Research summary
Many of the environmental, medical and energy challenges facing us today can be solved through advances in catalytic technologies, which speed up chemical reactions. Dr. Ya-Huei (Cathy) Chin, Canada Research Chair in Advanced Catalysis for Sustainable Chemistry, is exploring new catalytic chemistry to address challenges in sustainable synthesis and environmental science.
Chin and her research team are designing atomically precise nanostructured catalytic centres. They are also creating reaction environments that will enable the chemical transformation of alternative feedstocks (such as shale oil, lignocellulosic biomass and organic waste) into liquid fuels and commodity chemicals. They hope their research will support energy-efficient syntheses of sustainable fuels and chemicals.