Catalytic alchemy sees device transform one metal so that it behaves like another

A new instrument that can fine tune the properties of a catalyst has been developed by US scientists. The ‘catalytic condenser’ can make cheap and abundant metals act like more expensive ones by simply varying the applied voltage. With the new device, it’s now also possible to bypass the ‘speed limit ’ which governs catalysts, opening new opportunities in energy research and other exciting areas.

Paul Dauenhauer from the University of Minnesota explains that the catalytic condenser accumulates electrons or holes in a catalyst film, thereby modifying its electronic and catalytic properties. ‘We can now change the catalyst as fast or faster than the chemistry occurs,’ he says.