research

Background

A semiconducting material could absorb photons (energy from sun) which leads to the electron-hole separation. Then, these highly energetic electrons and holes could travel to the opposite electrodes (cathode and anode) and trigger the chemical reaction at the interface of electrode-electrolyte. This is what we call "Photo-Electro-Chemical, PEC" reaction. In our lab, we focus on the catalyst development for PEC water splitting (for hydrogen generation) and organic material conversion (to high value products) with minimizing energy needed! The dream towards clean energy generation from water, sun, and waste is our driving force for this research!

Background

During water electrolysis to form clean hydrogen at the cathode, the oxygen is evolved at the anode (water oxidation) simultaneously. The sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction limits the overall water splitting reaction efficiency. Replacing water oxidation by low energy needed glycerol (a waste from biodiesel plant) oxidation, not only could reduce the energy cost but also could recycle the waste to form high value products. Thus, by developing a highly efficient glycerol electro-oxidation catalyst is crucial in terms of lowering the overall energy cost as well as the profit that can be earned from the biodiesel plant waste.

Background

5-hydroxymethylfural (HMF), obtained from lignocellulosic biomass, is considered as a platform chemical with high industrial potential as it can be transformed to various high-value chemicals. For instance, HMF oxidation produces either 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) or 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarbocylic acid (HMFCA), which can then be further oxidized to 5-formyl-2-furancarboxilic acid (FFCA), and then to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Among these chemicals, FDCA is of the high interest as it can potentially replace terephthalic acid, a fossil fuel derived raw material for polyester manufacturing, enabling green polyesters production for eco-friendly packaging. DFF is another important derivative of HMF with very high value as it can be used as an intermediate for synthesis of pharmaceuticals, fungicides, furan-urea resins, and heterocyclic ligands.

Oxidizing HMF to high value-added product at the anode while reducing water to hydrogen at the cathode is the main idea for this research. Thus, developing an efficient electrocatalyst for HMF oxidation is what we are working on!

Background

Following by the speedy production of renewable energy and increasing concerns of our environment, a new type reactor should be developed to boost the efficiency and lower the energy consumption in the process. The "high-gravity" concept of "process intensification" is a promising pathway towards sustainability. Under high gravity condition, the mass and heat transfer of each molecules are expected to be more uniform and much faster, leading to orders of magnitudes increase in the efficiency. This is the technology dominating chemical engineering field in our (future) generation - Process Intensification!!