Engineering of Catalytic Active Sites on Nanocarbons for Enhancement of Photocatalysis

The research programme aims to develop catalytic systems based on non-noble metals for the selective semi-hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene under visible light, using water as a proton source. Activities will focus on the design, synthesis and characterization of first-row transition-metal complexes and the evaluation of their activity in combination with photosensitizers. Relationships between complex structure, electrochemical properties and catalytic performance will be investigated to optimize efficiency,selectivity and stability. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and isotope-labelling studies will probe electron and proton transfer processes and the reaction mechanism. The findings will guide the design of active metal sites on nanomaterials.