Research Interests:

☆ Synthesis and application of thermally stable small-sized precious metal catalysts

Supported platinum group metal catalysts are essential and are not readily substituted for many industrially important catalytic processes. Enhancement in the thermal stability of small-sized precious metal nanoparticles would be crucial to prolonging the catalyst life and minimizing the cost. We recently discovered that magnesium aluminate spinel {111} nano-facets optimally stabilize the small sizes of Rh, Ir and Pt nanoparticles even after severe high temperature aging treatments. We further rationalized the exceptional stabilization originates from lattice matching, and the correspondingly strong attractive interactions at interfaces between the spinel {111} surface oxygens and epitaxial metals\metal oxides. On this basis, we’d continue to work on synthesizing capable oxide support materials to stabilize other precious metal nanoparticles. On the other side, thermally stable supported Rh, Ir and Pt catalysts are widely used in the fields of chemical conversion, environmental catalysis and aerospace catalysis. For example, catalytic conversion of methane, catalytic combustion, automotive exhaust purification, and catalytic hydrazine decomposition, and etc. We’ll optimize the stable Rh, Ir and Pt catalysts for a specific reaction with high reactivity, selectivity, stability and low cost as well.

☆ structure-function relationship of model catalysts for probe reactions

Unlike homogenous catalysts with uniform molecular structure, supported solid catalysts usually have multiple microstructures, which together provide catalytic reactivity. Such integrated structure and reactivity information makes it difficult to establish accurate structure-function relationship in practice. We are trying to synthesize model catalyst with distinct active structures and quantities, and then test probe reactions with well-established mechanism and reaction rate equation for obtaining kinetic data. Furthermore, we want to get each kinetic parameter among the rate equation by simulating the real kinetic data. We can also obtain the activation energy for rate determining step and the heat of adsorption of reactants on active sites from the respective temperature dependence. Thus, it is possible to establish the structure-function relationship accurately in some model catalytic systems. We are interesting in supported transition metal oxide catalysts for selective oxidation of alcohols, supported precious metal catalysts for CO oxidation or water-gas shift reactions.

1998-2002: B.S. Chemistry, Shandong University, Jinan, China

2002-2007: Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China

   

2007-2009: Postdoc of Tsinghua University

2010-2014: Postdoc of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

2014-2015: Associate professor of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics

2015-:         Professor of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics

   

1.    Guo-Qing Ren, Guang-Xian Pei, Jing-Cai Zhang, Wei-Zhen Li*, “Activity promotion of anti-sintering Au MgGa2O4 using ceria in the water gas shift reaction and catalytic combustion reactions”, Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2019, 40, 600.

2.    Fen Wang, Jing-Cai Zhang, Wei-Zhen Li*, Bing-Hui Chen*, “Coke-resistant Au–Ni/MgAl2O4 catalyst for direct methanation of syngas”, 2019, 39, 198.

3.    Guo-Qing Ren, Yan Tang, Kai-Peng Liu, Yang Su, Shu Miao, Wei Liu, Wei-Min Cong, Xiao-Dong Wang, Wei-Zhen Li*, Jun Li*, Tao Zhang， “Exceptional Antisintering Gold Nanocatalyst for Diesel Exhaust Oxidation“，Nano Letters.  2018, 18, 6489.

4.    Fen Wang, Wei-Zhen Li*, Jing-Dong Lin, Zhi-Qiang Chen, Yong Wang* “Crucial support effect on the durability of Pt/MgAl2O4 for partial oxidation of methane to syngas”, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018, 231, 292.

5.    Guo-Qing Ren, Guang-Xian Pei, Yu-Jing Ren, Kai-Peng Liu, Zhi-Qiang Chen, Jing-Yi Yang, Yang Su, Xiao-Yan Liu, Wei-Zhen Li*, Tao Zhang, “Effect of group IB metals on the dehydrogenation of propane to propylene over anti-sintering Pt/MgAl2O4”, Journal of Catalysis, 2018, 366,115.

6.    Wei-Zhen Li, Feng Gao, Yan Li, Eric D. Walter, Jun Liu, Charles H. F. Peden, and Yong Wang *, “Nanocrystalline Anatase Titania-Supported Vanadia Catalysts: Facet-Dependent Structure of Vanadia”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2015, 119, 15094.

7.    Wei-Zhen Li, Libor Kovarik, Donghai Mei, Mark H Engelhard, Feng Gao, Jun Liu*, Yong Wang*, and Charles H. F. Peden*, “A general mechanism for stabilizing the small sizes of precious metal nanoparticles on oxide supports”, Chemistry of Materials, 2014, 26, 5475.

8.    Wei-Zhen Li, Libor Kovarik, Donghai Mei, Jun Liu, Yong Wang, and Charles H. F. Peden*, “Stable platinum nanoparticles on specific MgAl2O4 spinel facets at high temperatures in oxidizing atmospheres”, Nature Communications, 2013, 4, 2481.