Author: Kieran Brophy

Solar fuels 3 – Identifying novel materials for converting light to fuel

So if existing materials like haematite aren’t good enough to be used to generate solar fuels, how do researchers go about identifying novel materials to convert sunlight into fuel? We’ll see how computers can help identify ideal materials for the production of solar fuels. What are the key steps to do in research lab to build a tangible device that can be used to produce a solar fuel?

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A simple guide to solar fuels 1 – Turning sunlight into a fuel

Turning sunlight into a liquid fuel might sound like the fantasy machinations of a sci-fi novel. A fuel that is abundant, sustainable, storable, and a portable source of energy? The reality is possibly even more exciting. Solar fuels could use energy in sunlight to convert COand methane, potent greenhouse gases, into high-value products, such as fertilizers, plastics or pharmaceuticals.

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Catalysis through the ages 3 – electrocatalysts of the future

Electrocatalysts could be an energy game-changer. They could allow us to generate electricity, and produce fuels like petrol and diesel, using naturally abundant substances. Predicting a specific catalyst for any reaction will soon be within reach. It looks like the best days of the alchemist might still be ahead.

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Catalysis through the ages 1 – Birth of an industry

Catalysis is critical to many chemical processes, from digesting your food to plastic production and making beer! Catalysts could drive the clean energy revolution and much more. In the first post of a three-part series, we explore what catalysts are and how they have been instrumental in human development, from world wars to pushing the frontiers of medicine.

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