Energy applications of electrochemical technology High performance organic cathode materials for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries have received significant research interest because sustainability, flexibility and versatile molecular design. Many organic cathode materials such as active quinone-polymers have demonstrated optimal reversible lithium insertion corresponding to partial reduction of quinone groups and a capacity of up to 150mAhg-1. Based […]
In order to address the nowadays challenges faced by the Circular Economy frame, biomass is the most promising renewable carbon source alternative to oil and coal. In this raw material, terpenes are prominent molecules since they show double bonds able to be oxidized for giving rise epoxides, appealing building-blocks for the preparation of a wide variety of commodities as well as fine products.
Water contamination with biological (nucleic acids; bacteria, viruses) or chemical (aromatic compounds, metal ions) traces is an important healthy issue. These traces are almost impossible to eliminate by traditional methods and require alternatives, as can be the use of trapping systems, which would interact or bind to these traces, eliminating them from water. For example, chelating systems can be used for metal ions or ammonium compounds can interact with aromatic rings. Regarding biological residues, it has been shown that polyionic macromolecules have high affinity for them, even being able to kill bacteria and viruses. For this project, we propose the study of magnetic nanoparticles and of bulk silica covered with cationic and chelating moieties as water purification systems. Since we have prepared silica with cationic fragments, we have to develop a synthetic procedure for analogous systems on magnetic nanoparticles surface. On the other hand, we have to develop also multichelating systems to be grafted to magnetic nanoparticles and bulk silica. The active groups will be supported on dendritic structures that will generate multiple points of interaction on the surface of materials.
In order to address the nowadays challenges faced by the Circular Economy frame, biomass is the most promising renewable carbon source alternative to oil and coal. In this raw material, terpenes are prominent molecules since they show double bonds able to be oxidized for giving rise epoxides, appealing building-blocks for the preparation of a wide variety of commodities as well as fine products. In addition, sulfide oxidation is currently of much interest because it is related with a new alternative for the desulfurization of fuels that allow to avoid the use of hydrogen. Then, getting the oxidation process in mild conditions and catalytically could be an interesting way of biomass transformation. As such, the group at the University of Alcala has a strong experience in the tailoring of molecular catalysts for polymerization, hydrogenation and oxidation processes. On its side the groups form IMDEA Energía, have a strong experience in the development of both inorganic and organic semiconductors and hybrid materials with photocatalytic properties. In addition, their research activities are also focused on the development of photocatalytic processes related to energetic and environmental applications. These actions are completed with structure-reactivity relationship studies using a combination of in-situ characterizations tools and theoretical calculations. Our specific facilities are fully equipped laboratories for the synthesis and characterization of the catalysts and for studying catalytic processes.
To promote innovations toward solving energy and environmental problems that are expanding on a global scale today is a difficult challenge for scientists and engineers. Much effort is needed to develop technologies that reduce CO2 emissions and help to overcome the present society depending on fossil fuels as primary energy. Hydrogen has attracted increasing attention as an alternative secondary energy resource, because the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen produces the requested energy and only water as by-product. However, storage and transportation of hydrogen is a difficult issue. Chemistry offers a convenient solution to this problem. This research line aims to offer new possibilities to overcome the energetic problem by using metal-based catalysts for hydrogen storage as a tool. We are looking for talented researchers interested in developing materials for energy efficiency and renewable energy applications based on transition-metal complexes or chemistry.
Synthesis of new photocatalysts with application in photovoltaic cells, materials for energy storage, water splitting and catalysis
Climate change and energy shortage represent some of the greatest challenges for humanity. The use of fossil fuels has a significant adverse impact on the environment and is considered a critical cause of global climate change. Therefore, the development of clean and renewable energy is the key way to meet the increasing global energy requirement and to resolve the environmental problems caused by the overuse of large amounts of fossil fuels. Visible-light photoredox catalysis uses visible light as a renewable energy source to promote chemical transformations involving electron transfers. There is an urgent need for clean and renewable fuel so that the development of good catalysts and its assembly into a cell for the photoproduction of hydrogen is seen as one of the most promising sustainable solutions for our present demands. The most used complexes in visible light photocatalysis by their excellent photophysical properties are ruthenium and iridium polypyridyl complexes although their high cost and potential toxicity, causing disadvantages on a big scale. Although great advances have been made in the development of photocatalysts for their application in water splitting, photovoltaic cells, solar energy storage and catalysis, development of new photocatalysts to get more efficient transformations is mandatory and will be the topic of this project.
Synthesis of polyaromatic azaborines and their application as triplet energy transfer emitters in solar energy conversion
Photon upconversion, the process wherein light of long wavelength is frequency converted to photons of higher energy, is readily achieved at low incident power through sensitized triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) in various chromophore combinations spanning the UV to the near-IR. This emerging wavelength-shifting technology truly represents a viable route towards converting low energy terrestrial solar photons into light adequate to drive electron transfer in operational photovoltaics. One of the many possible applications of an efficient and high-energy photon up-conversion would be its use as an elegant way to increase the efficiency of various solar cells. This research will focus on two different families of emitter compounds generated by the replacement of a carbon of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) by a heteroatom: azonia aromatic cations (AZAC), if a nitrogen is employed, and azaborines, formally generated by replacing a C=C unit in a PAH with an isoelectronic B−N unit.