Dynamically Pulsed Catalysis for Selective Ammonia Synthesis

Piombino, Eileen; Cirincione-Lynch, Avery

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Dynamically Pulsed Catalysis for Selective Ammonia Synthesis

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Ammonia is one of the most highly demanded chemicals globally, with applications ranging from agriculture to everyday cleaning products. The industrial process of producing ammonia from elemental nitrogen and hydrogen, known as the Haber-Bosch process, is highly inefficient, requiring high temperatures and pressures for relatively low conversions of the reaction. Recent work has shown that dynamically oscillated operating conditions may enhance the catalytic effect of heterogeneous catalytic reactions, similar to the industrial method of ammonia synthesis. Based on published research, we propose that sufficiently fast thermal oscillations of a catalyst surface will increase the efficiency of ammonia synthesis catalysis, achieving higher reaction conversion rates at milder, more energetically favorable operating conditions. Here, we present the design and fabrication of a microreactor for investigation into the theoretical and experimental capabilities of thermally pulsed catalysis for selective ammonia synthesis. By resistively heating a thin platinum catalyst on an aluminum nitride substrate, integrating a cooling system, and incorporating an ultrafast pyrometer for millisecond temperature monitoring and control, we achieved thermal oscillations close to the desired timescale for pulsed catalysis. Finally, we suggest several design improvements to make this system usable for the direct analysis of pulsed heterogeneous catalysis.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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