Value AD
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Catalysis
PD-23-1401
National Science Foundation
Funding Opportunity Number: PD-23-1401
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
CFDA Number(s): 47.041 -- Engineering
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No
Posted Date: Jun 27, 2023 12:00:00 AM EDT
Closing Date: N/A
Closing Date Details: Proposals accepted anytime
Estimated Total Program Funding: 4900000
Award Ceiling: none
Award Floor: none
Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"
Agency Name: National Science Foundation
Description: The Catalysis program is part of the Chemical Process Systems cluster, which also includes: 1) the Electrochemical Systems program; 2) the Interfacial Engineering program; and 3) the Process Systems, Reaction Engineering, and Molecular Thermodynamics program. The goals of the Catalysis program are to increase fundamental understanding in catalytic engineering science and to advance the development of catalysts and catalytic reactions that are beneficial to society. Research should focus on critical challenges and opportunities in both new and proven catalysis technologies. Areas of emphasis may include novel catalyst compositions, structures, operating environment, data science tools, theory, and modeling – preferably in various combinations as dictated by the specific reaction and related knowledge and technology gaps. Target applications include fuels, specialty and bulk chemicals, environmental catalysis, biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals, greenhouse gas mitigation, recycling of waste materials, generation of solar hydrogen, as well as efficient routes to energy utilization. Heterogeneous catalysis represents the main thrust of the program. Proposals related to both gas-solid and liquid-solid heterogeneous catalysis are welcome, as are proposals that incorporate concepts from homogeneous catalysis. Recent research trends have highlighted the need for evaluation of catalyst performance and properties under working conditions, especially as supported by advanced in situ and in operando characterization methods. Catalyst synthesizability and stability present additional research opportunities given the harsh operating environments of many catalytic processes. Topic areas of particular interest include:
- Energy-related catalysis, utilizing renewable or sustainable energy in lieu of thermal, fossil fuel-based technologies, especially applications in electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and catalytic conversion of biomass-derived chemicals, and also including fuel cell catalysis.
- Catalysis aimed at closing the carbon cycle (especially conversion of carbon dioxide, methane, and natural gas to fuels and chemical intermediates).
- Heterogeneous catalytic alternatives to traditionally non-catalytic or homogeneous reaction processes, as well as new catalyst designs for established catalytic processes.
- Environmental catalysis focused on mitigating both air and water pollutants, and supporting energy-efficient upcycling of waste materials to higher-value products.
- Catalytic remediation of feedstocks, process streams, products, or effluents.
- Commercially scalable methods of catalyst synthesis, including durable, poison-resistant, and easily regenerable catalyst formulations and designs.
- New catalytic materials and architectures (especially those substituting earth-abundant materials for precious and noble metal catalysts).
- Basic understanding of catalytic materials, reaction pathways, kinetics, and surface reaction mechanisms.
- Advanced tools for catalyst characterization and theoretical/computational catalysis.
Grantor Contact Information: NSF grants.gov support grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
