Programmable Catalysts for Efficient Renewable Energy Storage

Economic viability of wind and solar power in the last decade absent concomitant energy storage has left the world with a half-solved problem of sustainable energy integration. The major chemical reactions important for converting electrical power to chemical energy remain slow or unselective using expensive catalysts, including the electrolysis of water for H₂, the synthesis of ammonia, or the conversion of CO₂ to chemicals. To address this, a new class of programmable catalytic materials have been created that oscillate in electronic state at the natural frequencies of elementary reactions and catalytic cycles using external perturbation (i.e., a program). By manipulating the charge of the active site for chemistry, it becomes possible to dynamically change the chemical energy landscape, leading to faster and more controllable reactions. Surface electronic oscillations in devices such as a ‘catalytic condenser’ can accelerate reactions at resonance conditions leading to thousand-fold rate enhancement, even beyond the Sabatier catalytic rate limit. Experimental and computational results are presented to introduce the concepts of programmable chemistry, the design of experimental catalytic devices, and the principles associated with this emerging field of chemistry.