Welcome
to the Fundamental Catalysis Research Laboratory at Hacettepe University
Our mission
The primary goal of our research lab is to address the environmental challenges associated with the chemical industry’s reliance on fossil resources. Catalytic materials, which are central to enabling chemical transformations, are at the core of our work. Through a multidisciplinary approach that integrates surface science model systems, materials synthesis, and test reactors, we aim to uncover atomic- and molecular-level fundamental insights into catalytic materials to guide sustainable solutions.
With the growing global population and increasing prosperity, the demand for commodity chemicals continues to rise, driven by their use in various sectors such as plastics, textiles, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. However, the chemical industry’s extensive reliance on fossil resources as both an energy input and a carbon source has significant environmental consequences.
Catalytic materials, which are central to enabling chemical transformations in the industry, face several limitations. They often require high temperature and pressures, produce unwanted byproducts, and deactivate over time, leading to wasted energy and feedstocks. This underscores the urgent need for catalysts that are highly reactive, selective, and robust to improve the efficiency and sustainability of chemical processes.
To address these challenges and explore sustainable, zero-emission energy solutions, our research leverages nanomaterials. Our approach focuses on achieving an atomic-level understanding of catalytic materials, which serves as a foundation for designing high-performance catalysts. We utilize single crystals as model catalysts, fabricating atomically well-defined surfaces under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Chemical reactions are studied on these model surfaces to gain molecular-level insights into reaction mechanisms.
Building on this fundamental knowledge, we synthesize nanomaterials with precisely tailored architectures, shapes and compositions. These materials are extensively characterized using advanced spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, and their catalytic performance is rigorously evaluated in reactors under ambient conditions to establish structure-activity relationships. Additionally, we utilize Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) reactors to gain detailed insights into reaction mechanisms and surface properties. Together, these efforts integrate fundamental and applied catalysis, with the overarching goal of designing innovative catalytic materials that drive sustainable and efficient chemical processes.