Metal catalysts used for environmental sustainability found to degrade and become less effective
New research is showing that some tiny catalysts being considered for industrial-scaled environmental remediation efforts may be unstable during operation.
Chemists from the University of Waterloo studied the structures of complex catalysts known as “nanoscale electrocatalysts” and found that they are not as stable as scientists once thought. When electricity flows through them during use, the atoms may rearrange. In some cases, the researchers found, electrocatalysts degrade completely.