Advanced Catalysis and Reaction Engineering (ACRE) Lab

Our mission is to pioneer sustainable catalysis by combining atomic precision and data-driven innovation. Our research focuses on three areas: the chemical upcycling of plastic waste, the precise synthesis of single-atom catalysts, and the design of heterogeneous catalysts via computer driven technologies. Through the integration of machine learning and fundamental reaction kinetics, we aim to provide transformative catalytic solutions that are essential for environmental stewardship and energy efficiency. We are advancing catalytic processes for the chemical upcycling of plastic waste, addressing one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. With plastic-to-fuel conversion increasingly gaining attention as a sustainable pathway to high-value energy carriers like gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel, our innovations contribute to the development of a circular carbon economy. Our focus is on developing catalysts with exceptional selectivity and activity by inducing strong metal-support interactions and precisely tailoring metal structures, such as Ru-based systems modified with triethanolamine (TEA). This research is particularly promising for elucidating the fundamental mechanisms of hydrogenolysis and hydrocracking, bridging the gap between basic surface science and applied environmental solutions. We advance innovative catalytic solutions for carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and broader environmental challenges to drive a low-carbon circular economy. While our core expertise highlights key CO2 conversion pathways—such as CO2 hydrogenation and the dry reforming of methane (DRM)—our catalytic framework is highly expandable. By engineering metal-support interactions and optimizing active sites, we overcome critical issues like catalyst deactivation an