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Analyzing the Case for Bifunctional Catalysis
Author(s) -
Andersen Mie,
Medford Andrew J.,
Nørskov Jens K.,
Reuter Karsten
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201601049
Subject(s) - bifunctional , catalysis , scaling , universality (dynamical systems) , chemistry , adsorption , transition metal , oxide , nanotechnology , materials science , organic chemistry , physics , mathematics , geometry , quantum mechanics
Bifunctional coupling of two different catalytic site types has often been invoked to explain experimentally observed enhanced catalytic activities. We scrutinize such claims with generic scaling‐relation‐based microkinetic models that allow exploration of the theoretical limits for such a bifunctional gain for several model reactions. For sites at transition‐metal surfaces, the universality of the scaling relations between adsorption energies largely prevents any improvements through bifunctionality. Only the consideration of systems that involve the combination of different materials, such as metal particles on oxide supports, offers hope for significant bifunctional gains.