Purdue University will receive $450,000 from the National Science Foundation under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences federal grant program to develop new molecular catalysts for artificial photosynthesis from August 2022 to July 2025. The university will conduct research focused on the multi-electron chemical process of artificial photosynthesis, including developing and characterizing new and known iron-based molecular water oxidation catalysts. Professor Yulia Pushkar and her team will use advanced spectroscopic techniques such as synchrotron-based X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy to uncover the mechanism of oxygen-oxygen bond formation in these catalysts and correlate molecular structure with catalytic activity through density functional theory computations. The work is expected to advance the design of more active and stable catalysts for artificial photosynthesis, which could facilitate the transition to a carbon-neutral economy through hydrogen fuel generation.
Generated 1/7/24, 9:40 AM