Cold Plasma Produced Catalytic Materials

Abstract

The cold plasma techniques are widely applied to create new materials possessing unique properties, which cannot be prepared by any other methods. Among the many interesting substances produced with the participation of cold plasma, a special place is occupied by materials with catalytic properties. The chapter gives a brief review of various cold plasma methods used for the preparation of catalytic materials – from the plasma modification of conventional catalysts via plasma-enhanced classical synthesis of catalysts to the advanced thin catalytic films fabricated by plasma sputtering processes but primarily by plasma deposition from metalorganic precursors (PECVD). Recently, the catalytic films have attracted considerable attention due to the possibility of depositing them as very thin coatings on virtually all supports without any change in their geometry. Such coatings open the way for new reactor designs, so-called structured reactors, designated for various chemical processes. They can also be used as catalytic deposit on the surface of electrodes for fuel cells and photoelectrodes for water splitting processes. Recent developments in this field and further prospects for thin catalytic films are discussed, all the more so because it is one of the main areas of research in our department.