Matt Darby Awarded EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship

Congratulations to Matt Darby for having been awarded one 'EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship'.

This prestigious award will allow Matt to conduct independent post-doctoral studies on the subject of the widespread commercialisation of bio-derived transportation fuels has been precluded by issues with fuel viscosity, engine corrosion and low energy output upon combustion. These shortcomings are attributed to the high oxygen content of bio-oils and may be remedied by the removal of oxygen through catalytic hydro-deoxygenation (HDO).

HDO can be selectively catalysed by transition metal doped, bulk MoS2 crystals; however, under reactor operating conditions MoS2 is subject to thermal degradation, resulting in the destruction of the catalyst and sulphur contamination in the products. Chemical manipulation of MoS2 into single layer, graphene-like nanosheets (ss-MoS2) followed by doping with single atoms of Co dramatically enhances the HDO activity of MoS2, so much so that Co-doped ss-MoS2 catalysts are effective at low temperatures that do not compromise the integrity of the material. This project will use theoretical methods to rationalise the promotional effects of Co-doping on ss-MoS2 as well as screening a large ensemble of transition metal promoted ss-MoS2 materials to facilitate the rational design of highly effective HDO catalysts as a means of transforming bio-oil into an effective fossil fuel alternative.