Abstract:

Surface catalysis is an important branch of physical chemistry. The relationship between the surface structure of the catalyst and its catalytic performance is one of the most challenging issues in the fundamental studies of surface catalysis. However, the research contents are rarely involved in the teaching content of chemistry laboratory. In this experiment, we studied the structure-catalytic performance relation of CuO/Cu₂O core-shell nanocrystals with different surface structures by combining reaction kinetics analysis and DFT calculations on their catalytic performance in ethylene oxidation. Through this experiment, students will get a profound insight into the relationship between structures and properties of catalysts in surface catalysis.

Key words: Surface structure, Catalytic activity, Quantum chemistry calculation, Apparent activation energy, Adsorption energy