Paul studies the reduction of carbon dioxide on silver surfaces, combining both the expertise and open questions of the thermocatalytic reduction approach (solid-gas phase interaction) and electrocatalytic reduction approach (solid-liquid phase interaction). Using the respective endstations at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) extended by fitting lab-based techniques, the goal is to shed light on the molecular processes determining the activity of the catalyst.
Paul received his PhD in the group of Prof. Sebastian Günther at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where he analyzed the thermodynamics of supported 2D materials using the example of graphene on copper. The precise determination of the thermodynamic equilibrium allows the defined synthesis of multilayer graphene and the construction of a universal kinetic growth model for graphene synthesized by CVD of methane on Cu.
In addition to the fundamental characterization of graphene, Paul developed transfer mechanisms with the goal of creating a UHV compatible, graphene sealed high pressure cell.