Metal vapors in catalyst synthesis – a superior route to advanced materials?

Chemical catalysis is the key to any modern society. The past decades have provided us with an ever-increasing toolset of predicting and exploring new materials. However, some proposed and verified catalyst materials cannot be made in the required amount, quality or specifications with current chemical techniques. The key step in many catalyst syntheses is often the reduction of a compound to its metallic and active state. Using alkali metal vapor allows the reduction of elements that are not accessible by common reducing agents and avoiding the usage of harmful organic solvents. Herein we propose to study the production of a much-anticipated class of catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells by alkali metal vapor. If successful, these materials will boost the efficiency and halving the catalyst cost of hydrogen fuel cells, providing another brick for a sustainable future and a new method for advanced material science.