How size matters for catalysts

Study links size, activity, electronic properties

		IMAGE: University of Utah chemistry Professor Scott Anderson and doctoral student Bill Kaden work on the elaborate apparatus they use to produce and study catalysts, which are substances that speed chemical... Click here for more information.

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 5, 2009 – University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline.