| Project Detail |
Formic acid production from photocatalytic CO2 reduction: improved single-atom catalysts
Removing emitted carbon from the atmosphere will play a key role in climate neutrality. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR) and photocatalytic CO2 reduction (PCR) not only remove CO2 from the atmosphere but create valuable products for economies. For example, formic acid (HCOOH) can be used as a chemical feedstock, a hydrogen storage material, a methanol intermediate and a fuel cell component. With the support of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SA-MXene-MOP project aims to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of promising single-atom catalysts for the ECR and PCR of CO2 to HCOOH. The innovative approach will rely on new non-noble metal single-atom immobilised or functionalised MXene-metal organic polyhedral assemblies as electrocatalysts and photocatalysts.
The EU has set a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and has implemented an ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2. The most eco-friendly solutions to tackle global energy and sustainability challenges are electrocatalytic (ECR) and photocatalytic (PCR) CO2 reduction into valuable products. Among the CO2 reduction products, formic acid (HCOOH) has diverse applications as a chemical feedstock, hydrogen storage material, methanol intermediate and fuel cell component. Despite advances in the field, there are still unresolved challenges related to slow electron kinetics, unfavourable product selectivity, and high operating cost. In this respect, single-atom catalysts (SACs) have unique performance due to maximum atom efficiency, unsaturated metal coordination, and the confinement effect, making them a promising solution. However, the efficiency and selectivity of SACs for ECR and PCR to HCOOH are still experimentally scarce. Therefore, tuning the electronic structure of SAC through their immobilization on 2D nanosheets is crucial for designing new catalysts. Accordingly, I plan to prepare novel non-noble metal SA-functionalized MXene-metal-organic polyhedral (MOP) assemblies to replace the state-of-the-art catalysts for efficient CO2 reduction to HCOOH. SA-MXenes can improve electron transport and CO2 capture during ECR and PCR. However, self-stacking of SA-MXene can limit electrolyte access and reduce active site utilization. MOP acts as a spacer to increase porosity and prevent restacking. SA-MXene-MOP, with ligands coordinated SA center will act as a photocatalyst. To ensure the successful implementation of project goals, I will conduct research at IEMN (CNRS & University of Lille) under Dr. Boukherroubs guidance. I expect the research findings will elicit noteworthy attention from academic laboratories across Europe and worldwide. This project will help me to enhance my academic profile, and establish a research group. |
