The Case for a National Catalysis Center Catalysis continues to be vital to the fuels and chemical industries, and to the development of pollution abatement technologies The sharp decline in industrial research has led to a decline in the extent of long-range, fundamental research conducted in industry Fundamental research conducted at universities and national laboratories has been impeded by flat federal budgets The net result is a decrease in the supply of researchers educated in catalysis within the U.S.

The Vision for a National Catalysis Center Conducts fundamental research on themes that facilitate and accelerate the discovery and development of catalysts for industrial application Develops state-of-the art experimental and theoretical methods for the study of catalysts and catalyzed reactions Works with industry on themes related to –Energy security –Environmental protection –Sustainable production of chemicals, polymers, pharmaceuticals Educates graduate students, postdocs, and industrial and academic researchers

Center Capabilities and Facilities Facilities for the synthesis and preparation of model and real catalysts Facilities for catalyst characterization and the study of elementary processes occurring at active centers Access to unique facilities (e.g., x-ray or neutron sources, high-field NMR, high-resolution TEM) Facilities for simulation and modeling of catalysts and catalyzed processes Critical mass of researchers with skills in the areas of experimental and theoretical aspects of catalysis

Center Organization Center –Core group of researchers with skills in: Catalyst synthesis Catalyst characterization Investigation of reaction mechanisms and kinetics Theoretical simulation and modeling Satellite Groups –Specialized facilities (e.g., x-rays, neutrons, NMR, TEM) –Focused project groups (e.g., photocatalytic splitting of water) Advisory Board (industrial and academic members) –Advises on directions of industrial and societal interest –Advises on needed capabilities and skills

Center Funding BES/DOE –Core funding for Center and Satellite activities Commitment for 10 years Sufficient to achieve critical scale efforts –Science and level of support reviewed on a regular basis Industrial –Funded on a project by project basis and targeted to the specific interest of a given company –IP issues are resolved by having an industry-friendly policy and templates for handling patent and royalty issues