Descripción del proyecto
El nanoconfinamiento ayudará a convertir las moléculas de agua en hidrógeno
Las reacciones químicas solo se producen cuando los reactivos y los catalizadores «se encuentran unos a otros» en el gran espacio de reacción. La catálisis confinada puede ayudarlos a hacerlo de forma rápida y sencilla. Como su nombre indica, la catálisis confinada se basa en aislar los reactivos y sus entornos químicos necesarios a nanoescala de lo que los rodea, y se está convirtiendo con rapidez en una manera efectiva de ajustar el rendimiento catalítico. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos CoCaWS utilizará principios de catálisis confinada en el desarrollo de nuevos nanomateriales compuestos en capas bidimensionales que confinarán otras especies activas entre las capas. Su objetivo es la producción de hidrógeno a partir de la disociación de agua. El aumento de la producción respaldará un suministro eléctrico limpio y sostenible para satisfacer la creciente demanda.
Objetivo
Sustainable solution for global energy crisis is firmly associated with seeking energy sources other than fossil fuel. In this respect, the production of hydrogen through water splitting (WS) has been regarded as the greenest approach to power the globe. At present, the issue of realizing active and stable material capable of catalyzing WS in all pH ranges is unsolved. CoCaWS aims at exploring new efficient catalysts for overall WS to tackle the problem of global energy crisis through ecofriendly hydrogen production. I hereby propose to study a new class of efficient catalysts based on composite two dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials. I employ the concept of confined catalysis, catalytic activities taking place in a unique nanoscale environment partitioned from the surrounding bulk space, to ensure long term efficient production of H2 from water. The van der Waals (vdW) gaps between the layers will serve as a suitable platform to confine another active species. Through this approach, I aim at solving the most critical problems in the field such as catalytic functionality in neutral media for metals or alloys and poor basal plane activity in layered 2D materials. I will make use of the most conducive research environment in UNIVE to acquire new skill/knowledge and broaden my basic knowledge on advanced characterization techniques and data interpretations. The knowledge of physical chemistry, material science, condensed mater physics, and computational chemists will be involved to confront with the complexity of the task through smooth interaction with researchers in the Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems of UNIVE. The project, up on completion, will provide a significant stepping-stone in the quest for responding the escalating demand of greenest energy source. I will make every possible effort to disseminate/communicate the outcomes of CoCaWS to broad audiences ranging from schoolchildren to researchers.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
30123 Venezia
Italia