MaWi-Kolloquium (Hybrid)

Prof. Xin Tu  
Chair in Plasma Catalysis

Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics
University of Liverpool

Plasma electrification for power-to-X: Enabling sustainable fuel and chemical production

The conversion of inert molecules such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂ with strong chemical bonds into value-added fuels and chemicals has attracted significant attention in the context of the global transition toward net-zero carbon emissions. However, activating these stable molecules remains a major challenge due to their high thermodynamic and kinetic barriers, which demand substantial energy input under conventional thermal catalytic conditions. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has emerged as a promising electrification technology for Power-to-X (P2X) applications, enabling the direct conversion of renewable electricity into chemical energy carriers and products under mild conditions. When coupled with heterogeneous catalysis, plasma catalysis can unlock strong synergistic effects through plasma-catalyst interactions, offering pathways to enhance molecular activation, improve selectivity, and increase overall energy efficiency. This unique combination creates new opportunities for sustainable fuel and chemical synthesis. Moreover, plasma processes are inherently dynamic, modular, and instantly switchable, making them ideally suited for decentralized and flexible fuel and chemical production powered by intermittent renewable energy. This presentation will highlight recent advances, key challenges, and emerging opportunities in plasma-enabled Power-to-X technologies, including CH₄ conversion, CO₂ conversion, and ammonia synthesis.

About the speaker

Prof. Xin Tu is Chair of Plasma Catalysis and Head of the Technological Plasma Group at the University of Liverpool. His research focuses on plasma chemistry and plasma catalysis for environmental clean-up and the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. His work covers a broad range of topics, including gas cleaning, CO₂ conversion, CH₄ activation, hydrogen production, nitrogen fixation, and the conversion of biomass and plastic. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers (Google citation >19000; H-index 79) in leading international journals, including Nat. Rev. Mater., Nat. Rev. Clean Technol., Chem, Nat. Commun., JACS, and Angew. Chem. He has delivered over 120 invited talks at major national and international conferences. Prof. Tu has received several prestigious awards, including recognition as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2025 and the William Crookes Prize from the European Physical Society in 2024. He served as the lead editor of “Plasma Catalysis: Fundamentals and Applications” (Springer Nature, 2019) and “Low Temperature Plasma Chemical Engineering” (Elsevier 2025) and co-led the 2020 Plasma Catalysis Roadmap (J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 2020, 53, 443001).

Alle Interessierten sind herzlich eingeladen.
All interested colleagues are cordially invited.