Molecular Catalysts Assisted by Crystalline Carbon Nitride Materials for Photocatalytic CO2 reduction

• Grant number: 25/04914-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 17, 2025
• End date: December 16, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivo Freitas Teixeira
• Grantee: Pietra Flores Rainho Martins
• Supervisor: Carla Casadevall Serrano
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Institut Català D'Investigació Química, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/13283-2 - Photocatalysts with Single-Atoms Supported on Carbon Nitride for Hydrogen Transfer Reactions, BP.IC

Abstract

The United Nations has recognized affordable and sustainable energy access as a crucial objective for global sustainable development. In this framework, artificial photosynthesis has emerged as a promising technology, mimicking natural photosynthesis to produce fuels and chemicals sustainably by converting solar energy into chemical bonds. This approach utilizes abundant and readily available resources, such as water and carbon dioxide, as feedstocks to generate fuels and chemicals, with solar energy serving as the driving force.Among the various systems developed for photocatalytic CO2 conversion, porphyrin-based systems stand out. Their unique attributes-such as thermal and photochemical stability, synthetic adaptability through ligand modification, tunability of the metal centre, and excellent light-absorption properties-make porphyrins ideal as both catalysts and chromophores. However, the development of efficient artificial photosynthesis systems remains a formidable challenge, requiring the integration of complex processes such as water oxidation, CO2 reduction, effective light absorption, and charge separation.Achieving practical application standards necessitates significant advancements to enhance efficiency, selectivity, scalability, and stability. On one hand, molecular systems have enabled for detailed mechanistic understanding and product selectivity, whereas heterogeneous systems have increased the efficiency and stability of systems for CO2 reduction, despite improvement in selectivity and product scope are still needed for practical applications. In this context, one promising approach is the development of hybrid systems formed by the heterogenization of molecular complexes capable of photocatalytic CO2 reduction onto carbon-based supports as the light-harvesters, such as carbon nitrides, converting CO2 into valuable chemicals, such as methanol or formic acid using solar energy. This project aims to design, synthesize, and evaluate transition-metal-based molecular complexes that incorporate light-harvesting ligands and catalytic centres optimized for selective CO2 reduction under mild conditions. (AU)