Research Interest

(b) Artificial photosynthesis (CO₂ reduction & water Oxidation)
Photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into hydrocarbon fuels, artificial photosynthesis, is based on the simulation of natural photosynthesis in green plants, whereby O₂ and carbohydrates are produced from H₂O and CO₂ using sun-light as an energy source. It couples the reductive half-reaction of CO₂ fixation with a matched oxidative half-reaction such as water oxidation, to achieve a carbon neutral cycle, which is like killing two birds with one stone regarding saving the environment and supplying future energy.

See Full Size Image

It is clear that the current state of the state-of-the-art still far from having identified an optimal photocatalyst which may be applied commercially. This drawback includes low photoconversion efficiency and selectivity through the design of highly active hybrid photocatalysts from the point of adsorption of reactants, charge separation and transport, light harvesting (Organic & Inorganic), and CO₂ activation. To overcome the drawbacks, this project specifically includes the study of:

i) band-structure engineering
ii) nano-structuralization
iii) surface oxygen vacancy engineering
iv) macro-/meso-/microporous structuralization
v) exposed facet engineering
vi) co-catalysts
vii) the development of a Z-scheme system.

Insitu spectroscopic techniques will be used to improve the understanding of the elementary steps in the photocatalytic transformations. Finally, the aim of the project is to develop new photocatalysts with higher efficiency, selectivity, long-term stability, and economic competitiveness.

Publications
1. Samuel Kyran, Sohail Muhammad, Ashfaq A. Bengali, and Donald J. Darensbourg;
Photochemically generated transients from K² and K³ - triphos derivatives of group 6 metal carbonyls and their reactivity with olefins., Organometallics, 2012, 31 (8), pp 3163-3170