In recent months, there have been exciting research studies in catalysis research in Turkey. Here are the short summaries:

Mete, E., Yilmaz, B., & Uner, D. (2023). PdH α-phase is associated with residual oxygen as revealed by in situ 1H NMR measurements and DFT-NMR estimations. Applied Surface Science, 641, 158421.

Conducting both experimental and DFT studies, this research focuses on elucidating the chemical nature of α and β-PdH phases in Pd/TiO2 by analyzing their 1H NMR chemical shifts, revealing shielded 1H NMR resonances around −30 ppm from TMS for α-PdH states. In situ NMR measurements indicates the appearance of this peak only during partial reduction of PdO .DFT estimations supports similar NMR chemical shifts attributed to hydrogen adsorbed at the metal-surface interface, providing valuable insights into the role of trace oxygen in the formation of the α phase of PdH.

Reformer catalysts
Özcan, O., & Akın, A. N. (2023). Methanol steam reforming kinetics using a commercial CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst: Simulation of a reformer integrated with HT-PEMFC system. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

This study presents a comprehensive kinetic analysis of methanol steam reforming over a Cu-based commercial catalyst, revealing a strong correlation with non-linear regression results. Reaction orders of 0.29 for methanol and 0.09 for water, a frequency factor of 53.48 (molCH3OH s-1 .gcatalyst-1 kPa-0.38), and an activation energy of 65.59 kJ mol-1 were determined. A subsequent simulation study suggests the integrated system of a reformer and an HT-PEMFC holds the potential for a 15 W power output.

Ozkan, D. M., Uzun, A., Caglayan, B. S., & Aksoylu, A. E. (2023). A DFT Study on the Role of Oxygen Vacancy on m-ZrO2 (1¯ 11) in Adsorption and Dissociation of CO2. Surface Science, 122336.

This study investigates the crucial role of oxygen vacancies in the activation and dissociation of CO2 molecules on m-ZrO2. Through periodic DFT calculations, m-ZrO2 which is a widely studied support for Catalytic Dry Reforming of Methane (CDRM) catalysts reveals that the presence of oxygen vacancies, regardless of their type, significantly enhances the dissociative CO2 adsorption ability of m-ZrO2, affirming its potential as a support for practical CDRM catalysts with improved coke resistance and performance stability.

Exhaust emission catalysts

Bayram, B., Önal, I., & Külah, G. (2023). Thermal stability and SO2 resistance of Pd/Rh-perovskite based three-way catalyst wash-coated on cordierite monoliths. Chemical Engineering Communications, 210(2), 205-222.

This work demonstrates that after hydrothermal aging at 1000 °C for 3 hours, the dispersed Pd/Rh-based catalyst exhibited a significant loss in performance, particularly during C3H8 and NO conversions, in contrast to the Pd/Rh perovskite-based catalyst which maintained its activity, while exposure to 20 ppm SO2 resulted in CO uptake capacity reductions of 61% and 48% for the two catalysts, respectively.

Machine Learning applications on catalysis

Günay, M. E., & Tapan, N. A. (2023). Analysis of CO selectivity during electroreduction of CO2 in deep eutectic solvents by machine learning. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 1-16.

This work employs supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, including SHAP analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and decision tree classification, to identify key molecular and physicochemical factors, such as hydrogen bond donor and hydrogen bond acceptor molecular properties, leading to high CO selectivity during the electroreduction of CO2 in deep eutectic solvents. This study offers valuable insights for designing efficient CO2 electrolyzers with reduced experimental effort and time.

Electrocatalysis

Bal, İ. B., Durmuş, G. N. B., & Devrim, Y. (2023). Fabrication and performance evaluation of graphene-supported PtRu electrocatalyst for high-temperature electrochemical hydrogen purification. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

This study investigates high-temperature electrochemical hydrogen purification (HT-ECHP) capabilities of platinum (Pt) and platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) nanoparticles decorated on graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) support material. Catalysts were synthesized using microwave irradiation and coupled to a phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membrane. The results demonstrate that the PtRu/GNP catalyst exhibits strong synergistic interactions between Pt and Ru particles and achieves the highest H2 purification performance, affirming its potential as a promising catalyst for HT-ECHP applications.

Hydrogen production catalysts

Kaya, C., Özdemir, J. H., Elçiçek, H., Özdemir, O. K., Kökkülünk, G., & Ünlügençoğlu, K. (2024). Enhancing the efficiency of sodium borohydride hydrolysis with a novel CoB-Triton catalyst. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 51, 489-503.

