Research Projects

This proposal aims at developing a new generation of economical, biodegradable discrete molecular piezocatalysts to enable efficient capture and conversion of harmful atmospheric CO₂ into sustainable fuels and value-added chemicals through carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR). While the conventional CO₂RR via thermo-, photo- or electrocatalysis require external energy inputs, complex setups and costly materials, piezocatalysis utilizes ambient mechanical energy to enable self-powered redox reactions without any heat, electrical bias or illumination. Here the piezopotential (internal electric field generated in a piezoelectric material when subjected to mechanical stress), effectively drives the charge carriers to the surface, triggering the polarization and activation of surface-adsorbed CO₂ molecules. Despite the initial progress, many fundamental questions in this field remain un- or partially answered, especially regarding material choice, reaction kinetics, selectivity, mechanistic origin of charge carriers. The industrial application of the piezocatalysts based on bulk oxides and 2D systems is limited by their poor selectivity, structural rigidity, presence of toxic elements (e.g., Pb, Cd) and non-biodegradability. MOFs, though promising, are often too mechanically soft for catalytic durability. Many materials lose efficiency and structural integrity under mechanical stress during scale-up, thus are unsuitable for large-scale applications. Hence, as immediate alternatives with improved catalytic performance, long-term stability and recyclability, the discrete molecular complexes come into the picture. Besides the benefits like eco-friendliness and simple processing, they possess regulated design strategy and precise control over coordination environments with accessible catalytic centers, leading to more reproducibility, control over activity and clear mechanistic pathway as compared to the bulk oxides. However, there has not been any report on metal complex based piezocatalysts, making room for a new direction of research in this area. Hence, our primary objectives are, — i. Design and synthesis of discrete molecular piezoelectric systems using biocompatible chiral ligands ii. Probing their piezo- and ferroelectric properties via various techniques. iii. Assessment of their piezocatalytic efficiency in CO2RR by quantifying reaction rates, turnover frequency (TOF), stability over multiple cycles etc. and also benchmarking the performance against conventional piezocatalysts. iv. Developing a mechanistic understanding using both experimental and theoretical methods which is seldom explored in literature. The final goal is to integrate these sustainable molecular piezocatalytic materials into flexible, self-sustaining, cost-effective devices that are typically low maintenance with a long lifespan for on-site, real-time CO2RR without any external power sources, both in industries as well as remote areas.