The research project HyCARB brings together Dutch clean-tech companies, universities and research institutes to develop the technology base for industrial end users worldwide for carbon-based chemicals production using hydrogen, green electrons and captured carbon dioxide. New scientific approaches will be pursued to achieve breakthroughs for cost- and energy-efficient sustainable production of fuels and chemicals by identifying, developing and testing improved catalysts, key components such as reactors, electrolysers and innovative approaches for electrified heating. Laboratory work using the latest generation analytical equipment will be combined with techno-economic and lifecycle assessments of a range of technologies to help industry decarbonise.

Nowadays, individuals interact with companies/institutions in different ways: over the telephone, on mobile devices, tablets, or through self-service machines. Depending on the system used, they make decisions orally (by speaking) or manually (e.g., by touch on a tablet). Surprisingly, scant attention has been paid to the possibility that merely changing the way individuals express decisions - here termed as expression modalities - might impact how and what kind of decisions they make. Yet, companies and government institutions frequently offer individuals innovative ways to express their decisions (e.g., voice control mode in a mobile banking app) possibly unaware that a change in modality might impact individuals decisions. The aim of my three projects is to understand differences between oral and manual expression modalities with the goal of deriving managerial implications and public policy recommendations. Predominantly (but not exclusively) utilizing experimental research, individuals will be asked to make decisions either orally or manually. Project 1 explores whether these different expression modalities will trigger fundamentally different decision-making processes. I propose that speaking prompts automatic, impulsive decisions while manual responding prompts cognitive, reasoned decisions. This difference has important - positive and negative - consequences for decisions that we make daily. In project 2, I explore the influence of utilizing oral or manual expression modality on financial decision making; in particular individuals? likelihood to save money. If speech triggers more automatic, impulsive decisions, this suggests that individuals are less likely to save money (= cognitive/reasoned decision) when using voice-controlled than touch-activated systems. Finally, project 3 fulfills the purpose to explore a positive consequence of orally expressed decisions: if speaking triggers automatic, intuitive decisions, I argue that it increases decision satisfaction with decisions that require intuition. The results of the projects will be insightful to guide various stakeholders (e.g., policy makers) in designing strategies to increase savings and decision satisfaction.

The energy transition requires new materials for greening chemistry and transportation. Electrolyzers and fuel cells need more efficient electrodes and more robust membranes. Scarce materials call for everyday alternatives. PLD4Energy is a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) facility for producing such thin film (membrane) alternatives. It is tailored to research for energy applications. PLD has the right in-situ diagnostics to move from small to larger film areas in a controlled manner. The facility lends itself to fundamental research, as well as the next, essential step: actual implementation. PLD4Energy welcomes external researchers and also companies that want to test commercial applications.

Alternatieve en duurzame energieoplossingen met een hoog rendement zijn nodig om de energietransitie te realiseren. Elektrochemische toepassingen, zoals elektrolyse, brandstofcellen, batterijen, zijn ideale oplossingen; de prestatiebeperkende processen op de interface moeten echter worden geïdentificeerd om de prestaties te verbeteren. Daarom zal in BOOST een nieuwe route worden onderzocht door experimenten onder operando-omstandigheden te verweven met microkinetische modellering. Door materiaalscreening en gegevensvoorspelling zal deze route de ontwikkeling van katalysatoren versnellen.

Noble metal nanoparticles made of gold, silver, and copper are used as catalysts in a wide range of processes, from pollution mitigation, to the synthesis of liquid fuels and chemical precursors. Recently, it has been shown that irradiating such nanoparticles with light can significantly improve their catalytic activity and selectivity, a result that could have a tremendous impact on the chemical industry. The observed optical modulation of the electronic properties of nanostructured catalysts is due to the excitation of plasmon resonances, which are collective oscillations of the nanoparticle’s free electrons. However, despite increasing experimental efforts, the exact physical mechanism behind the observed plasmon enhancement of catalysis is still a topic of intense debate. Three parallel processes are being proposed as potential explanations: a) plasmon resonance decay into non-equilibrium “hot” electrons, b) plasmon thermalization and consequent “heating” of the nanoparticles, and c) strong light absorption and localization in electromagnetic “hot” spots at the surface of the nanoparticles. In this proposal I will quantitatively discriminate between these competing “hot” mechanisms of optical activation of catalysis, by comparing the electron transfer rates in model catalytic reactions in the dark and under plasmon resonance excitation. In particular, I will measure the reaction conversion rate on nanocatalysts with well-defined size, shape, composition, and surface chemistry, while selectively turning off each “hot” activation mechanism, by rational choice of the optical and chemical parameters. Furthermore, I will use a super-resolution microscopy approach to spatially reconstruct the distribution of catalytic events at the surface of individual nanoparticles, which will allow a direct visual discrimination between the competing mechanisms of plasmon activation of catalysis. Together, these results will provide the first quantitative assessment of the potential of plasmonics in catalysis and will open new pathways to control and activate chemical reactions using light.