糖果派对

Hydrogen plays a critical role in the global transition to renewable energy because of its high energy density, versatility, and ability to store and transport renewable energy, offering a sustainable solution for decarbonization. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, semiconductor-based artificial photosynthetic systems hold great promise as efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable solutions for producing green hydrogen via solar water splitting. However, maximizing the solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency requires both the enhancement of visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance in existing materials and the discovery of novel, highly active materials within the mixed-anion compounds family. 

At the CatMatX research laboratory at NanoSYD, we are advancing the development of next-generation catalytic materials based on mixed-anion compounds for a wide range of applications, including solar water splitting, ammonia decomposition, environmental remediation, etc. Our research specifically focuses on discovering new members of mixed-anion compounds (e.g., oxynitrides) and resolving their crystal structures using X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, and synchrotron techniques. We optimize the synthesis approaches (e.g., solid-state synthesis, soft chemical synthesis, mechanochemical processes, ammonolysis, etc.). We further enhance the functionality of these materials through solid solution formation, doping, surface modification, etc. Advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques (in situ and operando) are employed to understand the behavior of these materials during the catalytic reactions and post-mortem analysis. Also, we emphasize the understanding of the “structure-property-performance” relationship, which is important for designing efficient, stable, and scalable materials for solar water splitting to produce green hydrogen.