Photooxidation of Methane to C1 Oxygenated Products Promoted by Crystalline Carbon Nitride

• Grant number: 25/00544-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 11, 2025
• End date: November 05, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivo Freitas Teixeira
• Grantee: Bruna Rocha Serino
• Supervisor: Sergio Navalon Oltra
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia (UPV), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/13463-0 - Green Hydrogen Production Employing Nickel Poly (Heptazine Imide) Photocatalysts: A Low-Cost Catalyst for H2 Evolution, BP.IC

Abstract

Methane (CH4), the major component of natural gas, represents an important C1 building block for synthesizing high aggregated value commodities. However, the molecule high C-H bond dissociation energy and low reactivity render its activation under mild conditions of temperature and pressure a significant challenge. The most common and conventional industrial methods, such as Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) followed by Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS), are considered energy-intensive, requiring extreme temperatures and pressures, and also contribute heavily to greenhouse gas emission. The environmental impact of methane on global warming, as the second most abundant greenhouse gas, has a potential 28 times that of CO2, which highlights the urgent need for sustainable convertion methods to mitigate further rising emissions and reduce existent reserves. Photocatalysis provides a renewable, solar-driven pathway for methane activation under mild conditions for obtention of highly desirable oxygenated products such as methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid. These chemicals hold substantial industrial value, not only as intermediate in fuel synthesis but also as kay precursors in production of daily basis polymers products, and various other materials of commercial interest. In this project, we aim on the photocatalytic oxidation of methane using poly(heptazine imide) (PHI) based materials, exploring the effects of structural modulation through metal introduction on the photocatalyst activity for enhanced selectivity. The infrastructure available in the Department of Chemistry at Universitat Politècnica de València, as well as the expertise of Prof. Dr. Navalón's research group, will play a pivotal role in achieving the optimization of reaction conditions to maximize the conversion of methane into desirable C1 oxygenates, and developing precise quantification techniques to expand the range of detectable products, ensuring a complete analysis of reaction outcomes.