Johannes Thiessen

De Novo Design of Nanostructured Iron–Cobalt Fischer–Tropsch Catalysts

Audio cassettes hold the key to enhancing Fischer–Tropsch catalysis. Catalysts based on ultra‐thin cobalt shells surrounding cheap iron oxide cores (see picture) are developed, an approach previously optimized for preparing magnetic tape for audio cassettes. These particles are easily made on a large scale, and are excellent Fischer–Tropsch catalysts, giving good diesel fractions.

Applying Topological and Economical Principles in Catalyst Design: New Alumina-Cobalt Core-Shell Catalysts

Designing new and effective catalysts may be an art, but its consequences are very real and pragmatic. That said, chemists often build designs on ideal systems, whereas the manufacturing of chemicals requires catalysts that withstand varied feeds, harsh conditions and long exposure times. Moreover, economical considerations are often underestimated at the catalyst design stage. Here we discuss the inclusion of economical and topological considerations early on in the catalyst design process, giving as an example the synthesis and testing of a new type of alumina/cobalt Fischer–Tropsch catalysts.