About

The Reactor Engineering and Catalyst Testing (REACT) core facility at Northwestern University is dedicated to aiding investigators in the advancement of understanding of the surface chemistry of materials. The staff has decades of experience in heterogeneous catalysis research and building testing stations for materials analysis under reactive environments. We have two main offerings: 1) a suite of standardized material testing equipment, focused around measuring the properties of heterogeneous catalysts and adsorbent materials, and 2) custom system design and construction services focused on helping users construct complex instrumentation for difficult or high risk-high reward measurements. Above all, we prioritize student training and take a hands-on-approach to educating users about instrumentation, standard practice, and experimental design so they become experts themselves. We don't merely train students to use equipment, we teach users how to collect data that answers their research questions.

Housed in the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science which is part of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, REACT’s instrumentation is divided into two separate lab spaces: the reactor lab and the in-situ spectroscopy lab. Each lab is supervised by a Ph.D. scientist, who is responsible for training new users on instruments, troubleshooting and maintaining equipment, and maintaining the safety culture of the lab. REACT a number of standard, material testing and characterization instruments. Additionally, we have several open spaces for users to reserve and construct their own, custom systems. REACT provides users with expert advice as well as capital and non-capital resouces for these projects.