Daniel Nixon

Platinum-based heterogeneous catalysts are vital in the industrial production of nitric acid, a key feedstock chemical in a number of industries including agriculture. However, the harsh conditions in which these catalysts operate degrade and restructure their surface, worsening their selectivity/efficiency and increasing production of harmful by-products. This eventually requires halting the production process to replace the entire catalyst. Analysing the composition of the surface and near-surface regions of these materials is key to understanding this degradation process, but is challenging due to the nano-length scales involved. Atom Probe Tomography is particularly well-suited as a characterisation technique. My PhD follows on from previous work carried out in my Masters project investigating the interaction of iron oxide contaminants on Pt-Rh catalyst surfaces, and also from previous group work including into similar platinum-group automobile catalysts. My research is being undertaken in collaboration with Yara International. Please feel free to reach out with any queries on the email above.