FSC member Alexis Bordet and colleagues publish research results in Nature Catalysis.

A team of scientists led by Dr. Nicolas Kaeffer and FSC member Dr. Alexis Bordet from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (department of Prof. Walter Leitner) has presented a novel system in the journal "Nature Catalysis" that enables the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of water-insoluble organic substrates with high efficiency.

While such processes are typically associated with low efficiency, the team tackled the challenge by combining expertise on emulsions, surface molecular modification, nanoparticle-based catalysis, and electrocatalysis. In particular, the authors developed a Pickering emulsion system that creates a large interface between aqueous and organic phases, which is stabilized by solid particles - metal nanoparticles immobilised on a carbon support - that act as an electrocatalyst.