Many industrial chemical plants utilize catalysis. Catalysis requires higher temperatures of 500 – 700 degreeC for enhancement of the reaction, and it consumes much energy. If catalytic reactions can proceed even at low temperatures of 150 degreeC, higher energy efficiency and on-demand catalytic process can be accomplished. The Sekine group has proposed low temperature non-conventional catalytic reactions in an electric field which works even at such low temperatures. Using our method, we can obtain hydrogen, various chemicals at a mild condition. For analyzing these phenomena, we apply operando analyses using FT-IR, electrochemical measurement, isotope transient analyses and so on. As a result, we found that the application of electric field enables surface proton hopping in the electric field, and it promotes catalysis even at low temperatures.

So far, conventional catalysis requires heating, and our novel catalysis does not require high temperature, and it works on-demand, and on-site. Using our novel catalysis enhances the feasibility for hydrogen production, clean energy utilization, chemicals production etc.

Future energy and chemical system will move from concentrated huge scale system to dispersed, localized small scale system which works on-demand. PEP program provides a methodology for such a paradigm shift in energy and chemistry.