Novel nano catalyst for cabin air filters

Cabin air filters in automobiles are usually able to clean the air from various particles, such as dust, pollen grains or diesel soot. There is low success however to remove exhaust gases from cabin air. Hence, these gaseous pollutants can easily spread into cabin air.

In a joint project with the chair of nanoparticle process technology, the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr and IUTA e.V. Duisburg novel nano catalyst materials for cabin air filters are developed. These catalyst materials are intended to clean exhaust gases even at conditions that are typical for cabin air filters in automobiles. Materials synthesis is performed by infiltration of metal oxide nano clusters into usually applied filter materials such as active carbon. The chair of thermodynamics is particularly involved in the investigation of catalytic activity in exhaust gases using a recycle-flow reactor.

Figure 1:

Recyle-flow reactor for time- and temperature-resolved investigation of the catalytic activity in a test gas mixture

Figure 2:

Synthesized nano catalyst

Scientist: Dipl. Wi.-Ing. Martin Busch