The conversion of CO₂ emissions into products that are less critical for global warming has become a widely discussed topic in climate change research. Heterogeneous catalysis enables the transformation of the reactants within the gas/solid interface and offers a possibility of CO₂ transformation. During the catalytical cycle reactants adsorb on the active sites across the main catalyst support, however, the reaction conversion may suffer from so called dead volume of catalyst that is unreachable during the reaction.

In our group, we develop novel catalytical systems for CO₂ conversion. The synthesis of catalysts involves the generation of metal nanoparticles via spark ablation. This method ensures a generation of particles within the size range of 1-10 nm that are afterwards deposited on titanium dioxide. Furthermore, the performance of catalytic reaction in the gas phase offers an increase of active surface sites and opens a possibility to improve the reaction conversion and selectivity optimizations.

Within this interdisciplinary project we combine the application of material chemistry with aerosol technologies. Our research includes the synthesis of nanoparticles, their characterization and application. Our characterization techniques include electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and mass-spectrometry.