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Nidhi Kapil received her BSc (Honours) degree in Chemistry with distinction from Panjab University, India 2012. She received her MSc degree with first class honours in Organic Chemistry from Panjab University, India 2014. Before joining UCL, she worked as a project fellow on the project Dynamic Chemical Networks: Minimal Evolving/Self-Replicating Systems with Intelligent Properties at Institute of Nano Science and Technology, India. She joined UCL for her PhD studies in 2016. Her current research project is focussed on supported gold catalyst materials with locally controlled chemical and geometric environments for enhanced propylene epoxidation.
Research project
Title: Supported gold catalyst materials with locally controlled chemical and geometric environments for enhanced propylene epoxidation.
The epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide is a reaction system of great industrial importance, particularly as propylene oxide is used as a starting material to make polyurethane plastics. Current processes using supported gold nanoparticle catalysts show promise, but suffer from issues related to either safety and efficiency when using hydrogen and oxygen, or lower conversion and selectivity when using water. This project proposes to design and test novel catalysts, making rational use of nano-confinement effects, that are safe to use, stable, active and selective for propylene epoxidation.
Education
BSc (Honours) in Chemistry, Panjab University, India, 2012
MSc (Honours) in Organic Chemistry, Panjab University, India, 2014
