Research

The energy crisis is unquestionably one of the biggest challenges for creating a sustainable society in the 21st century. The economic prosperity and social development of the modern world depend heavily on sustainable and renewable energy resources. However, the widespread use of non-renewable fossil fuels has resulted global concern for energy shortage. Additionally, continuous carbon emissions contribute to worsening environmental issues. In order to meet the demand for power, scientists are focusing on clean and renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, and hydropower. However, the intermittent nature and low efficiency of power generation from these sources have hindered their progress in replacing fossil fuels. Therefore, there is an immediate need for reliable, clean, and affordable energy sources. Nanomaterials, which have a higher number of catalytic active sites and enhanced diffusion kinetics compared to bulk materials, and have therefore been utilized in advanced energy systems. Thus, I manily focus on designing hybrid nanostructures. These nanostructures will serve as an active electrode materials for electrochemical hydrogen production. 

Electrosynthesis has evolved as a potent and ecologically benign approach in synthetic organic chemistry. The application of electricity as a reagent for the development of green, and sustainable technologies has become a favorable methodology in organic synthesis. For instance, dangerous and toxic chemical reducing or oxidizing agents are being substituted by electricity as a renewable, affordable, and inherently safe reagent. Unlike traditional synthetic techniques, electrochemical reactions typically occur under mild conditions, making them greener, more affordable, and more secure options. In recent years, the construction of C-X and C-C bonds precisely from the cross-coupling between two aromatic components has emerged as rigorous, and exciting target in electrochemistry. Electro-organic synthesis provides another means of achieving functional group interconversion, and constructing chemical bonds at the anode and cathode. Through the combination of  catalyst design and modified with the active electrode material, I aim to develop new functional materials for synthesising value-added products. 

Ammonia (NH3) plays a huge role in the future energy industry due to its high hydrogen capacity (17.65%), high energy density ((4.32 kWh L–1), and clear emission. Moreover, NH3 is regarded as an important chemical for the production of plastics, fertilizers, nitric acid, explosives and intermediates for pharmaceuticals. Industrially, NH3 production has been carried out by Haber-Bosch process (HBP), which consumes a large amount of H2 (about 50% of the global production of H2) and requires about 2% of global energy supply. Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia has been recognized as a promising and emerging technology. Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is very complex and involves multiple electron and proton transfer process, which not only reduces the overall kinetics but also produces several other byproducts. Based on the above consideration, it is urgent to develop efficient and active catalysts for selective NO3- electroreduction to NH3.