ex situ and in situ techniques will be coupled with state-of-the-art computational DFT simulation to elucidate the answers to the questions that arise from these observations. The fundamental understanding developed through characterization and computation will potentially open a window on less-costly catalysts for low temperature oxidations which may extend beyond the pollutants Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
The broader impact is apparent in terms of this science ultimately leading to potential cost reduction in post engine burn catalytic treatments. Effective lowering of the cost for pollution treatments allows the attainment of better quality air overall. There seems to be an effective interaction between the universities and GM Laboratory scientists that will optimize the outcome and utility of the results. The students involved will be exposed to the industrial environment, the academic environment, and the impact of the environment on the technologies that humans employ. They will be well-rounded after participation in this program.
