Research Projects

Photocatalysis is a chemical reaction induced by photoirradiation in the presence of a catalyst, such as a photocatalyst. The development of highly active, superior, and robust photocatalyst materials is proposed based on the concept of novel single atom catalysts (SAC). These SACs will be developed on morphology-oriented nanostructured semiconductor solid substrates with low-cost single atom deposition, aiming for efficient charge separation and surface and redox activity for robust photocatalytic applications. Innovative synthesis will be carried out to synthesize anisotropic morphology-oriented solid semiconductor substrates, which can act as recombination sites. The SAC will be synthesized using single atom precursors, promoting elementary reaction steps towards the proposed photocatalytic water splitting and organic transformation reaction (reductive amination). The obtained SAC and spent photocatalysts will be characterized for their phase purity, morphology, crystal structure, and formation mechanism using various techniques. Emphasis will be placed on the evolution of optical and surface properties, with surface modification if needed for further applications. The efficiency of the synthesized SAC in photocatalytic water splitting and organic transformation reactions, specifically reductive amination, will be studied. The SAC catalyzed and efficiently prepared secondary amines from the reductive amination will be privileged compounds in the design of pharmaceutically relevant molecules.