Research

(1) Solution processed nanomaterials​. We explore sol-gel, hydrothermal and other solution processing to make nanomaterials for use in photo- and electrocatalysis to fuels and chemicals.​

(2) Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). We aim to deposit novel photocatalytic materials, surface single-atom catalysts and complex multi-layered materials by ALD in our current research.

We are developing novel semiconducting materials that we explore as photocatalysts for the conversion of CO2 and water to carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals. Having previously worked with oxide materials, we hope that sulphide perovskites will bring about the breakthroughs urgently needed in photocatalytic conversions.

We track the evolution of these solar fuels with gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry over time to determine reaction kinetics and explore our product selectivity in complex reactions such as the CO2 reduction reaction.

With renewable electricity, electrosynthesis of chemicals from abundant resources such as CO2 and water is an elegant and potentially carbon-neutral pathway to green fuels and chemicals for our economy. We study electrocatalysts in electrochemical flow cells with a particular focus on their surface properties which we tweak with ALD and solution-based doping strategies to study the effects of surface reconstruction, defect chemistry and surface composition on the catalytic activity and selectivity of our catalysts.

We track kinetic processes in our semiconducting photocatalysts with time-resolved optical and impedance spectroscopies in our lab as well as in collaborations in the department and at other institutions and also monitor the effects of surface reconstruction, defect chemistry and surface composition on the catalytic activity and selectivity of our catalysts.