On October 23, Prof. Jean-Pierre Gilson from the University of Normandy, France, presented the 45th Zhang Dayu Lecture titled "Catalyst Deactivation: A Question of Life and Death" in theDalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During the event, Deputy Director HUANG Yanqiang awarded Prof. Gilson the Zhang Dayu Lecture Certificate and an Honorary Professor Certificate. Prof. WEI Yingxu hosted the lecture.
In his talk, Prof. Gilson explored catalyst deactivation challenges, starting with classic cases in industrial oil refining. He discussed carbon deposition, sintering issues in various reactions, catalyst deactivation characterization, and regeneration techniques using spectroscopy. His lecture provided an overview of the current research status and challenges in catalyst deactivation and regeneration. He also engaged in insightful discussions with researchers and graduate students on topics such as the impact of molecular sieve acid sites on catalyst performance and the role of metal species in dehydrogenation and hydrogenation reactions.
During his visit, Prof. Gilson taught a course titled "Heterogeneous Catalysis: From Laboratory to Commercial Deployment" for graduate students, sharing career insights from his experience in academia and international petrochemical companies. He also visited several research groups, including the Low Carbon Catalysis and Engineering Research Department and the Zeolite Catalytic Materials Research Group, where he held academic exchanges with young researchers and graduate students.