Utrecht chemists discover mechanism to design more sustainable molecular catalysts
Utrecht scientists, under the supervision of Marc-Etienne Moret, have discovered a new mechanism to build molecular catalysts. The new mechanism involves the earth-abundant metal nickel instead of precious metals that are often used as part of molecular catalysts. Moret: "This discovery initiates a new area of research that brings about a whole new concept for the design of more sustainable catalysts." In 2017, chemistry researcher Marc-Etienne Moret received an ERC Starting Grant to study new catalysts with better properties. Now, with the discovery that was published in the scientific journal Nature Chemistry, his team has made a big step towards the goal he set out to achieve back then: the development of a new family of catalysts based on non-noble metals. "We discovered a new reaction mechanism", Moret says enthusiastically. "This does not happen very often, especially in a field that's been researched so thoroughly." We are very eager to pursue this new research direction Marc-Etienne Moret, associate professor - Pharmaceuticals and colour pigments. Researchers Marķa Sansores-Paredes , Martin Lutz , and Moret found a new, more sustainable mechanism to activate hydrogen.
