Research
Research
Carbon dioxide (CO2) could be a promising carbon source for the production of chemical building blocks. As big chemical processes release significant amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere, it would be a waste not putting effort in finding novel processes to valorize CO2, as it could serve as a cheap and alternative carbon feedstock in our chemical industry.
Electrochemical reduction of CO2 using copper electrodes and (renewable) electricity to common chemicals, such as the C1 products carbon monoxide and methane or the C2 products ethylene and ethanol, has already been reported with high Faradaic efficiencies [1,2]. Although we know that copper has the unique ability to induce C-C coupling, production of C3+ compounds with high Faradaic efficiencies has not been reported yet. The kinetic pathways, and how we can control the selectivity and stability of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to higher hydrocarbons, remain knowledge gaps and ask for more extended research. In this research, we will unravel these knowledge gaps regarding the kinetic pathways of CO2 reduction and try to enhance the product activity and selectivity (including to higher hydrocarbons C3+). We will use time resolved and high spatial resolution surface sensitive techniques that could lead to in situ visualization of reaction intermediates, and thus shed light on the reaction pathways that govern C3+ hydrocarbon formation. This will be realized using in situ surface-sensitive IR and Raman spectroscopy on copper nanoparticle (pure and alloys) electrodes.
[1] Chem. Rev. 2019, 119, 7610−7672.
[2] Nat. Energy 2019, 4, 732–745.
C.V.
C.V.
2020 – Present
PhD candidate in the group of Prof. dr. ir. Bert Weckhuysen, Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Utrecht University
Research topic: Surface-sensitive in-situ vibrational spectroscopy during CO2 electroreduction reaction
2017 – 2019
Master Nanomaterials Science at Utrecht University
Master thesis: Cobalt(II) Metal Organic Framework Coatings for CO2 Photo-Reduction.
Research internship at Total Feluy, Belgium.
Topic: Problem Solving in Propylene Polymerization
2014 – 2017
Bachelor Chemistry at Utrecht University
Bachelor thesis: ‘Observations in the Colloidal Syntheses of Alumina Coated Gold Nanoparticles for SHINERS.
2008 – 2014
Secondary education (HAVO and VWO) at Werkplaats Kindergemeenschap (Kees Boeke), Utrecht, The Netherlands
News
Jim de Ruiter wins poster award at INTERECT 2021
Jim de Ruiter has won the Poster Award for his poster “Time Resolved Spectral Footage of CO2 Electroreduction on Copper Catalysts” during the INTERECT conference in Valencia, organized by nanoGe.
Read morePublications
Halide-guided active site exposure in bismuth electrocatalysts for selective CO2 conversion into formic acid Journal Article
In: Nature Catalysis, vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 796 – 806, 2023, (Cited by: 9; All Open Access, Green Open Access, Hybrid Gold Open Access).
Spatiotemporal Mapping of Local Heterogeneities during Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction Journal Article
In: JACS Au, vol. 3, no. 7, pp. 1890 – 1901, 2023, (Cited by: 1; All Open Access, Gold Open Access, Green Open Access).
Near-Unity Electrochemical CO2to CO Conversion over Sn-Doped Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Journal Article
In: ACS Catalysis, vol. 12, no. 24, pp. 15146 – 15156, 2022, (Cited by: 14; All Open Access, Green Open Access, Hybrid Gold Open Access).
Probing the Dynamics of Low-Overpotential CO2-to-CO Activation on Copper Electrodes with Time-Resolved Raman Spectroscopy Journal Article
In: Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 144, no. 33, pp. 15047 – 15058, 2022, (Cited by: 32; All Open Access, Green Open Access).
Waste-Derived Copper-Lead Electrocatalysts for CO2 Reduction Journal Article
In: ChemCatChem, vol. 14, no. 18, 2022, (Cited by: 7; All Open Access, Green Open Access, Hybrid Gold Open Access).
Sub-Second Time-Resolved Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Reveals Dynamic CO Intermediates during Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Copper Journal Article
In: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol. 60, no. 30, pp. 16576 – 16584, 2021, (Cited by: 125; All Open Access, Green Open Access, Hybrid Gold Open Access).