CARINHYPH projects deals with the hierarchical assembly of functional nanomaterials into novel nanocarbon-inorganic hybrid structures for energy generation by photocatalyic hydrogen production, with Carbon NanoTubes (CNTs) and graphene the choice of nanocarbons. The scientific activities include the development of new functionalisation strategies targeted at improving charge transfer in hybrids and therefore their photocatalytic activity, and in transferring these synergistic effects by assembling the hybrid units into macroscopic structures.

Three different types of hybrid architectures will be explored: Hybrid 1 – consisting of inorganic gyroids impregnated with the nanocarbon; Hybrid 2 – consisting of nanocarbon membranes coated with the inorganic compound by atomic layer deposition; Hybrid 3 - electrospun hybrid fibres.

CARINHYPH specifically aims to tailor interfacial charge and energy transfer processes by means of chemical functionalisation and evaluate them with photochemical and transient spectroscopy, as well as explore the effect of the nanocarbon as a substrate and heat sink, which stabilises smaller semiconductor particles and reduces agglomeration that will result in larger accessible surface areas.

Two industrial partners in the consortium, a nanocarbon supplier and a potential end user, guarantee that both ends of the production line are taken into account for the development of new technologies and the production of a roadmap for industrial deployment. This roadmap will also measure sustainability of processes and materials developed in this project in terms of environmental and economical impact as compared to state-of-the-art techniques for the production of hydrogen by the use of adequate Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches.