Pollock Titania for carbon conversion

Research question

I will explore a recently discovered 1-dimensional TiO2 material, for capture and for conversion of CO2 to renewable fuels. This non-toxic material offers advantages for up-scaling as it is synthesized from abundant materials in a simple bottom-up and low-cost process. The project is initially aimed at characterizing the material and exploring its stability in a variety of environmental conditions. With better understanding of chemistry and structure, the material will be systematically exposed to combinations of gas. This includes hydrogen that may produce surface oxygen vacancies, that enhance Titania’s catalytic properties. With subsequent exposures to e.g. flue gas, I will explore the conversion properties of the material as a function of (partial) pressure, flow and temperature. The experiments will be performed inside a microreactor, that can be inserted and studied inside a high-resolution transmission electron microscope.

Sustainability aspects

The project primarily falls under the UN sustainable goal #7, Affordable and Clean energy. The main goal of the project aims at exploring materials for conversion of the green-house gas CO2 to fuels (e.g. methane/ methanol) for combustion. Complete success and upscaling to industrial levels, would remove the need for fossil fuels and thereby stop further emission of CO2 from fossil fuels into the atmosphere, thereby closing the carbon cycle.