Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

Scientists From Palacký University in Olomouc Accelerate Chemical Reactions With a Single Atom


News provided by

Palacký University

29 Apr, 2019, 08:00 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

OLOMOUC, Czech Republic, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A unique method that can accelerate diverse chemical reactions, for example, in food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, has been developed by scientists from the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM) of Palacký University in Olomouc, in cooperation with Italian colleagues from the University of Trieste. The novel accelerators of the reactions (catalysts) are single atoms of metals firmly anchored to a carbon material based on a graphene platform. These atoms can speed up numerous reactions, with uncompromised efficiency even after repeated use. The arrangement increases the catalysts' efficiency, reducing both amounts needed and production costs. The work has been recently published in the prestigious Advanced Materials journal, one of the world's top three materials science journals.

Catalytic reactions occur all around us, including in the human body. Solid metal catalysts are used not only in cars, where they reduce amounts of pollutants in exhaust gases, but also in the industrial production of hydrogen, ammonia, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and many other substances. Solid-state metal catalysts are very popular in industrial processes because they can be easily separated from the production mixture and reused. However, they are usually less effective than soluble (liquid-phase) catalysts, largely because smaller numbers of atoms are in contact with the reaction mixture. Thus, the Czech and Italian team of scientists has intensively sought ways to produce highly effective solid-state catalysts in which all metal atoms are accessible to chemicals involved in targeted reactions.

"We took a chemically modified form of graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material, and attached functional groups that provide convenient chemical links for robustly bonding metal atoms. In this way, we chemically anchored individual copper atoms to the surface of graphene and found they had unprecedented efficiency for catalyzing the chemical reactions used for production of important pharmaceutical substances," said Radek Zbořil, the director of RCPTM and originator of the whole concept.

With the development of nanotechnologies and decrease in size of metal catalysts, their efficiency has increased dramatically, as nanomaterials generally have larger numbers of atoms on their surfaces and can thus more easily affect chemical reactions. "Finding a universal technology that can anchor and utilize individual atoms enables us to exploit the advantages of both soluble and insoluble (solid-state) catalysts, which was previously impossible. In this case, all the atoms are involved in the catalytic process, achieving full atomic-level economy. Thus, lower amounts of the catalyst are required. Moreover, such single metal atoms strongly bound to graphene exhibit extraordinary efficiency, which remains after recycling of the catalyst," added Zbořil.

Strong anchoring individual atoms for catalytic purposes has been an attractive, but unfeasible 'pipe dream', until recently. "Most of the approaches previously developed do not provide sufficiently strong anchoring, eventually resulting in the catalytic atoms' release during the reactions or recycling. The technology developed in Olomouc has unique ability to firmly anchor a wide range of individual atoms in sufficient quantities and even control their oxidation state. Thus, the new catalysts offer a wide spectrum of applications," said Paolo Fornasiero from the University of Trieste, who has a wealth of experience in developing and applying new types of catalysts.

According to Aristides Bakandritsos from RCPTM, preparation of the catalytic material does not require demanding synthetic conditions. "Chemical bonding of atoms takes place at room temperature. The starting material for producing the graphene substrate is graphite fluoride, an industrial lubricant available in tons, so upscaling the technology should be relatively straightforward. Importantly, we can firmly anchor other single metal atoms, such as gold, platinum, iron, cobalt or nickel, to graphene. We already have promising results, for example, in electrocatalytic reactions enabling production of alternative energy sources. Here, we exploit a combination of excellent graphene conductivity and high efficiency of the anchored single metal catalysts," he revealed.

Recent advances in graphene chemistry in RCPTM laboratories have led to the development of a number of new materials and other unique technologies, including preparation of carbon-based magnets, two-dimensional carboxylic acid, highly efficient oil sorbents and one of the smallest metallic magnets.

References:
A. Bakandritsos, R. G. Kadam, P. Kumar, G. Zoppellaro, M. Medveď, J. Tuček, T. Montini, O. Tomanec, P. Andrýsková, B. Drahoš, R. S. Varma, M. Otyepka, M. B. Gawande, P. Fornasiero, and R. Zbořil, "Mixed-Valence Single-Atom Catalyst Derived from Functionalized Graphene," ADVANCED MATERIALS, vol. 31, iss. 17, 2019.

J. Tuček, K. Holá, A. B. Bourlinos, P. Blonski, A. Bakandritsos, J. Ugolotti, M. Dubecký, F. Karlický, V. Ranc, K. Čépe, M. Otyepka, and R. Zbořil, "Room Temperature Organic Magnets Derived from sp3 Functionalized Graphene," NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 8, 2017.

J. Tuček, Z. Sofer, D. Bouša, M. Pumera, K. Holá, A. Malá, K. Poláková, M. Havrdová, K. Čépe, O. Tomanec, and R. Zbořil, "Air-stable Superparamagnetic Metal Nanoparticles Entrapped in Graphene Oxide Matrix," NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, vol. 7, 2016.

A. Bakandritsos, M. Pykal, P. Blonski, P. Jakubec, D. D. Chronopoulos, K. Poláková, V. Georgakilas, K. Čépe, O. Tomanec, V. Ranc, A. B. Bourlinos, R. Zbořil, and M. Otyepka, "Cyanographene and Graphene Acid: Emerging Derivatives Enabling High-Yield and Selective Functionalization of Graphene," ACS NANO, vol. 11, iss. 3, pp. 2982-2991, 2017.

K. Jayaramulu, K. K. R. Datta, C. Rösler, M. Petr, M. Otyepka, R. Zboril, and R. A. Fischer, "Biomimetic Superhydrophobic/Superoleophilic Highly Fluorinated Graphene Oxide and ZIF-8 Composites for Oil–Water Separation," ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE INTERNATIONAL EDITION, vol. 55, iss. 3, pp. 1178-1182, 2016.

Contact:
Radek Zbořil / General Director
Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials
Šlechtitelů 27
78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Phone: (+420)775-733-378
Email: radek.zboril@upol.cz

https://www.upol.cz/en/

Related Links

https://www.rcptm.com/

Modal title

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.