The junior research group of Dr. Sven Reichenberger focuses on the extraordinary properties of laser-generated nanoparticle for energy applications. Energy conversion is determined by nanomaterials with active surfaces. Thus new materials with large and clean surfaces are required. For this purpose, pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) is a promising process to fabricate ligand-free nanoparticles with high purities, controlled size distribution and a wide variety of materials. The laser-based synthesis enables a simple upscaling of nanoparticle generation. The laser-generated nanoparticles are used to fabricate heterogeneous catalyst by colloidal deposition on carrier materials in a continuous process with a quantitative yield. For these heterogeneous catalysts no further activation steps such as calcination is necessary due to the additive-free surfaces. This also allows the use of these materials as model catalysts to harmonize the experiments with a theory model. But also a long-term stability (process stability) at high temperature can be realized.

The aim of our group is the replacement of cost-intensive precious metals in heterogeneous catalysts for instance by nickel or copper based alloys. Our method enables to tailor pure and stable heterogeneous catalysts for a given application by variation of NP and carrier material.

The team offers:

• Surfactant-free and functionalized nanoparticles for heterogenous catalysis
• Colloidal and supported pure single and multinary metal, alloy and oxide nanoparticles, e.g. Pt, Pd, Ni, NiO, Cu, CuO or alloys including high entropy alloys such as FeMnCoCrNiMo etc…
• Tailored heterogenous Catalysts as gradual nanoparticle loading (up to 60 wt%) and nanoparticle size series (2 – 10 nm)
• Oxide nanoparticle sample series with gradual defect densities
• Nanoparticle characterization using methods such as analytical disc centrifugation (ADC), UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, cyclic voltammetry, photoluminescence analysis (PL, quantum yield, exciton lifetime), and in more specialized research topics also photocatalysis and oxidation catalysis