Nanostructured catalysts for the synthesis of chemicals and renewable fuels

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Global warming has become one of the most urgent environmental concerns due to the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases that are mainly stemmed from fossil fuels. Ability to replace fossil fuels with clean and renewable energy strongly depends on the development of materials that can convert sunlight and greenhouse gases into electricity, chemicals and fuels. Nanostructured materials can provide a potential pathway towards clean energy as they will offer catalysts that can maximize the sunlight conversion rate. Building up on the research experience in chemistry and material science by the applicant, the proposed program will extensively explore design of nanostructured catalysts for energy-related applications. The program specifically looks at the possibility to boost the production rate of hydrogen gas and the conversion rate of carbon dioxide into fuels and valuable chemicals. The experimental results and insights obtained throughout this program will be used to implement photocatalysis into industrial applications. The major benefits of this work to the next energy generation will be demonstrating the important of developing technology to fully exploit sunlight energy. The work performed here will have a direct impact strategic development of the next generation of renewable energy.