Contact Info
4 Colby Street, Rm. 124D
Tufts University
Medford, MA 02155
Tel: 617-627-5658
Fax: 617-627-3991
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Howard Saltsburg
Research Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Education:
1955 Ph.D. Chemistry, Boston University
1951 M.S. Chemistry, Boston University
1950 B.S. Chemistry, City College of New York
Research Interests:
Following molecular beam studies of surface scattering and
the use of solid state concentration cells to study the
thermodynamic activity of oxygen and hydrogen on catalytic
metal surfaces, Professor Saltsburg's current research in
heterogeneous catalysis is driven by problems stemming from
the economic need to have the maximum catalyst surface
reaction area for a given mass of catalyst. Typically, small
catalyst particles (1 to 10 nm diameter) are formed on a
porous support. For many reactions, and counter intuitively,
the rate per unit catalyst area is not independent of the
size of the particle. To study this size effect, Professor
Saltsburg and his students developed a new class of
supported catalysts with one dimension in the nanometer
range fabricated from a multilayer structure using standard
nanofabrication processing. This new structure provides a
controllable, supported catalyst system. For several
reactions, only one nanodimension is required to exhibit a
size effect and thus is not the result of a small number of
atoms in the catalyst particle, the usual explanation. More
recently the study of nanoscale Au-ceria catalysts has
revealed that, using this nanothick multilayer structure
with Au and ceria nanolayers, the metal-oxide interface
controls the oxidation of CO. In a related study, it was
shown that the assumption that nanogold was the active
catalyst for the water gas shift reaction is incorrect. The
catalytic entities are no larger than clusters of Au atoms
embedded in the ceria surface. These same entities are
likely to be present at the Au ceria interface. These
ongoing studies are a collaborative effort with Prof Maria
Flytzani-Stephanopoulos and are supported by the NSF. Prof
Saltsburg also has been involved in revisions both in the
chemical engineering laboratory curriculum as well as the
seamless integration of chemical & biological engineering in
the undergraduate curriculum. Prof Saltsburg was awarded a
Humboldt Foundation Senior Scientist Fellowship in 1977 and
is Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering, University of
Rochester.
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