Research Projects

The energy crisis refers to the scarcity of sufficient energy resources to meet the growing global demand, leading to concerns about energy security. The proposed work aims to address the challenge of long-term energy storage for renewable sources by focusing on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) transformation of captured CO₂ into carbon-based valuable fuel such as methane, methanol, ethanol etc. In response to the climate crisis, global efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 are underway, with the freight of sector dependence on liquid fuels posing a challenge to this goal. This research focuses on exploring the potential of artificial materials, specifically PEC materials, for efficient CO₂ conversion. PEC materials exhibit higher solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency (STC up to 20%) compared to conventional biofuels (STC typically 0.2 to 0.3%), making them promising candidates to optimize CO₂ conversion efficiency in the face of limited land availability for agriculture and biofuels generation. Recently, research on two-dimensional (2D) layered transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) has drawn attention for energy conversion reactions using sustainable methods. TMCs material have a high surface-to-volume ratio and the ideal band gap energy for PEC. Despite of having an appropriate band gap; they do not show efficient charge transfer at the surface of the material, due to out-of-plane structural symmetry that results in induce electron-hole pair recombination which restricts the photoconversion process. In this context, an expanding body of literature highlighting the potential of PEC materials in promoting sustainable energy conversion processes characterizes the status of study in the field of photoelectrocatalysis employing BiTeX (Bismuth Tellurium Halides) materials. BiTeX compounds, composed of bismuth, tellurium, and a third element X (X=Cl, Br, or I), have complex electronic structures that can be tuned to effectively capture solar energy. These substances are exemplars of a highly evolved electronic architecture, poised for manipulation in order to yield effective solar energy capture. Within this complex matrix, an effect known as the Janus Rashba effect has been found, exciting the scientific community with keen interest as a result of out-of-plane intrinsic dipole moment that broadens charge separation of the material. BiTeX materials belong to the Janus Rashba-semiconductor family and have a distinctive layered structure involving stacking of metal, halogen, and chalcogen atoms along the hexagonal c-axis through weak van der Waals forces. Such a 'Janus' arrangement leads to charge separation and strong in-built electric fields, creating spin-polarized Rashba states due to surface or interface spin polarization. These characteristics facilitate selective activation of catalytic sites, increasing CO₂ adsorption and conversion, so BiTeX compounds have potential in sustainable energy and reducing CO₂ emissions.