In the pursuit of efficient hydrogen production for maritime transportation, this study employs a surfactant-stabilized CoB catalyst, specifically CoB-Triton 150, demonstrating a 40.2% faster hydrogen generation rate compared to CoB alone. Triton X-100 surfactant was found to be a promising candidate for enhancing the hydrolysis performance of solid state sodium borohydride (NaBH4), paving the way for further research in improving fuel cell performance and advancing the application of hydrogen as a clean energy source in the maritime industry.

Biofuel production

Gungormus, E., Seker, E., & Altinkaya, S. A. (2023). Antifouling Polydopamine-Modified Poly (ether sulfone) Membrane Immobilized With Alumina-Calcium Oxide Catalyst For Continuous Biodiesel Production. Fuel, 349, 128685.

Presenting a novel approach for sustainable biodiesel production, a catalytically active polydopamine-modified poly (ether sulfone) (PES) membrane, immobilized with an alumina-calcium oxide catalyst, demonstrated superior performance by overcoming fouling challenges through backwashing with butanol, emphasizing its potential to enhance the cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness of biodiesel production compared to traditional methods.

Guvenc, C., Alan, E., Degirmencioglu, P., Ozcan, M. C., Karaman, B. P., & Oktar, N. (2023). Catalytic upgrading of bio-oil model mixtures in the presence of microporous HZSM-5 and γ-Al2O3 based Ni, Ta and Zr catalysts. Fuel, 350, 128870.

This study explores the catalytic upgrading of a model bio-oil compound with ethanol for biofuel production, with a focus on microporous HZSM-5 and Al2O3-based catalysts; the synthesized 10Zr@MA catalyst, characterized by various techniques, including XRD, XANES, SEM/EDS, and DRIFTS exhibits the highest catalytic activity, achieving the best oil phase selectivity and isoparaffin selectivity with minimal coke formation compared to other catalysts.

Çakman, G., Ceylan, S., & Balci, S. (2023). Catalytic Deoxygenation of Oleic Acid over Synthesized Ni@ CMK-3 Catalyst using Analytical Py-GC/MS and TG-FTIR. Journal of Porous Materials, 30(3), 899-909.

In this investigation, Ni@CMK-3 catalyst was synthesized via the impregnation method. The effectiveness of catalyst in the pyrolysis of oleic acid (OA) for biofuel production was confirmed by XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Raman spectra, SEM images and ICP-MS analysis, highlighting its potential for conversion of  waste oils into renewable fuels with enhanced OA conversion and the generation of hydrocarbons and acids as predominant products.

Fuel transformation catalysts

Yousefzadeh, H., Bozbag, S. E., Sushkevich, V., van Bokhoven, J. A., & Erkey, C. (2023). Stepwise conversion of methane to methanol over Cu-mordenite prepared by supercritical and aqueous ion exchange routes and quantification of active Cu species by H2-TPR. Catalysis Communications, 174, 106574.

This study shows that supercritical ion exchange (SCIE)-prepared copper-exchanged mordenite (Cu-MORS) exhibits increased methanol yield during stepwise conversion of methane. Deconvoluted H2-TPR profile distinguishes active copper sites from inactive ones based on reduction temperature, revealing a lower autoreduction susceptibility compared to aqueous ion exchange (AIE)-prepared Cu-MORA. Therefore this study highlights the significance of site-selective ion exchange for controlled synthesis of active copper species in zeolites.

Environmental remediation catalysts

Aykut, E., Sert, M., & Sert, E. (2023). Catalytic activity of MOF derived CuFe@C catalysts for catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 54, 103970.

This study covers utilization of a fabrication method involving the direct carbonization of metal organic frameworks. In addition this study presents efficient preparation of active and reusable Cu@C and CuFe@C bimetallic catalysts derived from HKUST-1 and Fe-doped HKUST-1. Cu0.8Fe0.2@C demonstrates superior catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol compared to Cu@C, completing the reaction in 60 seconds and offering recyclability and high stability, thereby showcasing its potential for converting harmful pollutants into useful substances.

Photocatalysis

Suleman, S., Guan, X., Zhang, Y., Waseem, A., Metin, O., Meng, Z., & Jiang, H. L. (2023). Regulating the generation of reactive oxygen species for photocatalytic oxidation by metalloporphyrinic covalent organic frameworks. Chemical Engineering Journal, 476, 146623.

This study showcases an effective strategy for controlled production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), specifically singlet oxygen (1O2) and superoxide (O2•−), by utilizing a covalent organic framework (COF) array with metalloporphyrin cores containing d-block transition metals, leading to distinct performance in photocatalytic aerobic oxidations, with the regulated ROS generation attributed to the evolution of electronic structures in the COF array which were supported by electronic property studies and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations.