S C
IE N
T IF
IC H
IG H
LI G
H T
S C
L E
A N
E N
E R
G Y
T R
A N
S IT
IO N
A N
D S
U S
T A
IN A
B L
E T
E C
H N
O LO
G IE
S
8 9 I H I G H L I G H T S 2 0 2 3
They found that the role of Ni in NiPt catalysts is to shift the electronic structure to accommodate the conversion, therefore enhancing the performance while lowering the cost of the catalyst. The conversion of O2 back to H2O over iron-based non-PGM catalyst, an important reaction in hydrogen fuel cells, has been studied by nanobeam- based X-ray fluorescence (XRF)-CT at ID16A (page 102). The authors successfully decoupled different instability mechanisms, key information for practical use of this cheap material. CO2/CO utilisation is currently a hot topic, and three highlights describe research towards the green recycling of CO2. Tasioula et al. uses XAS at BM23 and X-ray Raman scattering (XRS) at ID20 to elucidate structural modifications leading to catalytic enhancement of CO2-assisted ethane dehydrogenation (page 104). Employing wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) at ID31, Moss et al. (page 106) and Xu et al. (page 108) study electrolysis of CO2 and CO, respectively, to ethylene using two different catalysts. They find that at the device level, the complexity of the reactions and diffusion processes lead to emergent oscillatory behaviour and accelerated degradation, severely affecting performance.
Research into enzymatic biochemical conversion of biomass to fermentable monosaccharides has been carried out at ID30A-3. P. Sun et al., studying LPMO-like enzymes, found that AA16 enzyme has a different function than expected (page 110). This enzyme actually boosts the function of other LPMO molecules, while apparently not being LPMO itself.
The optimisation of large industrial chemical processes relies on developing new synthesis approaches. ESRF beamlines contributed to fundamental research in green chemistry this year. At BM23, Dallenes et al. show that Pd-based zeolites overrule thermodynamics limits of certain shuttle reactions, allowing for precise control of tandem systems and reaction equilibrium (page 112). This research helps to optimise several reactions without generating toxic waste. Li et al. look into the fundamentals of chemistry at high pressures at ID15B (page 114).
By utilising XRD, the authors study the decomposition of simple ionic solid AgI into its elemental parts. The results reveal sophisticated chemistry under high pressure and possible new routes for chemical reactions at extreme conditions. Staying at high pressures, Yin et al. used ID11 and ID27 for research into polyhalogen anions in alkali halides chemistries (page 116). Interestingly, they found that the reactions are much more complex that predicted by calculations and revealed by previous experimental data. Porous metallic framework glasses were investigated by Xu et al. at BM23 (page 118). X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine- structure (EXAFS) techniques were used to gain a closer look at the structural robustness and enhanced porosity in these materials, allowing incorporation of bulky agents without compromising structural integrity.
The pursuit of a clean way to produce electricity is addressed in research carried out at ID26 by Erasmus et al., where XAS techniques are employed to understand the role of dopants in borate structures used as luminescent solar concentrators (page 120). These materials enhance the performance of solar cells under diffuse light conditions, contributing to the overall efficiency of renewable energy systems.
While these highlights showcase impactful research in the fields of energy and green chemistry, numerous other significant contributions have been made at the ESRF in 2023. Together, these works underscore the commitment of the ESRF and the scientific community to tackle the greatest challenges of our time and pave the way for a more sustainable future.
J. DRNEC
