What kind of research am I doing?

In my first post, I shared a rough idea of what my daily schedule as a graduate student in Japan looks like. This time, I want to talk about the actual research I’m working on!

The short answer is: I study catalysts 🧪

You might have heard the word before, but it’s not something that instantly comes to mind for most people, right? So let me explain what a catalyst is and why it’s useful!

What is a catalyst?

If you look it up in a dictionary, it says something like: “a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process.”

But honestly, that’s not very easy to imagine…

Put simply, a catalyst is like a helper in the world of chemistry.

When one substance turns into another (a chemical reaction), it can take a long time, or it might require high temperatures. A catalyst steps in and creates a “shortcut,” so the reaction can happen faster and under gentler conditions.

For those who know a bit more chemistry: catalysts lower the activation energy of a reaction, making it easier and faster.

Where are catalysts actually used?

It might make more sense when you hear some real-world examples:

• Industry: Iron catalyst for ammonia synthesis (Haber–Bosch process)

• Environment: Three-way catalysts (Pt, Rh, Pd) in car exhaust systems

• Energy: CO₂ hydrogenation, fuel cell catalysts

The most familiar example is the catalyst in car exhaust systems.

Cars run on gasoline, which burns to power the engine. But the exhaust gases contain harmful substances like carbon monoxide and nitrogen compounds. That’s where catalysts come in—they transform those toxic gases into harmless ones before releasing them into the air.

Other examples include making fertilizers from nitrogen in the air (Haber–Bosch process) and even producing fuels from CO₂ (CO₂ hydrogenation). Catalysts are everywhere, quietly supporting our daily lives.

As for me, I focus on CO₂ hydrogenation catalysts—in other words, catalysts that help convert carbon dioxide into fuels. I’ll share more details about this reaction in future posts, so stay tuned!

Thanks for watching/reading until the end!

See you next time!