By using a surface-tailored microstructure, Paul Dimick has developed a strategy for minimizing nitrous oxide production.
by Karen A. Kegel
Paul Dimick
Recently, cutting-edge work by Paul Dimick, a fifth year doctoral student in Chemical Engineering, led to a structural understanding of a synergistic low-temperature bimetallic catalyst. By using a surface-tailored microstructure that makes nitric oxide dissociation more efficient, Paul—with the help of his research group and his advisor,—developed a strategy for minimizing nitrous oxide production with enhanced catalytic activity.
The end result of this novel nanoparticle tailoring is a selective bimetallic platinum-rhodium catalyst five times more active than platinum alone. This translates to being able to use five times less catalyst—and five times less precious metal during low-temperature nitric oxide reduction with hydrogen. As Paul puts it, “It’s amazing that such small changes in metal composition have such a huge impact on performance.”
The value of this catalytic discovery takes on even more significance when one considers the environmental effects of nitrous oxide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that over a one hundred year period, nitrous oxide has 298 times more impact per unit weight than carbon dioxide.
Not surprisingly, a giant wave of interest has been generated in the field in response to Paul’s work. His research efforts were awarded first place at the 2008 Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York poster competition, which included an invitation for Paul to speak at their November 2008 meeting. Paul also presented his work at the 100th anniversary meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and published an article in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, one of the highest-impact journals in the field.
New catalytic materials are tested in the lab
According to Paul, a major advantage of the Chemical Engineering program at Lehigh is how his small group is able to work through the whole process of catalysis—providing him exposure to everything from project conceptualization through to characterization. He’s also a big fan of the sophisticated equipment available to him in the laboratories. “Lehigh has some of the best electron microscopes in the world,” he observes.
A native of Quakertown, Paul obtained his B.S. from Lafayette, where he gained substantial research experience in the area of groundwater treatment. He was initially drawn to pursue a doctorate to open more doors to research—although over his time here at Lehigh, he has come to greatly enjoy teaching as well. Helping two Research Experience for Undergraduate students in the summer months stands out as to Paul as particularly rewarding.
As far as the future goes, Paul is leaving his career options open. He says he would consider working at a national lab, in industry, and potentially in academia down the road. “My problem is that I like everything!” Certainly, Paul has many bright years of research ahead of him to catalyze that “problem” into amazing solutions.