CATALYTIC POLYMER PROCESSING
A method of upcycling polymers to useful hydrocarbon materials. A catalyst with nanoparticles on a substrate selectively docks and cleaves longer hydrocarbon chains over shorter hydrocarbon chains. The catalyst includes metal nanoparticles in an order array on a substrate.
1 . A method of forming a catalyst comprising:
providing a nanocuboid crystalline substrate;
forming, by atomic layer deposition, metal nanoparticles arranged in an ordered fashion on the nanocuboid crystalline substrate with an interparticle spacing selected based on a desired hydrocarbon end product chain length;
wherein the nanoparticles are anchored to the substrate at exposed undercoordinated metal centers of the nanocuboid crystalline structure.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanocuboid crystalline substrate is a perovskite.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the perovskite is selected from the group consisting of perovskites with general formula ABO 3-x where x is in the range 0≤x≤0.5, A is strontium, barium, or calcium, and B is titanium.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the perovskite is strontium titanate.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are anchored to the exposed undercoodinated metal centers at distances selected from the group consisting of ˜20 Å, 14 Å, 9.8 Å, or 3.4 Å.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles have an average particle size of 5 nm (+/−4 nm).
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after atomic layer deposition, modifying the nanocuboid crystalline substrate and not the metal nanoparticles.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles comprise a noble metal.
9 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are anchored to the exposed undercoodinated metal centers at distances selected from the group consisting of ˜20 Å, 14 Å, 9.8 Å, or 3.4 Å.