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Solar Fuel Generation through Photoelectrochemical Reduction of CO2 Using Copper Porphyrins in Molecularly Designed Reaction Environments

Projektbeschreibung

Den Kohlenstoffkreislauf durch ein rationales Design von CO2-Brennstoff-Konvertern schließen

Da die Verbrennung von Methan und Kohlenwasserstoff CO2-Emissionen verursacht, schließt sich durch die Abscheidung dieser Emissionen zur Brennstoffherstellung ein Kreis, wodurch wir dem Ziel der CO2-Neutralität näher kommen. Das Recycling von CO2 und H2O in Methan erforderte bislang sehr hohe Temperaturen und gute Reaktionsbedingungen. In jüngster Zeit hat die solarbetriebene CO2-Umwandlung in Brennstoff unter Verwendung von solarbetriebenen Dünnschicht-Halbleiterbauelementen jedoch zunehmend Aufmerksamkeit erlangt. Molekulare haben gegenüber anorganischen Photokatalysatoren entscheidende Vorteile, allerdings sind noch zu wenige Erkenntnisse über die Mechanismen der Ladungsübertragung gewonnen worden. Das EU-finanzierte Projekt SolTIME wird ein innovatives photokatalytisches System entwickeln, mit dem die Wissenschaft Mechanismen untersuchen kann, die zu einem rationalen Design und neuen Möglichkeiten beitragen.

Ziel

Solar fuels can be synthesized by integrating electrocatalysts with semiconductors, using sunlight to drive endergonic chemical reactions. Employing molecular electrocatalysts allows the tunability, selectivity, and three-dimensional architectures associated with molecular components to be combined with the solar energy capture and conversion properties of solid-state semiconducting materials. However, there is a lack of understanding of how photo-generated carriers are transported through these systems, disfavouring the rational design of efficient photoelectrocatalytic constructs. This proposal aims to interface copper porphyrins with built-in hydroxyl groups, known catalysts for CO2 reduction, to carbon nitride for photo-promoted generation of highly reduced products from CO2, including methane and ethanol. Catalytic activity and selectivity will be studied by using multi-dimensional approaches for porphyrin immobilization, drawing inspiration from the extended coordination spheres crucial in biological tuning of enzymatic activity. This will be achieved through synthesis of three distinct reaction environments at carbon nitride consisting of: a porphyrin monolayer, a polymer film coordinating the porphyrin, and a 2-D highly ordered covalent-organic framework (COF) composed of the porphyrin. It is expected that these specialised environments will give rise to distinct kinetic responses and product distribution. Existing electrochemical models will be extended to this photoelectrochemical data to investigate the interplay of light flux, substrate and electron diffusion, and catalytic rates, leading to the extrapolation of fundamental principles governing interfacial photo-induced charge transfer at catalytic thin films. Through this project, leadership training, language acquisition, and communication skills will be emphasized, furthering the experienced researcher’s career goals and preparing her for an independent career in solar fuels.

Koordinator

FUNDACIO PRIVADA INSTITUT CATALA D'INVESTIGACIO QUIMICA
Netto-EU-Beitrag
€ 172 932,48
Adresse
AVENIDA PAISSOS CATALANS 16
43007 Tarragona
Spanien

Auf der Karte ansehen

Region
Este Cataluña Tarragona
Aktivitätstyp
Research Organisations
Links
Gesamtkosten
€ 172 932,48