Founded in 1900, the University of Birmingham is one of the leading research-based universities in the United Kingdom; the breadth of research expertise is a distinctive characteristic of the University. The last UK Research Excellence Framework in 2014 confirmed that 87% of the University’s research has global reach, meaning it is recognised internationally in terms of its originality, significance and rigour. Birmingham is 90th in the 2022 QS World University Rankings, cementing our position in the top 100 universities globally and placing us 14th out of the 24 Russell Group universities to feature in the ranking.
Role in AMBHER
Within the AMBHER project team, the University of Birmingham is responsible for developing new catalysts based on inorganic materials with nitrogen-based anions (metal amides, imides and nitride-hydrides). These materials have shown very promising activity for ammonia synthesis and decomposition under milder reaction conditions, including in formulations which avoid the use of precious metals. Work in this project will focus on scalable routes to high-surface area catalyst morphologies, and the development of appropriate scaffolding of the catalysts within a catalytic reactor. These catalysts have been shown to have an unusually high degree of surface-bulk interaction under catalytic conditions through their ability to accommodate significant compositional variation. Through collaboration with the catalyst characterisation partners, the University of Birmingham team will seek to develop a greater understanding of the nature of these interactions and their impact on catalyst performance.