SMA & Molecular Catalysts

N₂, O₂, and CO₂ are ubiquitous in nature and take part in numerous elemental cycles and metabolic processes. Most importantly, these molecules are reservoir of energy when activated. For Instance, activation of N2 produces NH3, CO2 can be converted to value-added products CO & CH4, and proton reduction produces H2. These processes are potential solutions for environmental and energy needs. However, these reactions are challenging owing to their inert behaviour, and high activation energy requirements. Our group focuses on building molecular catalysts to decrease the kinetic barrier of activation. We synthesize biomimetic catalysts and target the molecule electrochemically.

Both homogeneous and heterogeneous pathways are followed to produce the target molecules. The reaction mechanism is emphasized to modify ligand systems accordingly.