Colloquium by Professor Hideo HOSONO (Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Name: Colloquium by Professor Hideo HOSONO (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
Start: 2026-01-23T16:00:00+08:00
End: 2026-01-23T17:00:00+08:00
Location: L2, Science Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Schedule

Fri Jan 23 2026 at 04:00 pm to 05:00 pm

UTC+08:00

Location

L2, Science Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong, HK

Quantum materials and catalysis have been studied in the different academic discipline, i.e., condensed matter physics and chemistry. The role of catalysts is of quite importance for resolving energy and zero-carbon emission, and innovative idea for novel catalysts is required to meet these issues. Although traditional material combined with transition metal have extensively studied to date, I think introduction of non-traditional materials is pivotal for realizing innovative catalysts for the above targets:
Electride is a material in which electrons serve as anions, and is a novel conceptional solid. Various types of electride materials have been synthesized since our first report on RT stable electride, C12A7:e, in 2003. A unique property of our electride materials is to have both low work function and chemical/thermal stability unlike alkali metal. We utilized transition metal (TM)-loaded electride as catalyst for NH3 synthesis at mild conditions toward green NH3 synthesis. Strong electron-donating power of electride combined with the ohmic contact nature (contact of TM/conventional support is Schottky-type) with TM nanoparticles successfully activates N2 adsorbed and the activation barrier for N2 dissociation is reduced to almost the half of the previous catalysts.
The unique quantum properties of Bi2Se3 make it a promising catalyst for the synthesis of organic ureas, Thanks to its topological surface states, the proposed catalyst exhibits remarkably high catalytic activity and durability when used for the synthesis of various urea derivatives, which are usable as nitrogen fertilizers. We found that the spin state of the O2 molecule is changed from triplet to singlet by the local magnetic field arising from the strong spin–orbit interaction of Bi and the singlet O2 with much higher reactivity pulls hydrogen out from the amine, reducing energy barrier for the desired reaction. This catalytic effect is a result of the unique features of topological materials and the appropriate element choice of Bi and Se for this reaction.
Research on H2 o-p conversion catalyst has a long history but the designing concept is still unclear. We performed extensive catalyst screening of ~170 materials ranging non-magnetic insulating oxides to magnetic metals. The results show magnetic metals do not exhibit high activity, suggesting the most influential factor is electric field gradient around H2 adsorbed on insulating material.