Research Projects

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a major contributor to global warming, causing a global warming crisis. Countries are working to reduce CO₂ emissions and achieve a goal of zero emissions. India has achieved a 20% reduction in CO₂ emissions and aims to achieve a 33% reduction. The source of this emissions is the construction of homes, commercial buildings, electric plants, and transportation. The energy industry is focusing on energy storage, transforming greenhouse gases into assets through reversible fuel-cell technology, renewable energy, and cloud-based software solutions. New start-up companies have emerged in the last decade, and several commercial sectors and states in India are implementing energy policy to reduce CO₂ emissions. The most desirable solution is a photocatalytic CO₂ conversion using plasmonic noble and nonnoble metals, nitrides, and alloys for fuel production. However, concerns include the abundance and cost of the catalyst and thermal stability. The proposed solution aims to prepare copper-based plasmonic hybrid materials and nitride-based plasmonic materials, which will be synthesized using techniques such as CVD, solvothermal, plasma treatment, hydrothermal, and electrochemical discharge methods. The synthesized materials are expected to capture CO₂, produce high yields of C₁ and C₂ products with less cost and more efficiency. To confirm the results, characterization techniques such as XRD, GC analysis, and HPLC will be conducted.