Research Projects

The global urgency to develop sustainable energy solutions, mitigate environmental pollution, and promote the circular resource economy necessitates transformative advances in chemical transformations. Visible-light-driven catalysis, which uses solar energy to drive chemical reactions, stands out as a green, atom-efficient strategy for driving a wide range of thermodynamically challenging processes such as selective organic transformations, water splitting, CO₂ reduction, and pollutant degradation. However, the efficiency of conventional photocatalysts, including metal oxides, perovskites, and MOFs, is often compromised by their wide band gaps, low visible-light absorption, poor charge mobility, structural instability, and reliance on precious metals. To address these limitations, this project proposes the development of multifunctional, scalable photocatalysts based on metalloligand-based molecular architectures constructed from earth-abundant first-row transition metals. These metalloligands combine π-conjugated ligands and redox-active metal centers to serve dual functions as light absorbers (i.e., photosensitizers) and extension sites. When assembled into molecular architectures, they offer a unified platform where light harvesting, charge separation, and redox catalysis occur cooperatively. The proposed research will investigate these architectures across three major visible-light-driven applications: (i) oxidative and reductive transformations, including C-H bond activation, C-X cross-coupling, alcohol, sulfur, and amine oxidation, hydrogenation, and detoxification; (ii) solar-to-chemical-energy conversion, including hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide generation as well as CO₂ reduction into fuels and value-added chemicals; and (iii) depolymerization and upcycling of plastics (e.g., PET, PS, and PVC) into valuable monomers. The project integrates advanced photophysical, electrochemical, and mechanistic studies to elucidate charge-transfer processes, quantify reactive oxygen species, and optimize photocatalytic performance. Techniques such as UV-Vis-DRS, photoluminescence, transient spectroscopy, absorption, EPR, XPS, Mott-Schottky analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy will be employed to probe excited-state dynamics and redox behavior. Preliminary results from PI’s group confirm the feasibility of this approach, including successful synthesis of metalloligand-based molecular architectures with tunable band gaps, high ROS yields, and photocatalytic efficiency in strategically chosen transformations. Further, hybrid composites of metalloligand-based-MOFs with semiconductors like ZnS and CdS have illustrated promising activity for H₂ evolution and CO₂ reduction. This proposal presents a convergence of modular synthesis, photocatalysis, and sustainability science, aimed at addressing critical challenges in renewable energy, green chemistry, and environmental remediation. By delivering next-generation photocatalysts with integrated functionality, earth-abundant composition, and tunable activity, this project seeks to push the boundaries of light-driven catalysis and offers scalable solutions for clean energy and circular chemical manufacturing.