Events

The discovery and development of new molecules and materials remain constrained by slow, labor-intensive experimental workflows that are poorly matched to the complexity of modern chemical design spaces. To address these limitations, we are developing a data-rich self-driving laboratory (SDL) ecosystem that integrates reaction and reactor engineering, robotic experimentation, high-throughput synthesis, in-situ multi-modal characterization, and artificial intelligence-guided decision-making to autonomously explore complex chemical spaces.

One approach toward controlling selectivity in catalysis is to systematically design these encapsulating ligands to impart improved activity, selectivity, and stability in reactions such as CO2 hydrogenation, C-C coupling, and the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived oxygenates. This presentation will describe design of different components of the organic ligands—the “head” group that covalently attaches to the support versus the “tail” organic function—to control selectivity in reactions at surfaces. The presentation will also explain advantages and limitations for use of organic modifiers in heterogeneous catalysis.