Email: matthias.rehner@tum.de

Telephone: +49 (0) 89 289 54182

Room: CRC 3039

Academic résumé: Graduated at TUM in 2022 under the guidance of Prof. Johannes A. Lercher 

Joined the Chair in 2023 

Research topic: 

Photothermal catalysis sits in-between classical thermal heterogeneous processes in which the activation energy barrier is overcome by elevated temperature, and purely photochemical processes, in which the energy of the absorbed photons is converted to chemical energy.

This dual activation concept can be applied to different reactions of interest, such as methane dry reforming, reverse water gas shift, Sabatier or methanol synthesis. Especially in the context of CO2 reduction, which will be necessary for a future based on hydrogen and carbon recycling, Methanol is one of the best candidates for hydrogen storage technology.

The main goal of this thesis will be the investigation of mixed metal oxide catalysts based on Copper and Indium under various condition including variation of light, temperature and pressure. Catalysts will be synthesized, characterized and tested in a flow reactor setup to investigate the influence of metal composition, light absorption and structure on the methanol selectivity.