An article by Oliver Welz, Judit Zádor, John D. Savee, Leonid Sheps, David L. Osborn, and Craig A. Taatjes, “Low-temperature combustion chemistry of n-butanol: Principal oxidation pathways of hydroxybutyl radicals,” was among the top 20 most-cited articles for the Journal of Physical Chemistry A for the month of July. In this paper, the CRF researchers revealed important product pathways in the low-temperature oxidation of n-butanol using synchrotron photoionization mass spectrometry experiments combined with quantum chemical calculations.
“n-Butanol is a promising next-generation biofuel, and this study is fundamental to the development of accurate and predictive n-butanol combustion models. Combined with CFD calculations, these chemical models form the basis of optimizing the performance of n-butanol in existing and advanced engine designs toward clean and efficient combustion,” explains Oliver.