Renewable fuel directly from sunlight, water and CO2 using non-noble metal catalysis

Research question

We plan to investigate a new family of polyhydrazide complexes of base metals (manganese, iron, copper) in water oxidation and pyridyl-pyrazole complexes of iron in CO2 reduction catalysis. As light harvesting semiconductors, we will use recently developed sub-2 eV ternary metal oxides and chalcogenides. Intermediates relevant to catalytic reactions (i.e., mechanism of catalysis) will be studied using spectroelectrochemistry methods, while transient absorption spectroscopy experiments will be carried out to monitor electron-transfer kinetics.

Sustainability aspects

In this project, we address directly Goal 7 of the Agenda 2030 – Affordable and clean energy. The project aims to develop precious metal-free catalysts for solar energy conversion, with the potential to accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources and increase the adoption of solar fuel cells. Immobilizing these catalysts on semiconductor surface will allow for a hybrid system based on abundant metals, thus enhancing resource security and minimizing environmental impact in the production of catalyst materials.