CCSS Research

The members of the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) have world-class expertise in the fundamental catalysis science of: 

• Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of metal oxides, metal nanoparticles, metal organic frameworks (MOF) and other structures
• Advanced spectroscopic and theoretical techniques for characterizing active sites on solid surfaces and of reaction intermediates
• Emergent chemical properties at nanostructured interfaces
• Reaction mechanisms and reaction networks with photochemical, electrochemical, and molecular/heterogeneous thermochemical catalysts

Some of the challenges to which this expertise is applied include: 

• Abating emissions of NO_x or CO_x pollutants
• Converting CO₂ into useful chemicals
• Batteries and other electrochemical materials
• Developing new selective oxidation processes
• Recovery of useful resources from waste streams
• Destruction of chemical weapon agents
• Discovery of new processes for H₂ production and storage
• Designing new routes for chemical upcycling or depolymerization of plastics
• More selective and less energy intensive syntheses of important chemicals
• Routes from biomass into important chemicals
• Petroleum-free routes to transportation fuels

Membership in the center spans across multiple disciplines (chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science and engineering) and draws upon deep expertise in state-of-the-art experimental and computational tools. This transdisciplinary approach allows faculty and students to take on significant problems across all aspects of catalysis and surface science. The highly collaborative nature of the center also provides coordinated educational and mentoring opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows.

Major Research Projects

Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes

The Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes (ICEP) is a long-running fundamental catalysis science research effort administered by CCSS. It is currently funded by the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences, Catalysis Science program under grant DE-FG02-03-ER154757. A common thread over more than 20 years of work is a desire to gain a molecular-level understanding of catalytic processes enabled by atom-precise catalyst syntheses. Argonne National Laboratory has been an important partner, both as a formal partner and through informal collaborations. Research topics have included photocatalysis, emissions catalysis, biomass conversion, and many others. A current emphasis is on selective oxidation technologies.

Learn More: ICEP

Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics 

The Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP), led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, is an Energy Frontier Research Center. It is a multi-institutional team consisting of scientists from Ames Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, UC Santa Barbara, University of South Carolina, Cornell University, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. iCOUP is determined to transform discarded single-use plastics into more valuable products, providing the economic incentive to transform used plastics into renewable resources.

Learn more: iCOUP

Joint Center for Energy Storage Research

CCSS partners with the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) at Argonne National Laboratory to develop clean energy storage technologies. The partnership seeks more affordable, efficient, and environmentally benign alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, with recent work into the viability of hybrid batteries with a magnesium metal anode.

Learn More: JCESR

Research Meetings

Annual Scientific Meeting

The Center organizes an annual meeting focused on a particular topic in catalysis with a poster session highlighting research in the Center.  This meeting provides a forum for contact between faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and industrial researchers.

Special Events

The Center hosts many special events in addition to or in lieu of an annual meeting. These include the 35^th anniversary celebration of the founding of CCSS (2015) and the 150^th birthday celebration of Vladimir Ipatieff (2018). In 2019, CCSS was a lead organizer in the 26^th Meeting of the North American Catalysis Society (NAM). 

Catalysis and Surface Science Seminar Series

CCSS holds monthly seminars at noon on the first Fridays. Speakers include visitors from outside the university as well as graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working on Center projects.

ICEP holds monthly meetings at noon on the third Fridays. These are internal research updates, but researchers from across campus are welcome to attend.

CCSS eVENTS