Insoo Ro


Contact: insoo621@gmail.com

Phone: (713)647-1986

Status: 5th year PhD student

Bachelor of Science: Chemical Engineering (2012), Rice University, Magna Cum Laude

Research Summary:

My research focus is to develop a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of how (photo-) catalysts facilitate surface reactions. Experimental kinetic data is incorporated with various characterization techniques to investigate key reaction mechanisms which enable the design and synthesis of novel catalysts.

List of Publications

1. Aragao, I.B.; Ro, Insoo; Liu, Y.; Ball, M. R.; Huber, G. W.; Zanchet, D.; Dumesic, J. A. Catalysts synthesized by selective deposition of Fe onto Pt for the water-gas shift reaction, in preparation

2. Ro, Insoo; Aragao, I.B.; Brentzel, Z. J.; Liu, Y.; Ball, M. R.; Chada, J. P.; Zanchet, D.; Huber, G. W.; Dumesic, J. A. The effect of the formation of Pt and oxophilic metal oxide (Fe and Mo) interfaces on the catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of carbonyl group: Measurement of intrinsic activity of interfacial Pt-metal oxide sites, in preparation

3. Ro, Insoo; Aragao, I. B.; Liu, Y; Ball, M.R.; Zanchet, D.; Dumesic, J. A.; Huber, G. W.The Role of Pt-FexOy Interfacial sites for CO Oxidation, in preparation


4. Liu, Y; Gӧeltl, F; Ro, Insoo; Ball, M. R.; Sener, C.; Aragão, I.B.; Zanchet, D; Huber, G.W.; Mavrikakis, M; Dumesic, J.A. Synthesis Gas Conversion over Rh-based Catalysts Promoted by Fe and Mn, submitted


5. Ro, Insoo; Liu, Y.; Ball, M.; Jackson, D.H.K.; Cheda, J.; Sener, C.; Kuech, T.F.; Huber, G. W.; Dumesic, J.A. The Role of the Cu-Zr Interfacial Sites for Ethanol Conversion and Methanol Synthesis from CO2 and H2. ACS Catalysis 2016 6, 7040


6. Ro, Insoo; Sener, C.; Stadelman, T. S.; Ball, M.; Venegas, J.M.; Burt, S; Hermans, I.; Dumesic, J.A.;Huber, G. W. Measurement of intrinsic catalytic activity of Pt monometallic and Pt-MoO x interfacial sites over visible light enhanced PtMoO x/SiO 2 catalyst in reverse water gas shift reaction. Journal of Catalysis 2016, 344, 784


7. Ro, Insoo; Carrasquillo-Flores, R.; Dumesic, J. A.; Huber, G. W. Intrinsic Kinetics of Plasmon-enhanced Reverse Water Gas Shift on Au and Au-Mo Interfacial Sites Supported on Silica. Applied Catalysis A: General in press (Invited article: special issue on “Recent Developments in Photocatalysis”)


8. Carrasquillo-Flores, R.; Ro, Insoo; Kumbhalkar, M. D.; Burt, S.; Carrero, C. A.; Alba-Rubio, A. C.; Miller, J. T.; Hermans, I.; Huber, G. W.; Dumesic, J. A. Reverse Water–Gas Shift on Interfacial Sites Formed by Deposition of Oxidized Molybdenum Moieties onto Gold Nanoparticles. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2015, 137, 10317-10325.


9. Lee, J.; Burt, S. P.; Carrero, C. A.; Alba-Rubio, A. C.; Ro, Insoo; O’Neill, B. J.; Kim, H. J.; Jackson, D. H. K.; Kuech, T. F.; Hermans, I.; Dumesic, J. A.; Huber, G. W. Stabilizing cobalt catalysts for aqueous-phase reactions by strong metal-support interaction. Journal of Catalysis 2015, 330, 19-27


10. Upadhye, A. A.; Ro, Insoo; Zeng, X.; Kim, H. J.; Tejedor, I.; Anderson, M. A.; Dumesic, J. A.; Huber, G. W. Plasmon-enhanced reverse water gas shift reaction over oxide supported Au catalysts. Catalysis Science & Technology 2015, 5, 2590-2601 (Highlighted in front cover page in the printed issue of the journal (November 5, 2015))